Editing Northwest Passage (section)

===Later expeditions===
The first traversal of the Northwest Passage via [[dog sled]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/information/biography/pqrst/rasmussen_knud.html |title=Knud Johan Victor Rasmussen |first=Sam |last=Alley |publisher=[[Minnesota State University, Mankato]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101012111624/http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/information/biography/pqrst/rasmussen_knud.html |archive-date=October 12, 2010 |access-date=March 27, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> was accomplished by Greenlander [[Knud Rasmussen]] while on the Fifth Thule Expedition (1921–1924). Rasmussen and two [[Kalaallit|Greenland Inuit]] travelled from the Atlantic to the Pacific over the course of 16 months via dog sled.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rasmussen|first=Knud|author-link=Knud Rasmussen|title=Across Arctic America : Narrative of the Fifth Thule Expedition|url=https://archive.org/details/acrossarcticamer006641mbp|year=1927|publisher=G.P. Putnam's Sons}}</ref>

Canadian [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] officer [[Henry Larsen (explorer)|Henry Larsen]] was the second to sail the passage, crossing west to east, leaving Vancouver on June 23, 1940, and arriving at [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]] on October 11, 1942. More than once on this trip, he was uncertain whether {{ship||St. Roch|ship|2}}, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police "ice-fortified" [[schooner]], would survive the pressures of the sea ice. At one point, Larsen wondered "if we had come this far only to be crushed like a nut on a shoal and then buried by the ice." The ship and all but one of her crew survived the winter on [[Boothia Peninsula]]. Each of the men on the trip was awarded a medal by Canada's sovereign, [[King George VI]], in recognition of this feat of Arctic navigation.<ref>{{cite book |last=Larsen |first=Henry |author-link=Henry Larsen (explorer) |title=The North-West Passage |date=1948 |publisher=Edmond Cloutier, Queen's Printer and Controller of Stationery |pages=7–24}}</ref>

Later in 1944, Larsen's return trip was far more swift than his first. He made the trip in 86 days to sail back from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Vancouver, British Columbia.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,801448,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081214222706/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,801448,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 14, 2008 |title=Canada at War: The Arctic: Northwest Passage, 1944 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=October 30, 1944 |access-date=June 13, 2010 }}</ref> He set a record for traversing the route in a single season. The ship, after extensive upgrades,  followed a more northerly, partially uncharted route.

In 1954, {{HMCS|Labrador}}<ref name="Ship details">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nauticapedia.ca/dbase/Query/Shiplist4.php?&name=Labrador%20(H.M.C.S.)&id=31694&Page=1&input=labrador |title=Ship details: Labrador (H.M.C.S.) |website=The Nauticapedia |access-date=December 27, 2017 |archive-date=December 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227235654/http://www.nauticapedia.ca/dbase/Query/Shiplist4.php?&name=Labrador%20(H.M.C.S.)&id=31694&Page=1&input=labrador |url-status=live }}</ref> completed the east-to-west transit, under the command of Captain O.C.S. Robertson, conducting hydrographic soundings along the route. She was the first [[warship]] (and the first [[deep draft]] ship) to transit the Northwest Passage and the first warship to [[circumnavigate]] North America. In 1956, HMCS ''Labrador'' again completed the east-to-west transit, this time under the command of Captain T.C. Pullen.

On July 1, 1957, the [[United States Coast Guard Cutter]] {{USCGC|Storis|WMEC-38|2}} departed in company with {{USCGC|Bramble|WLB-392|6}} and {{USCGC|Spar|WLB-403|6}} to search for a deep-draft channel through the Arctic Ocean and to collect [[Hydrography|hydrographic]] information. The US Coast Guard Squadron was escorted through Bellot Strait and the Eastern Arctic by HMCS ''Labrador''.<ref name="Ship details"/> Upon her return to Greenland waters, ''Storis'' became the first U.S.-registered vessel to circumnavigate North America. Shortly after her return in late 1957, she was reassigned to her new home port of [[Kodiak, Alaska]].

In 1960, {{USS|Seadragon|SSN-584|6}} completed the first submarine transit of the Northwest Passage, heading east-to-west.<ref>{{cite book|last=Steele|first=George P.|title=Seadragon: Northwest Under the Ice|url=https://archive.org/details/seadragonnorthwe0000stee|url-access=registration|year=1962|publisher=Dutton}}</ref>

In 1969, SS ''Manhattan'' made the passage, accompanied by the Canadian icebreakers {{ship|CCGS|John A. Macdonald}} and {{ship|CCGS|Louis S. St-Laurent}}. The U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers {{USCGC|Northwind|WAGB-282|2}} and {{USCGC|Staten Island|WAGB-278|2}} also sailed in support of the expedition.<ref name=Smith1970/><ref name=Keating1970/>

''Manhattan'' was a [[Ice class|specially reinforced]] [[Oil tanker|supertanker]] sent to test the viability of the passage for the transport of oil. While ''Manhattan'' succeeded, the route was deemed not to be cost-effective. The United States built the [[Alaska Pipeline]] instead.

In June 1977, sailor Willy de Roos left [[Belgium]] to attempt the Northwest Passage in his {{convert|13.8|m|abbr=on}} steel [[yacht]] ''Williwaw''. He reached the Bering Strait in September and after a stopover in [[Victoria, British Columbia]], went on to round Cape Horn and sail back to Belgium, thus being the first sailor to circumnavigate the Americas entirely by ship.<ref>{{cite AV media |first=John |last=Harvard |url=https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/willy-de-roos-big-journey |title=Willy de Roos' big journey |work=[[90 Minutes Live]] |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |via=CBC Archives |date=November 3, 1977 |medium=Television |access-date=December 7, 2018 |archive-date=April 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426190556/http://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/willy-de-roos-big-journey |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1981 as part of the [[Transglobe Expedition]], [[Ranulph Fiennes]] and [[Charles R. Burton]] completed the Northwest Passage. They left [[Tuktoyaktuk]] on July 26, 1981, in the {{convert|18|ft|adj=on}} open [[Boston Whaler]] and reached [[Tanquary Fiord]] on August 31, 1981. Their journey was the first open-boat transit from west to east and covered around {{convert|3000|mi|km nmi}}, taking a route through Dolphin and Union Strait following the south coast of Victoria and King William islands, north to Resolute Bay via Franklin Strait and Peel Sound, around the south and east coasts of Devon Island, through Hell Gate and across Norwegian Bay to Eureka, Greely Bay and the head of Tanquary Fiord. Once they reached Tanquary Fiord, they had to trek {{convert|150|mi}} via Lake Hazen to Alert before setting up their winter base camp.

In 1984, the commercial passenger vessel {{MV|Explorer|1969|6}} (which sank in the [[Antarctic Ocean]] in 2007) became the first [[cruise ship]] to navigate the Northwest Passage.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7108835.stm#graphic |title=Stricken Antarctic ship evacuated |work=[[BBC News]] |date=November 24, 2007 |access-date=November 28, 2007 |archive-date=May 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530141528/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7108835.stm#graphic |url-status=live }}</ref>

In July 1986, Jeff MacInnis and Mike Beedell set out on an {{convert|18|ft|adj=on}} [[catamaran]] called ''Perception'' on a 100-day sail, west to east, through the Northwest Passage.<ref>{{cite AV media |url=https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/sailing-the-northwest-passage-by-catamaran |title=Sailing the Northwest Passage by catamaran |work=[[Front Page Challenge]] |author-link=Fred Davis (broadcaster) |first=Fred |last=Davis |date=November 2, 1988 |medium=Television |via=CBC Archive |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=December 7, 2018 |archive-date=May 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180521073235/http://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/sailing-the-northwest-passage-by-catamaran |url-status=live }}</ref> This pair was the first to sail the passage, although they had the benefit of doing so over a couple of summers.<ref name="Jeff">{{cite book|last1=MacInnis|first1=Jeff|last2=Rowland|first2=Wade|author-link2=Wade Rowland|title=Polar passage: the historic first sail through the Northwest Passage|url=https://archive.org/details/polarpassagehist00maci|url-access=registration|year=1990|publisher=Random House|isbn=978-0-8041-0650-4}}</ref>

In July 1986, [[David Scott Cowper]] set out from England in a {{convert|12.8|m|adj=on}} [[Lifeboat (rescue)|lifeboat]] named ''Mabel El Holland'', and survived three Arctic winters in the Northwest Passage before reaching the Bering Strait in August 1989. He continued around the world via the [[Cape of Good Hope]] to return to England on September 24, 1990. His was the first vessel to circumnavigate the world via the Northwest Passage.<ref>''Cruising,'' London, Summer 1992, p. 35</ref>

On July 1, 2000, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police patrol vessel {{ship|RCMP vessel|Nadon||2}}, having assumed the name ''St Roch II'', departed Vancouver on a "Voyage of Rediscovery." ''Nadon''{{'}}s mission was to circumnavigate North America via the Northwest Passage and the Panama Canal, recreating the epic voyage of her predecessor, ''St. Roch.'' The {{convert|22000|mi|adj=on}} Voyage of Rediscovery was intended to raise awareness concerning ''St. Roch'' and kick off the fund-raising efforts necessary to ensure the continued preservation of ''St. Roch''. The voyage was organized by the [[Vancouver Maritime Museum]] and supported by a variety of corporate sponsors and agencies of the Canadian government.
''Nadon'' is an aluminum, catamaran-hulled, high-speed patrol vessel. To make the voyage possible, she was escorted and supported by the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker {{ship|CCGS|Simon Fraser||2}}. The Coast Guard vessel was chartered by the Voyage of Rediscovery and crewed by volunteers. Throughout the voyage, she provided a variety of necessary services, including provisions and spares, fuel and water, helicopter facilities, and ice escort; she also conducted oceanographic research during the voyage. The Voyage of Rediscovery was completed in five and a half months, with ''Nadon'' reaching Vancouver on December 16, 2000.

On September 1, 2001, ''Northabout'', an {{convert|14.3|m|adj=on}} aluminium [[sailboat]] with diesel engine,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northabout.com/nwp/theboat.htm |title=The Boat |work=Northabout.com |publisher=Irish Northwest Passage Expedition |first=Jarlath |last=Cunnane |date=2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823024559/http://www.northabout.com/nwp/theboat.htm |archive-date=August 23, 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=February 19, 2011  }}</ref> built and captained by Jarlath Cunnane, completed the Northwest Passage east-to-west from Ireland to the Bering Strait. The voyage from the Atlantic to the Pacific was completed in 24 days. Cunnane cruised in ''Northabout'' in Canada for two years before returning to Ireland in 2005 via the Northeast Passage; he completed the first east-to-west circumnavigation of the pole by a single sailboat. The Northeast Passage return along the coast of Russia was slower, starting in 2004, requiring an ice stop and winter over in [[Khatanga (village)|Khatanga]], Siberia. He returned to Ireland via the Norwegian coast in October 2005. On January 18, 2006, the [[Cruising Club of America]] awarded Jarlath Cunnane their Blue Water Medal, an award for "meritorious seamanship and adventure upon the sea displayed by amateur sailors of all nationalities."{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

On July 18, 2003, a father-and-son team, Richard and Andrew Wood, with Zoe Birchenough, sailed the yacht ''Norwegian Blue'' into the Bering Strait. Two months later she sailed into the Davis Strait to become the first British yacht to transit the Northwest Passage from west to east. She also became the only British vessel to complete the Northwest Passage in one season, as well as the only British sailing yacht to return from there to British waters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.norwegianblue.co.uk |title=The Northwest Passage |work=Norwegianblue.co.uk |date=2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016103647/http://www.norwegianblue.co.uk/northwest_passage.htm |archive-date=October 16, 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=February 19, 2011  }}</ref>

In 2006, a scheduled cruise liner ({{ship|MS|Bremen}}) successfully ran the Northwest Passage,<ref name="hl-cruises1">{{cite web |first=Mark |last=Behrend |website=Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten |url=http://www.hl-cruises.com/redwork/do.php?layoutid=100&node=275236&language=2 |title=Logbook of the Northwest Passage |access-date=February 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711172235/http://www.hl-cruises.com/redwork/do.php?layoutid=100&node=275236&language=2 |archive-date=July 11, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> helped by [[satellite image]]s telling the location of sea ice.

On May 19, 2007, a French sailor, Sébastien Roubinet, and one other crew member left [[Anchorage, Alaska]], in ''Babouche'', a {{convert|7.5|m|adj=on}} ice catamaran designed to sail on water and slide over ice. The goal was to navigate west to east through the Northwest Passage by sail only. Following a journey of more than {{convert|7200|km|0|abbr=on}}, Roubinet reached Greenland on September 9, 2007, thereby completing the first Northwest Passage voyage made in one season without engine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.babouche-expe.eu/home.html |publisher=Sébastien Roubinet |title=The North-West Passage by Sailboat |access-date=September 9, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928075440/http://www.babouche-expe.eu/home.html |archive-date=September 28, 2007 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

[[File:NWPDX.tif|thumb|upright=1.95|Northwest Passage Drive Expedition (NWPDX) (2009–2011)]]
In April 2009, planetary scientist [[Pascal Lee]] and a team of four on the [[Northwest Passage Drive Expedition]] drove the [[Haughton–Mars Project|HMP]] ''Okarian'' [[Humvee]] rover a record-setting {{convert|496|km|abbr=on}} on sea-ice from [[Kugluktuk]] to [[Cambridge Bay]], [[Nunavut]], the longest distance driven on sea-ice in a road vehicle. The HMP ''Okarian'' was being ferried from the North American mainland to the [[Haughton–Mars Project]] (HMP) Research Station on [[Devon Island]], where it would be used as a simulator of future pressurized rovers for astronauts on the [[Moon]] and [[Mars]]. The HMP ''Okarian'' was eventually flown from Cambridge Bay to [[Resolute Bay]] in May 2009, and then driven again on sea-ice by Lee and a team of five from [[Resolute, Nunavut|Resolute]] to the West coast of Devon Island in May 2010.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Lee |first=P. |title=Northwest Passage Drive: Preparing for Mars |magazine=Above & Beyond – Canada's Arctic Journal |date=September–October 2010 |pages=35–39}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Alan |last=Dowd |title=Scientists plan to drive the icy Northwest Passage |work=[[Reuters]] |date=March 13, 2009 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-passage/scientists-plan-to-drive-the-icy-northwest-passage-idUSTRE52C5GD20090314 |access-date=December 7, 2018 |archive-date=December 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209123830/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-passage/scientists-plan-to-drive-the-icy-northwest-passage-idUSTRE52C5GD20090314 |url-status=live }}</ref> The HMP ''Okarian'' reached the HMP Research Station in July 2011. The Northwest Passage Drive Expedition is captured in the motion picture documentary film ''Passage To Mars'' (2016).<ref>{{IMDb title |qid=Q129677675|title=Passage to Mars |description=(2016)}}</ref>

In 2009, sea ice conditions were such that at least nine small vessels and two cruise ships completed the transit of the Northwest Passage. These trips included one by Eric Forsyth<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.yachtfiona.com/ |title= The Adventures of Eric Forsyth |website= YachtFiona.com |access-date= September 30, 2010 |archive-date= September 23, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100923083631/http://www.yachtfiona.com/ |url-status= live }}</ref> on board the {{convert|42|ft|adj=on}} Westsail sailboat ''Fiona'', a boat he built in the 1980s. Self-financed, Forsyth, a retired engineer from the [[Brookhaven National Laboratory]], and winner of the Cruising Club of America's Blue Water Medal, sailed the Canadian Archipelago with sailor Joey Waits, airline captain Russ Roberts and carpenter David Wilson.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fiona2009northwestpassage.blogspot.com |title=Fiona Sails the Northwest Passage in 2009 |date=2011 |work=fiona2009northwestpassage.blogspot.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825215818/http://fiona2009northwestpassage.blogspot.com/ |archive-date=August 25, 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=November 20, 2018  }}</ref> After successfully sailing the Passage, the 77-year-old Forsyth completed the circumnavigation of North America, returning to his home port on [[Long Island, New York]].

Cameron Dueck and his crew aboard the {{convert|40|ft|adj=on}} sailing yacht ''Silent Sound'' also transited in the summer of 2009. Their voyage began in Victoria, BC, on June 6, and they arrived in Halifax on October 10.<ref>{{cite news |title=Arctic sailor sees melting sea ice first-hand |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/arctic-sailor-sees-melting-sea-ice-first-hand-1.828849 |access-date=October 22, 2018 |work=CBC News |date=September 18, 2009 |archive-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024041116/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/arctic-sailor-sees-melting-sea-ice-first-hand-1.828849 |url-status=live }}</ref> Dueck wrote a book about the voyage called ''The New Northwest Passage''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Dueck|first=Cameron|title=The New Northwest Passage: A Voyage to the Front Line of Climate Change|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yxsxMgEACAAJ&pg=PP1|year=2013|publisher=Sandstone Press|isbn=978-1-908737-15-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bertulli |first1=Margaret |title=Review: Cameron Dueck, The New Northwest Passage: A Voyage to the Front Line of Climate Change |url=http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/72/newnorthwestpassage.shtml |journal=Manitoba History |publisher=[[Manitoba Historical Society]] |volume=72 |date=Spring–Summer 2013 |access-date=October 22, 2018 |archive-date=October 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022232607/http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/72/newnorthwestpassage.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

In August–September 2010, Graeme Kendall (New Zealand) sailed the {{convert|41|ft|adj=on}} ''Astral Express'' through the Northwest Passage. He was the first person to sail solo non-stop through the passage. He began in Lancaster Sound on August 27 and ended 12 days later at Point Barrow, Alaska, on September 9. The trip covered {{convert|2,300|NM|km}}. It was part of a circumnavigation that started and ended in New Zealand.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oceannavigator.com/kendall-completes-first-solo-of-northwest-passage/ |title=Kendall completes first solo of Northwest Passage |work=Ocean Navigator |author=John Snyder |date=December 22, 2010 |accessdate=August 8, 2021 |archive-date=August 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808170205/https://www.oceannavigator.com/kendall-completes-first-solo-of-northwest-passage/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/yachting-arctic-sailor-finishes-journey/GSSGGBKDMD4OGGIG5ACRE3QDAI/ |title=Yachting: Arctic sailor finishes journey |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |author=Amelia Wade |date=October 27, 2010 |accessdate=August 8, 2021 |archive-date=August 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808170204/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/yachting-arctic-sailor-finishes-journey/GSSGGBKDMD4OGGIG5ACRE3QDAI/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On September 9, 2010, [[Bear Grylls]] and a team of five completed a point-to-point navigation between [[Pond Inlet]] and Tuktoyaktuk in the [[Northwest Territories]] on a [[rigid inflatable boat]] (RIB). The expedition drew attention to how the effects of [[global warming]] made this journey possible and raised funds for the Global Angels charity.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Maritime Journal {{!}} Bear Grylls' RIB completes North West Passage|url=https://www.maritimejournal.com/news101/industry-news/bear-grylls-rib-completes-north-west-passage|access-date=2020-06-13|website=www.maritimejournal.com|archive-date=June 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613091336/https://www.maritimejournal.com/news101/industry-news/bear-grylls-rib-completes-north-west-passage|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-10-28|title=Our journey {{!}} Future Capital Partners and Bear Grylls – Northwest Passage|url=http://fcpnorthwestpassage.com/journey|access-date=2020-06-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101028074434/http://fcpnorthwestpassage.com/journey|archive-date=October 28, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On August 30, 2012 [[Sailing yacht]] {{ship||Billy Budd}},<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.billybudd.info/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516034114/http://www.billybudd.info/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 16, 2008 |title=BillyBudd – Official Site |website=www.billybudd.info |access-date=July 13, 2016 }}</ref> {{convert|110|ft}}, an English SY, successfully completed the Northwest Passage in [[Nome, Alaska]], while sailing a northern route never sailed by a sailing pleasure vessel before. After six cruising seasons in the [[Arctic]] (Greenland, Baffin Bay, Devon Island, [[Kane Basin]], Lancaster Sound, [[Peel Sound]], Regent Sound) and four seasons in the South ([[Antarctic Peninsula]], [[Patagonia]], [[Falkland Islands]], [[South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands|South Georgia]]), SY ''Billy Budd'', owned by and under the command of an Italian sporting enthusiast, Mariacristina Rapisardi.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/notizie/2012-08-22/maria-cristina-rapisardi-signora-152152.shtml?uuid=AbOkq4RG |title=Maria Cristina Rapisardi signora dei ghiacci |access-date=July 13, 2016 |archive-date=August 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822054311/http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/notizie/2012-08-22/maria-cristina-rapisardi-signora-152152.shtml?uuid=AbOkq4RG |url-status=live }}</ref> Crewed by Marco Bonzanigo, five Italian friends, one Australian, one Dutch, one South African, and one New Zealander, it sailed through the Northwest Passage. The northernmost route was chosen. ''Billy Budd'' sailed through the [[Parry Channel]], Viscount Melville Sound and Prince of Wales Strait, a channel {{convert|160|NM}} long and {{convert|15|NM}} wide which flows south into the [[Amundsen Gulf]]. During the passage ''Billy Budd'' – likely a first for a pleasure vessel – anchored in Winter Harbour in Melville Island, the very same site where almost 200 years ago [[Sir William Parry]] was blocked by ice and forced to winter.

On August 29, 2012, the Swedish yacht ''Belzebub II,'' a {{convert|31|ft|adj=on}} fibreglass cutter captained by Canadian Nicolas Peissel, Swede Edvin Buregren and Morgan Peissel, became the first sailboat in history to sail through McClure Strait, part of a journey of achieving the most northerly Northwest Passage.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://belzebub2.com/home?lang=en |title= Home « A Passage through Ice |website= belzebub2.com |access-date= February 14, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052801/http://belzebub2.com/home?lang=en |archive-date= March 4, 2016 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all }}</ref> ''Belzebub II'' departed Newfoundland following the coast of Greenland to [[Qaanaaq]] before tracking the sea ice to [[Grise Fiord]], Canada's most northern community. From there the team continued through Parry Channel into McClure Strait and the Beaufort Sea, tracking the highest latitudes of 2012's record sea ice depletion before completing their Northwest Passage September 14, 2012. The expedition received extensive media coverage, including recognition by former U.S. Vice President [[Al Gore]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Rebecca J. |last=Rosen |date=September 25, 2012 |title=Climate Change Adventure: The Arctic's Melting, So These Guys Sailed Across It |work=[[The Atlantic]] |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/09/climate-change-adventure-the-arctics-melting-so-these-guys-sailed-across-it/261930/ |access-date=December 7, 2018 |archive-date=December 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209123514/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/09/climate-change-adventure-the-arctics-melting-so-these-guys-sailed-across-it/261930/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Gore |first=Al |type=Blog |website=AlGore.com |url= http://blog.algore.com/2012/10/ |title=Just a Sailboat |date=October 4, 2012 |access-date=February 5, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150220050651/http://blog.algore.com/2012/10/ |archive-date=February 20, 2015}}</ref> The accomplishment is recorded in the Polar Scott Institute's record of Northwest Passage Transits and recognized by the Explorers Club<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.explorers.org/index.php/events/detail/nyc_lecture_series_w_nicolas_peissel |title=A Passage Through Ice |date=March 11, 2013 |publisher=[[The Explorers Club]] |access-date=February 14, 2014 |archive-date=February 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221185226/http://www.explorers.org/index.php/events/detail/nyc_lecture_series_w_nicolas_peissel |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the Royal Canadian Geographic Society.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/rcgs-funded-explorers-sail-northwest-passage |title=RCGS-funded explorers sail the Northwest Passage |first=Bruce |last=Kirkby |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |magazine=[[Canadian Geographic]] |date=April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305013554/http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/apr13/northwest_passage.asp |accessdate=December 7, 2018 }}</ref>

At 18:45 GMT on September 18, 2012, ''Best Explorer'', a steel cutter {{convert|15.17|m}}, skipper Nanni Acquarone, passing between the two Diomedes, was the first Italian sailboat to complete the Northwest Passage along the classical Amundsen route. Twenty-two Italian amateur sailors took part of the trip, in eight legs from [[Tromsø]], Norway, to [[King Cove]], Alaska, totalling {{convert|8200|nmi|lk=in}}. Later in 2019 ''Best Explorer'' skippered again by Nanni Acquarone became the first Italian sailboat to circumnavigate the Arctic sailing north of Siberia from [[Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky]] to [[Tromsø]] and the second ever to do it clockwise.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.nordovestitalia.org/ |title= Arctic Sail Expeditions – Italia  |access-date= January 25, 2013 |archive-date= April 1, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130401075819/http://www.nordovestitalia.org/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

Setting sail from Nome, Alaska, on August 18, 2012, and reaching [[Nuuk]], Greenland, on September 12, 2012, {{MS|The World||2}} became the largest passenger vessel to transit the Northwest Passage.<ref name="Nunatsiaq1">{{cite news |url=http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674the_world_gets_the_green_light_to_transit_the_northwest_passage/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014175410/http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674the_world_gets_the_green_light_to_transit_the_northwest_passage/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 14, 2013 |title=The World gets green light to transit Northwest Passage |date=August 31, 2012 |access-date=October 2, 2012 |work=[[Nunatsiaq News]] |publisher=Nortext Publishing }}</ref><ref name="Nunatsiaq2">{{cite news |url= http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674less_ice_makes_Nunavut_accessible_but_money_stays_at_home/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131014174139/http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674less_ice_makes_Nunavut_accessible_but_money_stays_at_home/ |url-status= dead |archive-date= October 14, 2013 |title= Shrinking ice makes Nunavut more accessible to cruise ships, but money stays on board |date= September 4, 2012 |access-date= October 2, 2012 |work= Nunatsiaq News |publisher= Nortext Publishing }}</ref> The ship, carrying 481 passengers, for 26 days and {{convert|4800|nmi|abbr=on}} at sea, followed in the path of Captain Roald Amundsen. ''The World''{{'s}} transit of the Northwest Passage was documented by ''[[National Geographic]]'' photographer Raul Touzon.<ref>{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGt4k8CWvy4 | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211031/tGt4k8CWvy4| archive-date=2021-10-31 | url-status=live|title=Northwest Passage with Raul Touzon |publisher=Raul Touzon |date=September 30, 2012 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In September 2013, {{ship|MS|Nordic Orion}} became the first commercial [[bulk carrier]] to transit the Northwest Passage.<ref name=reuters>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-shipping-coal-arctic-idUSBRE98Q0K720130927 |first1=John |last1=McGarrity |first2=Henning |last2=Gloystein |title=Big freighter traverses Northwest Passage for 1st time |work=Reuters |date=September 27, 2013 |access-date=July 10, 2021 |archive-date=May 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516062002/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-shipping-coal-arctic-idUSBRE98Q0K720130927 |url-status=live }}</ref> She was carrying a cargo of {{convert|73,500|ST}} of [[coking coal]] from [[Port Metro Vancouver]], Canada, to the Finnish [[Port of Pori]], {{convert|15,000|ST}} more than would have been possible via the traditional Panama Canal route.<ref name=reuters/><ref name=safety>{{cite web |url=https://safety4sea.com/nordic-bulk-vessel-plans-historic-northwest-passage-transit/ |title=Nordic Orion first to transit the Northwest Passage |work=Safety4Sea.com |date=September 20, 2013  |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151016014656/http://www.safety4sea.com/nordic-bulk-vessel-plans-historic-northwest-passage-transit-17577 |archive-date=October 16, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Northwest Passage shortened the distance by {{convert|1,000|nmi}} compared to traditional route via the Panama Canal.<ref name="safety"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Northwest Passage crossed by first cargo ship, the Nordic Orion, heralding new era of Arctic commercial activity |work=[[National Post]] |date=September 27, 2013 |agency=Reuters |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/northwest-passage-crossed-by-first-cargo-ship-the-nordic-orion-heralding-new-era-of-arctic-commercial-activity}}</ref>

In August and September 2016 a cruise ship was sailed through the Northwest Passage.<ref>{{Cite news |first1=Katie |last1=Orlinsky |first2=Eva |last2=Holland |date=September 8, 2016 |title=Apocalypse Tourism? Cruising the Melting Arctic Ocean |work=[[Bloomberg Businessweek]] |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-crystal-serenity-northwest-passage-cruise/ |access-date=September 13, 2016 |archive-date=September 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913060905/https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-crystal-serenity-northwest-passage-cruise/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The ship ''[[Crystal Serenity]]'', (with 1,000 passengers, and 600 crew) left Seward, Alaska, used Amundsen's route and reached New York on September 17. Tickets for the 32-day trip started at $22,000 and were quickly sold out.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Brady |last1=Dennis |author-link=Chris Mooney (journalist) |first2=Chris |last2=Mooney |title=A luxury cruise ship sets sail for the Arctic, thanks to climate change |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=August 16, 2016 |page=A3 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/08/16/a-luxury-cruise-ship-sets-sail-for-the-arctic-thanks-to-climate-change/ |access-date=December 7, 2018 |archive-date=January 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110025959/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/08/16/a-luxury-cruise-ship-sets-sail-for-the-arctic-thanks-to-climate-change/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The trip was repeated in 2017. In 2017 33 vessels made a complete transit, breaking the prior record of 20 in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|author-link=Chris Mooney (journalist)|last=Mooney|first=Chris|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=December 22, 2017|title=The Arctic Dilemma|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P4-1979419050.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209165211/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P4-1979419050.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 9, 2018|access-date=December 7, 2018}}</ref>

In September 2018, sailing yacht ''Infinity'' (a 36.6&nbsp;m ketch) and her 22-person crew successfully sailed through the Northwest Passage.<ref>{{cite news |title=Transits of the Northwest Passage to End of the 2018 Navigation Season Atlantic ↔ Arctic Ocean ↔ Pacific Ocean  |url=https://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/resources/infosheets/northwestpassage.pdf |access-date=February 19, 2019 |agency=University of Cambridge |publisher=Scott Polar Research Institute |date=December 1, 2018 |archive-date=April 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406174008/https://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/resources/infosheets/northwestpassage.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> This was part of their mission to plant the flag of Earth on the remaining Arctic ice. Supported by the EarthToday initiative, this voyage was a symbol for future global collaboration against climate change. The flag of Planet Earth was planted on September 21, 2018, the International Day of Peace.<ref>{{cite news |title=Official video release the Planting of the Flag of Planet Earth |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ase8oB_vVmA | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211031/ase8oB_vVmA| archive-date=2021-10-31 | url-status=live|access-date=February 19, 2019 |date=October 1, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

From July to October 2023, the Arctic Cowboys,<ref>{{cite news |title=northwest passage kayakers finish epic journey |url=https://explorersweb.com/northwest-passage-kayakers-finish-epic-journey/ | agency=Explorer's Web}}{{cbignore}}</ref> became the first people to kayak the central portion of the Northwest Passage from Pond Inlet to Cape Bathurst, marking them as the first to navigate the Canadian Archipelago completely self-propelled, meaning no motors or sails were used. Additionally, the team completed the {{cvt|1600|mi|order=flip}} expedition in a single season.<ref>{{cite news |title=Arctic Cowboys Complete Northwest Passage |url=https://paddlingmag.com/stories/news-events/arctic-cowboys-complete-northwest-passage/ | agency=Paddler Magazine}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The expedition was led and organised by West Hansen,<ref>{{cite news |title=West Hansen|url=https://westhansen.com// | agency=West Hansen}}{{cbignore}}</ref> along with Jeff Wueste, [[Mark Agnew]], and Eileen Visser.<ref>{{cite news |title=Potsdam woman is part of the first team in the world to kayak the Northwest Passage |url=https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/48720/20231102/potsdam-woman-is-part-of-the-first-team-in-the-world-to-kayak-the-northwest-passage | agency=NCPR}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The four travelled in two tandem kayaks. Agnew was awarded European Adventurer of the Year as a result.<ref>{{cite news |title=Scot Wins European Adventurer of the Year   |url=https://www.scottishfield.co.uk/outdoors/scot-wins-european-adventurer-of-the-year/ | agency=Scottish Field}}{{cbignore}}</ref>