Update on Mark

A couple of days ago everything from Bering Straits up was packed in. Now there is that huge piece heading out of the strait.  Note the southern part of that is further south than us here in Nome

We got finished in the Columbia River on time and were making record time to Kodiak when weather hit us.  We spent a day doing round turns in Whale Bay and when the front left us we raced to the other side and hung out in Uyak Bay doing round turns for three days while the next terrible low hit.  We made Dutch Harbor in a total of 16 days with almost four days of hiding from weather.  Very respectable.  After Dutch we raced to NakNek and knocked it out within 24 hours.  We were beginning to think we were on a roll until the ice report alerted us the Bering Strait and all points north were socked in with ice.  Even Port Clarance which is south of the Strait was blocked.  New plans were set and we are heading to Nome tonight, to wait for the break up.  Predictions are for about ten days from now.  The good news is we had a pretty good low pass over us on the way up here.  And the ice map today looks infinitely better.  Port Clarence has cleared out and a huge mass has broke away and is floating south of the Bering Strait.