Meet the Man Sailing Alone Around the Arctic Ocean

Matt Rutherford is doing something no one has ever done before. The 45-year-old sailor is trying to travel all the way around the Arctic Ocean by himself. His trip covers about 10,000 nautical miles through some of the coldest and most remote waters on Earth. He started his journey on June 25 from the western coast of Greenland. If he succeeds, he will make history as the first person to solo circumnavigate the Arctic Ocean.

Rutherford sails out of Annapolis, Maryland, and is well known for his ocean adventures. His route takes him across the North Atlantic Ocean, along the coast of Russia, and eventually through the Northwest Passage in Canada. He spoke with NPR from his 42-foot sailboat while sailing through the Barents Sea, a cold stretch of water near Norway and Russia. He used a Starlink satellite connection to communicate, because regular phone service does not reach those remote areas.

One of the biggest dangers Rutherford faces is sea ice. If his boat crashes into a large chunk of ice, it could sink — and there would be no one nearby to help. Because of this, even sleeping is risky. 'It just becomes extremely difficult to get any sleep because if you hit the ice, you essentially die,' he said. He uses radar to detect large pieces of ice and thermal binoculars to spot smaller ones.

Time is another major challenge on this journey. Rutherford must finish before summer ends and fall begins. When the weather turns cold, pack ice — large sheets of frozen ocean water — can surround and trap his boat. He also warned that darker days are coming, making it harder to see ice at night. The thick ice near Alaska and eastern Siberia worries him the most.

Rutherford's trip is not just about adventure. He runs a nonprofit called the Ocean Research Project, which studies climate change and glaciers in Greenland. This year, the federal government cut funding for climate science, leaving his group short on money. He hopes his bold solo voyage will attract new donors to keep the research going. His group's ship also needs a new engine and other repairs.

Climate change has actually made Rutherford's trip slightly more possible than it would have been decades ago. Arctic sea ice has shrunk by about one-third since the early 1980s, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. This means there is more open water for him to sail through. However, he warned that plenty of dangerous ice still lies ahead on his route.

Sailing through Russian waters brings its own set of challenges. Rutherford had to get a special permit from the Russian government to travel the Northern Sea Route along Russia's northern coast. He must check in with Moscow every single day and report his location to Russia's security service if he gets too close to shore. He said he plans to follow every rule carefully. 'You better believe I'm going to be doing that on time,' he said.