Update from Victoria

Adak reached Victoria on September 10, bringing the 2026 expedition to an end. After nearly four months and more than 9,000 nautical miles, the project is entering a new phase. I am taking some time to look back at what I learned during this first year and to develop plans for what comes next.

As part of that process, I have started talking with some of you about why you follow Ice Frontiers, what you enjoy reading, and what you would like to see next. These conversations have been extremely useful. I would love to meet some of you who are new to the site and reconnect with others I haven’t had a chance to talk with in a while. At this point, I have written more than 100 articles, and I am simply curious to better understand how they land.  You can pick a time that works for you here.

Those conversations have already led to one change. Instead of sending each new article by email, I will send one monthly update with a short introduction and links to recent pieces. The articles will continue to be published on the website, but your inbox should become considerably quieter.

I have also decided to end paid subscriptions. Current subscriptions will be refunded, and the Logbook, which was previously reserved for paying subscribers, will now be available to anyone with an account on the site.

There are other changes taking shape as I think through what this first expedition taught me about the boat, the project, and what I want to do next. This is still very much a work in progress. For now, here is some of what I have been writing in September.

Letters from the Edge

Going Off Trail: Accepting a Problem Has No Solution

On a mountain above Dutch Harbor, I realized I had lost the trail. I had spent months doing the same thing with my sailboat, looking for a way to build a business around it without operating it commercially. There wasn’t one. On the unexpected relief of accepting a problem with no solution.

Ice FrontiersJean Peccoud

Getting Back on Trail: Choosing a Path Without Guarantees

After the plan I had for the boat did not work, I have three options: ell her, operate her commercially, or sail for sport or pleasure. Each path forces me to ask why I bought her.

Ice FrontiersJean Peccoud

Logbooks

Is That It? Arriving in Victoria After 9,000 Miles

Last week, I reached Victoria. It felt like a failure.

Ice FrontiersJean Peccoud

Letters from the Dock

Sailing Prince William Sound: an Empty Ecosystem?

Prince William Sound looked pristine: clear water, empty anchorages, immense mountains and glaciers. It took a whale hundreds of miles later to make me wonder what we hadn’t seen — and whether I would know the difference between a healthy wilderness and a diminished one.

Ice FrontiersJean Peccoud