On Saturday 26^th May at 17.10hrs BST, the team received a distressing satellite phone call from James.

They were travelling south-east towards Killorsuaq, a small community on the west coast, when Rob noticed he had dropped a mitten. They stopped and Rob went back to get it when suddenly the ice gave way and he fell through into the freezing water. His clothing quickly saturated and the freezing water paralysed him. He also hit his head on the ice edge as he fell and became unconscious. 

The hunters ran back to try to pull Rob out which proved very difficult as they did not want to risk going in themselves. Eventually after some 3 minutes they did. By this time however, Rob was already in a bad state and suffering from hypothermia. They quickly set up their tent and got the stove on to heat the inside. James got Rob’s wet kit off and put him in a sleeping bag with warm drinks. Their combined speed and actions without doubt saved Rob’s life.

James then called a rescue helicopter from Upernarvik which arrived at around 22.00hrs to fly them south some 260 miles to a hospital. Thule Air Base, whilst much closer, was closed due to bad weather. They arrived at 00.35hrs at Upernarvik where they were transferred to the local hospital. After re-warming, Rob’s condition stabilised, however he had suffered concussion and was drifting in and out of consciousness. By Monday he had perked up and was almost back to himself. He had suffered some memory loss and James had to fill him in with the detail of what had happened.

Both boys are determined the expedition will continue and with Ice Maiden just five days from them, they anticipate being on board this weekend to head south to New York. The warming of the arctic regions and thinning of sea ice was brought home to us all this weekend with the near loss of life. It highlights just how quickly this is all taking place and that without a determined response we will all face the consequences of rising sea levels and climatic change.

The risk and effort both Rob and James are taking to demonstrate this should be heeded by us all. In just 27 years, based on current statistics and trends, there will be no summer sea ice in the Arctic! With no ice to reflect the sun’s rays, the water will absorb more heat and expansion will cause it to raise sea levels globally. Perhaps that is why the second Thames Flood Barrier is being planned now?