Doug and Lindy Webb will present an Armchair Travelers program on Thursday, March 13, at 1:30 p.m. in the Civic Center Library Storytime Room, 1188 S. Livermore Ave. Doug and Lindy’s presentation is entitled “The Northwest Passage.” Registration is not required to attend this free program for adults.

Doug and Lindy will present an account of their 2022 cruise through the Northwest Passage.

The Northwest Passage is an historically significant ocean passage between Europe and the Orient through the North American/Canadian waterways, all above the Arctic Circle. Numerous passages were attempted in the mid 1800s but failed mainly due to ice. The first successful passage entirely by ship was in 1903-1906. Even today pack ice is a problem, with the first commercial passenger vessel making passage in 1984.

The cruise reversed the most historically noted east to west direction by embarking from Nome, Alaska then through Canada’s Arctic archipelago. The cruise continued to Greenland, Newfoundland, and concluded in Halifax.

In the Arctic archipelago, the cruise made stops for day excursions with free walkabouts at hamlets and historical sites. The ship slowed and stopped at glaciers and to view whales, seals, belugas, and polar bears (and for a polar dip).

Stops in Greenland and Newfoundland included mountain hiking, visits to historical sites, and a small boat excursion through a massive iceberg fjord.