Despite the impact of fines dealt out by Transport Canada, the Transglobal Automobile Expedition from the grounded Russian plane will continue on as planned as the crew is geared for the next stage of their journey: Resolute, Nunavut.
SA国际影视传媒淎ny fine has an effect,SA国际影视传媒� said Andrew Comrie-Picard, one of the main members of the expedition team. SA国际影视传媒淭hose fines, in terms of their scale, donSA国际影视传媒檛 make it SA国际影视传媒榥o goSA国际影视传媒� for our expedition.SA国际影视传媒�
RELATED REPORTING: Pilots, owner of plane that brought Russian to Yellowknife fined
SA国际影视传媒淲e totally understand the reasoning behind the fines and theySA国际影视传媒檙e not going to really affect the expedition, weSA国际影视传媒檙e hopeful that it helps address the issues,SA国际影视传媒� he said.
Comrie-Picard said tensions arising from the fines were SA国际影视传媒渇rustratingSA国际影视传媒� but the expedition group comprised of Icelandic, Ukrainian, Russian, German, British and American crew members remains focused.
SA国际影视传媒淲e have people from the Ukraine working together with people from Russia on the team SA国际影视传媒� theySA国际影视传媒檙e literally bolting wheels on two vehicles together right now,SA国际影视传媒� he said.
Beyond Comrie-Picard, the crew also includes Emil Grimsson, expedition planner and founder of Arctic Trucks; Vasily Elagin, a Russian explorer; and Vasily Shakhnovsky, a Russian billionaire.
According to Comrie-Picard, the individual who was fined arrived on the plane from Geneva and returned to the Swiss city by flying commercial. After it was released by Transport Canada the plane was flown back to Geneva without passengers.
SA国际影视传媒淲e know from where weSA国际影视传媒檙e sitting that there is no tension inside our group or no tension with Canada,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淓verybody has been so welcoming in Yellowknife,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淲e havenSA国际影视传媒檛 found any resistance or any anyone being upset with our presence.SA国际影视传媒�
The overall message of this expedition is also one of unity, but the crew says they also have their eyes on a new world-record.
SA国际影视传媒淣obody has ever taken wheeled vehicles around the whole surface of the planet [this] way,SA国际影视传媒� he said.
The expedition isnSA国际影视传媒檛 just just for bragging rights, part of the project includes transporting necessary items SA国际影视传媒� like technology and clean drinking water SA国际影视传媒� to different parts of the world.
The crew is currently doing a test run of the expedition which will cover over 40,000 km over about 16 months SA国际影视传媒� the official tour will kick off in September this year.
The teams plans to pass through Yellowknife in Feb. 2023.
To help achieve their goal in the test phase, the crew is using three F-150s (provided by Arctic trucks fitted with 44-inch tires (provided by Arctic Trucks) and four, six wheel, amphibious Russian vehicles with 51 inch tires, called YemelyaSA国际影视传媒檚, which Elagin designed himself.
SA国际影视传媒淗ow it will develop?SA国际影视传媒� Elagin said. SA国际影视传媒淣obody knows for sure. I hope we will be successful. Team is good. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 very interesting to go especially with such beautiful cars, beautiful vehicles, but they will go together with us. Just until Resolute.SA国际影视传媒�
The plan is for the team to make it all the way to Resolute in Nunavut with the seven vehicles before leaving the F-150SA国际影视传媒檚 behind and continuing only with the Russian amphibious vehicles travelling across the Arctic Ocean and making it to the geographic North Pole.
Grimsson said the SA国际影视传媒榊emelyaSA国际影视传媒檚SA国际影视传媒� were the option of choice after other flotation-based vehicles wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 fit the bill.
SA国际影视传媒淲e needed other vehicles,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淭he YemelyaSA国际影视传媒檚, theySA国际影视传媒檙e the only one that has proven capabilities to do this, we looked at number of other options, vehicles that can float, but normally they are not really good for expedition.SA国际影视传媒�
As for funding, this is done as a combination of assisted costs and out of pocket purchases.
SA国际影视传媒淲e have a central fund that pays the hotel bill,SA国际影视传媒� said Comrie-Picard. SA国际影视传媒淸Vehicles] have been mostly on the shoulders of the people who engineered them, because we have the creators of the vehicles here.SA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒淎 lot of us have been buying our own meals,SA国际影视传媒� he said.
Through Covid and factors like harsh weather, the completion of this test expedition has been a long time coming, fighting through various delays.
SA国际影视传媒淥bviously, weSA国际影视传媒檙e taking on a lot of challenges and hardships, we donSA国际影视传媒檛 know what the weather will do going forward,SA国际影视传媒� said Comrie-Picard. SA国际影视传媒淎ll you can do when you do an expedition is make your best plan, bring your best experience, and then use your experience when you see new things to try to innovate new solutions.SA国际影视传媒�
