IKALUKTUTIAK/ CAMBRIDGE BAY - Sailors trying to make the trip through the Northwest Passage are encountering an unusual substance this year - ice.

Cambridge Bay resident Peter Semotiuk has been using his radio to provide information on ice conditions to help guide ships through the Northwest Passage for more than 20 years.

"Other than what I read, I'm not a scientist as far as the environment and ice goes," he said. "But it's not as open this year as it has been the last two years, that's for sure."

Semotiuk said the ice conditions are still "pretty good," though areas of the passage in the Central Arctic were still blocked the week of Aug. 17.

"What is a little bit unusual is a place west of Cambridge Bay called Dolphin and Union Strait. There still is ice today and it's not really totally open," he said.

Semotiuk said as many as nine boats are attempting to sail the Northwest Passage this year. He said it is the highest number of ships since he began assisting boats more than 20 years ago.

"I think probably because everybody in the world is telling them that the passage is opening up and because of the global warming news in the media and so on," he said about the high number. "Perhaps another thing is there is more modern equipment. People have GPS and digital phones and digital lines of communications and this sort of thing."

Areas of the passage, which was ice-free for almost two months in the summers of 2007 and 2008, were blocked by thick ice this year, according to Roger Provost, an ice service specialist with Environment Canada.

"The past two years it was very easy, it was ice-free almost all the way," Provost said. "But this year, it's another story."

Provost said the reason is twofold.

"More multi-year ice came down from the Arctic Ocean and it's been fairly cold during last winter and the ice was thicker and that is the main reasons for it," he said. "Ice coming from Arctic Ocean is one thing, but it was colder last winter than previous winters."

Cooler temperatures this summer also contributed to the ice conditions, Provost added.

"This summer wasn't as warm as the past two summers for that area and you combine everything together and that's the result we have," he said.

Provost said the area around Dolphin and Union Strait was particularly clogged by ice.

"We have ice starting at Victoria Strait and up to just the southern portion of Peel Sound, Franklin Straight area," he said in an interview on Aug. 14.

Provost said the ice in the area is slowly melting and is expected to open.

"For the portion of Dolphin and Union Strait, the ice is melting slowly but it's melting and the passage should open over there," he said.

Cameron Dueck, captain of the sailing cutter rig Silent Sound, said he and his crew left Victoria, B.C., on June 6.

"We ran into some ice but for us it's been passable," he said. "We've certainly encountered ice, but we so far have not been stopped by the ice and we feel lucky for that," he said.

The 64-foot steel ship Ocean Watch was not as fortunate.

"When we got into Dolphin, we got a fair amount of ice. We had two days that were a little anxious making," said captain Mark Schrader. "We wandered around in the ice for about 14 hours and we only made about 10 miles to the good. We eventually got out and found open water and then it was fine."

Schrader said he was not surprised by the ice conditions.

"I expected it to be difficult. I expected to have more days like we had in Dolphin and Union Strait than the clear days that we've had," he said.

Patrick Reader, a crew member on the Baloum Gwen, said the crew was stuck in pack ice near Barrow, Alaska, for 24 hours. After that, the passage was clear until the ship reached Dolphin and Union Strait.

"We saw some groelers. it was quite difficult during the Dolphin and Union Strait," he said. "The ice coverage was around 30 to 60, 70 per cent at certain moments."

All three boats are documenting their trips to raise awareness about climate change and its effect on the Arctic.