Two vessels carrying 13 people from Poland have been anchored in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, as the sailors attempt to become the first from their country to navigate the Northwest Passage.
 
The crews of the Stary and the Nekton met in Greenland and have been helping each other ever since as they battle through mechanical problems and bad weather.

The Stary's crew is one of the youngest to ever attempt the Northwest Passage. The average age is 25 and the youngest, Tomasz Szewczyk, is 20.

The crew of the Stary will try to become the first Poles to sail the Northwest Passage.

Szewczyk said that despite their relative youth, they have a lot of sailing experience.

"I think it's the best crew in Poland now and three of the best captains. I feel very comfortable. "

He said the crew has sailed through Antarctica, Europe and around the southern tip of South America, Chile's Cape Horn. But Szewczyk said the Northwest Passage provides sailors with a unique challenge.

"All the crews had been sailing in the waters around Cape Horn - it's the Mount Everest of sailing - but we think that the more difficult is the Northwest Passage and that's why we decided to sail here."

Both boats are following in the wake of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who became the first person to sail the entire length of the Northwest Passage in 1906, in a 21-metre fishing vessel.

Still, the young sailors said they do not want to emulate Amundsen too closely - and end up like him, trapped in ice for three winters.

So far, the mainly ice-free Northwest Passage hasn't posed much of a problem for the sailors. In fact, they said they're seen the best ice conditions in the Northwest Passage in the past 30 years.

Still, Szewczyk warned that they still face a lot of ice ahead, to the west of Cambridge Bay.

The crews planned to continue their voyages on Thursday.