The summer 2003 it was exactly a century ago since Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen set out to navigate through the Northwest Passage in Canada. Amundsen departed Oslo in June 1903 on his ship Gjøa with the aim of sailing through the Northwest Passage, and researhing the Magnetic North Pole. Amundsen and his crew stayed over two winters in what he called "the finest little harbour in all the world", which now carries the name Gjoa Haven. Here they befriended the local Inuit population and picked up vital knowledge on how to survive in a very tough climate. They then continued their journey west on 13 August, 1905. The entire trip took 3 years and resulted in a collection of a large number of scientific samples, as well as description of an Inuit society the western culture did not know existed. And most of all; Amundsen was the first to complete the journey through the Northwest Passage. The trip has achieved status as one of the most famous polar expeditions ever.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Amundsen's journey, the project called "In the footsteps of Roald Amundsen – a century later" was initiated by a group of adventurous Norwegians. The goal was to complete the same trip as Roald Amundsen and his crew did 100 years earlier on board a 44 feet sailing vessel called Solinova. Along the way the members were to collect data and samples that could put attention to the impact human activities has on the environment. The sailboat departed Norway in June 2003, and attempted to sail to Gjoa Haven, via Greenland. Unfortunately the vessel was forced to return to Greenland due to severe ice conditions around Resolute, Nunavut.
Originally, Solinova was supposed to arrive at the anniversary celebrations taking place at Gjoa Haven 5 –7 September. Nunavut Premier, Paul Okalik, together with Norway's ambassador to Canada, Ingvard Havnen, were both present and unveiled a monument honouring Amundsen's expedition. The cairn overlooks the harbour and a plaque details his experiences and contributions to Arctic exploration. Following this ceremony was a grand feast organized by the Inuit community with throatsinging, traditional drum dancing and square dancing at the local school. "It was really great to see that the whole community here in Gjoa Haven was behind this celebration commemorating an important part of both Canadian and Norwegian history", said the Norwegian ambassador. "Roald Amundsen is a highly respected figure in the history of this community. He always valued the skills and the knowledge of the Inuit, something not all polar explorers were noted for."