'The Russians were the problem in the end': Sailor Matt Rutherford on being intercepted by the FSB while attempting to circumnavigate the Arctic Ocean solo

Sailor Matt Rutherford has dreamed for several years of becoming the first person to circumnavigate the Arctic Ocean solo, nonstop and unassisted.

He finally set out from western Greenland on June 25 to achieve this goal, but threatening encounters with Russia's security agency less than two months later forced him to reverse course.

Rutherford is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit environmental organization Ocean Research Project , which gathers and analyzes marine data from a sailboat.

His route took him around the southern tip of Greenland, through the Denmark Strait and into the Greenland Sea.

From there, he sailed through the Norwegian and Barents seas, and reached Russia's Novaya Zemlya archipelago in mid-August.

He was planning to continue to Canada and end his journey where it started, but Russian officials halted him in his tracks and ordered him to turn around.

On his way home, Rutherford told Live Science about his adventures and why he wants to complete this loop.

In an interview on Sept.

23, he also revealed what he'll do differently on his next attempt to avoid another Russian interception.

Sascha Pare: Where are you currently, and what are the conditions like? Matt Rutherford: I'm about halfway between Greenland and Newfoundland in the Labrador Sea.

The conditions aren't too bad; I mean, it's close to a gale, but it's not quite a gale. [ Editor's note: A gale is defined as an area of sustained surface winds of 34 to 47 knots (39 to 54 miles per hour). ] It's just a little hard to do anything.

I've got dishes in the sink that are all wedged in there that I really need to deal with ‪—‬ but I don't feel like it, because you're just getting tossed around.

Waves are crashing on the cockpit.

Normally, I do video calls under a dodger [a canvas screen on a boat or ship that provides protection from spray], and you can see the ocean in the background… But I'm going to get hit by a wave if I do that.