Jeff MacInnis

Jeff MacInnis (born 1963) is a Canadian explorer, writer, and former alpine ski racer whose work is closely associated with the Northwest Passage. He and photographer Mike Beedell undertook a sail-and-muscle-powered journey through the Arctic route from 1986 to 1988, using the 18-foot catamaran Perception. Contemporary accounts describe their achievement as the first sail-powered transit of the passage.

MacInnis recorded the expedition in Polar Passage, written with Wade Rowland and published by Random House in 1989. The book combines an account of the journey’s physical demands with observations of Arctic weather, ice, wildlife, and navigation. The expedition also became the subject of MacInnis and Beedell’s 1989 National Geographic feature, “Braving the Northwest Passage.”

Before his polar expedition work, MacInnis was a member of the Canadian National Ski Team. He later participated in expedition racing, including the Eco-Challenge, and has developed leadership and teamwork programs through WIN Thinking. A Schulich Executive Education profile presents him as an explorer and speaker whose professional work draws on these experiences.