Did Polar Ocean Challenge Use Ice Breaker Escort Through Heavy Increasing Arctic Sea Ice

Polar Ocean Challenge sailing vessel that traversed the Arctic to show no ice and global warming is in full swing, interestingly passed an area that required icebreaker escorts through at the same time as Serenity required icebreaker help and scout helicopters to look for open water. Arctic sea ice is on the increase 3 weeks early this year, and the AMO is turning negative which signals more sea ice growth.