Christmas Games

 Wednesday, December 24, 2014.

Merry Christmas from Cambridge Bay!

Unlike the rest of Canada, we are guaranteed to have a white Christmas here in Cambridge Bay. There isn't that much snow on the ground, but, it is very dry and blows around a lot. We have blizzards even when it's not snowing. The unpaved streets are all frozen hard, white and clean. None of that salt-induced winter slush and brown mess usual in the southern winter. You might think it would be depressing this time of year what with the snow, cold and long, dark days, but, there are ways to cope and get into the Christmas spirit. There are no malls here, just two small stores, so, rather than a shopping frenzy, people enjoy two full weeks of Christmas Games and celebrations instead. You'd think that the weather would keep most people indoors, but, there's a good turnout to most events which are held in the community centre, high school gym and arena.

G. decided to volunteer to help out with the Games and has ended up with his hands full. The Games are scheduled nightly between 7-11 p.m. and are well attended.

G. in his volunteer's hat

Games are held for both adults and youth, including very young children. The young kids are bursting with energy and just keep going and going and going until after 11 most nights. The adult games are maybe not so impressive. G. said that seeing Elders playing air guitar won't be one of his cherished memories of our time here. Speaking of Elders, they really do seem to have a special status in the community. Not sure what age you have to be to qualify as an Elder, but, I suppose we're nearly there. A lot of the Elders still dress traditionally and I am truly amazed at the artistic beauty and quality of the handmade garments.

Elders Palace, makes getting old sound special?

Younger people dress the modern way, parkas and jeans mostly, but, the young mothers all wear traditional amautiks which are parkas with a large pouch at the back for baby carrying inside. Keeps the baby warm, leaves the hands free and makes good sense. I've yet to figure out how they get the baby in/out though.

There are events other than Games. We attended the kickoff Community Feast. It was a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings. In addition, there were a few unusual (to our taste) treats. There were huge, nicely browned, caribou ribs, but, there were also squares of raw, frozen Arctic Char and raw caribou meat on offer. The Arctic Char looked like luscious squares of Turkish Delight until you looked a little closer. We gave it a pass, but, others partook appreciatively. The other unusual thing about the Feast was that there were no tables and chairs on offer. There were a few chairs around the outside walls for Elders. The rest of us sat in little groups on the floor.

There are outdoor events as well, including ice and snow sculpting, fireworks on ice New Year's Eve and Games on ice, New Year's Day. We'll have prime viewing for the ice events from aboard Tandberg Polar.

This family went all out for the ice sculpture contest.

Also, although not an officially sanctioned event, like anywhere Canada, in spite of the dark and cold, Cambridge Bay teens like to hang out on street corners at night. There is a consistently large group of teens hanging about in front of the convenience store, woefully underdressed and playing impromptu games of parking lot shinny, in the dark, in -35C temperatures. Guess you have to be born here to get used to it! It's hard to imagine, coming from an area of beautiful Carolinian forest in southern Ontario as we do, to realize that a child can grow up here and never see a single tree, hear raindrops on leaves, or, smell the warm, spring earth that leads to summer vegetables and flowers.

We were really looking forward to the Talent Show. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a washout and had to be cancelled when almost nobody showed up. The community's radio Bingo show had been changed to coincide with the night of the talent show and well, it was a $5,000 Bingo, so you can guess where most people were. The Bingo night had had to be changed because it conflicted with "Ladies' Night at the Northern" (Christmas bargains at the Northern Store for one night only, there was a men's night too). Too many events, too little time and the talent show was the loser. From now to New Year's, it's mostly just free skating and nightly Games until Sunday's pancake breakfast and then the New Year's events. More to look forward to next week.

We will have a quiet, traditional turkey dinner tomorrow. We were able to source almost all ingredients here. I had brought cranberry sauce all the way from the UK because I wasn't sure we'd be able to get it here. We had missed out on it the Christmas we were in Norway and I wasn't going to be caught again. Of course, they had shelves of it here. Should have thought of the mincemeat though. I searched both stores high and low and finally found a couple of really dusty jars way in the back. $10 a jar, but, when you're desperate for a mince tart, you'd pay anything! Alas, brussels sprouts were nowhere to be found, so we're having some rubbery broccoli instead.

Merry Christmas to all!

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Local Talent

Every community has talented individuals in their midst. Cambridge Bay is no exception. We came across the work of Denise LeBleu, local photographer, at the Christmas bazaar last weekend and purchased one of her lovely 2015 calendars with great shots taken around Cambridge Bay. If you're looking for a unique Christmas gift idea, there's probably still time to order for Christmas. You can see more of her work and for sale items on:

https://www.facebookcom/deniselebleuimages

Enjoy!

On Denise's blog, we found a photo of a cold and lonely Gjoa against a beautiful sky and have reproduced it here, with permission.

A cold, lonely Gjoa, shot by Denise LeBleu.

Also, at the bazaar last week, we were entertained by a talented, award-winning, Cambridge Bay indie girl synth pop band, Scary Bear Soundtrack. You can check them out at www.scarybearsoundtrack.com, read an interview here;


http://findingtruenorth.ca/scary-bear-soundtrack/, or, download music from their latest album at: https://scarybearsoundtrack.bandcamp.com/album/the-longest-night

Scary Bear Soundtrack

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Parade and Bazaar

Wednesday, December 3, 2014.

The sun left a couple of days ago and won't appear above the horizon again until January 11. We have a few hours of twilight around midday now and this serves to give some structure to the day. Temperatures are continuing to drop and are currently averaging around -28C. The absence of the sun means that there is very little variation in the temperature throughout the 'day' and night. Even a short trip to the shops means putting on full winter regalia. We'd brought our ski wear aboard Gjoa, but, even with multiple layers of fleece and down it was still a challenge keeping the cold out. Luckily, we've made some new friends who have loaned us proper winter parkas and this has made all the difference.

Shot at 12 noon, this is as bright as it gets now....

The very large hood with fur trim is the key as it keeps the wind and blowing snow off your face. We are totally opposed to using fur for frivolous or fashionable purposes, However, in this environment, it is fit for purpose and nothing else will do the job as well. The parkas are 'Canada Goose' brand, but, these older, heavy-duty models are nothing like the popular, slimmed-down, expensive ($800) fashion versions being sold in the stores now.

Last week, there was another outage of the town's power supply and there were rotating blackouts for about eight hours. We were the only people in town with lights and heat as we are still running on our own generator power aboard our tugboat home. At one point our generator did stop generating power even though it continued to run. We never found the cause, but, were able to get it going again. Relying on generators is a continuing worry that we're just going to have to live with. If we do totally lose power, there is a company in town that should be able to rig us up with some large standalone heaters. These will probably only keep the boat just above freezing, but, enough to prevent any damage.

I think I previously mentioned that the ice had started to lean the tug over to port. The lean has been increasing and is now significant. Things are sliding off tables, the stove is not gimballed and oven cooking has become a bit of a challenge with everything coming out lopsided. Doors are hard to close and it's become an uphill climb from one side of the boat to the other. It took four tries to get over the rail and out of the bunk this morning (but better than leaning to starboard which would mean we'd have a hard time staying in!). As the ice is still moving, we're hoping that there will be some improvement in the situation. At least we're not heeled over and pounding into waves as well, a small mercy.

This past Saturday was a highlight as it was the date of the annual Cambridge Bay Santa Claus

Guess which way the freezing wind is blowing?

Parade. It was a bitterly cold day, with high winds, so, most of the parade viewing was done by people sitting in their pickup trucks with the heater on. There were a few diehards outside including those without a vehicle (us) and on the floats. It was a small parade, just three floats and the fire truck, but, the spirit was there and everybody piled into the community centre after the parade for a 'Coffee House' with all proceeds ($3,100 raised!) in aid of the Food Bank.The donated baked goods went quickly and we purchased a delicious homemade lemon meringue pie. We decided to pass on the candied Arctic Char though.

A very nice family effort.

This is Ollie the omingmak (muskox)

Excellent entertainment by local group Scary Bear Soundtrack

A beautifully crafted wall hanging in the community centre.

Yum!

These girls had the entire audience spellbound while they were throatsinging.

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Cam Bay Life

Monday, November 17, 2014.

We're overwintering in Cambridge Bay because we wanted to find out what it's really like to live here in temperatures and conditions that many would find uninhabitable. So far, not surprisingly, the dominant theme is that the weather controls everything.

During our first month living aboard TP (tug Tandberg Polar), weather has  been dominating our thoughts. Last week's blizzard has come and gone. That was the fourth blizzard already and it's only

the middle of November! We've also had many days of "ice fog" which we hadn't seen much of before. It coats everything with a thick layer of hoarfrost, very pretty to look at. Weather forecasts are also issued for "ice crystals", presumably this is just colder ice fog. On the day of the eclipse, we also saw the best display of sundogs we've ever seen. Wish we'd had the camera with us so we could have shared the incredible image with you.

-30C (-47C if you count windchill), a few days ago, was the lowest temperature we've experienced here so far.  When we lived in the backwoods of Ontario, -40C wasn't that unusual, so, we know what's coming. Temperatures that low can create a sense of unease and foreboding knowing how close to the edge of a survival situation you are. At least in Ontario, there was always the woodstove and copious amounts of firewood to fall back on, guaranteeing some warmth and a way to cook. Here in the Arctic, there's no wood, no coal, only diesel-driven heat and electricity. The only electrical/plumbing business in town is working flat-out to keep up with no-heat calls. If your boiler goes out, you're only a few short hours away from disaster. This whole town lives and dies on its diesel supply and mechanical equipment. It all seems rather temporary and unsustainable. The town's electricity is generated locally using 47 year old diesel generators. A few days ago, there was a breakdown and the whole town was put on rotating, 45 minute blackouts which lasted a day and a half. A repair crew had to be flown in from Gjoa Haven. On Friday, it happened again although the blackouts only lasted for about half a day. We had no interruptions because we're still running on our own generator power aboard TP. If the town uses 47 year old generators, hopefully our one year old generator will continue to run and keep us warm and toasty like it has been doing.

The buildings here all sit on stilts embedded in the permafrost. The houses are stick-frame construction and don't seem to be built with any special regard, other than mudroom entries, for the extreme conditions. Every house has tanks for diesel, water and waste. All day, every day, large trucks drive around town on regular routes to top-up the water and diesel and take away the sewage. Sewage is driven to a lagoon outside town. People pay $250 monthly for just the trucked water supply. If they run out of water on a weekend, it's an extra $150 callout fee to top up.

Being a fly-in community also creates many issues around affordability, sustainability and quality of life. An airline ticket to Edmonton is about $2,500 return. All food, except 'country' food hunted by locals, has to be flown, or, barged in. Nutrition North does provide freight subsidies for people who fly in food. We availed ourselves of this and flew in a large order from M&M meats in Yellowknife. It seemed a ridiculous, wasteful thing to do, but, Yellowknife prices are 'southern' prices and with the freight subsidy (for things like boxed meats, not desserts or prepared foods) the end price was cheaper than buying food in the local store. A neighbour also gave us some caribou and muskox steaks. It all helps to try and keep our food costs down. We're also still using supplies purchased in the UK and Greenland last summer.

The airport, like everything else here, works on 'Northern' time although, unlike other, warm weather locales where 'x' time (replace 'x' with the location) means a general relaxed attitude of the workers, here it's more a fact that weather drives everything. Some days planes arrive, but, can't land and they turn around. When you have a ticket it usually means going to the airport every day and waiting to see first, whether the plane arrives, then if it lands and then whether there is a seat available. Seat availability depends on how many days the planes have been prevented from arriving and how many passengers are thus backed up. You can never count on getting in or out on a schedule.

The only other method of transport, barges, have their own set of problems. Barges arrive, arrive late, or especially this year, don't arrive at all due to factors such as ice, water levels in the Mackenzie River, unforecasted storms etc. That last barge of the season I previously wrote about never did arrive. It was left in the ice a few miles away. The plan is to unload it with a cat train over the ice in March. All orders that included anything damaged by freezing will be useless. Maybe you also heard about the Canadian 'barge at large' which broke away from its tug during an unforecasted storm outside Tuktoyaktuk and is now locked in the ice about fifty miles northwest of Prudhoe Bay in Alaska.

There has already been lots of print written about the social problems in northern communities and Cam Bay has its share. There are lots of inequities in housing/jobs and incomes here and nobody seems to have any solutions. One peculiar antisocial activity for the local kids is their penchant for rock-throwing at boats. I've read about this in other sailor's blogs and we've experienced it also, not just here, but, in all the Arctic communities we've visited so far. There doesn't seem to be any malice involved, it's more of an attention-getter, but, if you don't respond they can ramp it up.

Although not without problems, it has been very interesting to step into a world so unlike anything we've experienced before. We've been told that the runup to Christmas over the next few weeks is an exciting time for the whole community. Next week it's the Christmas bazaar at the community centre followed the next week by an outdoor parade, hope the weather cooperates for that! We'll have lost the sun by then, so, it will be a twilight parade.

Sunrise, 10:30 a.m. November 16

Sunset, 15;00 p.m.

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Mechanical Woes

Friday, November 7, 2014.

Today's weather forecast for Cambridge Bay:

Blizzard ending late in the afternoon then clearing. Blowing snow with near zero visibility at times in the morning and afternoon. Wind north 70 km/h gusting to 90 diminishing to 40 gusting to 60 late in the afternoon. Temperature falling to minus 28 in the afternoon. Wind chill minus 48.

Wind speeds in km/h sound so much worse. The forecasted 70-90 km/h is about 38-50 knots, not insignificant, but, no worse than we experienced in August at Dundas Harbour. The difference this time is a lot of snow blowing around pushed by very cold winds. At least dragging anchor won't be an issue! We're solidly ensconced in the ice now. During the first few weeks of freeze-up we were still experiencing significant movement up and down with the tide. Large cracks and upwellings of water were appearing in the ice beside the boat. Now, the movement is almost imperceptible, but, we can still feel and hear it. There are occasional loud reports of crunching, cracking ice along the hull. G. has been busy at work cutting snow blocks to use as insulation around the outside of the hull. This, along with snow on the decks, seems to have made a significant difference to warmth aboard and we are still very comfortable. The snow is so dry and compact it can be cut with a saw almost like polystyrene.

At the end of November, the Polar Night will arrive. The sun will disappear below the horizon and not rise again until January 11. The shorter days we are now experiencing are conducive for catching up on various classics on the reading list, like Moby Dick. It's amazing how, almost 200 years later, life aboard can be much the same. Melville writes how '"...the carpenter of the Pequod was singularly efficient in those thousand nameless mechanical emergencies continually recurring in a large ship, upon a three or four years' voyage, in uncivilized and far-distant seas."  Although we've not had to repair any "sprung spars", manufacture any whale bone artificial legs, or, install "new tree-nails in the side planks", we've had our share of mechanical problems.

We knew we weren't going to be able to support running water throughout the winter, but, we'd been hopeful to at least maintain it through October. The first blizzard, in mid-October, brought temperatures of -24C and quickly put an end to our hopes. The water pipes run along the underside of the deck and although the deck was insulated above and below, the pipes flash-froze overnight. A few days later when they thawed, there were a couple of significant leaks. No point in trying to fix them now, we'll wait until spring. The only issue is that we need water pressure to top up the heating boiler. Without appropriate shut-off valves available in the system, we quickly have to come up with a solution to pressurize part of the system to ensure we don't lose our radiator heating. We're also hopeful we'll be able to rig up some kind of pump to get water out of the tanks. We have over 6,000 litres onboard, but, right now we can't access it and are lugging water jugs from the town supply.

Our other issue is electrical. As I have mentioned previously, the project's plan was to have shore power as the primary power and heat source for TP (Tandberg Polar) with the three onboard generators as backup. We've been unable to get shore power hooked up due to a combination of problems. Basically, the boat expects 3phase, 50Hz. The supply is 1phase, 60Hz. The 50/60 Hz problem (and 110v/230v) is the basic European vs. North American electrical issue and there are units available that will do the conversion. The 3phase/1 phase difference is the bigger issue. There are also units available for that, but, they are very pricey, very large and very heavy. Even if we order one, it would probably take months to get here and have to be air-freighted in at great expense. Nobody's sure it would even do the job. There isn't a lot of specialized electrical expertise in town. This week we're hoping to get a better assessment of the requirements and options. In the meantime, we're running on the air-cooled generator installed on deck. It has shut itself down twice already. Once, before we'd set up a regular filter change schedule, due to a clogged fuel filter and the other due to some unknown issue with the plug/power cord resolved by switching cords. The two backup generators are water-cooled. For the moment, they are ok, but, when the ice reaches two metres thick in March, water-cooling will no longer be an option. If no solution is found, we will then be relying 100% on one generator. Not a good scenario at all...

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Settling In

October 7, 2014.
After what seemed an interminable, three week wait, Gjoa was finally lifted out of the water on Sunday, September 28 and placed onto her winter cradle. It wasn't a moment too soon as we had to break ice to get to the lift-out site in West Arm. The ice grew so fast overnight that the next day would have been too late and we would have needed assistance to get there! The lift itself was nerve-wracking. It's not something they do every day here in Cambridge Bay, so, it was a learning experience for all involved. It was about -8C with a really cold wind blowing and possibly a little too much wind. Then, the crane wouldn't start. We weren't exactly sure whether the crane was going to be able to lift our weight. The straps weren't adjustable and the cradle had been built for some other boat (we were grateful for its use however along with some steel legs that somebody else had left in a prior year).

The Lift

In the end, it all went ok and we spent a few days securing Gjoa as best we could. After a nasty gale accompanied by freezing spray, we had tied alongside TP (Tandberg Polar) a few days earlier and moved most of our possessions and us aboard while we could have the boats together. Even so, it took a few days after the lift to completely winterize Gjoa. We still have doubts about whether we have done enough to withstand temperatures of potentially -60F, but, we've done our best without entirely deconstructing the boat. Just about everything removeable including sails, our five new batteries and most electronics have been removed and are now stored in the warmth of TP . Antifreeze has been well-topped up, the water system all opened/disconnected and diesel tanks filled with winter grade diesel. The bigger fear for winter storage here is not weather, but, vandalism, which meant putting plywood covers over our windows and hatches. We will continue to check on her over the winter and just hope for the best come spring. One benefit of lift-out was we were able to closely examine our hull for any ice damage after our encounters in the Passage. There wasn't any to speak of really, just a small dent at the waterline on the port side and one scratch. If it had been a fibreglass hull with a fin keel I'm not sure that we would have fared so well. Our forward-looking sonar transducer had been sheared off. Predictable really, as it was not a good design when it protrudes from the hull. Luckily, the transducer is designed to shear and there was no water ingress. We have a spare so will replace it in spring.

Of course, after a three week wait, everything happens on the same day. After liftout we were warming up on TP when we saw the long-awaited barge coming and that it would be arriving within the hour.

Tug with first of three linked barges

We now had to move TP off the dock and anchor so that the barge could get in. After a last minute scramble we got away and the tug arrived with three heavily-loaded barges in tow. It was incredible to watch the skill involved in docking. The tug headed to the side of the dock and then each barge just folded itself against its neighbour without any assistance and all three ended up side-by-side in perfect position for unloading. Amazing. The final barge of the season is still supposed to be arriving in about three days. There is now 9/10 ice outside Cambridge Bay, about three weeks earlier than expected, so, nobody's sure how the barge can make it through. It definitely will mean maybe an icebreaker, or, possibly they will abandon the barge wherever it sits and lift the cargo using aircraft, or, even wait until January and build an ice road to get the last load in.

The Norwegians have all left and we are alone on TP. It's lovely and warm aboard, for the moment anyway.

Our mess-room on TP: Maud model and Queen Maud photo

We had hoped to have shore power installed by now, but, there's been a glitch and we're still running on a generator. There's a little bit of insulation work left to do and then we can settle into a routine and hopefully do a bit of exploring. The ice was absolutely fantastic for skating this week. Alas, we didn't bring our skates with us, but, were interested to see somebody out kite-skating which looks like a lot of fun (if you know what you're doing!).

Kite Skating

Perfect ice for viewing the Aklavik wreck below

Cambridge Bay 8/10/2014 12:00 69°06.7'N 105°04.1'W

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Winter Plans

It was very calm here in Cambridge Bay overnight with the exception of a few strange noises against the hull. We awoke to find that the whole Bay had flash-frozen in the night and was completely covered in ice!

Frozen solid

One local told us this was the earliest he’d seen it in his fourteen years of residency. Hope this isn’t an indicator of the type of winter we will be experiencing soon. The ice has turned to slush now, but, will be returning.

It’s just as well then that we think we have our plans made for the winter now. We’ll be hauling Gjoa onto the shore early next week after the annual barge visit and unloading occurs. We will still be freezing-in aboard a boat though, just not Gjoa. We’ve agreed to be winter caretakers aboard the tug Tandberg Polar.

Tandberg Polar

It’s quite a responsibility but a win/win situation for both of us. We will have more space and heated accommodation (we’re not sure what the temperatures will be aboard, but, hopefully they’ll be plus temperatures) and they will have a presence on the boat for both security and to ensure that the heat stays on.

The Tandberg Polar is the tug that brought the submersible barge, Jensen, here to Cambridge Bay to lift the wreck of Roald Amundsen’s boat, Maud. We were following the project prior to actually meeting the tug and crew in Aasiat, Greenland. We continued to follow their progress and our paths crossed again in the North West Passage at both Lancaster Sound and again at Fort Ross. They transited Bellot Strait and arrived in Cambridge Bay a few days after we did.

We’re quite honoured to be able to play even a small part in the project.

Since 2010/11 when we we cruised and overwintered in Norway, we’ve had a lasting interest in the country, its people and both our countries’ history of Arctic exploration. The project’s website is:

http://www.maudreturnshome.no

It’s a very exciting time to be here in the North. I’m sure you’re all tired of the Franklin ship story by now, but, it was thrilling news for us as we had met quite a few of the boats and people involved in the search. We also sailed in the very same waters where the ship was eventually found and thought often of all those that had gone before us.

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Cambridge Bay 17/9/2014 12:00 69°06.7'N 105°04.1'W

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Canadian Geographic

It has just come to our attention that our tow has been written up on the Canadian Geographic blog, complete with photo slideshow. Interesting to note that there was a second polar bear on the prowl, we only saw one!

http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/blog/posting.asp?ID=1290

Gjoa in the ice at west end of Bellot Strait with two polar bears for company

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Recent Pics

Finally have internet access again. Here are a few pictures to go with recent postings:

Lancaster Sound Ice Field

G. at helm in Lancaster Sound ice

A beauty at entrance to Graham Harbour

Graham Harbour - water is actually glacial aquamarine blue

Devon Island

Port Leopold desolation - harbour soon filled with ice

Fort Ross

Bellot Strait - polar bear

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Cambridge Bay Arrival

Thursday, September 4
We have arrived at our winter destination! After a final night at sea again fighting headwinds we were greatly relieved to pull into Cambridge Bay where we plan to overwinter. Cambridge Bay is in the high Arctic, on the south shore of Victoria Island, directly north of Saskatchewan. It is the halfway point in the North West Passage and for us, the end of a 5200 mile, 3-1/2 month long passage to get here.

We left Gjoa Haven in thick fog, not without trepidation about our passage through Simpson Strait. Reading the Pilot made us very nervous. They described it as '...the greatest navigational hazard in the whole mainland passage' and heavily emphasized the potential for 4-9 knot tidal flows 'with marked changes of direction, tide-rips and eddies around the islets and shoals'. As it turned out, the fog lifted just as we approached the beginning of the Strait and we didn't see any tide-rips, or, eddies whatsoever. We had sunshine and a fair current of maybe around 1-2 knots the whole way through. It did require constant attention as there were many twists and turns, but, other than a single buoy that was off station there were no other problems.

Overnight, as we continued into Queen Maud Gulf through Storis Passage and Requisite Channel, we were surprised to see the lights of another ship way off to the south in uncharted waters and couldn't figure out what they were doing as they seemed to be going in circles. A few hours later, we heard on the radio that there'd been a grounding and that a tow might be needed. After we got to Cambridge Bay the local news reported that it was a ship involved in this summer's renewed search for the lost Franklin ships that had gone aground. They were able to get themselves off with no damage. The circling about was them doing a search pattern of the sea floor. In the news report, it was reiterated that only 5% of the waters in this area are properly surveyed. Some of the other 95% have been randomly sounded, but, there are large areas which are just not surveyed at all.

[Postscript]: the boat was the Martin Bergmann and you can read more about the grounding here:
http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/dec14/night-the-martin-bergmann-struck-shoal.asp

We were expecting to pass one last area of ice streaming off Jenny Lind Island in Queen Maud Gulf. Right on schedule, as per the ice chart, it loomed up and we easily skirted it. We congratulated ourselves that we'd no longer have to worry about ice this year. That is, until we were surprised when another streamer loomed up in front of us. We couldn't see any end to it. It looked like we were in for another hours-long detour. Luckily, when we got closer, there was a break big enough for us to get through. We congratulated ourselves again and looked forward to an ice-free night. We were about forty miles out from Cambridge Bay, it was just getting dark and we found ourselves in a field of large bergy bits. It was very dark, the wind started to pick up, on the nose of course and then it became wind over tide. We were on a constant ice watch again.

We got into Cambridge Bay around noon, once again just in time to pass Arctic Tern on their way out. Drina and Novara were still there. Even though this area is classed as a polar desert with very little precipitation, we must have arrived on the one day of the year when it absolutely poured rain all day. It later changed to snow. Weather forecast for the next few days are W/NW gales all the way to Alaska. We are so glad we are not heading out into that. There is still a lot of uncertainty about where and how we'll be overwintering. We're still exploring all the options. We thought maybe we'd try to get some accommodation until we heard that the local construction crew is renting a house for $12,000 a month! The town has about 1,500 residents, two grocery stores, post office and a bank. The houses are quite a bit better than most we've seen in the Arctic and there is a mini building boom going on. So, we're pleased to be here and looking forward to the winter, but, also looking forward to getting settled in.

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Cambridge Bay 4/9/2014 12:00 69°06.7'N 105°04.1'W

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Gjoa Haven

Monday, September 1
Heading south from Bellot Strait there are two potential routes to Cambridge Bay. Both go through Franklin Strait and Larsen Sound. Then, depending on ice conditions the choice is either through Victoria Strait, or, around the east side of King William Island. The King William Island route is quite a bit longer and goes via the hamlet of Gjoa Haven. Unfortunately, this year, Victoria Strait hadn't opened yet (it's still not open) and we were forced to take the longer route. We got through the lead that came down from Bellot to King William by the skin of our teeth. Looking back now, the lead was only open for three days. Three boats, including us, went through on day two, Drina followed on day three. Shortly thereafter, the ice moved back to the shore and the lead slammed shut with two solid plugs of 'orange' (7-8/10) ice.

On the trip south we encountered four large bands of ice. The first two were easy and we passed them close inshore. We wasted quite a few hours trying to figure out how to get into the inshore lead of bands three and four which ended up being interconnected. Once we figured out the way in, it was easy, but, we'd lost our daylight. We'd heard there was drift ice in James Ross Strait and we were leery of going through in the dark. We thought we'd poke our bow in and see what happened. Quickly we encountered three sheets of ice heading our way and we quickly turned around, banging into a small berg in the process. It was too late to anchor so we stood off all night motoring up/down a safe patch of water. We left the ice behind us as we entered St. Roch Basin. What a relief to no longer have to do a constant ice watch! The sun came out and the temperature soared to 5C. It felt positively tropical after a week of temperatures hovering around 0C with snow and sleet. We sat outside for the first time since leaving Ireland.

We arrived at Gjoa Haven very early, just in time to see Arctic Tern and Novara leaving (they are much faster than us). Drina had caught us and pulled in just a couple of hours after we did. Unfortunately, it was a holiday Monday, so, the hoped-for visit to the grocery store didn't happen as it was closed.

Gjoa at anchor in Gjoa Haven

Gjoa Haven has great historical significance as it was the place where Amundsen and his Gjøa spent two winters during the very first transit of the North West Passage by boat in 1903-1906. He spent his time there learning the Inuit way to survive Arctic conditions which stood him in good stead later during his Antarctica adventures. It was also close to Gjoa Haven where a number of skeletons belonging to members of the lost Franklin expedition have been found. This was reflected in local place names like Starvation Cove.

We left very early Tuesday morning, in thick fog, bound for Cambridge Bay.

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Gjoa Haven 1/9/2014 12:00 68°37.6'N 095°52.6'W

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Bellot Strait

Friday, August 29
What a difference a day makes. Just hours after posting yesterday about the anxious wait for ice movement, we got the latest ice chart and it showed a tiny, clear lead all the way from Bellot Strait to the top of King William Island! The three sailboats at Fort Ross sprung into immediate action. The VHF radios were humming with chatter about tide times and tide strategy. Five a.m. Friday, the anchors came up and our little three boat flotilla proceeded down Bellot Strait. Being the smallest and slowest boat we brought up the rear. The tide at the eastern end is fierce and we were travelling through at almost ten knots. There had been anxiety about an ice choke halfway down the Strait. There was ice, but, it was off to either side and it didn't present a problem. The western exit was a different story. There was a very heavy band of ice completely closing off the exit. It wasn't wide, but, the ice was old and gnarly with thick floes. The two boats in front plunged in and we followed. They got through, not without some difficulty, but they had larger engines and a larger crew. We didn't. The wind was blowing about 22 knots and as we entered a tiny lead the wind laid us over onto a floe. When we came back upright our long keel was standing completely on the floe's underwater ledge that protruded out from its bottom. Our engine couldn't move us forward, or, backward and that was it. We were beset. We watched the other two boats raise sail and head off into the open water as we stared helplessly after them. Nothing would budge us. We thought maybe kedging off would be an option, but, probably not, as we'd have to slide the entire weight of the boat off the ledge. Even if we got off the ledge, the pack had closed around us and the leads were gone. It seemed only a call to the Coast Guard, with a very long wait for an icebreaker, was the only option.

We then noticed that a Russian cruise ship, the Akademik S. Vavilov, was coming through the Strait right behind us. Maybe they could help. We radioed them and asked. First Mate said he'd ask the Captain and we were thrilled when they pointed their bow at us and we watched them slowly approach. The ship radioed and said: "Did you happen to see the polar bear just off on your starboard side?"! Just to add to the drama of being captive in the ice, a polar bear had decided to make an appearance. A mad scramble for the bear bangers ensued, but, fortunately they were not needed. We were downwind of him, he hung around but didn't come any nearer.

Everybody has seen the horror story videos of sailboats being towed by icebreakers etc., but, thanks to this very skilled Captain the process went very smoothly and he was able to extricate us very gently. They approached our beam and the turbulent water moved the floes around and broke a few. We tried to get into the wake of the ship, but, were wedged into a lead. They threw us a line and then, very slowly, they towed us behind. We were on a very short lead. A. was steering and G. was fending-off floes from the bow. One or two random floes hit us, but, it was fine. It was only a short tow, they cast us off and we were back on our way again. We gave all the people lining the deck a hearty thank you wave and there were cheers in return. Turns out, it was a boatload of Royal Canadian Geographical Society people. There was a lot of very professional photography gear pointed at us, so, our two hour ordeal was the morning's entertainment for them and I'm sure we'll be front page news on some newsletter or other.

We are now enroute to Gjoa Haven. Drina, the Australian boat is back in play and about 100 miles behind us.

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Bellot Strait 29/8/2014 12:00 71°57.6'N 095°13.5'W

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Fort Ross

Thursday, August 28
We sailed from Port Leopold to Fort Ross overnight Monday keeping close to the west side of Prince Regent Inlet where there was supposed to be a clear lead. The ice conditions were good, with minimal ice, until we got about twelve miles out of Fort Ross where we got into a band of 5/10 ice. At one point, we really thought we weren't going to get out as there just didn't seem to be a way through and we kept getting blocked. The thick fog didn't help either. However, luck was with us, we kept at it and finally got out into clearer water. Shortly thereafter we joined the three boats already at Fort Ross: Arctic Tern (UK), Novara (UK) and Tandberg Polar (NO tug/barge). While at Port Leopold two other boats had decided to head back. So, we are down to just three yachts. We left Drina (AU) at anchor in Port Leopold and thought they'd soon be following us. They haven't turned up so we're not sure if they're still in or not. If so, they would make four yachts.

The wind has been blowing a steady NE25 since we arrived here at Fort Ross, the eastern gateway of Bellot Strait. Last year, the boats were first able to get through Bellot on August 23, five days ago. We are still waiting for the 9/10 ice on the western end to start clearing before attempting a transit. The nights are starting to close in and the days are speeding by. It is getting so late in the season we have decided we will stop at Cambridge Bay for the winter rather than try and press on for Inuvik. The other two boats still plan to try and get around Alaska before freezeup. Cambridge Bay is only about 300 miles from here, but, until we can proceed it may as well be as far as the moon. Every day we all wait anxiously for the latest ice chart to come out to see if there has been any positive change. We're hopeful we can make an attempt in a day or two. The 'back door' is closing behind us as well. Soon, going backwards won't even be an option.

Last night the whole fleet paid a visit to the Tandberg Polar to enjoy some Arctic Stew (seal meat). It was very good and a great evening was had by all.

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Fort Ross 28/8/2014 12:00 72°00.8'N 094°12.4'W

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And now we are six...

Of the thirteen starters, we are now down to six yachts (and a tug/barge) trying to go east-to-west. The rest have gone back, fed up with the wait and worried about meeting the Alaska passage deadline (past Point Barrow by September 10). Four of us are together at Port Leopold, at the top of Prince Regent Inlet. One has tried to get a little further south and could not get through, the other one is trying to get to us from further east. Of the remaining six, three have said that if we are not through by the end of the month they will turn back as well. The Coast Guard sent an order this a.m. for all sailing vessels to stay put and not even attempt a transit. They are expecting heavy ice conditions for at least another week. Their icebreaker was trying to escort the Silver Explorer through and both were beset in the ice coming down from McClintock which is applying a lot of pressure. The Pierre Radisson (icebreaker) will be in the area of Bellot strait today and will report on the current conditions. So, we wait...

The Tandberg Polar (the Maud tug/barge), started down Prince Regent a couple of days ago and encountered too much ice. Nordreg told them to return to the other side of Lancaster and wait. Very early this morning they passed by us at Port Leopold on the way south. We're not sure yet what that means.

To backtrack a little, we left Arctic Bay on Tuesday past. We were sorry to miss the town's big event of the year, the arrival of the Sea Lift on August 27. This is the arrival of the supply boat which comes just once a year. Families place orders for food, vehicles, furniture, appliances etc. and it all arrives by boat from Montreal. It sounds like quite an event with containers being unloaded onto the beach and a carnival atmosphere.

The passage from Arctic Bay started well, as usual, but then degenerated into a struggle against 30 knot headwinds and waves. We just couldn't make any progress, so, diverted back across Lancaster Sound to the north. The sail across was accompanied by snow. We entered Graham Harbour and had a lovely surprise. The snow had turned it from the usual gravel pit scenery into Lake Louise in miniature. There was a natural breakwater behind which there was a pool of glacial turquoise-coloured water, calm and serene. We couldn't wait to get the anchor down and the heat on.

The next day we crossed back over Lancaster and had our first foray into a significant ice field. We tried to skirt around it, but, it must have been 20 miles long, so, we had to go through. A bit nerve-wracking, but, we got through ok. We hit a bad patch of fog while closing Port Leopold and then more ice! It looked impenetrable. We had heard that there was at least one boat at anchor inside and we wanted to join them, but, it seemed too much to go through. We thought we'd continue on a little further. Soon, it looked as bad as the ice going into Port Leopold, so, we turned around and took our chances. Nothing quite so exciting as dodging ice floes in 25 knot winds with the temperature around zero at 2 a.m. Anyway, we got in, there were three boats at anchor and we were greatly relieved to get the anchor down. Now we're on ice watch, the bay is quite open and we have south winds today bringing ice into the harbour. We have to be careful not to let any floes get caught on our anchor chain.

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Port Leopold 24/8/2014 12:00 73°51.9'N 090°18.5'W

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On the Beach

We ended up on the beach in Arctic Bay. Not a pretty picture, but, relax, it was intentional!

As we've mentioned we've been having performance problems under motor and the general consensus amongst those we'd talked to was it must be the prop, or, a dirty bottom. We then met Les, Ali and Randall on Arctic Tern. They had a waterproof video camera and offered to have a look. The prop seemed ok, but, to make sure we needed to have a proper look. We were desperate to improve our situation, so, decided to 'careen' the boat. We wouldn't have been able to do it without Les' direction and assistance. All three went way beyond the call of duty to help us, even getting up at 4 a.m. We had to do it over two consecutive tides which meant twenty-four hours living with the boat upside-down literally, very difficult. The local kids were a bit of a problem trying to swing off our rails and throwing rocks at us, but, it went very smoothly.

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Arctic Bay 17/8/2014 12:00 73°02.0'N 085°08.8'W

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Joining the Circus

This year, thirteen yachts (that we know of), are attempting the North West Passage east to west. There are also a couple of boats doing the west to east route. Two dropped out before getting to the Arctic, three others have decided to return to either Newfoundland or Greenland in the last couple of days. There are eight of us still hoping to get through. It's not looking that good right now, not good at all. Today, August 17, Peel Sound is still fast top-to-bottom with 9/10 ice with no imminent signs of breakup. Prince Regent was looking the same although just yesterday there are signs the top end is getting some movement. We are still in Arctic Bay, a safe ice-free harbour, but, we're the only boat left here now. All the others are waiting in different locations. We think we may try moving out in a couple of days into either the top end of Regent, or, back across to the north side of Lancaster Sound which is now totally ice-free. It's a waiting game now, some boats have crew that need to get off which may mean turning back soon and a few others don't want to wait beyond the end of August as that would mean they are unable to get around Alaska by mid-September which is really the last chance before it closes up for the winter. We plan to wait until the end of August. If we can get through then we may stop in Cambridge Bay instead of our original plans for Tuk/Inuvik. If we don't get through there aren't many options other than returning to Greenland/Newfoundland (not a minor undertaking), or, overwintering in Arctic Bay.

I suppose some, us included, have been seduced by reading reports and blogs which indicated there'd be a good chance to get through. Looking at ice reports for the same date over the last three years show a marked difference. In the 2011/12 seasons you could have basically driven right through barely seeing any ice whatsoever. That's definitely not the case this year. Last year the boats got through on August 23, just six days from now, highly unlikely for us.

There seems to be a general resurgence of the romantic notions about the Passage that started with the early explorers and of course, the British obsession and fascination with the route in the early 1800's. At that time, Parliament was offering cash prizes to those going the farthest north, farthest west and anybody who got through all the way from east to west. After the Franklin expedition debacle the interest waned, but, has now seemed to have picked up again with less ice and more accessibility to the region.

Somebody from another NWP boat we met in Nuuk mentioned that it was starting to feel a bit like we've all joined the circus. Given some of the current expedition ideas maybe he was right. There are people now trying to not only do the North West Passage, but, also the North East Passage (across the top of Russia) and all in one season. It's been done, but, must have been very difficult. There are people rowing it, people freezing in and drifting with it and one plan is in the works for a snorkel relay through! That one we found hard to believe until we met a Canadian skipper (originally from Bracebridge of all places) in Nuuk who confirmed that his charter boat was currently doing a feasibility study for that very expedition. The study wasn't going very well, so, it remains to be seen whether it will happen.

Also this year, there is yet another Franklin search expedition to try and solve that mystery. There is also a Norwegian effort to repatriate the remains of the 'Maud'. This was the ship built in Norway for Roald Amundsen's attempt on the North Pole (he was already first to the South Pole and first through the North West Passage). Maud was sunk on her moorings in Cambridge Bay. We met the seven-strong crew aboard the 'Tandberg Polar', the boat that will attempt to raise the Maud, in Aasiat Greenland. Tandberg Polar is a tug-style boat with a very large submersible barge lashed to its side. The barge will be lowered, the Maud put on top and then be lifted to the surface when, if all goes well, it will be returned to Norway next year for display in Oslo. Tandberg Polar was due to leave Aasiat right after us. With the barge attached, they are only going to be able travel at five knots, so, it will be a slow journey for them (almost as slow as us). I don't envy the skipper trying to move that load across Baffin Bay and through the ice.

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Arctic Bay 17/8/2014 12:00 73°02.0'N 085°08.8'W

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A few pics

Internet is up in Arctic Bay, here are a few miscellaneous pics for the last few posts:

A sunny day in Baffin Bay

A big one!

Typical view from the boat....

Our five minute glimpse of Bylot Island

Gale in Dundas Harbour

Two adjacent boats in gale

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Arctic Bay

We had hoped that there would be internet access here in Arctic Bay, Nunavut so we could post some pictures, but, unfortunately it has been down since we got here very early Tuesday morning. It took forever to get here, the forecast NW winds turned to SW enroute and this impeded our progress significantly. We hove-to for a while and had our first snowfall, wet sleet really and continued when things improved. We arrived around midnight and hoped to get the anchor down quickly. It wouldn't go down due to the disintegrated bow roller from the gale, so, we had to turn around and G. had to change over the bow roller before we could anchor, not a fun job at 1 in the morning with 1 degree temperatures.

Arctic Bay is a small, Inuit community of a few hundred people. There is some employment at the Nanisivik mine, but, it's still very much a traditional hunting/fishing community. Yesterday, we heard they'd landed eleven narwhals in the next bay. The meat is shared amongst the community. It was interesting to see two of the tusks up close while checking in at the RCMP station. A man had come in with two tusks he was exporting. They had to be measured and all the export paperwork filled out. They're worth about $600 each. People are very friendly, after we got the anchor down six local teens rowed out to speak with us. When we land our dinghies (there are three other yachts here) crowds of youngsters gather round to help. We still have almost 24 hours of daylight and the little kids are out there running around wild at all hours. It seems a bustling community, but, it must be a very difficult life here. Prices are through the roof. The local hotel is $250 per night, per person and you have to share the room. Breakfast $45, lunch $55 and dinner $65. There are two well-stocked grocery stores and we've been happy to stock up with some of our Canadian favourites. An example of prices is a can of pop at $5.65, we just ignored the prices otherwise you wouldn't buy anything. G. has been busy ferrying 27 jerry cans of diesel by dinghy to make sure we're topped up for the next phase of our journey.

We are really enjoying being stopped for a while. There is another gale, not as strong (hopefully) as the one experienced in Dundas Harbour, forecast for tomorrow afternoon. We may decide to move on Saturday, right after it blows through. It's all about strategy and waiting for the ice now, hoping to place yourself in the right area at the right time without getting blocked in anywhere. We met a U.S. boat here that had just spent ten days blocked in a harbour on the north shore of Lancaster Sound. We'd prefer to stay on the south side of Lancaster, but, it depends on whether Prince Regent or Peel Sound will open up first. Right now, it's looking like maybe Prince Regent will be first.

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Arctic Bay 14/8/2014 12:00 73°02.0'N 085°08.8'W

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Dundas Harbour Force 9

Did I really say 'As long as our anchor holds, we'll be safe and there's no better feeling than enjoying a gale in a safe anchorage.' in my last post? We arrived at Dundas Harbour Wednesday afternoon. By Thursday morning at 6 a.m. we were in the middle of a full-blown Force 9, sustained winds of 41-47 knots, with many lengthy gusts over 50 knots and one at 60. We've only been on this cruise for less than three months and we've had two Force 9s, what are the bad luck odds on that?

The bay is large and it was whipped up into a whirling maelstrom of spray and sea. There was no 'enjoying' this gale. It was very miserable and actually quite frightening. If the anchor had dragged we'd have been on the rocks in less than five minutes, it really was a life or death situation. There was a short lull down to around 30 knots in the afternoon and although our anchor seemed to be stuck down well, we had to move due to proximity to another boat and the shore. We went down to the other end of the bay, tried a couple of times to set the anchor without success and came back to where we knew there was good holding. We tried two more times, but, it wasn't right again, so, we went in closer to the other boats and it set right away. Later, the closest boat dragged a bit and we became too close, but, neither of us was ever going to pull up our anchor in the conditions, so, we had to try and dance around each other all night, just added to the stress level. We took fifteen minute turns on the tiller trying to steer away.

Twenty-six hours passed staring at the GPS trying to determine whether we were dragging. It was very intense and nerve-wracking. We had a few issues. At one point, there was a loud bang. Our anchor snubber line (heavy nylon) had pulled apart, it didn't chafe, it broke. G. put on another, but, it too didn't last. We had carefully wrapped our roller furling to make sure it wouldn't unravel. Yet, around 4:30 a.m., the rig started to shake and the unmistakable sound of a flogging sail started up. The roller furling hadn't unravelled, but, there was a large bag of sail coming out the top of the number 2 genoa. The sacrificial UV strip on the sail had started to shred and was pulling the sail out along with it. Nothing for it but to let it out and refurl the whole thing. This is not an easy task in 50 knot gusts. We got set up and proceeded to unfurl the sail to leeward. Just as it started to come out, there was a huge gust and the bow went off to port. Consequently, the sail came out on the windward side and backed, the boat went over on her ear and we buried the rail. The water came over the rail and started filling the cockpit, drenching us both. Only a quick release of the windward sheet took the pressure off and allowed the boat to come back upright. We were both rather shell-shocked after this experience, but, it wasn't over yet. We went forward on hands and knees to try and tie the sail up. G. tried to stand up and could barely hold on.

This morning, all is calm and beautiful again, with a dusting of new snow on the mountaintops. We couldn't even recognize it from the horrific scenes of the night before. We'd planned to stay and enjoy Dundas Harbour for a few days, but, now have such bad memories of this place, we are enroute today for Arctic Bay. It took 3 hours to get the anchor up, inch by inch, using the windlass and two halyards. Our nylon bow roller has also disintegrated.

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Dundas Harbour 8/8/2014 12:00 74°31.9'N 082°25.0'W

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Dundas Harbour, Nunavut

Sailing can be a very cruel sport. Just when a long-anticipated landfall, or, anchorage, is within reach it can be wrenched from your grasp by events totally out of your control. So it was with our landfall in Canada.

The last 1/2 of our passage from Greenland remained shrouded in fog, some days more dense than others. The mountainous coast, glaciers and ice capped coast of Baffin and Bylot Islands are reputed to have the best scenery of the North West Passage. We saw absolutely none of it other than a few hours of Baffin and a five minute view of Bylot, very disappointing. We had mentioned that we'd try to land at Pond Inlet and if not there, further north in Lancaster Sound. We ruled out Pond Inlet before even getting there as the anchorage is an open roadstead with ice floes going by at the rate of two knots. A constant ice/anchor watch must be maintained as you may have to move at a moment's notice. We couldn't see how this could possibly work with just two of us aboard as neither of us would be able to go to shore, so, decided to give it a miss. We found out later that it wouldn't have been possible to get in anyway as it was still fast with ice.

As we couldn't go through Pond Inlet to Navy Board Inlet and up to Lancaster Sound we went around the outside of Bylot Island, heading for Tay Bay. Tay Bay is where Alvah Simon overwintered on his boat and then wrote a book, 'North to the Night', about his experience. We enjoyed the book very much and the Bay sounded like an ideal anchorage. The latest ice chart showed the north entrance to be clear, so, we headed there. There are tides in Lancaster Sound and it was hard going. We kept waiting for the tide to change in our favour, but, it didn't. Hmmm...must be a current? Reading our Arctic Pilot confirmed the worst, there was a 2+ knot east-going current running along the south side of Lancaster Sound. It also casually mentioned that there was a possibility of a tidal rip across the entrance of Navy Board Inlet. The newest ice chart now showed a large tongue of 1-3/10 ice curving north around the entrance constraining the way in. Tide and current going in opposite directions conspired to give us a boiling cauldron of sea, the dense fog meant we couldn't see any land to orient ourselves to deal with a tidal rip and our speed was a painful 0-1.5 knots. We were going nowhere fast, so, in spite of being only fifteen miles to the entrance we had to turn away and decided to sail right across Lancaster Sound to Dundas Harbour, the only other ice-free harbour in the area and our last chance to gain shelter before a 40+ knot gale kicked in the next evening.

Lancaster Sound was about fifty miles away. There was still absolutely no wind. Could we get there motoring at 3 knots and beat the gale? We headed across, got out of the current and the east wind that had been promised for a few days finally filled in and we were sailing at 5+ knots. It was enough to get us 1/2 way across before the wind died and we got in after a 17 hour crossing. It's a very beautiful bay with a glacier at one end and a grounded iceberg right behind us. Just about the whole NWP 2014 fleet is here as it's the only ice-free harbour around right now and we are anchored with seven other boats. The wind is just picking up and will go to 40+ after midnight. As long as our anchor holds, we'll be safe and there's no better feeling than enjoying a gale in a safe anchorage. The gale will pass by the weekend and we're hoping Arctic Bay will be ice-free by then so we can cross back south over Lancaster Sound and get fuel there. After that it's a waiting game before any of us can move west. A couple of the boats with large, young crews are testing some of harbours further west and have found them all still plugged with ice. The key is to be patient, easy to say, hard to do.

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Dundas Harbour 6/8/2014 12:00 74°31.9'N 082°25.0'W

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