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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Baffin Bay

We are just over 1/2 way through our passage from Greenland to Canada and are currently in the middle of Baffin Bay at 71 degrees North. This is about 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle and about 300 miles from Pond Inlet on Baffin Island. We will either enter the North West Passage at Pond Inlet if the ice is gone from there, or, Lancaster Sound further north. Hope to be in either place sometime Monday or Tuesday. We've been lucky to be able to cross at this lower latitude. Usually, there is a pack of sea ice in the middle of Baffin Bay up to about 75N, but, this year it has receded below 71N making a shorter trip for us.

It's the usual no-wind, motor on, sunshine above, thick fog at sea level passage. The fog is the worst. Sometimes it clears off for an hour or so and then comes back thicker than ever. We have seen a dozen or so really large icebergs. We didn't see any small ice, or, bergy bits ('bergy bit' is an official ice description!), so, were not too worried about them. Then, just when the fog was thickest and we couldn't see more than a few metres around the boat, one just slipped in 'under the radar' (now we know where that term comes from). It didn't show up on the radar at all and although watching carefully around the boat, we didn't see it, until, all of a sudden, it was just abeam and just metres away. We weren't in danger of hitting it, but, it was a nasty surprise. It was big enough, about 2 metres high by 10 metres long, to have caused us a serious problem. Now, we have to be more vigilant than ever.

It has been interesting to be in these waters and at the same time reading 'The Arctic Grail, The Quest for the North West Passage and the North Pole, 1818-1909' by Pierre Berton. It brings to life all the history of the area and the who and why of the place names etc. Also, how things have changed. In the exact stretch of water we're in now, it is mentioned that eighty-two whales were seen in one day. We haven't seen one. Reading Farley Mowat's 'Canada North Now', from the early 1970's, has also been very informative. To keep us inspired, G. has been playing one of his favourite songs, 'The Northwest Passage' by Stan Rogers. If you haven't heard it, look it up and listen, it's great. Here are the words:

Ah, for just one time I would take the Northwest Passage,
To find the hand of Franklin reaching for the Beaufort Sea,
Tracing one warm line through a land so wild and savage,
And make a Northwest Passage to the sea.

Westward from the Davis Strait 'tis there 'twas said to lie,
A sea route to the orient, for which so many died,
Seeking gold and glory, leaving weathered broken bones,
And a long forgotten lonely cairn of stones.

Three centuries thereafter, I take passage over land,
In the footsteps of brave Kelso, where his "sea of flowers" began,
Watching cities rise before me, then behind me sink again,
This tardiest explorer driving hard across the plain.

And through the night, behind the wheel, the mileage clicking west,
I think upon Mackenzie, David Thompson and the rest,
Who cracked the mountain ramparts and did show a path for me,
To race the roaring Fraser to the sea.

How then am I so different from the first men through this way,
Like them I left a settled life, I threw it all away,
To seek a Northwest Passage at the call of many men,
To find there but the road back home again.

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Baffin Bay 1/8/2014 12:00 71°07.6'N 063°36.2'W

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