A brief trip out

After ten months north of the Arctic Circle we are heading south for a few weeks prior to recomissioning Gjoa for this summer's completion of the North West Passage.

This plane looks big, but, only the rear third was for people, the rest was for freight.

Flying out of Cambridge Bay was flying like it used to be, guess they assume if you're in Cambridge Bay and the only way in/out is by airplane, except for the very few who arrive by water and ice ;-) you'd already passed scrutiny getting there, so, there's no point in doing it all again when you leave. After strolling about twenty steps into the terminal, we went directly to the checkin desk. There was no queue. There was no id required, no xray scanning, no laptops out of the bag, no shoes/belts off, no metal detectors, no toothpaste bagging and no bottled water/pen knife confiscation. The free, hot sandwich served was delicious as was the coffee. We knew it could only go downhill from here as we had a few more flights, airlines and airports to get through before reaching our final destination.

Total snow and ice cover leaving Cambridge Bay.

A little further south, lakes are starting to break up.

Yellowknife and open water. The ice in the background is Great Slave Lake (tenth largest lake in the world) and still frozen.

When we got to the arrivals area at Yellowknife, it was tiny and there were maybe twenty-five people standing around. For us, after a winter of isolation, it was sensory overload already and we couldn't
wait to get out of there. We stepped outside into +21C heat!

Even the baggage carousel at Yellowknife arrivals was interesting.

Of late, the jet stream has been making a clear diagonal slash between Nunavut and the NWT. The west side, covering all of the Mackenzie valley, including Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk, has been basking in the high 20C's for a while now. Cam Bay hasn't had any of that. The average May high temperature was only -4C and the average low was -12C. The day we left, May 22, it was around -2C and when we got to Yellowknife, only five hundred miles south, it was full-blown summer, +21C, We were greeted with a big, bright, blue, summer sky, a few puffs of fluffy white cloud and a gentle, warm breeze. The open water in the surrounding lakes shimmered with sunpennies and there were trees! Real trees with spring's tender green leaves.What a sight for sore eyes. The pink granite shores and dark water made us feel like we were already home in Northern Ontario and it's no surprise because the Canadian Shield extends all the way from here to there, thousands of miles across the top of Canada.

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Goodbye TP, Hello Gjoa

Winter is definitely turning to spring now. These pictures of the melodious, elusive snow bunting prove it.

Snow Buntings - first to arrive, last to leave (Photos: courtesy GP)

Spring also means our time living aboard and looking after Tandberg Polar has come to an end.We spent Victoria Day Monday shifting all our belongings from the tug back to Gjoa. There was a lot of 'stuff' to move and we were weren't sure how we were going to do it. Luckily, we were able to borrow a cube van and a willing helper, which was much appreciated. Thanks Gord.

Did we really take this much 'stuff'' off Gjoa?

We have to bring the van down here?

As close as we could get, meaning a trip across luckily still crusty-topped snow with gear.

The tarp we used to cover the cockpit really held the snow in well ;-)

After opening Gjoa, the initial inspection looked all good. There was only a very light sheen of moisture, a quick wipeover of the interior should be all it needs. The 'polar desert' climate did the trick as we'd hoped and there was absolutely no sign of mold or mildew. Books and charts left aboard were dry and not damp-damaged. We'd been warned to expect a lot of antifreeze in the bilge and there was a few inches of it, luckily confined just to the engine bilge. Due to our watertight bulkheads and hull tankage there are separate, isolated bilge areas throughout the boat. There was also a light film of diesel on top of the antifreeze.  Apparently, the extreme cold over the winter causes the seals in  the engine to contract and all the antifreeze leaks out. Let's hope the seals will have expanded themselves when we go to top up and that we don't now have a sieve for an engine.

We'd hoped to be able to do some preparatory work prior to flying out for a few weeks, but, it was still too cold to work outside so we just dumped our 'stuff' and ran. Also, June temperatures can easily still be in the -10C range, so, we didn't want to install our batteries etc. and leave them untended with the possibility of still cold temperatures to come. We have a huge job when we get back at the end of June to unpack, clean, repair and recommission Gjoa to get ready for departure, but, barring any unforeseen issues, four-five weeks should be enough time.

Stig, first mate extraordinaire, has arrived from Norway to relieve us of our duties on Tandberg Polar. After eight! long months, we can't say we were sorry to leave the tug and our stewardship duties, but, somehow it had almost begun to feel like home, even with all its faults.

Tandberg Polar galley

Engine room view

Although we're no longer physically onboard Tandberg Polar, it doesn't mean we no longer have interest in the Maud Returns Home project and Norway itself. We hope to see Maud out of the water and onto Jensen (barge) before we leave. Someday, we'll revisit Norway and see Maud in her final resting place near Oslo.

Since we lived and overwintered in Norway at 69N for a year we've become interested in Norway and its people. There are so few of them, just five million with a unique culture, characteristics and mindset that sets them apart from the rest of the Scandinavian countries. Somebody brought our attention to a quite funny Ted talk about Norway's creation of and passion for, 'slow tv'. It was nostalgic for us to view it as there are some great shots of the Hurtigruten (coastal cruiser) route up the entire western coast, a route we cruised in Black Sheep II in our first year of liveaboard cruising in 2010 (can't believe it's been five years since we cast off the dock lines for good). The talk is only eighteen minutes long and you can view it at:

http://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_hellum_the_world_s_most_boring_television_and_why_it_s_hilariously_addictive?language=en

I am also currently immersed in reading Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgaard's six-volume   masterwork known as 'Min Kamp' (My Struggle). I'm just starting the third volume now. The final three haven't been translated yet. It's hard to categorize, it's not a novel, it's not a memoir, it's not a diary, it's not chronological, it jumps back and forth between time and place, it's supposed to be factual and involves the most indepth examination of his life, the people and formative events in it, all viewed through his characteristic Norwegian angst . He really puts all of himself out there with what seems like great honesty and humility. It's probably not a read for everybody. The minutiae of daily life is often examined in excruciating detail. After the first volume I wasn't sure I wanted to continue, but, it is very engrossing, weirdly addictive and hard to put down. Anyway, try it if you dare, the first volume is called 'A Death in the Family' and it's on Amazon/Kindle.

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Frolics Part IV - The Finish

There were a few photos that didn't quite fit anywhere else....

How not to snowmobile race. Don't try this at home!

Note Tandberg Polar in the background, we had a prime view of the ice activities.

BBQ on ice, the muskox burgers at only $7.50 were very nice.

Fishing hole, lots of lake trout and Arctic char were caught.

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Frolics Part III - The Races

Although there were quite a few different events during the Frolics, the one that dominated was the snowmobile racing. There was a solid week of different events. Everybody seemed to know when and where to congregate. One minute, the ice was empty, the next there were dozens of trucks and snowmobiles all over the ice and a few hundred people. One day they were up at West Arm doing load/drag races. One day was elders and juniors. Another was speed racing and the next cross-country etc. As we're not really fans of racing, I can't offer much on the finer points of the events, but, it all looked very exciting and the many participants were taking it all very, very seriously.

The man on on the top of the podium below is our Muskox Hunt guide, Ryan. He was the fastest man on ice that day. After our day out on the hunt with him, I was remarking how, for such a young guy, he was very gentle with us as he was towing us around and taking us up to the summit of Mt. Pelly. Little did we know that there was a speed demon lurking beneath that quiet exterior!

To be continued...

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Frolics Part II - The Clothes

This post is dedicated to the absolutely stunning handmade traditional clothing that a lot of the Inuit women still wear. It is beautiful. If somebody hasn't done a study and book on the topic already, it needs to be done now! A young Inuk should take this study on as a thesis.

The type of coat shown below usually has fur trim around the base as well, just peeking out from underneath the 'skirt'. Even very young children here wear sunglasses for protection from snow blindness, a very painful condition. Traditionally, the Inuit would carve a piece of bone into snow goggles which had a very thin slit to allow only a little sunlight to reach the eye.

Check out those mitts!

Four elders dressed in their best.

Mother and daughter sealskin coats.

Note the image of an 'ulu' (women's knife) on the coat.

To be continued...

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Frolics Part I - Parade

Thanks to our new friend Gord, I am really pleased to bring you some quality photographs of all the Frolics excitement from the past couple of weeks. The Omingmak (Inuit for muskox) Frolics, now in their fortieth year really are the big social event of the year in Cambridge Bay. They are held every year for a full week which includes the Victoria Day long weekend. There was lots to see and experience.

Gord's photos have inspired me to try and get better at photography, my photos seem pathetic now by comparison. So, enjoy them while they last, the photos will revert back to my uninspiring work soon. There are so many great photos I thought I'd split them over four separate posts. This one will cover the parade and opening ceremonies. Let's get started.

The big opening day was supposed to be Friday, May 15th, The weather was looking great, temperatures near freezing and sun. It turned out not so great. The opening ceremonies, parade and bbq were cancelled due to a -26C windchill and lots of blowing snow. So, the opening ceremonies were actually held on the same day as the closing ceremonies, but, it didn't seem to make any difference to anybody.

The original opening day, not very nice for a parade and outdoor bbq!

The rescheduled parade day wasn't much better with a bitterly cold wind blowing and no sun.

The weather didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the participants.

To be continued...

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Muskox Hunt

Last Sunday we went out on the land to hunt for muskox (with a camera). Unfortunately, the only muskox we saw were the ones on the beautiful sign marking the entrance to Ovayok (Mount Pelly) Territorial Park, 16km east of Cambridge Bay. We were disappointed but had a beautiful day out nonetheless. The weather was superb, I think the nicest day since we arrived last September. It feels like spring in earnest now. We did see three Canada geese. This isn't as trivial as it sounds. It means the birds are on the way back. Many people around town have commented about seeing snow buntings, which are the first birds to return and the last to leave, but, we haven't seen them yet. The only birds that overwinter here are ptarmigan, snowy owl and raven. The rest migrate thousands of miles and nest on the tundra in the summer, something we'll look forward to seeing in June/July.

We'd wanted to get out 'on the land' since we arrived, but, only recently found a guide willing to take us out for a reasonable price. It's not wise, without the skills or equipment, to just head out on your own. Ryan was our young and enthusiastic Inuk guide for the day. He'd recently returned from a successful polar bear hunt on the north of the island. Gord, a new friend, also came with us. Most of the photos in this post are his. We'd initially wanted to try and view the spring caribou migration which is starting now. The caribou migrate, in large herds, across the sea ice from the mainland and head north on Victoria Island to their summer grounds. They used to come very close to Cambridge Bay, but now travel north further to the west of town. Ryan conferred with other guides and said the migration was still in the early stages, very few tracks had been seen, the caribou were still on the mainland and if we wanted to see them it would require a long overnight trip with only a slim chance of success. So, we opted to stay close to town and hope for muskox instead.

Ryan works on 'Nunavut time', so, although we were expecting him at ten, we didn't see him until 12:30. A later start was better anyway because the cloud that we woke to had time to clear off and give us gorgeous blue skies for the remainder of the day. He brought the skidoo and qamotiq (sled) alongside TP and we were off.

Getting ready

The central feature of the park is Ovayok (Mount Pelly) a 200 metre high 'mountain'. Unlike the eastern Arctic the land here is very flat. Ovayok serves as a significant landmark for the area. In the past, it was a key stopping place during the seasonal movements of the people. Many ancient tent rings, waiting places and stone caches can still be seen.

Underway with Ovayok in the distance

Looking for muskox

Colourful lichens just reappearing from under the snow cover

White to infinity

Tea break in the gorgeous sunshine. Note parkas are off!

 We plan to revisit Ovayok when the snow has melted, the birds and waterfowl are back and the tundra is in bloom. Maybe we'll get lucky and see some muskox on our next visit.

On the way back to town

Camp cottages along the seashore to the west of town

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