Surviving - Cambridge Bay

A new month and a new milestone in our winter sojourn aboard Tandberg Polar. Hard to believe, but, we're now already half-way through our eight month October-May stay. Although we won't be able to leave Cambridge Bay by water until probably the first week of August, due to ice conditions, we will move back aboard Gjoa in June to prepare for departure. So, four months down and only four months to go!

Life aboard has settled into a steady routine and we hope it continues to remain drama-free. The deck generator,

Our trusty Inmesol generator

which provides all our heat and electricity, is still chugging away. We've tried to keep it happy with regular oil and filter changes. However, we're getting reluctant now to turn it off in case it doesn't start again. Just today, we lost cooling water capability (ice has become too thick) which means we can no longer run the two backup generators, or, the main engine. So, we are relying solely on the air-cooled deck generator, not a good position to be in, but, there's no alternative with the resources we have at hand. The generator is a Spanish-made Inmesol and was brand-new when TP left Norway. Unfortunately, it broke loose from the deck on the rough North Atlantic crossing and went for a ride back and forth across the deck a few times, sustaining considerable damage. It's a wonder it's even working at all let alone running 24/7 in severe temperatures. If it makes it through the winter we should send Inmesol some photos along with profuse thanks for making such a hardy piece of equipment.

Temperatures have been averaging around -35C with a few dips due to wind chill. Last night's wind chill was -56C accompanied by an extreme cold warning. This evening's wind chill will be -52C. The weather, though cold, is now very stable with little change in temperature and no heavy snowfalls to speak of. We've mainly been hibernating inside, with only short trips to the shops, as it is too cold to go for a lengthy walk of any kind. The sun is now much higher in the sky and brilliant against usually blue skies. Today's sunrise: 09:24, sunset 15:04.

The longer we live here, the more we realize just how isolated it truly is. Basic services, taken for granted in more urban climes, just don't exist here. There is a really good, modern health centre staffed with nurses who fly in from the south on a rotating basis. There is also a pharmacy and small laboratory. Surgery, complicated tests, or, treatments are done in Yellowknife. However, there is no hairdresser, no dentist, no optometrist, no veterinarian. It's almost mandatory to fly out once a year just to get your personal maintenance looked after. We are both decidedly shaggy now. Attempted self-haircuts with the kitchen scissors just don't cut it (pun intended). As teetotalers, the lack of a bar and sale of liquor doesn't affect us, but, could be an issue for some. There is a private bar, for Elks' members only, at their clubhouse every Friday night. Other than that, you'd have to freight in your own alcohol supply for personal consumption only. A fast-food addiction can be fed at a tiny KFC/PizzaHut outlet (we haven't tried it), when they have supplies and there is a restaurant at the hotel. We have eaten there once.

Air freight is remarkably efficient and we've taken the opportunity to order a lot of replacement boat items, such as filters, new mooring lines/snubbers etc. as well as get our charts and pilot books etc. in order for the upcoming season. We were pleased that the manufacturer of our brand-new Spade anchor agreed to replace the shank that bent during the gale in Dundas Harbour, under warranty, for the cost of shipping. The only drawback is that the shipping, just for the shank, is $400 from France.

We plan to fly out ourselves for a few weeks in June and will be able to bring back other necessary items and also a load of provisions from Yellowknife. It takes a while to live in a place until you figure out the most efficient way to get things done. Airfare was no exception. We've written previously about the high cost of air travel in the Arctic. A return flight, Cambridge Bay to Toronto was going to be $3,200 each. We couldn't justify that and were resigned to staying put until we had a look at Aeroplan. Don't know how this works, but, return reward flights can be taken from Nunavut to Ontario, or, Quebec for only 25,000 miles. So, we transferred in 40,000 miles from our Starwood rewards plan. For a 20,000 mile withdrawal from Starwood, they transferred 25,000 to Aeroplan. We booked the flights fast before the rules changed. Now, that's a result and a trip to look forward to!