The Waiting Game

It was all going too well. We stored the van and got our 300 lbs. of luggage to the airport early for our flight from Yellowknife to Cambridge Bay. We had a lovely sendoff at the airport from two friends we had met in CamBay over the winter and boarded the plane on schedule only to learn that there were mechanical issues and we had to deplane. After milling about in the terminal for a few hours, it was announced our flight was cancelled and we had to collect our luggage (300 lbs. don't forget) and take it all with us to a hotel for the night. The better hotels were all booked-up due to a large conference, so, we ended up in a place that can only charitably be described as a 'dump', in a very seedy area of downtown Yellowknife. We were glad to leave the next morning and arrived back in Cambridge Bay on schedule.

What a change from when we had left five weeks earlier. In our absence, there had been an explosion of flowers, birds and wildlife across the tundra. There was a peregrine falcon nest just a short walk from Gjoa with two vigilant parents dive-bombing anybody who came too close. Right off our bow, there was a nest of snow buntings inside a large bollard. There were many eider ducks on the ice edge and a number of seals in the water behind us. A highlight was seeing a den of Arctic foxes with the kits popping their heads up to have a look around.

An Arctic Fox near her den of kits (photo courtesy: RG). She stood her ground and vocalized a warning to us.

Most of the snow had left the ground to be replaced by carpets of tiny Arctic flowers.

The Bay was still completely iced-over, but, the weather was a warm +10C, the bugs were at an acceptable level and it was good feeling to get back to Gjoa.

It took us a full two weeks to get the boat put back into some semblance of order. We had removed the batteries and electronics for the winter and it was quite a bit of work to get everything back together again. We have tested just about all the systems onboard and were thrilled that we have no apparent winter damage at all. One of the benefits of our keel-cooled boat is that we can run the engine while on the hard. It was our biggest worry as we thought we had lost coolant. It turned out to be just water in the bilge, probably from condensation and the engine started right up and ran beautifully.

The ice melted quickly and was just about all gone from the Bay two weeks after our return. Outside the entrance to Cambridge Bay, in Dease Strait, it is still 100% iced over, but, inside the Bay it is all open. We could go back into the water any time although we are unable to leave, heading west, just yet. Now, we are playing the waiting game. First, waiting for the crane to show up to launch us and then for enough ice melt in Dease to let us out. It's looking good now with an ice-free route all the way to Tuktoyaktuk, once we're out of Dease. There is still ice around Barrow, Alaska, but, by the time we get there it should all be opened up. The sun has been shining and the wind has been blowing gently from the east the last few days. Perfect sailing weather to head west, but, we are just waiting....and waiting....It's said patience is a virtue, right?

The shoreline by Gjoa. This is now all that remains of snow and ice in the Bay itself.