Cruise through the Northwest Passage and down the west coast of Greenland
Some text for Anne to add later
Kugluktuk to Bellot Straight
5.09.15 Kugluktuk, Nunavut- Board Adventure Canada's Ocean Endeavour. Welcomed by Kugluktuk residents with demonstration of the Inuit lamp, throat-singing, drumming and dancing.
6.09.15 Anderson Bay-Exploration ashore. Amongst other things learn about rocks that were formed south of the Equator 450 million years ago.
Sky alive with Aurora Borealis in the middle of the night...Amazing!
7.09.15 Gjoa Haven- Welcomed and entertained royally by the villagers....dancing, singing, games of strength. The wonderful hospitality reminded me of my Manitoba small community heritage. Visited Roald Amundsen monument.
8.09.15 Conningham Inlet-Zodiac exploration to view polar bears. Later cruise through Bellot Strait. Moor overnight by Fort Ross.
Fort Ross to Beechey Island
9.09.15 Fort Ross-the last trading post built (1937) by the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada's Arctic.
10.09.15 Port Leopold-a haven for people over many centuries The remains of Thule culture stone- based houses populate the ridges above the bay.
Prince Leopold Island- Migratory Bird Sanctuary-an important site for migratory bird research-250,000 birds occupy the island between early May and the end of August.
11.09.15 Beechey Island-Three graves found here foreshadowed the fate of the Franklin Expedition of 1845. Many explorers have wintered here.
comment here
Croker Bay and Dundas Harbour
12.09.15 Croker Bay, Devon Island-We cruised the toes of two glaciers flowing into Croker Bay this morning.
12.09.15 Dundas Harbour, Devon Island, Nunavut
Can you spot the distant muskox herd on the slope about Lancaster Sound as we approached Dundas Harbour?
People have lived in this area over many centuries. We visited the remains of Thule culture stone houses and the RCMP post that was established here in 1922. A pod of beluga whales demonstrated their round-up skills close to shore in the bay near the RCMP buildings as massive icebergs made their slow progress down Lancaster Sound.
Grise Fjord, Quaannaaq and Tasiussaq
3.09.15 Grise Fjord, Aujuittuq,"the place that never thaws", is Canada's most northerly community. The establishment of this community by the Canadian government is a black mark on our history. The Inuit who live here today are the resilient survivors of great hardship and living here still presents many challenges.
We were treated to a very warm welcome which culminated in presentations in the community centre which included a fashion show, Inuit games, music and food.
Ocean Endeavour had threaded through the gathering ice to visit Grise Fjord and all night we were aware of the ship grinding through ice to reach open water in Smith Sound.
14.09.15 Smith Sound-Today we were to travel north between Ellesmere Island and Greenland but the impinging ice pack and stormy weather made that impossible. There were many interesting on-board activities for those with good sea legs.
15.09.15 Qaannaaq, Greenland- At sunrise we were surrounded by giant icebergs just off-shore from this most northern Greenland village. Qaanaaq has been a northern base for polar explorers including Knud Rasmussen and for military defence. We enjoyed visiting the village, including it's museum, in spite of intense and almost continuous rain showers. Automatic camera lens wipers would have been ideal.
16.09.15 It was too stormy to visit any of the Kap York area. We kept well off shore and the captain ordered everyone to resist the temptation to visit the outside decks. Check out the views from my porthole!
17.09.15 Tasiussaq, Upernavik Archipelago-This archipelago has been home to many migrating peoples from very early times and it is rich in archaeological sites.
What a treat it was to wander through this lush valley with brilliantly coloured plants that carpeted every step and climbed to the top of every cliff...the hanging gardens of Greenland, so to speak. A totally delicious experience in spite of drifts of light rain.
Karrat Fjord
18.09.15 Karrat Fjord, Greenland - I was in constant state of elation all morning as we climbed and walked along a gentle ridge overlooking the narrow fjord crowded with icebergs and edged by majestic mountains. The silence was broken often by the rifle crack of ice breaking free from glaciers that carved the narrow valleys between jagged peaks. The interplay of light and fog constantly recreated the scene and transformed the atmosphere of the entire valley. I remain awe-struck and grateful that I experienced such power and beauty.
Ilulissat
20.09.15 Ilulissat, Greenland - Early morning found our zodiac drivers crunching their way through the ice of Disco Bay to land passengers at a small dock in the third largest town in Greenland, Ilulissat, which clings to the rocky hillsides at the mouth of the mighty Jakobshavn Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Jakobshavn Icefjord glacier, flowing at an amazing 19 to 35 metres per day, launches twenty billion tons of ice from the Greenland Icecap into the ocean each year in the form of massive, awe-inspiring icebergs, vastly more icebergs than any other glacier in the Arctic. Today the passengers of Ocean Endeavour variously toured the town, marvelled at the parade of icebergs at the mouth of the icefjord, enjoyed a helicopter flight above the edge of the icecap and brought the Ilulissat visit to a spectacular close by taking a zodiac cruise amongst the towering glaciers in the waters just offshore of the town. To mark the conclusion of a perfect day our ship cruised through an iceberg-dominated seascape into the sunset.
l
Itilleq & Kangerlussuaq
20.09.15 We were welcomed to the picturesque village of Itilleq at the mouth of the Itilleq Fjord for a visit and a spirited soccer game featuring the Itilleq team vs Ocean Endeavour's Polar Bears. The Itilleq side won the closely contested game and everyone had great fun. In the late afternoon Ocean Endeavour headed south on the last leg of our voyage.
After midnight the deck is dark and cold, the wind howls, the stars are close enough to touch and we are all mesmerized by the dance of the northern lights...a fitting bittersweet celebration on the last night of our voyage as we cruised the 168 km of Sondre Stromfjord towards Kangerlussuaq, Greenland.