September 1 at sea around Cape Hay and Bylot Island

 Our days are brim-full with new wonders, fascinating history, the ongoing discovery of a culture fairly unknown to us 'southerns' - the Inuits. This morning we were heading towards Cape Hay on Bylot island. In 1965 this place was designated a protected bird breeding place. Reportedly during the season there are 140,000 breeding pairs of Brunnich’s guillemots as well as black-legged kittiwakes and greater snow geese. While we navigated there we were treated to the first in a series of lectures about the quest to find a passage across the top of Canada linking the Pacific and Atlantic oceans - the Northwest Passage. A centuries long search. Our lecturer is Nina Gallo with whom we travelled in Antarctica and South Georgia earlier this year; she is totally engaging as a storyteller. That feast was followed after lunch by another feast, a total delight as we zodiacked along bird cliffs passing stunning icebergs as we went. The cliffs were a geologists’ and bird lovers’ delight. 

When we boarded our zodiacs it was snowing just a little - and cold!

Just look at those strata. The mind boggles at the geological history that forged such wondrous patterns

The loudest voices are the kittiwakes chattering incessantly

Birds dotted like chocolate chips in ice-cream

Eventually we had to turn our zodiac around and slowly made our way back to the ship passing a rather spectacular iceberg on the way. Hans, our driver and guide took us right around the iceberg but it looked like it was starting to tilt and you definitely don't want to be around icebergs when they flip - there a heck of a lot more ice underneath than on the surface so he hit the gas and we flew on past back to the ship but boy was it exciting for a while.   This is a wonder-filled voyage! 

A phantasmagorical humbug-striped beauty!

Opps its calving big chunks which throws the whole thing out of balance.

August 31 Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet)

 

Our voyage map to date

As well as an expert expedition team, we have on board an amazing team of archeologists and historians which means rarely a day goes by without a lecture or three. Today was no different.  

A Chronology of exploration

The Arctic - almost a negative image of the Antarctic

After a morning of lectures (archaeology and geographic research) we went ashore at Pond Inlet (Mittimatalik) which is the largest of the four Canadian Arctic hamlets above the 72nd parallel.  We were met be local guides who took groups of us touring the village. 

L: one of our guides, a very sweet quiet man

Precious polar bear skin being stretched

The remains of a summer camp. Whale bones form the scaffolding for skin roofs
The local guide had a baby bobbing about in her hood

An ambulance on the right

The written Inuit language, Inuktitut, is beautiful, picturesque syllabics

We ended up at the community centre which houses an indoor sports arena. There we were entertained with a marvelous show of dancing, singing, crafts and demonstrations of one of the sports in their Olympics (indoor) - kicking a target suspended above them, with varying degrees of difficulty. Including kicking from squatting on one.  Such beautiful fun loving people. 

Target kicking

This mum and her toddler were enchanting and happy to have a photos taken 

While the villagers stood in a circle singing, this beautiful man, the drum dancer, played his qilaut - it's a type of frame drum native to the Inuit cultures of the Arctic once covered in seal skin. I was given a set of CDs containing three volumes of Inuinnait drum dance songs; listening to them transports me back to a delightful special afternoon,

During the long dark winter the people of the community devise games and things to amuse themselves.

The children built a small inukshuk at the end of the show. These are used to signal many things including direction.

An inukshuk on the Nunavut flag

Then it was back to the ship through fairly chopping waters - but not before I snapped a few plants of course (I was always getting the hurry on!)

L: Arctic poppy R: Lapland poppy

L: Arctic Black Bear Berry (in red foliage). R: Arctic sorrel used for many things including tea

Then it really was back to the Mother Ship

August 30 Sam Ford Fjord

 

Overnight and this morning we sailed north to cruise in Sam Ford Fjord (bit of a tongue-twister).  This fjord lies along Baffin Island’s northeastern coast and was named in memory of Sam Ford, one of Canada’s most important Inuk linguists who died tragically in a helicopter crash. The region is a traditional hunting area for the Inuit and when you see it, you can understand why – it is magnificent and tranquil sheltered by impressive mountains. We did a bit of Citizen Science in the fjord – some Secchi disc observations. This gives a rough measurement of the density of the phytoplankton in the water; phytoplankton are basically an essential part of the marine food web and their abundances indicates the health of the water (they also produce over 50% of the earth's oxygen)

Just for interest

The temperature had been dropping and is currently zero C and it’s been snowing. The cliffs and valleys with their heavy dusting of snow look breathtaking. I leave you to browse and wonder, but never did grey seem so beautiful ....

The vistas were stunning but once back on board our valiant Captain took us as close as safely possible to the floating 'snout' of one of the fjords larger glaciers. Breathtaking!

Sunset through a flurry of snowflakes!

August 29 Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut

 

Inuit homeland in Canada

This morning we arrived at Qikiqtarjuaq on Broughton Island (near Baffin Island). Qikigtarjuag or Qik (for those of us who struggle to pronounce the name which is practically everyone) is known as ‘the Iceberg Capital of the world’. Most of the icebergs come from Greenland glaciers, and are carried there on the current, breaking into pieces, forming smaller icebergs and floating ice. Sometimes the icebergs run aground along the coast and the people harvest the ice to use as clean drinking water; it’s a very dry place. We had arrived in Inuit Nunangat, the Inuit homeland in Canada, and I was feeling quite excited. Four Royal Canadian Mounted police came on board to clear us to enter Canada (and no they weren’t mounted haha). While the Mounties did their job, we had a lecture on Arctic sea mammals and a Citizen Science workshop all of which was wrapped up with a biosecurity check – new land new bio-risks.

There was a welcoming committee of smiling faces

This grandpa had a string of little ones in tow. He thank see us for bring good weather the dear man.

After lunch and with us all cleared to enter Canada, we hopped into zodiacs and went ashore to meet our local guides - lots of the local people were lined up at the beach where we landed. As we wandered through town we were followed by kids and young adults curious to ask us questions. The landscape is baren yet I found some wild flowers – when I was able to stop to look around. 

This is one of our guides

The area is bone dry and rather desolate looking - to my eyes.

We were curios and were pursued by happy youngster keen to touch, keen for us to photograph them. It was quite delightful.  We trundled around, in our gumboots, and got a very good look at the village. It must be quite spectacular in winter or at least with snow.

The tusk from a freshly killed Narwhal

We met a hunter who was keen to show us the tusk of a narwhal he had killed that morning; the meat had already been distributed to the village. He told us that he had recently killed a two tusked narwhal, a very rare creature. He sold the tusks/head for $60,000. We spent time in the museum and community hall but then it was time to head back to the ship. It was an interesting visit. 

Beautiful clothing made from Ring seal skins

Ring seals are among the most important species in the culture of the Inuit people of this place. They harvest seal in open water, or through their breathing holes in the ice.

A beautiful mandala of the Inuit calendar of the seasons

The Inuit calendar has at least 6 seasons (some versions are even more complex). They use the moon to keep track of the 'calendar year', counting thirteen ‘moon months’. Each month is named for a predictable seasonal characteristic, mostly related to animal behavior, which coincide with a particular moon. This ‘mandala’ reminded me of the Australian Aboriginal season mandala we saw in East Arnhem Land some years ago.

\We arrived back on board in time for cocktails and canapes! But then it was time for the pre-cap and re-cap. These often included a mini lecture about what we were about to see or a little snippet of history of the PW Passage. After dinner they screened a movie as they did many nights (but we were too pooped to stay up). This one was a 1922 silent docudrama (in the style/tradition they refer to as salvage ethnography. It followed the struggles of an Inuit man and his family in the Canadian Arctic. We were asleep before it finished!

The sun going down in a glorious pageant as we traveled northwards

August 28 Ataa Sund, Greenland then at Sea

 

Today we were to have been landing on south Baffin Island and so entering Canada but the weather gods thought otherwise. The approaching weather pattern looked a bit rough to the EL decided to head for Ataa Sund a little north of Disko bay where the synoptic chart promised calm waters. And it was – totally delightful. 

Our ship, Sylvia Earle, hiding behind an iceberg.

Sky sea and ice - exquisitely tranquility

We were out early in zodiacs (and some in kayaks) exploring the shoreline, weaving between icebergs, and visiting an abandoned settlement although we didn’t land. The settlement of Ataa was established around 1830 and by 1900 it housed ~100 people.

This berg had ground rock incorporated into it

Our crazy leader posing for a fun shot.

They engaged in the most bizarre industries – yarn making and bacon processing (where the meat came from is anyone’s guess).  The settlement was abandoned in 1960 but I think it might be used as a summer camp these days. We were in the EL’s zodiac which was fun but I wished I had been in Alex’s because the rocks along the coastline were intriguing. C’est la vie! 

Fascinating patterns in the rocks caused by volcanic intrusions

Massive waterfalls cascaded over the cliffs

Reaching way over the side to capture samples of the crystal waters

Ashley clambered ashore to collect this rope washed up
and tangled in the rocks

Aurora has a commitment to the environment so no rubbish found is left uncollected, that goes for everything from the tiniest fragment of plastic to large stuff washed off ships and fishing vessels (if it can be moved.) 

The face of the glacier Eqip Sermia

Back on board we did a ship cruise to see Eqip Sermia, a huge glacier draining Greenland’s massive ice cap.  Then we headed back to sea to head westward to Canada (with slowly building seas).

Someone brought back a lump of iceberg ice for the Bar.