September 12-13 Dolphin & Union Strait and Amundsen Gulf – all at sea

 

The charts show not good conditions - high winds and seas. our position circled 

After a stunningly tranquil start to the day in Kitikmeot, the weather has deteriorated somewhat with a poor weather system in front of us - 100kph winds and biggish seas. It’s a little exciting for me and Lins as we haven’t experienced real sea for a while. We’re rolling and pitching gently and will be for a couple of days. With bad weather up front, our leader and ship captain made the decision to hang around here for a couple of days until the front moves further away. Disappointing and unfortunate for the Inuit communities we were planning to visit because they’ve been preparing for our visit for ages but that’s how it is. Not so easy to change plans up here in Nunavut (landing permits have to be applied for a year in advance). The conditions we’re experiencing are a mere hiccup compared to what those early explorers faced - the sea is open, there is no ice and we’re totally fine and enjoying the ride.

We spent a couple of days being spoilt with lectures, citizen science and catching up on pix etc. And rounded out the day with a toast for crossing 122 46W the latitude where Amundsen met a whaling vessel which had sailed north through the Bering Straits and then travelled eastwards – this point was considered the completion of Amundsen's Northwest Passage. But it wasn't the completion for us!

Reported fires in the Northwest Territories

Over the last couple of days the air has been hazy with smoke from 118 fires in the Northwest Territories of Canada - hard to comprehend from our chilly watery location. Fortunately there have been no new fires in the last 24 hours as we head to a perpetually smoking area - the Smoking Hills. More anon .....