We continue south down the coast of Baffin Island, well out into Davis Strait, which feels like the North Atlantic. The ship rolls and pitches in 3 metre swells and I hit the Gravol. It's a long transit, and we are heading for the seabird colony on Monumental Island, off the entrance to Frobisher Bay. Walruses haul out here too, so we have high hopes for good sightings. However, for once nature opposes us, and the sea increases. We reach the island midday, but waves are crashing on the shoreline, washing any lazing walruses away. We can't use the zodiacs in these waves, so the ship nudges in close, but not a single thing is visible on the towering cliffs. We steam away.
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| Ice continues to pass us down Davis Strait. |
The day is filled with lectures and slide shows. There are several professional photographers onboard who very generously show us their work. I'm completely intimidated by their beauty. The upside is that they will leave us with copies of their collections. I may as well throw away my camera right now.
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| Norbert has captured the gyrfalcon about to take off |
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| Arctic cotton flower, used as a wick in seal oil lamps |
We talk with our favourite of the crew, and exchange emails with our new friends on board. The passengers have been a very mixed group, and I confess I have divided them into those I would like to sit with again at dinner, and those I wouldn't. There has been some arrogance and ignorance displayed here that is pretty unappealing. Some of the Europeans and Brits have exhibited a superior and entitled attitude that is very offensive in this northern culture. Mocking the Inuit performers and belittling native art is simply rude and I hope that some education in cultural sensitivity is added to the onboard curriculum soon.
The cruise has been wonderful and different from what we expected. The north has been completely captivating, the wildlife exceptional, and the people delightful, and that has made up for the missing historical aspect. The NW Passage has eluded us, as it did Franklin. We have followed the daily reports from our sister ship, the Vavilov, but they have been pushed south by ice in Victoria Strait and are searching closer to the Adelaide Peninsula with little hope of success this season. The constant refrain for our voyage as well as the searchers has been the presence of ice so far south. The polar ice is at an all time low, bears farther south in Hudson Bay are suffering for lack of ice, and yet the wind and tide have filled the critical passage with an impenetrable barrier. The manifestations of climate change are remarkable and unpredictable, especially here at the epicenter.
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