Day 6 The illusive narwhals appear.

Day 6 Sat Aug 30

 

The riffled surface of Milne Inlet

This morning we are steaming deeper into Milne Inlet on the north shore of Baffin Island is search of narwhals!  They are on almost everyone's most wanted list and we all crowd out on deck despite the cold and wind today.  This is narwhal country, where Inuit hunters' shelters dot the shoreline, and research camps crouch on the hillside.  And we are lucky!  As we slowly motor into the depth of the bay, subtle blows and splashes alert us and we pick up the dark mottled backs of the narwhals rising and diving in unison.  There are perhaps a hundred around us, hunting in the shallows.  Their bodies glisten silvery in sunlight or black in shadow, and their bow waves surge into the waves almost invisibly.  There is a rare but distinct view of a tusk and I am convinced that these most elusive of marine mammals are gracing us with their presence today.

A much larger blow appears amongst them and a massive black body rises - a bowhead whale.  These are large baleen whales, only present in the arctic, up to 15 meters long.  The whale cruises along the shore, and disappears.  The narwhals follow, whether in response to our presence or to pursue their dinner we can not tell.

Bowheads are massive, but not so photogenic as orcas.



Checking the charts in the bridge

We anchor and search for several more hours, but no one reappears.  The afternoon is restful and napping is popular.  Pods of up to 30 narwhals come and go at some distance, but with whitecaps on the sea only their blows and some splashes are visible.  Some of us go to shore in zodiacs hoping to see a pod who seem to be cruising the shoreline, but they elude us.  Only the disappearing tale of a bowhead rewards our efforts.

Dinner is late because of our excursion, but the scenery is captivating enough to keep us happy.  Later we gather in the bar to hear Katie talk about how to stay sane in the arctic.  As you would expect, overwintering this far north requires good preparation, good company, and good food.  The addition of books, music and theatre also improve your odds.  And a sense of humour doesn't hurt either.



Thick billed murres float above the ice