We are really heading west today and clicking off minutes of longitude! We are in the central time zone now and had to change our watches. Going west is easy when you are this far north. We got into Dundas Harbour on Devon Island (74 deg 31.8′ N, 082 deg 25.9′ W) at 1:30 in the morning and slept until 7:30 and departed.
Nearing Pond Inlet (72 deg 46′ N, 075 deg 01′ W): After motoring straight for the last six days we see land ahead and will be in Pond Inlet in five hours. We heard from the ice service that tomorrow will bring 30 knot winds and rain in Baffin Bay and Lancaster Sound so our timing is perfect; just ahead of bad weather. The sunrise was at 2:30am and was glorious, lasting about one hour as the fog drifted across and passed on. The pictures are amazing and we hope to get caught up soon. We have seen the sun looping around us through the day. It rises at about 2:00 on the horizon, comes around us and then sets at 11:00. It never gets dark, only dusk for about four hours. We have been grateful for this especially when crossing the sea ice fields in the fog last evening; probably the scariest thing we have been through on the trip so far.
The day was again smooth seas and calm winds with frequent ice bergs. In the early morning just after midnight Pat and Shane had to again make their way through sea ice which you’ll see in the pictures.
The mountains on Baffin Island are covered in glaciers and snow and are magnificent. The ice forecast shows that we can’t get through right now and must wait for the ice to open. There are two boats in Pond Inlet awaiting the ice to open as well. Please pray for an opening for us to move on through safely. We have been very careful with our water and have about 70 gallons left, using 30 over the last six days. Time for showers!
Editor’s Note: Our adventurers have officially crossed the Arctic Circle (actually it happened without fanfare before they saw the walrus). But it’s worth noting, they’ve made it to the Arctic!
All the parts arrived and were installed today so we now have a water maker going again, a new starter motor & fuel cutoff solenoid so the engine fired right up and stopped. We have lots of spare parts for the water maker though the company again sent us a faulty part. The metal pipe they sent was stripped at one end and so Shane literally stretched the stainless pipe we had to make it fit. Wow! We are thankful for Luc, Joe and Charlotte for helping us get our parts together. The things flown in arrived Wednesday night and not Friday. Pat and Shane stayed at the hotel last night and Shane said he kept running to the window to look for ice all night long! They walked to the airport and on to the Napa parts store to get all the things and walked back to shore; several miles in the rain. Meanwhile, at the Geraldine, Skip, Walt & Kip did shifts around the clock to keep the ice away and were successful. We hope to head out tomorrow after fueling up and settling up, returning borrowed tools etc. Tomorrow we will get the current ice conditions before heading out of Frobisher Bay. The weather is supposed to shift big time and the rain depart and winds shift.
The grocery store here is amazing; much like at home where you can find about anything you want at a price including fresh spices, baby salad greens, cheeses etc. Milk is $12.00 for four liters. There is only one paved road in town and no traffic lights. It feels like the frontier which it is. There are many vacationers here for the total eclipse tomorrow; the hotels are full.
From Walt: This week has been very hard and stressful on us all. We have a new, very healthy respect for ice. All are eager for a change of scenery. The big question remains whether we turn right of left at the head of the bay. More this weekend on that.
Editor’s Note: I spoke to mom in the middle of the night tonight via the satellite phone during her shift on ice duty. She sounded tired (understandably) with the business of being anchored in the harbor as ice chunks the size of the boat go bump in the night. That said, she was clear that everyone is well (even Dad’s infected finger is mostly mended). They are grateful for the successful repairs and the procurement of spare parts. As far as prayers go, she was asking for clear direction and a unified conclusion after they read the lastest ice reports. — Randy
