Pat called at 2:20 this afternoon and wanted me to give you a report on their progress. He said they are sailing under beautiful blue skies. They have the coast of Baffin Island to their left and sheet ice and bergs on the right at a distance. The course provided by the Canadian Ice Service is wonderful. He said that even with the short shifts, they are getting enough rest. They have meals together and if it’s not your shift, you must be resting—there had been concern expressed about adequate sleep and rest. He sounded very upbeat and positive. He said that even traveling day and night that it will take at least two more days to Pond Inlet.

Hi to you all: Our days are all running together since we started this round the clock journey Saturday. Walt and I got up at 4:30 am and the sun was up and the water like glass. To the left we could see the mountains of Baffin Island peeking out of fog. Then we saw what I’ll call a white rainbow; there was a white arc in the sky against the fog which was mirrored in the perfectly calm water. Another meaning to arctic circle. As we went we could see with binoculars an infinite number of icebergs to the right which we think was sourced from Disko Island, Ilulissat, Greenland. We thought we could see a mass of ice on the horizon to the east. Then we saw two massive ice bergs that dwarfed anything we had seen, coming to starboard. The closest one was probably 600 feet in height. At its base we saw a huge walrus resting which Pat caught with his telephoto. It is 58 degrees outside right now and the water temp is 44. We are at 68 deg 10.3’N, 062 deg 41.4’W at 3:00 pm EDT.

Shane made the bread for today and it is baking as I write. We have four huge frozen chickens and I have thawed the first one. We are having it roasted and stuffed like a turkey tonight for dinner with mashed potatoes and peas. None of us can wait!

The gulls continue to accompany us and fly past the bow from right and left; sometimes we think they will stop on the rails but none have. We are doing fine and very happy to have sunshine after the dense fog that accompanied us all day yesterday. We hope to post pictures in Pond Inlet and predict we will be there Friday. We are grateful for smooth seas, light winds, the sunshine, and each other as we press on. We praise God for His grace to us in this long passage as the boat motor keeps on purring (loudly!) Thank you for all the prayers; we are being carried by them. How we miss you all.

4:30 PM PS from Walt: Off to the right we can now see the miles of pack ice & bergs in the center of Baffin Bay/Davis Strait. No way could we get to Greenland from here! Right now it is clear to the north.

7:45 PM: Still waiting for the email to send, so I’ll update. We had chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, peas, & homemade bread for dinner. Almost Thanksgiving Wow! Wow! Wow!

2:00pm: We are slowly moving north in gray dense fog but very little ice; today we will reach the Arctic Circle (we will confirm when it happens.) All are fine settling into a routine of 4 hour shifts (Robertsons & Joneses.) We are O.K. with water rationing. The company behind our watermaker agreed to send repair parts and a brand new (different) system to Pond Inlet. I don’t know about installing it; we see as things develop. More later… 

PS Had ice cream sandwiches for dessert last night; CCC & Breyer’s French Vanilla. Yum. Repeat tonight. Mom is doing her part in making this a five star eating experience. For lunch we had cream of broccoli & asparagus soup with homemade whole wheat crackers. Was it ever good.

PSS 6 PM update: 65 deg 39.1′ N, 060 deg 25.8′ W

The Candian Ice Service is sending us west of the pack [ed. There is a huge “island” of pack ice floating in the middle of Baffin Bay], east of the coastal ice. Current coordinates are at 7:45 PM are 63 deg 11.07′ N, 062 deg 12.6′ W. We are fine. Had a depth “experience” here in 900 feet of water. All of a sudden the shallow alarm warning goes off; depth was 16′, went down to 112′ back to 900′. Was it a whale or a submarine? Who knows but it sure got our attention.

Pat talked Kip into CCC’s — so much for his diet. Shane took a salt water shower in the cockpit. His voice rose an octave and he says that you do NOT want to fall into this water.

Condensation in the boat is a nuisance and sometimes a problem as everything is damp. There is no longer a refrigerator problem:) We are saving the melted cooler water in jugs and heating it for dishes and a “spit bath.” The sunshine has been so great and the main salon is dried out again.