Category Archives: North West Passage

NWP 16. ‘aving a whale of a time

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30-Aug-24 Cambridge Bay

6hrs set aside for shore excursion to Cambridge Bay.

Ah yes. Cambridge Bay. Sounds enticing. Doesn’t it.

Sounds quaint. Doesn’t it.

Conjures up images of the Cotswolds. Doesn’t it.

Er no.

Fleapit.

Apparently for the past 5,000 years it’s been chosen as a place to live for its location and its resources. In Inuit it’s Iqaluktuuttiaq. Meaning place of many fish. In English named after the Duke of Cambridge. No. Not that one. The 19th century one.

At the evening briefing the night before it was suggested that residents of Cambridge Bay are a bit brighter (as in intelligence) than residents of Ulukhaktuk. Schedule to arrive at noon. Told that we may hear the town’s siren to denote start of lunch hour. When everything shuts down. One of our Inuit CA’s sons heard this for the first time a few years ago and thought a Russian nuclear strike was imminent.

Landing on shore it’s clear that this is a bit more of a cultural mixed bag. Ulukhaktuk was completely Inuit. But. There’s a couple of African looking gents handling logistics. A few more white Canadian looking faces. Local RCMP officer appears to be Pakistani/Indian. More diversity.

Told that there will be a 2hr guided tour by locals. Who are young teenagers. The school tries to promote the youngsters whenever a ship is in town. Last year it was the basketball team doing the tour. This year we have the cadets.

Shown around town by a 12 year old in tracky bottoms and sweatshirt. We’re all wearing polar gear. Flipping kids. They’ll catch their death.

It’s not a tour. It’s a follow me to the next shop/centre/museum/Arctic Research Centre/shop/shop/shop. ‘Cos I know where I’m going. ‘Cos I’m local.

Dire.

Decide to stride out alone. Except. I can’t. I’m wearing these thermal wellies we all have to wear. For bio-protection nonsense. So. It’s more of a waddle. As they don’t fit like a glove. And trying not to get a blister. As I can feel one coming on. Given they’re a little bit loose. Like the Ministry of Silly Walks.

Which exacerbates my arthritic left knee. And my dodgy left ankle from an electric scooter incident in Berlin. Last summer. When I tried to stop myself from being killed using left foot as a brake. At 15mph. Miss Braunschweig felt this was funny as I limped around Berlin that weekend. And for a further 6 months. Not forgetting my right little toe being stubbed/broken/dislocated a few weeks ago. Apart from that. I’m fighting fit.

Head for the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS). As been told it’s worth a visit. For about two minutes. Dreadful recommendation. Not worth the trek to the edge of town if you’re ever in Cambridge Bay.

There’s a Canadian military exercise happening in town. To ensure that all the plans are in place and working. Ensuring no illegal incursions into the North West Passage. Canadians consider the NWP to be its territorial waters. Russians, Chinese, Americans think differently. Military PR bod is very military. Very upright. Very intense. Very. Short. Sharp. Speech.

Whilst it’s considered a minimal risk of unknown Russian/Chinese surface water vessels there is the possibility of submarines.

Having now done the CHARS and the museum. Am to discover the delights of KFC! (See yesterday’s blog). There’s nothing much else to do.

Ask a local where I can find the KFC. It’s in the Northern supermarket. Off I speed. The excitement.

Hmmm.

Just a room off the supermarket. With deep fat fryers. And soda drink pumps. Think I’ll stick to the excellent food on board.

The Northern supermarket is about a small Sainsbury’s size. It’s local noticeboard has an advert wanting people to go on a grizzly bear hunt!

Fresh fruit and veg well stocked. Including. Bizarrely. Avocadoes. Not much more expensive than Waitrose.

Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce – CAD6.69/£3.78

Tabasco CAD4.89/£2.76 (not much more than Sainsbury’s)

HP Sauce CAD10.49/£5.92

And its piece de resistance. Never been to a supermarket where real fur has been on sale.

Yes. Racks of pelts. See photos below.

Rabbit.

Beaver. CAD200.

Raccoon.

Coyote.

Fox. CAD300.

Brushed beaver fur is the softest thing I think I’ve ever felt.

Assistant identifies each fur. One of the largest furs is, she says, rabbit.

Bloody big rabbit. Think I.

Someone’s shot Harvey.

But no. It’s tiny little fluffy bunny rabbits which have been killed. And skinned. And then sewn together. To form a large coat like fur. All the woke leftie vegans are crying now.

See a bit of a commotion further up the road. Requires waddling to. Loads of crappy furniture on display. The sort you might see in a third hand shop down Hyson Green (ethnic part of Nottingham for those who don’t know). Local Housing Association is offloading its crap. Sellotaped to each piece of furniture is a brown paper bag. White Canadian woman handing out strips of paper. Not unlike raffle tickets. But ticker tape style rather than a book. You take a strip of paper. Like a raffle ticket there are two parts. You rip one part off and put in brown paper bag attached to furniture that you want. And retain the other bit as proof it’s your ticket. Like a raffle.

Each piece of furniture now has brown paper bag with lots of numbered tickets in it. Like a raffle. They pull out a ticket. And the winning number gets that piece of furniture.

It’s a busy old place.

Local Inuit girl carrying baby in traditional way. Ask if I can take her photo. “20 dollars”. Is the reply. No thanks. Say I.

After over 3.5hrs. Return to departure point. Have spent 2.5hrs longer than I thought I would. It being a glorious blue sky day. Sunny. Would be a warm 10C were it not for wind chill.

But before boarding Zodiac. Canapes. Small selection of local delicacies. Smoked Arctic Char. Biltong style Arctic Char. Caribou burger. Some sweet thing based on Arctic Char. Spicy Banana Chutney.

And.

Whale.

Two types.

Beluga Whale. White skin. Creamy coloured blubber. Delicious.

Narwhal. Black skin. Rose pink blubber. Dipped in soy sauce. Delicious.

See photos below.

Not a good read for leftie vegans is it this blog today.

General consensus amongst people I speak with is that we wouldn’t rush back to Cambridge Bay.

Dinner on board tonight. Is excellent. As usual. Trout ceviche. Brisket and risotto.

Followed by cheese and biscuits. It does come with blue cheese doesn’t it? Ask I. Yes, of course. Says waiter. We’ll call him Lurch. They’re all brilliant. But he stands out.

Cheese arrives.

Oh. No blue cheese then?

No.

They’re trying to find the key to the storeroom as ran out in the kitchen.

Ah OK. No problem.

Crack on eating the brie and Edam. Small pieces of cheese. The sort of size you would put on a mousetrap. With bits of walnut. Dried apricot. Nice end to a meal. To finish off excellent glass of wine. Just a little bit of this and that. To taste.

And then.

Nearly finished my cheese dish. Only small portions. A couple of crackers. A few nibbles of this. A few nibbles of that. A delicate dish. Small tasting portions. Just what you fancy at the end of a meal.

So.

Imagine my surprise. When. A. Told Lurch not to worry I’ll do without blue cheese. And. B. Have just about finished what I have and am replete.

When.

Lurch plonks a plate down on my table.

To which I say, a bit too loudly, “Bloody ‘ell!”

For before me is a large slab of blue cheese. The sort of 500g packet size you buy at Sainsbury’s to keep you going for a few weeks.

Delicate. It. Is. Not.

As he’s gone to the trouble of sourcing blue cheese. Feel obliged to take a few broken crumbs from the plate.

There still remains a very large chunk of blue cheese.

He’s not tuned in to the ‘delicate tasty morsels’ programme.

NWP 15. Flipper lickin’ good

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29-Aug-24 Murray Island

Been following a chap’s blog who is rowing the North West Passage on the Cambridge Bay to Prudhoe Bay sector. Our paths will cross this morning. Between 0500-0600hrs. As you all know by now. Don’t do mornings so won’t be up to wave. In any event, they are rowing in the lee of an island we are the other side of it seems judging from their tracker. And we are some miles away. So unlikely to see a small 4 man rowing boat called Hermione bobbing up and down on the horizon.

You can follow them here (which also has links to there blog): www.facebook.com/NWPexpedition

If you like gin, you can support them here: https://cambridgedistillery.co.uk/products/northwest-passage-gin

Lectures on the Franklin expedition, bird feathers and the geology of the Arctic are, as usual, fascinating. I have no interest in birds but the wildlife lectures are really informative. Ever looked at a bird feather under a microscope? Like Velcro.

Late afternoon by the time we arrive at Murray Island in the Coronation Gulf. Expedition crew have to Zodiac around the island and go ashore with rifles and flares to ensure there are no polar bears roaming about. Takes an hour.

Standing on deck looking at a remote, desolate, barren island with nothing but some grass and rocks. Receive a text from Miss Nottingham. Miss Nottingham has been alerted by little sis, Bloss. Telling me that there’s a Kentucky Fried Chicken at my next destination.

Hmmmm.

Thought I.

Don’t think so.

As I look out a flattish, featureless Martian landscape.

But there’s a smidgeon of doubt in my mind. Had previously heard a bloke tell another bloke on deck that there’s a McDonald’s on here as we approached a few miles out. Obviously thought it was a joke on account of it being so featureless.

But now Bloss is telling me there’s a KFC.

Miss Nottingham also doubting little sis does some research and confirms. Yes there is a KFC. With a 4.6 rating on Google.

Now. To put this in context. Miss Nottingham and Bloss are seasoned travellers. More than me, dear reader. I am being followed on my journey. Not stalked though. They know their stuff. They know the ship’s track. They know it’s at Murray Island.

With three people saying there’s a fast food joint. I begin to think that maybe there is a KFC on the island. Miss Nottingham suggests it could be whale nuggets. Finger lickin’ good becomes flipper lickin’ good.

I know. It’s bad.

But of course. It all becomes clear. There is no KFC on Murray Island. But there is at my next destination after Murray Island. In Cambridge Bay. Something to look forward to then.

Zodiac landings start at 1830hrs. Early dinner, dear reader. Don’t do early dinner. That’s for old folk.

1915hrs by the time my group bounce along in the Zodiac to shore (on the return a tall German is scared witless as we literally bounce up off our seats going over a wave). Surprisingly sandy beach. And we walk to the top of a hill. For those who have walked across the top of Kinder Scout in the Peak District in Derbyshire, UK. It’s exactly like that. Boggy. Tufts of grass. Granite stone here and there. Granite becomes more prevalent the higher up we go. Smoothed by glaciation. Streaks in the granite show glacial striation.

Walking in thermal wellies which are a bit too large. With a lifejacket on. With a rucksack on back. On top of lifejacket. With a camera bag on front. Wearing polar puffa jacket. With a waterproof overcoat. Oh yes. Less Touring Taurean. More Sherpa Taurean. Would help if I could wear my own hiking boots. You know. The ones that fit like a glove and are comfortable. But no. Suffer in silence.

And reach the top.

Wow.

What a view of the Coronation Gulf.

Radar domes on the nearby Edinburgh Island part of the Distant Early Warning System. To detect nuclear attacks. Early.

Now about 2000hrs. Sun is sinking to the sea. Sunset soon.

Hang around at the top until a batch of tourists start going down.

Now on my own.

It’s one of those pinch me moments.

Less than 400 hundred people have apparently set foot on Murray Island. I am one of them. Now.

Bright blue sky. Soon be the golden hour.

Have a moment to myself.

This is my Danco Island moment. (https://touringtaurean.com/bloody-hell-bloody-hell/)

This is why I work.

NWP 14. Cultural Appropriation

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28-Aug-24 Ulukhaktuk

Morning lectures, as usual, are excellent. Photographs of the Inuit taken in the 1930s and 1950s.

But.

There’s a trigger warning.

Will be shown dead foxes. Yikes. And other things being killed.

FFS. We are all grown mature adults. Not a bunch of woke millennials crying at the slightest thing. No. We’re made of sterner stuff.

One shows a small boat from the 1930s. It’s one of our Inuit Cultural Ambassadors’ (CA) grandfather’s boat. We are privileged to see a slice of life from another era. Another photo shows Inuit in traditional dress that you were perhaps taught at school. Clothed in furs. Trigger alert. Animals were killed to clothe them.

‘Sounds of the Sea’ lecture is excellent. Scientists put hydrophones in the sea to detect all sorts of noise. Either man made like submarines, sea life like whales or environmental like waves and rain. Hydrophones can pick up low frequency whale noises from 1,000 miles away. Scientists know that certain sounds belong to certain animals by the pattern and frequency. Fascinating stuff. Listening to a recording of whales is almost like a jazz trombonist playing. It’s that quality of sound. End of lecture quiz. Man made or natural sounds? And we listen intently to 10 sounds. All are convinced that one is a dolphin.

It’s not.

It’s a creaking door.

Misses Nottingham, Braunschweig, Brasil, Vancouver. Etc. Sorry to disappoint you all but have traded you in for another model. Have been getting to know Miss Hannover. She invites me to join her for lunch. Our connection. I used to live in Braunschweig. Which is near enough. Early stages yet. But I’m anticipating something more in the relationship. A pot of homemade jam perhaps. A knitted scarf. About 30 years older than me. Oh yes. Still got it dear reader. I’ve pulled.

Amazing coincidence. American couple I’ve been chatting with recognise a lady from a trip they did to New Zealand. In. Wait. For. It. 2008. 16 years ago. They even have a photo of her on their mobile phones still. Unbelievable. And they only live about 2hrs apart in Seattle.

You forget how big this country is. Taken 18hrs sailing over the Amundsen Gulf through the night and much of the day to arrive at the Inuit settlement of Ulukhaktuk. Our Inuit CAs tell us that we have been granted permission to land but don’t do this, that and the other. And don’t take photos of the cemetery. Specific request from tribal elders.

But.Before we can go ashore. Wait to ferry about 40 Inuit to the ship. To give a cultural display. Quite why they couldn’t do it in their community hall is beyond me. Well. Actually. I’m guessing it’s part of the deal. Come on board a nice luxurious ship for a few hours. Have a drink. We’ll let you land.

Previously been subjected to a cultural display in Barrow/Utqiagvik in 2019. Strictly Come Dancing it isn’t. And I say no more. But know I am not alone in thinking this. Judging from a few other comments from fellow passengers.

Dare I suggest that there’s a slight whiff of rebellion amongst some of the passengers creeping in about the Inuit ‘this is our land not yours….do this…not this…’ mentality?

Landing on shore the options are walk to the top of a hill in boots that don’t really fit and unsuitable for hiking. Or. A guided tour of the settlement. Guided tour sounds interesting. Can climb a hill any old day. In proper hiking boots. Dreadful. Small Inuit speaks to a group of 20. But only two or three adjacent can hear him. Because of wind and softly spoken. Group soon starts fracturing. Visit to the Inuit Arts Centre sounds interesting. What they actually mean is shop.

Another ramble through the settlement. Large tanks feed the diesel generator to provide power. A community meeting next week to discuss whether to make the place alcohol free. As in most situations. Alcohol fuels crime. Drink driving seems to be the biggest crime.

Very barren tundra and very dry. Our Inuit CAs had previously told us not to be put off by the rubbish lying around. There’s all sorts of detritus. Toys. Cars. Skidoos. Quad bikes. If it breaks down it’s kept for spares.

Enticed into the school’s sports hall for an Inuit print making demonstration. What they actually mean is a shop. Well. A few trestle tables with locals selling earrings, seal fur gloves, seal fur hats, and such stuff. A small seal made of seal fur attracts my attention. Exactly like one my Mum has. From 60 years ago. Pick it up. Quite taken with it as it’s a sentimental memory. I’ll buy it. Thinking it’s a few quid. Because that’s all it’s really worth. How much? Ask I. CAD30. Says she. Really?!?! Think I. It’s in my hand. I actually do want it. So. Cough up. Reminding myself that our Inuit CAs have told us not to barter. Reminding myself that this is seemingly all a bit of a con. For the tourist dollar. Like everywhere else in the world. Not that I’m a cynical old sod, dear reader.

Local shop is seemingly fully stocked with groceries. Albeit not fresh. Tins. Packets. Canadian contingent go gulp. This is expensive. And it is. Logistics, dear reader. Boat or aircraft every so often. Not the daily lorry delivery we all expect in our comfortable western lives. Complaining about the lack of avocadoes.

Clear that this is a hard lifestyle.

Another splashing of saltwater spray as we Zodiac back to the boat. Waterproof trousers have ridden down a little. Now have a soggy bottom.

To complete the Inuit experience. An evening talk on Inuit Ulu. A crescent shaped blade with handle. Inuit miffed that some western companies are copying the style and selling cheapo products.

And then for the first time. But suspect not the last. Two words we all love to hear.

Cultural Appropriation.

Do not appropriate our culture. You do not have the right.

Well, dear reader. This upsets the French. Always the French.

French woman stands up and mentions that the Ulu style blade was well used in Europe for tanning way before you lot came on to the scene. Not those exact words. But you get my drift.

Ouch.

Two young Inuit girls thought they were going to have an easy gig. Talking about Ulus and Inuit tattoos. Which we also can’t have. We’ve not earnt the right. It’s not our story.

They are taken aback by this.

They don’t know how to react.

They’re not used to being challenged like this. One feels.

Well that soon wraps up the evening talk.

As I said. There’s a faint undercurrent of rebellion in the air.

Bit of an edge tonight, dear reader.

But we’re not done yet.

Still have the lighting of the Inuit qulliq.

What you may ask is a qulliq. Well. It’s a lamp fuelled by seal oil or blubber. Crescent shaped. On a slight incline. So the wick of Arctic cottongrass or moss along the straight top side can soak up the oil pooling below. And burn. To provide heat and light in an igloo. Can raise the temperature inside an igloo to a toasty 16C.

NWP 13. Smokin’

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27-Aug-24 Smoking Hills, New Territories

Bit rough last night. Sea depth exceeded 200m and sailing at just under 16kts. As we cross the deep Beaufort Sea off the continental shelf. Can only assume we are sailing international waters rather than Canadian. Disturbed night tossing in the swell.

And another clock change during the night moving forward to New Territories time. Another hour’s sleep lost. You know how much I love my sleep. So have a lie in. And a brew watching petite icebergs float past. The sort of size you’d have in a Giant’s Gin & Tonic. First sea ice we’ve seen. Though hopefully not the last. Not felt very Arctic so far. Just sea fog. And grey skies.

Very interesting lecture on how the North West Passage was discovered over the centuries. Each expedition incrementally gaining a little bit more knowledge than the last. The eastern approaches by Greenland. Western approaches by the Bering Strait. Complemented by land expeditions going north through Canada.

Expeditions put on hold during the late 18th and early 19th centuries due to the Napoleonic Wars. Always the French.

John Davis’ expedition in 1585-87 nibbled away at southern Greenland mapping the coast. MacKenzie completed a land expedition along what is now the MacKenzie River to map that route and the Arctic Ocean at the mouth of the river.

Ross & Parry in 1819 continued on the eastern side trying to find access to the NWP and a further land expedition by Dease and Simpson in 1837-39 capitalised on the MacKenzie route by extending the mapping further to Prudhoe Bay.

Not forgetting James Cook’s forays into the Chuckchi Sea in the late 1770s (the same trip he returned Omai…whose portrait is brilliantly displayed at the National Portrait Gallery in London, well worth a visit!).

Each expedition slowly providing another piece in the jigsaw. In preparation for the Sir John Franklin expedition in 1845-48.

But. As you know. This came to a sticky end with Franklin dying enroute and HMS Terror and HMS Erebus becoming stuck in the ice and eventually sinking.

No one survived.

More to follow on that topic, dear reader. Once we’ve had another lecture.

And so to plankton. I have no interest in plankton. But I aim to attend all these science lectures no matter the subject. I am learning stuff, dear reader. Left. Right. And centre.

There are three types of organisms in the sea: 1) Benthos, which live on, in or near the bottom of water bodies eg. crabs, seagrass, starfish (derived from the Greek ‘depths of the sea’); 2) Nekton (from Greek ‘to swim’) which can actively propel themselves against the current eg. fish; and 3) Plankton (derived from Greek ‘sea drift’) and are organisms that drift in water and are unable to propel themselves against currents. The stuff you learn on this blog.

Water sample taken a few days ago at Point Barrow is used to look at through the microscope. My inner schoolboy is excited. Not looked through a microscope since school. My first foray with a microscope was with my Thomas Salter Microscope Lab kit in the 1970s. Still have it in the roof.

Shall be retrieving it from roof upon my return.

Science Centre onboard ship has about 10 microscopes linked up to the monitors. It’s excellent and able to view chaetoceros plankton in the sample. But what a faff if you wear glasses and have dodgy sight. Like me. Discover the best way to look at the sample is one eyed. All pirate like. Ahargh. See photos below of the sample taken with a mobile phone.

More excitement after lunch as the sister ship MS Fridtjof Nansen sails up to the MS Roald Amundsen bow to bow about 20m apart. Last time they did this they got to 6m apart. Nansen appears to have more people on board so wins the ‘who can get the most passengers on deck’ competition. Pretty impressive GPS and propeller technology that allows this stunt to happen. All for a good photograph.

And the final trick of the day is a sail by of the Smoking Hills. Named by Sir John Franklin on his western recce of the NWP in 1826.

The fires result from auto-ignition of the sulphur rich lignite deposits found here. Auto-ignition caused by friction between the geological plates. About half a dozen points smoulder away.

As they have for centuries.

NWP 12. There she blows

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26-Aug-24 Beaufort Sea

Clocks went forward last night. Now on Yukon time. BST +8hrs. As you all know by now. Touring Taurean doesn’t do early mornings.

It’s an early morning. By Taurean standards.

By early I mean 0730hrs. 0630hrs body clock time.

Curtains open to reveal bright blue sky.

And land!

Herschel Island before me. With a load of Zodiacs buzzing around.

After four days at sea glad to get off the ship for a walk on land. This was meant to be the point where Canadian Immigration Officers flew in from somewhere to check visas and stamp passports. But. Last year they couldn’t do it due to weather. So last year they did an electronic check with document check at Cambridge Bay. And decided to continue doing that this year. Seems a bit of a faff for a couple of Immigration Officers to fly for a few hours just to check passports. With all the waiting if they cannot make it.

Mandatory briefing by the Park Ranger before we land. Approximately 2,400 passengers will set foot on Herschel Island in a two month period. So don’t tread on plants. Don’t disturb.

Five minute Zodiac ride from ship to shore. Necessitates putting on thick socks, thermal boots, waterproof leggings, polar puffa jacket, waterproof coat, life jacket, hat, scarf, gloves (possum fur gloves that I bought in Antarctica). And after putting all that on in a warm cabin you start gasping for the cold air. And sweating buckets.

Life jacket has to be worn at all times on shore. In case of immediate evacuation.

Arrive at Simpson Point. A small spit of land. Getting off Zodiac entails scooching up to the bow. Swinging legs over. Plonking self in calf deep water. Wade a few steps to dry land.

Originally an old whaling station set up in the late 1800s. Herschel Island has also been used for Anglican missionaries (hut still there), Hudson Bay Company and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Even Sir John Franklin came here in July 1826. 21 years before he died on his infamous NWP expedition aboard the HMS Terror and HMS Erebus.

In order to protect the island we’re guided by bright traffic cones. Which somewhat spoils the ambience of the place. Oldest dwelling dates back to 1893 but some newer ones have been built in the past 10 years. Inuit live on the island and a couple of our Inuit cultural ambassadors were born here. The Park Rangers are here for a couple of months during the summer period when ships pass by. To greet and keep the tourists under control. A freshwater lake at the top of the island provides drinking water. Its ice is cut out at the start of the season and brought to the huts by sled. Then melts naturally to provide drinking water for the inhabitants. About 2,400 gallons can be produced this way.

Sanitation is provided by outside toilets. The sort Grandpa Potts would use in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Though you wouldn’t want to be constipated in one. No. Bit nippy for all that. Also. You wouldn’t want to be getting up in the middle of the night for a pee either. See the photo below. Ensuite. It. Is. Not.

The Ranger’s have caught some broad white fish which is air drying on wooden poles. Smoke house is adjacent. For smoking fish and meat. Caribou. Grizzly Bear. Polar Bear. Sounds delicious.

Some of the fish they catch is tagged. Meaning a scientist has tagged the fish to track it. You get CAD25 for reporting a tagged fish with location, weight, stomach contents, length etc.

Only an hour on Herschel. Good to set foot on terra firma. And see a slice of another way of life.

By now the wind has picked up. So a bumpy Zodiac ride back to ship. Plenty of spray as we bounce over the waves. And all get wet.

Quick lunch. Limiting myself to salad. To try and not get fat…ter. The generous drizzle of blue cheese dressing probably not as healthy as it should be. But. As a little old lady in Sainsbury’s said to me a few weeks ago. A little bit of what you fancy does you good.

Cause of death. Blue cheese dressing.

Post lunch lecture on rocks. Have a passing interest in geology. There are three types of rock: 1) magmatic/igneous – formed through cooling and solidification of magma or lava, such as granite; 2) sedimentary – formed by accumulation of organic or mineral particles followed by cementation, such as limestone or sandstone; and 3) metamorphic – caused by physical or chemical changes due to temperature and pressure of existing rock, such as slate (metamorphosed sedimentary rock of clay and volcanic ash) and marble (metamorphosed limestone). The stuff you learn on this blog. No need to thank me.

Another lecture on local archaeology is fascinating. Archaeologist reiterates that a lot of Inuit artefacts have been identified by both the older and younger generation Inuit. For example, a wooden harpoon was discovered. Archaeologists couldn’t understand why Inuit would make a wooden harpoon. About as much use a chocolate fireguard. And then. One young lad assisting them said, “Oh yeah, my Dad made me practice making a harpoon out of wood before I used bone.” And that, dear reader, is how archaeologists discovered the purpose of wooden harpoons.

Back in cabin to finish uploading photos, sorting photos, resizing photos, thinking of a witty blog title (I know…failing miserably each time), writing diary, typing blog. Time. Consuming. The things I do for you, dear reader.

Until. Tannoy announcement.

There she blows.

Whales on the port side. And starboard side. And in front. Grab camera. And polar coat. Hot foot it from deck 5 to deck 7outside observation deck. Like a racing snake I am.

About three or four blows can be seen. In the distance. My best photograph is below. You’ll probably think. Meh.

Back in cabin after several failed attempts at taking a decent photograph. Stand at window surveying the sea. Three or four more whales start blowing a few hundred metres away. Not breaching. Just blowing. A bow head whale is distinctive as it blows a V shaped plume.

And why was I standing at window surveying the sea? Well. Had weaned myself off cinnarizine last night as it was forecast to be calm from now on. Like a drug addict, had to buy sufficient quantities of cinnarizine from a couple of pharmacies where I live as they would only sell me a couple of packs at a time. In case I overdose.

But now the ship is in 200m deep water. Deepest it’s been in. Wind’s up. Surf’s up. And did I mention the swell.

Head down trying to write diary at desk. With no horizon to focus on. I feel the motion of the ocean.

It gets worse. Dose up on cinnarizine again.

Like a junkie.

NWP 11. Not a day of rest

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25-Aug-24 Beaufort Sea

They say Sunday is a day of rest. Not on this ship it isn’t. Considering the past four days are meant to be at sea at leisure I have no idea where the time has gone. Can assure you I have not been bored one moment. As usual, I’m very time poor.

My day…

Breakfast. Who owns the Arctic? lecture. Walk on deck. Diary. Emails. Mandatory AECO Briefing. Lunch. Oil & Gas in the Arctic lecture. Thermal boots fitting and Logistics Badges Distribution. Lecture on clouds. Walk on deck for fresh air. Look at clouds. Now. That. I. Am. A. Cloud. Expert. Meet blokes on deck. Discuss Formula 1. And how Lewis Hamilton was robbed in Abu Dhabi. And other bloke chat. Wash and brush up. Briefing for tomorrow’s landing on Herschel Island. Dinner. Kindle. Blog. No internet so they’ll have to wait. Jamesons. Large one. Bed.

Don’t think I’m swanning around the globe doing nothing.

Can’t wait to get home and do some paid work for a rest.

So who does own the Arctic?

Depends on UN law, 12 mile territorial limits, 12 mile contiguous zone, 200 mile exclusive economic zones. And the continental shelf. And the extended continental shelf. An interesting read here: https://www.noaa.gov/maritime-zones-and-boundaries

It matters who owns the Arctic because of oil and shipping routes. Main trading route is currently China to Europe via the sea route through the Suez Canal. Which is about 21,200km. But there be pirates. Aarrrghh. And rebels. And other nutjobs. Trying to blow your ship up.

If you go via the Northern Sea Route over the top of the Russian Arctic the route is 13,800km. But that’s icy and only viable during the summer months. Unless you have an icebreaker. Which Russia has plenty of. But they’ll charge you.

The North West Passage is technically in Canadian territorial limits and/or exclusive economic zone. There’s an argument that the NWP should be international waters to allow free trade.

Sail past Prudhoe Bay this morning. It’s where I finished my Antarctica to Alaska trip in June 2019. After 33,000 miles. You can read that story on the blog on this website.

Plenty of alarms and announcements this morning as the crew undertake emergency drills. Plenty of announcements that this is an exercise. And do not man the lifeboats. Just yet.

Followed by a mandatory AECO briefing. The Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators’ guidelines. Basically. Don’t touch. Don’t pick. Don’t upset the locals. Don’t walk into people’s houses. Don’t visit cemeteries. You’re a guest on other people’s land. Etc. Etc. Etc. Common sense basically.

If a polar bear appears. Not to worry. I can run faster than an 80 year old lady. That was a joke lefties. The crew have rifles, bear spray and other scare tactics.

After days of low cloud and fog all pleased to see some blue sky and sun. Albeit fleetingly.

Arctic is derived from the Greek ‘arctus’. Which means bear. Which refers to the constellation and its visibility from the northern hemisphere only.

The Arctic has oil and gas reserves. And for those interested in my Antarctica to Alaska blog, you will see photos of the Trans Alaska pipeline. A 48 inch diameter pipe stretching 800 miles from the Prudhoe Bay oil field to the Gulf of Alaska. Prudhoe Bay has one of the largest oil reserves in North America.

Oil & Gas formed by phytoplankton slowly decaying over hundreds of thousands of years by heat. Crude oil produces gas (such as methane), fluid (such as petrol) and solids (such as bitumen).

Petroleum is derived from the Latin petra meaning rock and oleum meaning oil. The stuff you learn on this blog.

Final lecture of the day is on clouds. Low level clouds below about 6,500ft are Cumulus (derived from Latin meaning heap or pile) and stratus (meaning layers in Latin). Nimbus means dark cloud bearing rain. Other clouds are available. See photos below.

After a short talk on clouds we go out on deck and do some scientific research expressly for NASA. Because the ship is sailing through Arctic waters. NASA’s satellites are looking down on clouds but because of the snow and ice it’s difficult to differentiate between white clouds and white landscape. Which is where we come in. The scientists on board have been provided with NASA’s satellite timings and take photos of the cloud at a similar time as a flypast. So NASA can correlate the downward looking images with the upward looking images we send. Fascinating stuff.

You too can help NASA by downloading the NASA Globe Cloud Observer app on your phone. Dead easy. Doing your bit for science. Link here: https://observer.globe.gov/do-globe-observer/clouds

Whilst on deck might as well do a number of laps and get a leg stretch in. But. Meet a German I’ve been having the odd chat with along with fellow Brit who also been having the odd chat with. So there we are. Like Last of the Summer Wine. On deck. Talking Formula 1. And the fact that fellow Brit is doing the Pole to Pole trip. Spending three months on board sailing from Vancouver to Halifax, Boston, Miami through Panama Canal, down Chilean coast to Antarctica before finishing in Ushuaia in November. Wow. What a trip!

Another excellent dinner. Including Wild Boar pate. And Bison sausages.

And you all know the difference between a buffalo and a bison don’t you?

You can’t wash your hands in a buffalo.

Brummie accent helps with that joke.

Poor. I know.

This blog post is being uploaded on 26-Aug-24 as there was no internet coverage for most of yesterday. Don’t know if this is a sign of things to come so blog posts may become a bit sporadic now.

NWP 10. Emergency evacuation

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24-Aug-24 Beaufort Sea

Ullaakut (oo-lah-koot) – Good Morning (in the Inuit language)

Bit rough in the night with the swell. Body rolling about a bit to the extent I think I might be rolling out of bed.

The crew told us of a website you can follow our route on here: https://hrx.panomax.com/ra

A lot calmer waking up but only sailing at 8kts at 100m deep. Just off Point Barrow. The northernmost point of the USA. And where I came in June 2019 on my Antarctica to Alaska trip. It was flipping cold then and it’s flipping cold now. In June 2019 there was sea ice off the coast. Now it seems open water. Light flurries of snow as I have a quick bracing walk in jumper and jeans on deck after breakfast. For some fresh air.

Thought the first lecture of the day was on clouds. So surprised to see it’s on cetaceans. Which means ‘Sea Monster’. Relates to whales, dolphins and porpoises. Cetacea are split between 1) Mysticeti (moustached whale) as they have baleen plates in their mouths to sieve plankton from the water, like the Bow Head Whale; and 2) Ordontoceti which have teeth like dolphins, porpoises, Orca whales and narwhals.

The narwhal’s ‘tusk’ is actually a tooth. Studies believe that this tooth helps determine the salinity of the sea which means increasing sea ice which means the narwhal is in danger as it needs open water. A study demonstrated increased stress levels in a narwhal when the salinity was increased which meant that the narwhal knew sea ice was forming.

Mysticeti whales can lunge feed opening and expanding their mouths upto 80,000 litres of water at a time. The area we’re in now, just off Point Barrow, is known for Bow Head Whales (Mysticeti) and when I was in Barrow/Utqiagvik in June 2019 I tried some raw whale meat. It was yuk. So fatty.

Halfway during the lecture an announcement.

From the Captain.

We are now stationary. Waiting for a helicopter as we have a medical emergency. Airlift is required from ship to shore. All outside decks are closed. If you have a balcony suite. Get inside. Absolutely no flash photography. This is at 1000hrs.

Lecture finishes off and we all scoot up to Deck 10 observation lounge to wait for helicopter to come flying in and land above us on the helipad on deck 11.

And we wait.

Many men are on Flight Radar. Tracking air traffic. But no helicopters can be seen. I know this because I was one of those many men.

The lecture on clouds is postponed as the outside decks are closed.

Becomes clear the helicopter will take some time as decks 6 and 7 at the bow open.

Unnusakkut (oo-noo-sah-koot) – Good afternoon

It’s whilst having lunch a helicopter suddenly does a flypast.

Many men quickly scoff and scoot to deck 10. I being one.

Bit of excitement.

US Coast Guard hovers away from the ship for some minutes. Sussing the situation out. Where fools rush in.

Ship is wallowing in the water. Helicopter is agitating in the air.

They have to get this right.

Ships crew have released a boat just in case.

And then.

The first pass at landing.

Aborted.

Second pass winchman descends to deck.

A short time later. Helicopter has it’s casualty on board and flies off to Barrow/Utqiagvik.

It’s 3hrs since the announcement. Had to wait for an aircraft to fly to Barrow to then transport casualty back to, I assume, Anchorage.

Many passengers line the panoramic windows videoing and photographing proceedings.

Set sail again. Stop sometime later. To take a water sample. Some science on plankton.

Notwithstanding the 12hrs delayed start and 3hrs casevac we are ahead of schedule. Additional time had already been built in to contend with sea ice in this area. All being well, we should be on time at Herschel Island on Monday for Canadian immigration.

The decks re-open and some fresh air and exercise is called for. Steely grey sky and sea envelopes me. Flurries of snow swirl around me.

So was pleased to get back inside with a hot coffee and cookie.

Listening to a lecture by an Inuit on the Inuit.

Inuk = one Inuit person

Inuuk = two Inuit persons

Inuit = more than two Inuit persons

It’s OK to use Eskimo.

There are three indigenous groups: 1) First Nations (Indians); 2) Metis (French Canadian) from the Prairie Provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba; and 3) Inuit.

There are approximately 70,000 Inuit in Canada. Living in the Inuvialut, Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut communities. Nunavut being the largest. Like a Venn diagram, those living in Nunatsiavut and Nunavik can understand each other’s dialects and those in Nunavik and Nunavut can…but not Nunavik and Nunatsiavut.

27% of Inuit live in urban areas. Ottawa seemingly being a large congregation of Inuit.

Inuit land claim agreements and rights make up 36% of Canada’s land mass.

So.

70,000 people have a claim to just over a third of Canada.

Population of Canada is about 39 million. Less than 0.18% population have a claim to 36% of the land. Did you know that Miss Brandon of Manitoba?

Median age of Inuit is 25.2 years and is the fastest growing population.

Igloo to ipad in 70 years.

NWP 9. Arctic Circle crossing christening

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23-Aug-24 Chuckchi Sea

Not being a twitcher or birdwatcher or having any interest in birds whatsoever you’ll be surprised to learn that this morning’s lecture on Arctic Bird Life is so interesting. Glad I turned up. The scientists on board have maps coloured with migration patterns of different species. Migration route depends on where the birds tend to their business during the northern hemisphere summer months and vice versa. In the summer there are an average of 220 species of birds in the Canadian Arctic archipelago. In winter it reduces to just 22.

Birds generally migrate along longitude lines called flyways. Birds in the western Alaskan habitat tend to migrate south along the Pacific coast line of the Americas to southern Chile. But birds in the Canadian Arctic archipelago above the middle of Canada use the Mississippi flyway passing through the middle of north America and down in to the middle of Brasil and Argentina. See photo below. When you think about it they have a similar habitat. Lying to the east of the Rocky and Andes mountain ranges the landscape, like the Arctic tundra, is flat. Albeit at different temperatures.

Birds in the eastern part of the North West Passage tend to use the Atlantic coast flyway. Again similar maritime environment. When you see the data like this it’s informative, interesting and easy to understand. I’ll be having a degree in ornithology by the end of this trip.

And then.

The moment to celebrate.

Last night at about 2240hrs we sailed across the Arctic Circle. Necessitates a ‘christening’.

The Norse God of the Sea is Njord. Father of Freya.

He suddenly makes an appearance.

Well. OK. It’s Luca. One of the scientists. Dressed in his bed sheet and belt. Carrying a narwhal tusk. About 2.5m long.

After a proclamation (see video below) we are all christened. With ice cold water and ice cubes dished out in a ladle from punch bowls by the captain and crew.

Out on deck it’s about +3C. I’m fully prepped up with polar fleece and weatherproof coat. Scarf. Gloves. Hat. Jeez – it’s a shock to the system when the icy water is thrust down your neck and over your head.

But. Some silly souls have stripped off for the event. They must be frozen.

One young crew member is the last to go. Captain and crew throw two large punch bowls of ice and icy water over him. Drenching him in the process. Swearing like a trooper at the laughing Captain turns out it’s his birthday today. Everyone can’t stop laughing as he stands there shivering.

To complete the crossing ceremony. A shot of schnapps. Worth doing for that. And a warm glow comes over you.

There’s no rest this morning and another interesting lecture on Beringia. By an elderly German geologist. Who just happened to study in Braunschweig way back when it was West Germany. By coincidence I spent three very happy years living and working in Braunschweig in the late 1990s. Which is where I met my German twin. Born hours apart, Miss Braunschweig has been a friend ever since.

Thousands of years ago, the area between Alaska and Russia was connected by land rather than sea. Over thousands of years, glaciation took place, and sea levels rose, meaning that there is now a stretch of water between Alaska and Russia. As we sailed through the Bering Strait the water depth is only 40-50m. And as we head in to the Chuckchi Sea north of the Bering Strait, the depth is sometimes less than 30m.

Evidence shows that it was a land bridge as there is human activity in Tierra del Fuego about 12,000 years ago which has been shown to be humans migrating from Siberia across the land bridge and down to the southern tip of South America. There is also evidence of human activity in the southern area of South America 40,000 years ago but the scientists don’t seem to know how they got there. Assuming it was impossible to sail there at the time they can only assume they came over the Bering Strait but back then there was no land bridge.

One of the final slides shown is one similar I saw on my Antarctica trip five years ago.

It shows earth’s temperature over thousands of years as a pretty regular heartbeat. At this point in time of the cycle, Earth’s temperature is naturally on an upward trajectory. What we as humans have been doing over the past 100 years is increasing the rate of change.

But don’t worry.

At some point, earth’s temperature will reach a peak and, in theory, will start cooling again. Towards a new ice age. In about 5,000 to 10,000 years.

Another afternoon nap is called for. Cinnarizine is hitting me hard. Went through the same thing in Antarctica in 2019.

On board ship we have the following nationalities:

16 Australians

3 Austrians

47 Canadians

7 French

2 Chinese

69 Germans

11 Dutch

10 Norwegians

6 Swiss

31 British

65 Americans

267 in total!

Evening lecture includes updates for tomorrow.

Told to batten down the hatches.

Increased winds and a 2m swell.

Been very fortunate that the past couple of days at sea have been relatively calm. But as I type this blog at 2230hrs, we’re starting to rock and roll a bit.

NWP 8. Fogey freighter

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22-Aug-24 Bering Strait

A bomb could have gone off last night and I would have slept through it. Jeez that was a long 20hrs yesterday. Cinnarizine helps obviously. But eventually wake at about 0700hrs. Can tell we’re stationary. Open curtains to reveal Nome still there. The 0600hrs departure has obviously not happened even though I, a non-sailor, can tell the sea is relatively calm.

In need of a morning brew. Head to the buffet restaurant. Would I like to share a table with a fellow traveller?

Well. Not unless they want their head bitten off. Being the sort of chap who needs at least three brews in him before anyone dare speak to him I’m best left alone for an hour with brew to wake up slowly.

There are three restaurants onboard. Aune is the main one. Fredheim is the secondary one which serves very good burger and fries type fayre. Lindstrom is the restaurant for suite guests. Not being a suite guest, I’m a Polar Outside Cabin, the Aune and Fredheim it is. Aune is buffet for breakfast and lunch. But a la carte waitress service for dinner.

Beer and wine included in your meal. But if you want drinks from the bar that is extra. The drinks package is about EUR48 per day. Not even I with my ability to consume alcohol thinks that is a good deal.

Food is excellent.

Breakfast is the usual array of pastries, fry up, smoked salmon, cheese/cured meats and fresh fruit to ward off scurvy.

Lunch is soup, salad, cheese/cured meat, variety of hot food. Puddings and fruit.

Dinner changes nightly but seems to include a starter, mains of meat, fish or veggie, followed by pud.

Not going to go hungry. Will have to watch intake otherwise it won’t be only the barrel being rolled out at the end. It’ll be a more rotund Touring Taurean.

Now had a chance to meet other travellers. Needless to say, I’m one of the youngest by about 30 years. There’s a few younger (including a baby travelling with young Dutch parents) but vast majority are the silver haired older generation. Primarily Norwegian, German and USA/UK. Relay this information to Miss Nottingham. Miss Nottingham relays to little sister. We’ll call her Bloss. Both avid travellers and hoping to do this trip at some point. You’ve got them to thank, dear reader, for making me do this blog. Bloss suggests it’s the, ‘Fogey freighter!’. Well, you might think that, but I couldn’t possibly comment.

As you will see in the photos below. Polar Outside Cabin on Deck 5 is quite large and luxurious compared to the Ocean Nova I travelled to Antarctica on. Lounge area with settee and TV. Bedroom area. Office area. Spacious ensuite. Ah yes. This will do nicely for the next 25 days.

Restaurants, reception, library, lecture room, science centre above on Deck 6. My cabin is chosen as it’s below the library. No clattering of dishes at the crack of dawn.

Explorer Lounge and bar is Deck 10.

Having obtained my 5XL Hurtigruten jacket yesterday to go over my Rab polar coat put it to the test as we finally depart Nome 12hrs later than scheduled at 1000hrs. Venturing out on deck there’s still a stiff breeze but the waves are substantially less than yesterday’s white horses.

Finally. Let the adventure begin!

Despite a leisurely day at sea I find myself very busy.

Breakfast. Upload blog photos. Write diary. Talk on the scientific research they do. Hoping to get involved with that. Lunch. Early afternoon talk on gold and the Alaskan Gold Rush in the 1800s.

After a lunch, another cinnarizine tablet and with the gentle motion of the ocean find myself listening to the gold rush lecture gently nodding off. Chairs have a soft flexible back. Ships movement on the waves means my back gently sways on the comfortably flexible chair. Left shoulder left. Left shoulder down. Right shoulder right. Right shoulder up. Left shoulder left. And so on. All rhythmic like. My back is gently massaged. And my eyes begin to droop. Fighting to stay awake now. Lecture over and decide an afternoon nap is called for.

I like to play sleep roulette. A dangerous game to play. My afternoon naps are hours. Not minutes. And doze off straight away.

Only a short two hour nap this time.

Just enough time to finish off blog. Then dinner. Sit adjacent American couple who are chatting with fellow Americans across the aisle.  Hear Hornby Island mentioned. It’s where Miss Vancouver lives.

I’ve not been able to visit Hornby Island this trip. Miss Vancouver is now Miss Victoria. Having relocated there for work last year. Due to my own business commitments needed high speed internet hence the reason for staying in Vancouver for so many days. She has no internet on Hornby.

Thinking American couple live on Hornby Island. But they don’t. It’s their architect who does. Overhear other American couple say that in England they don’t have guns but if they did it would be civil war now given the current anti-immigration protests. Hmmm. Don’t think so mate. We’re a bit more civilised than America. It’ll be pots of tea at dawn more like.

Another lecture on what to expect post-dinner. The sister ship has just made it through the icy waters of the Bellot Strait.

Yay.

But winds can block it again with sea ice.

Boo.

So it’s still a waiting game.

At about 2240hrs the ship crosses the Arctic Circle. A little celebration with a glug of Jamesons. Calm seas as we do. Hardly notice we are moving at 14kts (16mph).

NWP 7. ‘ooray up she rises

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21-Aug-24 – Nome, Alaska

What. A. Day.

There’s only one 3.30 in my day. And this isn’t it when my alarm goes off in the middle of the sodding night.

Old friend (as in longevity), we’ll call her Miss Nottingham, texts to say, ‘wakey, wakey’. It being 1130hrs in the UK. Still the middle of the night in Vancouver. She’s right (as always) that I am the sort of person to get up just before I’m due to depart. I’m a pillow to pedal in four minutes sort of chap. That record still stands when I woke up late for number two niece’s christening one Sunday morning. A long time ago.

Board the bus along with other knackered old travellers and drive through Vancouver downtown’s dark and deserted streets to the airport.

Having been given our breakfast bags last night, now told that we can’t take foodstuffs through customs as they’ll be banned from entering the USA. Many start scoffing whilst queueing for check in. I’m a ‘rules are for fools’ sort of chap and take the chance my dodgy cheese croissant (less the even dodgier looking wafer thin strips of turkey which have been removed) and now at least 12hrs old, slice of fruit cake and flapjack will not be banished from my bag.

Queue for check in for chartered flight. Bags put on a metal plate to weigh them. But there’s no conveyor to despatch them through the maze that is baggage handling. No. Once you’ve queued to get your boarding pass you have to take your checked in bag to another queue to deposit it on a conveyor to enter baggage handling. Exceedingly reluctant to let go of my bag I’m fortunately directed to a check in desk which doesn’t have a weigh scale for some reason. And it passes as hand luggage. The last thing I need is to be without clothes that fit for four weeks!

Third queue is for security. The usual routine of practically stripping naked to go through scanners. As anticipated…food makes it through without question.

Fourth queue is for US Immigration. Normal people are through in a matter of minutes. Ten minutes it takes. Not because I’m being interrogated. Turns out this Immigration Officer is fascinated by travel. Wants to know what North Korea was like (the reason I have a Tourist Visa rather than an ESTA). Wants to know all about the North West Passage trip. At the back of my passport are stamps I’ve put in at various tourist hotspots I’ve been to. You know the sort of things. ‘I woz ere’ type stamps. Not official border formality stamps. No. Port Lockroy 31-Dec-18. Dalton Highway Jun-19. I crossed the Arctic Circle May-19. Joshua Tree National Park 23-Oct-23. Grossglockner Glacier. Everglades National Park stamp (a crocodile). Etc. Etc. We have a run through of them too. I’m waiting to be asked if I’ll do a round up for his kids. It’s that sort of friendly chat.

Convinced I’m going through the ‘man-opause’ as start having a hot flush. Is that actually a thing? Burning up. Wearing my arctic gear in a warm terminal building might not have helped.

Eventually depart Vancouver half an hour late. Two Germans sit adjacent. I love Germany. I love Germans (as Miss Braunschweig knows only too well). But. This pair are a pain in the arsch. Have the air of East Germans about them. Dodgy hair styles. Dodgy fashion. She has a voice that grates. Like two excitable schoolchildren on the school bus they kneel on seats to look over to talk very loudly to those behind. Who are also German. Ihr neues beste freunds.

Informed the flight time is 2hrs 59mins. Not 3hrs you understand. Mid flight snack served. OK. So this is a come down from First Class. Not used to a dry scone. Bit of cheese. Thimble of porridge. No. Used to better things. But it passes the time and arrive Anchorage. For a technical stop. Change of crew. Only a quick 20 minutes. They say. Over an hour later we depart for Nome.

Further hour and a half. Nearly a total of six hours in Economy. That’s not very me. Land Nome. Only accessible by ship and aircraft.

Cold. Wet. Grey. Storm force winds. Next one up the Beaufort scale is Hurricane.

Yep. This is going to fun.

Now BST +9hrs. Alaska time. An hour ahead of Vancouver.

So. The plan was. Land Nome 1130hrs. Board ship 1315hrs. Have lunch. Mosey on down to Nome for sightseeing until 1700hrs. Depart 2200hrs.

Er no.

Taken to Nome community hall as a holding area. So the ship can be prepared for new arrivals. The recently departed are going back on our flight. Activities have been laid on by the locals. Gold panning. Dog mushing. Museum visit. Except. Weather constrains these and dog mushing and gold panning are in the community hall. Everyone is knackered. Everyone wants to embark ship. Have lunch. Afternoon nap. A number of Germans are getting tetchy that this is not ze plan.

Not a dog lover (and don’t get me started on cats) but the four Alaskan Huskies on show are excellent and very calm. They race in the annual Iditarod competition. 1,000mile race from Anchorage to Nome. Often in wind chill temperatures of minus 70C! The trail generally started in the 1898 Nome Gold Rush to create a communications route between Anchorage and Nome. Each year they run about 4,000 miles in races and training. A hardcore sport.

Regular shuttle between the community hall and the museum for expedition guests. Having waited for some minutes, a local lady offers to drive me there. She’s Robin. But I’m not Batman. A teacher until retirement she now works in real estate. And been here a good few decades. Warned to watch the car door doesn’t fly off in the wind we say our goodbyes. A fleeting conversation. A Brief Encounter. A connection. Nice to meet you!

The small museum is excellent and worth visiting. Charts the development of Nome from the late 1890s gold rush (when three visiting Swedes started picking up chunks of gold on the beach whilst having a walk…I kid you not) along with a few Inuit artefacts. You forget how close to Russia we are now.

Jumping in another shuttle bus I ask if it’s worth going to the visitor centre. No is the common consensus amongst the local driver and fellow passengers.

So. Off we go to embark ship at last.

Wow.

It’s in a sheltered port but is moving about all over the place. By the strength of the wind and waves crashing into the tiny port partly protected by a breakwater. Wind direction means waves are crashing directly into port.

Ship rises. Ship falls. Ship heaves forward. Ship heaves backward. It’s the ship version of the cakewalk.

Such is the strength of the swell, five mooring lines have snapped.

A boarding ramp protrudes from ship.

Currently about two feet above the dock so as not to snag on the dock. Waves crash between ship and dockside. Spilling over and rushing up to where we are waiting.

Boarding ramp eventually lowered. Case of jump on and run up ramp to deck. Without getting wet feet.

Seems like my group are one of the last to board as they then shut down the ramp for about six hours. No one can disembark. No one can embark.

A crew change means many need to catch a scheduled flight to Anchorage or Seattle. But this may be missed. Which has consequences for onward connections. Back to the Phillipines.

80 passengers remain in Nome. And are put up in a hotel. Only 12 rooms free in Nome tonight. They enjoy pizza from the local restaurant.

Settle into my cabin. Self guided tour of ship. But that exploration can wait until tomorrow’s day of leisure blog.

Thinking I’ll have dinner at 1830hrs. Actually 1930hrs body clock time. Then an early night. Having been up since 3.30am with not much sleep beforehand.

But there’s an emergency drill required before we can set sail. Rumour has it this will be in the morning as departure has been delayed due to weather. Oh. And because 80 passengers are still in Nome unable to board.

Dare I go to bed. Not wanting to be suddenly woken by 7 short blasts and 1 long blast. Decide to stay up until an announcement. Which depends on whether they can get the Nome 80 on board.

It’s at 2030hrs an attempt is made. Team meeting has been held. They can do this. Boarding ramp is lowered on to dock. Crew line the ramp ready to manhandle passengers on to and up the ramp. Actually quite a dangerous situation. The edge of the ramp could easily chop someone’s foot off it catches you.

It’s become quite a spectator sport as those on board watch proceedings. Cheering people on.

And soon all are on board. Safe and sound. Crew did well in treacherous conditions.

Emergency drill can take place. In English and German. The two languages on board. Mandatory marine legal requirement before setting sail. At 2100hrs…rather than 0400hrs. How to put on a survival suit and life jacket. In case we sink. In freezing cold remote Arctic waters.

Following that another orientation talk. It’s now 2230hrs by the time all this is done. A few are nodding off. It being 2330hrs body clock time.

And so to bed. In my cinnarizine sea sickness tablets induced state.

I.

Am.

Knackered.

What. A. Day.

Now scheduled to depart 8hrs later than planned at 0600hrs.

Early in the morning.