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.
