Cruise North Expeditions

Letter From Arctic Safari Guest Joyce

2010-09-10T06:44:00.001-07:00

It has been a week or so since we returned from our Arctic safari with Cruise North, but my thoughts are still in the misty clouds of places visited.

It was a fantastic and unforgettable experience.

Every need was catered to on board the ship and the food was first rate.
A pastry chef and baker had recently been hired, so the desserts and breads were welcomed with delight.

The expedition staff kept us quite busy. There were lectures on the people, towns, and flora and fauna daily. Our daily adventures always started on the zodiacs. I got in and out with very enthusiastic camera buffs with what appeared to be entire camera shops around their necks. My photos were taken with a small digital Canon. After mastering the art of kneeling in the zodiac while it bounced and bobbed on the water, and learning how to zoom in and click at the opportune moment, I think I got some great shots.

The landscape was extraordinary. The ice, water, snow, rocks, the lightness of the sky even after the sun would set in a spectacular display of orange, yellow and red hues. I loved the fantastic stone formations most of all.

The highlight had to be the second day when the PA system called us to the starboard side announcing an iceberg in the distance. I couldn’t believe how exciting this was. The majestic formation of ice floating by was serious art in pure form. Changing color and shape as the sun shone or the waves slapped upon it. To top it off, there was a polar bear walking on top.

That was just the beginning. Everyday brought new adventures and photo ops.
We saw hundreds of walrus where we dropped anchor near an island named after these creatures. They were gathered, lying in lumpy brown piles, all over the island, basking in the sun after consuming their daily 3,000 clams. They rolled and flopped and sometimes uttered a loud gruff bark, letting us know they knew we weren’t far.
We saw musk ox from a distance, grazing high above the valleys with their offspring.
While kayaking in Douglas Harbour, a curious seal swam beside me, bobbing and diving as I paddled.

On Akpatok island there were thousands of thick billed murres soaring the cliffs or nestling with their little blue eggs, soon to be newborns.
We saw caribou, and many more seal, polar bears and icebergs in the remaining days.

There is so much open space and so little impingement on the raw majesty of the natural world. I’m sure it must have looked quite the same 5,000 years ago. We were privileged to be there.

Thank you so much,

Joyce from NDG

2010-03-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

New Torngat Safari puts Labrador in reach

2010-03-22T12:32:00.000-07:00

Cruise North has just launched an exciting land-based safari to explore the Torngat Mountains National Park!

With either 7-night or 4-night packages to choose from, this Safari gives you an up-close look into the life, culture and spectacular wilderness of Northern Labrador.

Enjoy a scenic charter flight through the Koroc River Valley. Embark on daily land and sea adventures with scientists, Inuit and Parks Canada wardens. Experience the region's culture, archaeology and wildlife, including polar bears, whales and caribou. At night, enjoy fine and traditional Inuit cuisine and relax in comfort at our secure safari-style tent camp.

For more details, images and contact information, please take a look at our newly launched site: http://www.torngatsafari.com

Best regards,

The Cruise North Team

Peeter and Carol

2009-09-14T06:52:00.000-07:00

Blog entry

September 12, 2009

Peeter and Carol Vanker

Several Inuit family groupings from the community of Qikiqtarjuaq joined us on the ship for our barbeque. They were joined by the two RCMP officers assigned to the village. In appreciation they brought some raw narwhal whale skin and blubber for us to eat. It proved interesting and not as fish-tasting as we had anticipated.

A number of the crew, and some of the passengers jumped into the freshly filled ocean water pool on the ship for a “polar bear dip”, some even voluntarily.

We continued sailing along the east coast of Baffin Island and saw many towering icebergs and majestic cliffs. By the way, Baffin Island is the fifth largest island in the world!

At dinner time the sea was quite wavy and a rogue wave hit our ship causing some chairs and table settings to overturn.

We awoke at 4:45 AM to the sound of the anchor dropping. It was 3 degrees C. and snowing lightly in Sunneshine Fjord (spelled correctly).
Before breakfast some went on a challenging hike up a mountainside along the fjord and others hiked around the rocky shore. In the distance we saw the remnants of the DEW “line” (early warning system) established following World War II. We were fortunate that the sun began to shine again.

When we returned to the ship, the ship provided champagne to celebrate the crossing of the Arctic Circle. A huge brunch followed.

Peeter and Carol's Adventures

2009-09-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

Sept. 11, 2009-09-11

Peeter and Carol Vanker

When we neared Alexander Harbour the weather deteriorated, the fog came in, the wind increased and it began to snow heavily. Whale watching was cancelled and we continued south. We had lectures, a movie and a demonstration of Inuit throat singing by one of our onboard Inuit guides.

We woke up to brilliant sunshine, temperature of about 6 degrees C., a bonus day in Qikiiakjuaq on Broughton Island off the east coast of Baffin Island, about 100 km. north of the Arctic Circle.

We landed in a small harbour by zodiac boats. We had a walking tour of this village of 500 persons. We visited one of the three hotels with 8 rooms at $ 225 per night. The nursing station is served by 3 nurses and a doctor who visits twice a month. They are building a senior citizens’
complex. The water is brought by tanker truck from a spring on a mountain side and is sold to the residents and $ 450 per tank full.

We were told that the polar bears become a nuisance in about a month’s time. The community has an “early warning” system of dogs on the periphery. Outside one of the homes was a recent walrus kill. Ours is apparently only the third cruise ship to visit this village this year.
Pond Inlet where we visited a few days ago had 8 ships visit this year, and 12 in 2008.

We visited the two local coop stores. Some sample prices were as
follows: 1.89 l. Tropicana juice: $11.39; 355 ml. single container of Tropicana juice: $9.69; a 4 litre bag of 2% milk: $12.49; Sarah Lee frozen apple pie: $22.89. P.S. Milk products are subsidized by the government.

We again had a throat singing demonstration in the community centre gym.
Outside a number of items were for sale, including seal skin mittens and slippers, sketchings, and an almost 8 foot long narwhal whale tusk (specially elongated tooth) priced at $4000.00. Unfortunately it was too long and heavy for our suitcase!

We’re off to a barbeque on the deck for our lunch. The food has been varied and plentiful.

2009-09-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

Peeter and Carol Vanker

We are continuing our leisurely cruise in brilliant sunshine down the east coast of Baffin Island. There has been a constant stream of beautiful iceberg along the way.

We anchored at Monumental Island early this morning. We went by zodiac to a number of very small nearby rocky islands. We were thrilled to see one polar bear ambling along the rocky shoreline at a fairly close proximity. We saw another bear swimming near the shore and then join the second on the shore. They paced the rocks for some time. We then moved closer to a stunning iceberg in the zodiac during our 1 ? hour sail.

On another island we spotted five walruses lounging on the rocks. We watched them looking at us and moving their flippers up and down. One had lost one of its amazing tusks.

We are now sailing towards the entrance of Ungava Bay in northern Quebec in the Inuit territory of Nunavik. We hope to make another zodiac sail around Akpatok Island before continuing on to our final stop in Kuujjuaq from where we will fly to Montreal. We will only be dock at high tide.

This will be our last opportunity to blog our trip. The rest of our memories we will be able to share with you firsthand.

Peeter and Carol Vanker

2009-09-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

Sept. 13, 2009

Peeter and Carol Vanker

We had just completed the first portion of our Christian worship service when the announcement was made to proceed to the decks immediately for a special surprise viewing. Eleven harp seals were splayed out on the smooth surface of a flat top iceberg. As someone noted, it was most appropriate that the seals were “harp” seals! As our ship passed by the seals slid into the ocean, popping their heads up to watch us pass. We haven’t been interrupted at worship in such a memorable way before. What a privilege this entire trip has been with its many exciting surprises.

Eastern Baffin Island, Polar Bear sightings, and more Icebergs

2009-09-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

Peeter and Carol Vanker

We are continuing to cruise along the eastern shore of Baffin Island. We saw many beautiful large icebergs calved in Greenland. The currents take them first north and then south towards Newfoundland in what is called “iceberg alley”. Since 90% of each iceberg is below the waterline, their movement is affected more by current than by wind.

This morning breakfast was at 6 AM. We lowered the anchor in “Refuge Harbour” in the Gibbs Fjord. It is a beautiful, sheltered harbour, surrounded by high peaked rock mountains. Many glaciers spill down the steep mountain sides which rise directly from the water.

On top of one of the ridges surrounding the harbour we saw three polar bears, a mom and her two cubs heading away over the ridge. This reminded us to be especially cautious when on shore.

We hiked on the Arctic tundra. It was very spongy, sometimes dry, sometimes boggy and wet, including many moss covered rocks. We picked Arctic blueberries, hiding in their crimson red miniature foliage. The autumn tundra colours were magnificent shades of yellows, golds, reds, greens, browns, off-whites and grays. We saw four large white Arctic hares on the mountain side, weighing about 5 or more kilograms. Our groups got within 7 metres of one, but the hare never moved. We saw many lemming holes and their scat in the spongy tundra. The tundra consisted of Arctic willow hugging the ground, spongy mosses and lichens.

We are spending the afternoon sailing through a magnificent, steep-sided fjord. Three polar bears have just been sighted and we are off to see them.

Pond Inlet, A Birthday to Remember & Glaciers Spilling into the Sea

2009-09-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

Peeter and Carol Vanker

Sailing towards Pond Inlet located at the top of Baffin Island, we saw a large number of sea birds, mainly Kittiwakes, but no whales as yet.
Carol was surprised at dinner time by our Craig group host who had provided streamers, balloons, and a cake and wine to celebrate her birthday and the birthday of another of our fellow Craig travellers.

Peeter had planned to buy roses but could not find any in the Arctic.

We witnessed a spectacular sunset with icebergs in the distance. Once we learned that we could open our porthole window, we enjoyed the fresh Arctic air and the soothing sound of the waves.

This morning the mountain ranges on both sides were jagged snow covered peaks instead of the flattened tops of the mountains on Devon Island. Many glaciers were spilling into the sea.

We had a very fascinating stop on Pond Inlet. The wind and waves at 5:30 AM were quite high but had moderated sufficiently by 9 AM. for us to embark in the zodiac tenders to land on a gravel beach.

We wandered through the streets in this small community of 1500 persons, over 50% under 15 years of age. We visited the Coop store where Carol got a soap stone polar bear carving as well as an ulu (an indispensible, traditional Inuit tool used by their women for cutting). We attended an Inuit cultural presentation of traditional Inuit sporting games, songs and dances. We “enjoyed” a wild zodiac ride back to our ship as the wind had picked up considerably. We were glad for our waterproof pants, coats and boots.

We learned that the official Canadian symbol for the 2010 winter Olympic games will apparently be the inuksuk, the central symbol on the Nunavut Inuit flag.

Icebergs!

2009-09-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

Peeter and Carol Vanker

On our way through Lancaster Sound we saw a beautiful calving glacier.
The wind remained extremely strong most of the day. As we drew closer to Arctic Bay just off the North West passage where our refuelling would take place, we encountered a magnificent towering glacier almost 20 stories high gleaming in the setting evening sun. The ship drew very close for us to admire the ice berg. It was larger than any of the icebergs we had seen in Antarctica. Our expedition leader said that it was a very rare sight in this area. We also saw several other very large icebergs in the distance.

We listened to further lectures about the Arctic and watched a movie about the Arctic.

This morning we arrived at our fuelling station, the only deep water port in the Arctic. This stop was necessitated because of a fuel truck rollover two weeks ago when the ship originally was scheduled to refuel.

During the 7 hour refuelling stop we hiked up the surrounding hillside, accompanied by several armed guides who preceded us, looking for polar bears. Our groups were accompanied by several of the ship’s on board naturalists. The federal government has plans to establish a major deep water port in this remote Arctic region in Nanisivik.

We have learned that the Canadian territory of Nunavut has an area of 2 million square km. (about 4 times the size of France), 30,000 inhabitants, and 28 Inuit communities.

P.S. One of our armed guards just told us that on a previous landing he encountered 6 polar bears.

The High Arctic: Peeter & Carol Vanker

2009-09-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

We left Montreal en route for the Canadian High Arctic via Iqaluit, a 2.5 hour flight. Iqaluit is the territorial capital of Nunavut, located on the south coast of Baffin Island at the head of Frobisher Bay. It has a population of about 6000. After refuelling, we flew for another 2 hours to Resolute, landing the B737 jet on a gravel runway. It was 1 degree C. and snowing lightly. Ice was forming in the bay along the shore. Our solitary ship in the bay looked very small in contrast to its surroundings. Resolute is a small Inuit hamlet at the northern end of Resolute Bay and the Northwest Passage with a population around 200. The terrain and roads are all gravel. There are very few motor vehicles but many all terrain vehicles (ATVs) and snowmobile and husky dogs.

We were transported from the airport via small vans to the local hotel about 2 km away but our luggage came via a front end loader to the ship. We had to don our high rubber boots and life vests for our first zodiac ride to the ship. We were told that all our landings in the Arctic would be “wet” landings and we will therefore have to wear these boots every time. Prices in the cooperative store were all very high, pop tarts 11 dollars, cold cereal 9 and pancake syrup 8 dollars.

It got very windy and wavy in the evening and Carol was very glad to get into bed to avoid getting sick.

We were awakened this morning at 5:15 AM with the hopes of making a pre breakfast landing at Beechey Island where Sir John Franklin spent his first winter trapped in the ice while looking for the northwest passage in 1845. Three of his crew are buried there. However, we were most disappointed that the winds were 50 knots or over 90 km. per hour and it was unsafe to go by zodiac to land. But we saw those grave markers and the memorial to Franklin from the ship. We were told that “flexibility” is the operative word in the Arctic.

We will have a series of lectures today and a film in the evening about the Arctic.

We will be refuelling at Nanisivik on Arctic Bay on the northwest part of Baffin Island. The weather is partly sunny but windy and cold.

The Trottier Brothers - at it again

2009-09-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

Name: Lorne Trottier

Cabin No. 604

Sept. 2, 2009

We got the wake up announcement at 5:30 AM and were given 30 minutes to get dressed and be ready. We were taken ashore to a rocky beach in False Strait and divided into two groups: the short walkers and the long walkers. Of course all the Trottier brothers went on the long walk! A couple of the crew members could be seen on a nearby hilltop on the lookout for polar bears with rifles at the ready.

For the long walk we spent an hour walking each way, taking a slightly different route for the return. The walk got off to a intriguing start when Shoshana, the overall expedition leader, who was leading the walk, spotted a polar bear skull just up from the beach, and held it aloft for the group to see. About half way through the outbound part of the walk Elliot spotted a group of muskox in the distance. We approached them slowly, stopping every couple of minutes to observe and take photos.

When we got within a few hundred meters, a few of the muskox stopped eating and looked at us for several minutes. Then they regrouped a bit further off, where they formed a circle, heads together, and with just a bit of imagination one had the impression that they were debating what to do next! After a time, they move off and disappeared over a hill.

During the hike we found the bones of a number of animals including seals, polar bear, even some whale bones. We spotted some small but beautiful arctic flowers, multicolored lichens (including an especially vivid orange variety, which looked like brilliant paint splashed on the rocks), and a family of red-throated loons on a small lake. Then it was time to get into the zodiacs and return to the ship for a hearty breakfast. What a full morning!

The ship set sail out of False Strait and into the neighboring Bellot Strait which separates the Boothia Peninsula (the most northern point of North America) from Somerset Island. Bellot Strait is a relatively narrow channel which can have treacherous currents. The captain timed our sailing through the Bellot Straight when the tide was flowing against the ship . This made for a safer passage. We were called on deck on a couple of occasions when polar bears were sighted on banks of the strait. Each time we saw a mother and two cubs who were out foraging for food. We got close enough for some good pictures. On the first occasion we also spotted a male polar bear, close to the mother and her cubs.

Male polar bears will kill cubs, in order to force the female to mate.

Fortunately, the male was traveling in the opposite direction of the female. As the ship approached the second group of polar bears, for some reason the mother decided to go into the water and attempt to cross over to the other side. Her two cubs followed her. It was quite a sight to watch the bears swimming. We also sighted a seal and some muskox.

The second stop of the day was at Fort Ross, an abandoned Hudson's Bay trading post. This is also a location that had been visited in the 1830's by a British Arctic Expedition led by Commander Ross. It was also used by one of the search parties after the ill fated Franklin Expedition. There were two buildings at this site, one was the trading post itself, and the other was the residence of the trader. The windows of the house were smashed, and we could look inside to see the old furniture that was ripped apart. We hiked up a nearby rocky hill which had a cairn marker. From the top of the hill we had a nice view of the trading post, our ship, and Bellot Strait.

It was good to be off the ship to see the tundra up close. The terrain we walked on was rugged and barren. The vastness of this stark wilderness, which spans thousands of kilometers in all directions, has a unique beauty all its own. Later that evening as we were finishing our dinner there was an announcement to go on deck to see something that should not be missed. It turned out to be a pod of about a dozen orcas (killer whales). We got close enough for some good photos.

The plan for tomorrow is similar to today, a wake up call at 5:30 AM.

Sept. 3, 2009

As promised we again awoken at 5:30 AM for a visit to Creswell Bay.

After dressing up and putting on our life preservers and waiting for the zodiacs, we learned that we would not be going ashore. The staff had scouted out the beach and had seen too many polar bears in the vicinity for a safe landing. Instead, we went for an hour-long zodiac cruise in the bay alongside the beach. It was a beautifully sunny but brisk morning. Temperature was about 4 C with a cold breeze. During the cruise we spotted one of the polar bear groups – female and her cub, as well as seal, which surfaced in front of our zodiac.

Later today we will be going ashore at Fury Beach, an area where the Ross expedition of the the 1830's was stranded for over three years.

After the mysterious disappearance of the Franklin expedition in 1845 – 47, it served as base for one of the search parties.

The Trottier brothers Continue their Adventure

2009-09-03T06:37:00.000-07:00

Name: Lorne Trottier

Cabin No. 604

August 31, 2009

Correction from yesterday, at mid afternoon we were mid way between the southern end of Prince of Wales Island and the Northern end of King William Island.

This morning we awoke to clear ice conditions. We were no longer following the Wilfred Laurier ice breaker. We learned that the planned destination had been changed since there was too much ice at our original destination – the NW tip of King William Island where the Franklin expedition had met its end. The new plan was to go to the hamlet of Gjoa Haven on the south coast of King William Island. This is the place where the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen spent two winters with his small crew of 6 men before continuing on to become the first team to complete the Northwest Passage in 1905. The town is named after his ship the Gjoa, and the harbor was a “haven”.

When our ship anchored in the bay, we went ashore using the rubber Zodiacs. It was a bumpy ride in the frigid choppy waters. Gjoa Haven has a population of about 1200. It is similar to Resolute, only bigger.

We walked through the gravel streets to the community center were there was a small museum dedicated to Amundsen. This included a number of photographs taken by Amundsen of the Inuit, who were then still living their traditional nomadic hunter gatherer lifestyle. Amundsen spent two winters learning arctic survival techniques from the Inuit including how to make caribou winter garments, build an igloo, and operate a dog sledge.

We then walked to the old peoples center which featured an exhibit of traditional Inuit clothing, tools, weapons, and artifacts. The skill and ingenuity of the Inuit crafts using only available materials was astounding. Next we went to the town arena to see a show of traditional Inuit throat singing and drum dancing. On our walk back to the beach and the dinghies, we passed some houses with seal skins and a polar bear skin that had been set out to dry.

On board the ship we attended interesting lectures on how to take good pictures, as well as part 2 of the lecture on the ill-fated Franklin expedition. We were told that we would spend the next day at sea. The ice breaker had advised us to follow them back up Peel Sound if we wanted to benefit from their services. It was an invitation that we couldn't refuse!

Sept. 1, 2009

We woke up this morning to relatively clear seas. The ice breaker had left us since there had been a change in wind direction and the ice in our path had cleared. We spent the day sailing up Peel Sound. The weather was mostly cloudy, with a brisk wind, and colder temperatures.

We were kept busy with some interesting lectures on lichens, evolutionary adaptations to the Arctic, contemporary issues in the arctic (arctic sovereignty, suspected oil & gas deposits, global warming, etc.), and arctic bears (brown and polar). In the early evening we dropped anchor in False Strait, which is a protected bay next to Bellot Strait.

We were told that the plan for tomorrow was to wake up at 5:30 AM to go ashore for a hike along the beach and terrain surrounding False Strait.

The plan is then to sail through the treacherous Bellot Strait to the east side of the Boothia Peninsula and Sommerset Island. We hope to visit Fort Ross, which is an abandoned Hudson's Bay Co. trading post.

Brothers on an adventure (Trottier)

2009-09-01T07:16:00.000-07:00

Aug. 28, 2009

This is the first in a series of blogs being filed by the four Trottier brothers Lorne, Marc, Elliot, and Howard, during an arctic cruise expedition aboard the Lyubov Orlova through parts of the Northwest Passage. This year's adventure is the latest in a long-running tradition of Trottier family get-togethers, which normally include our spouses and many of our kids, and which have encompassed biking and hiking odysseys in Quebec and New Hampshire, astronomically-themed trips to observatories in rural Quebec, an Alaska cruise including a day-trip to the Yukon last year, and a planned trip to the South Pacific in July 2010 to coincide with a total eclipse of the sun. This is the first year in which the Trottier boys have traveled as a family, but without their better halves – too bad for us. As consolation we have our adventuresome fellow travelers and the expert and very personable guides and crew on this charter trip, organized by Inuit-owned Cruise North! Our trip is intended in part to celebrate two “Big-Oh” birthdays, a 50th for Howard and 60th for Marc, but our real purpose is to experience the stark beauty and inspiring mystery of Canada's far north.

We departed Montreal at 8:00 AM on Air Inuit with a nice hot breakfast served on board. The plane stopped in Iqaluit on Baffin Island for refueling after a flight if about 3 hours 15 minutes. The pilot decided that one of the tires needed to be checked, so we were allowed to deplane and wander around the terminal. Iqaluit used be called Frobisher Bay, after the 16th century explorer. It was renamed when it became the capital of the new territory of Nunavut. Iqaluit has a population of about 7,000.

We then re-boarded the plane for a 2 hour and 20 minute flight to Resolute Bay. The Boeing 737 jet landed on a gravel runway! As we landed, we could see our small ship anchored out in the bay – it was the only one. Resolute Bay is a hamlet of about 270 people with no paved roads. We didn't see any cars, but there were snowmobiles and ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) outside most of the homes. All of the houses are raised above the permafrost. The surrounding countryside was bleak and barren. The climate is so cold and dry, and the winds are generally so strong that practically nothing grows here – not even lichen. The landscape reminded some of us of what Buzz Aldrin said when he was walking on the moon – “Magnificent Desolation”.

After a light lunch, we were taken down to the gravel beach where rubber zodiacs transported us to the ship, the Lyubov Orlova. The ship immediately set sail. It was a beautiful sunny day, calm seas, and a temperature of approximately 10 C. We had a delicious buffet-style supper on board. After dinner we were shown a film about an Inuit

goddess: “Nuliajuk, Mother of the Sea Beasts.” That night, it never got completely dark – it was more like twilight. Even though the sun had set around 10:15 PM, at this high latitude, the sun did not go very far below the horizon.

Aug. 29, 2009

Today we spent the entire day at sea. We sailed almost due south from Resolute along the west side of Somerset Island and down through Peel Sound retracing the route of the ill-fated Franklin Expedition of 1845.

We were within sight of land the entire day, mostly Somerset Island to the east with some views of Prince of Wales Island to the west. As far as we could tell, these lands are uninhabited. By late afternoon we had passed Bellow's Strait separating Somerset Island from the Boothia Peninsula, the most northern point of North America. The weather was calm and mostly sunny throughout the day. The temperature was near freezing. As the day wore on, we started encountering more ice floes.

Occasionally we spotted groups of seals swimming in the ocean.

At intervals during the day we attended lectures by the expedition staff, the first being on: “Where Exactly is the Arctic?” This turns out to be a lot more complicated than one thinks, with no clear definition.

Another lecture described some of the early history of the search for the NW Passage with a focus on the ill-fated Franklin Expedition.

Finally we enjoyed a lecture on the birds of the high arctic, many of which migrate here during the arctic summer to raise their young. The quality of the expedition naturalists is very high, with many holding PhD degrees in their respective specialties. The film this evening was a National Geographic documentary “Arctic Kingdom”.

August 30, 2009

We awoke to learn that the ship had stopped during the night due to the pack ice. The plan at the start of the day was to complete the passage of Peel Sound and to do a Zodiac landing on King William Island. This is the place where it is believed that the Franklin Expedition ended in disaster. Early on we encountered heavy pack ice and were forced to stop. We are extremely lucky that the Canadian icebreaker Sir Wilfred Laurier was in the vicinity. They offered to lead us through the pack ice towards our destination. By mid morning the Wilfred Laurier had met up with our ship and we started following behind her. We were treated to spectacular views of the huge expanse of ice, and the sight of great blocks of ice being driven from the path created by the ship.

We enjoyed a morning lecture on Pinnipeds of the Arctic, the group of finned mammals that includes walruses, various sea lion, and seal species.

During the morning polar bears were spotted on the pack ice on two separate occasions. Each time it was a female with two cubs. The second sighting was closer to the ship, and we were able to take some pictures and videos, with binoculars affording exceptionally detailed views of the mother sniffing the air in search of food, and licking her chops in anticipation.

At 2:45 in the afternoon we are about ? way between the southern end of King Edward Island and the northern point of King Edward Island, due east of Parsley Bay on the Boothia Peninsula. We are carrying our own GPS from which we can take our position.

Pristine Wilderness

2008-08-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

August 20, 2008

Flexibility is the key concept! Of four days at sea we have had two beautiful days with calm waters in sheltered bays or fjords that permitted us to leave the ship in zodiacs. At Cape Mercy we had a short walk to a lake admiring the mosses, lichens and arctic fireweed en route. The second outing was a zodiac trip to the face, or toe, of a glacier in the national park on the east side of Baffin Island. The sun was shining, the water calm so we could enjoy the variety of shapes and coloration of the ice.

Early in the day, we were treated to a sighting of bowhead whales on both sides of the ship, causing quite a rush of excitement for those who missed witnessing the polar bear swimming on Monday. Unfortunately, the most we saw of the whales were the backs, when they came up to spout. Nonetheless, it was a sight to behold and a highlight of the day for many people, and even better for the people who were lucky enough to capture the elusive whales in a picture.

When the seas made the ship pitch and roll there were some of us who would have been hesitant about boarding the zodiacs but management spared us having to appear as cowards. Safety is understandably a main concern.

We were treated to a colourful sunset this evening that invited many photographers to the various decks. It was a sight to see, lighting the whole horizon, as if set afire my mighty flames that swept across the sky. It was enchanting beauty in the fact that there was nothing else, just the land, and us. I almost felt that I was intruding on the peaceful desolation of the land, and that it was somehow wrong that we were in the picture.

Icebergs come in lovely shapes enhanced by sunlight shining on them.

Sometimes, our eyes deceived us, and the light played tricks on us making us believe that the icebergs were green, or blue, or even floating in the sky.

We see miles of shoreline with no trees, no wildlife, and no human habitation. We are seeing awesome desolation.

Betsy, Ben

A Shutterbug's Paradise

2008-08-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

All pics taken by Ken Farquharson aboard the Lyobov Orlova with Cruise North from July 12 - 20.

High Arctic Expedition

2008-08-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

August 24, 2008

Cruising into Dundas Harbor on a very sunny morning, a polar bear was spotted on a point as we went past, also by some, 3 more up on a hill. A zodiac cruise for the Oopik group followed among the icebergs and iceflows, and then a good sighting of a polar bear on land, swimming and back on land following an artic hare up the hill.
Everyone went ashore to see the camp of the RCMP from the 1920.s, three buildings, one with a sewing machine in the window, and outhouse, and a grave site. On the hillside, one grave: Constable Victor Marsonneuve, RCMP, 1899-1926.
The mounties were there to claim land for Canada.

In the afternoon we moved on to Crocker Bay, with two large glaciers at the head of the bay. Zodiac cruises went out among the ice floes and icebergs, and up to the glaciers. A few seals were spotted in the bays, which has large steep walls similar to the Grand Canyon, according to Tom, the geology expert.

Louise

Cruising the ice-floes

2008-08-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

August 23, 2008
In the afternoon, zodiac cruises went out near Admiralty Inlet, crossing clear water and gradually entering the ice floes. Then progressing into larger bergs with blue ice below the water line. The drivers spotted a large flat piece of ice, where they were able to drive the zodiacs right up onto the ice. They kept the engines running or anchored on the ice so that the passengers could get out and walk around on the ice.
Jim Brooks and Louise

Hiking the Glacier and Visiting Pond Inlet

2008-08-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

August 22, 2008

Morning landing on Bylot Island in Simirlik National Park. Long walkers hiked to the base of a glacier and on the tongue. Short hikers cruised the beach.
After lunch aboard, we landed at Pond Inlet where we were treated to a wonderful Inuit play demonstrating aspects of their culture including singing, dancing and a simulated seal hunt. Afterwards, native carvings, narwhal tusks and other souvenirs were purchased. Finally, a hike took some to the ruins of an earlier civilization. The weather was beautiful all day, sunny in the morning with clouds later. Temperature 6 degrees C ocean temp 0 degrees C.
Carl

Rough Seas and Polar Bears

2008-08-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

Aug 17

Due to rough weather, the Monumental Island landing was cancelled. Half the ship was seasick. Winds were 25 knots.

Aug 18

6:00 am The zodiac trip to shore at Cape Mercy in beautiful, sunny weather. One group hiked to a pretty freshwater lake. We also saw some interesting plant life-river beauty fire weed, moss campions , as well as some fool’s gold and mica on the rocky shoreline. Also spotted were glaucous gulls, black guillemot and canada geese, rare for the arctic.

Later in the day, we saw a polar bear swimming off the starboard side near icebergs.

Auyuittuq National Park & Glacial Cocktails!

2008-08-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

August 19

After breakfast, Leese from Parks Canada gave an entertaining talk on the Nunavut Park system, many of the parks are the largest in Canada. We are now in Auyuittuq
National Park, ‘the land that never melts’. She mentioned ecological and safety rules for hiking, skiing, and visiting the park. Also that the Inuit respect wildlife to save it for future generations. Later she showed a video about polar bear safety… do not run away, stand and face the bear!!! She mentioned that the polar bear quota for Iqaluit is 16 bears per year for a town of 7,000 people.

In the afternoon six zodiacs went out for a trip around the end of Coronation fjord
to see a large glacier of many colors, very interesting metamorphic red and brown rock formations, alluvial fans, and one small seal ... it was a fantastic sunny afternoon, and I am now going to the bar to make a drink with my glacial ice.

Beluga Central

2008-08-14T08:06:00.000-07:00

Pic taken by Cruise North passenger Ken on the Arctic Odyssey expedition from July 12 - 20 on the mouth of the Churchill River.

Arctic Odyssey July 20 - 28, 2008

2008-07-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

July 25

It's marathon day, at least for the runners aboard. For the rest of us, the marathon of crossing Hudson Bay is over and we are able to get out and about on shore. We've acquired additional passengers as about 20 Inuit came on board yesterday to join in the race.

As I write, the runners and volunteers are getting their breakfast - extra pasta was available last night - but it's just the normal meal for them, minus the hot offerings put out each day. Oh- bananas have appeared. Must be looking for potassium. Now the call is out - is there any yogurt? Monique, a photographer, is shooting the scene, and the photos may appear in a brand new aboriginal magazine.

The rest of us are going to enjoy "contemplative walks" with the botanist and a longer hike on the plateau. Unfortunately, our time ashore is always too brief to participate in both offerings. Then it's back to the ship for a barbecue on deck. We have anchored in an exquisite fjord where there is no village or other sign of humans, apart from a well maintained mining road.

Yesterday was our best day - a visit to a village, lots of sightings of marine life while sailing through calm waters, past scenic islands and finally into Douglas Harbour. Several of the young girls aboard took up a petition and succeeded in getting us an extra zodiac ride in the evening. It was 11 p.m. in fading twilight before the last boat returned from the quiet ride. Twice, seals were spotted, and we glimpsed a soft pink sunset in the notch at the end of the harbour, but otherwise, it was just a ride that cleared the cobwebs from our brains.

My coffee cup is drained and the library is filling with early-rising non-runners. Time to find a staff member who has time to make sure the blog entries are sent.

Carol

Arctic Odyssey July 20 - 28, 2008

2008-07-30T10:27:00.001-07:00

It's mid morning now. We've already had a very wet and bumpy ride on the
zodiacs to check out a large murre colony. Perched on the soaring cliffs
were adults and chicks, cheek by jowl, and the constant flight to and
fro of parents bringing food.

Some of the passengers are sitting around in the library, sipping tea
and exchanging tales of the excursion - 8 foot waves, some lost
breakfasts, wet cameras and soaked clothing - all a great adventure!

Susan has spent a great deal of time reviewing my wildflower photos this
morning. She's got endless patience and is so knowledgeable. We did find
one flower not previously identified as being on Coates Island, but she
tells me we couldn't consider this authoritative because we didn't
collect a specimen. So much to think about at once..taking photos,
collecting seeds, identifying species and now, checking to see if it's
ok to collect a specimen. Maybe I should stick to my back yard garden!

Well spend the rest of the day on ship, off to our next destination.

Carol

2008-07-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

Dear all,

I would like to thank The Chris Robinson Travel Show with Sharman Yarnell, CJAD and Cruise North Expeditions for giving me the opportunity to win a fantastic arctic cruise.

From July 12^th to July 20^th my friend Janet and I experienced the trip of a lifetime on Cruise North’s Arctic Odyssey.

The scenery throughout our trip was the most picturesque I’ve ever experienced. I still visualize the huge icebergs glowing in the sun flowing by the ship in Ungava Bay, the most beautiful sunsets that endlessly changed hues through the very late night into early morning and our sighting of walrus on the floating ice.

We experienced scenery that begged to be photographed. On Akpatok Island we saw the nesting grounds of a huge colony of thick-billed murres and some impressive polar bears.

On our excursions to Diana and Opingivik Islands we saw musk ox, with their long hair blowing in the wind. We also saw some of the Arctic’s most beautiful flowering plants and an interesting archaeological site of the people of the Thule culture, who were the ancestors of the Inuit.

We also visited Kangiqsujuaq and Ivujivik, two charming Nunavik villages where the people openly welcomed us to experience the Inuit culture, customs, crafts and art.

Throughout our 9-day journey the excellent Cruise North staff continuously awed, enlightened and entertained us with their knowledge of the Arctic in their respective fields. Our appreciation goes to all of the ship’s crew and the young energetic Inuit trainees for always being friendly, professional and helpful. Our compliments to the chef and kitchen staff, for the superb selection and culinary presentation of delicious meals (featuring tasty local meat and fish) including a wonderful barbeque we had outdoors on deck on one of our many warm sunny days.

Our trip to the mystical historic Marble Island in Hudson Bay’s Nunavut was a special experience. It’s unusual and striking geology and its whaling history made for another memorable day excursion.

On the final leg of our expedition, on Hudson Bay at the mouth of Churchill River we had a most magnificent encounter with Beluga whales playfully swimming around, under and next to our zodiacs in what seemed like only something experienced in a dream.

Words cannot express the appreciation I have for giving me the opportunity to travel to the Arctic and experience an important part of Canada’s distinct culture and breathtaking beauty.

Yours in appreciation,

Gisèle

Jour 4 Cruise North Expedition

2008-07-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

Une autre journee sous soleil… un autre reveil a siroter notre cafe sur le pont pour Nick et moi. Ca devient une habitude… le soleil de l’Arctique est incroyable. Vraiment chaud mais la brise de l’ocean nous rappelle que nous devons porter notre tuque!
Aussitot le dejeuner avale, nous nous rendons aux zodiacs pour aller visiter le village de K. Les gens y sont tres accueillants, chaleureux, genereux… nous avons assiste a un spectacle tradionnel et ecouter les us et coutumes des gens de l’endroit… dont entre autre, comment construire un igloo. Nous y avons passe quelques heures… et ce qui est surprenant, c’est que chaque maison, en plus d’avoir une adresse a aussi le nom de la famille qui y vit. Le village est magnifique… le centre d’interpretation est simplement a couper le souffle!!!
12h30, retour au bateau. Nous quittons ce petit havre pour passer un apres-midi AT SEA. Ce qui veut dire que nous ne ferons pas d’escale.
Meme si l’apres-midi ne s’annoncait pas occupe… elle fut rempli de surprises… 6 morses sur les icebergs. Tout le monde sur le pont… vite!
Vite!
Armes de nos appareils photos… les seuls bruits perceptibles furent :
click! Click! Click!click!
Vive l’imprevu… tout le monde est retourne a l’interieur… heureux de ce petit moment photo… A demain, Christian CBC TV

July 14th 2008

2008-07-17T07:53:00.000-07:00

Journee exceptionnelle!!!
Nous sommes alles faire une visite surprise a un troupeau de “Musk Ox”
sur l’ile Diana. Encore une fois, ce fut un « wet landing »… donc les bottes d’eau etaient de mise aujourd’hui. L’ile est fantastique… rocailleuse, parsemee de quelques plantes et fleurs uniques dans la region, et habite par ces betes geantes aux longs poils et aux cornes charnues… nous avons vu au moins une dizaine de betes… elles n’etaient en aucun cas impressionnees par notre presence. Nous avons pu en approcher une a seulement quelques metres. Nul besoin de mentionner que le groupe etait plus qu’heureux de cette rencontre imprevue…

Et en apres-midi… visite d’un site archeologique. Des os de baleines a profusion, des tombes datant d’une autre epoque, des caches, bref … un retour dans le temps.

L’horaire de demain… ?!? Ca nous importe peu… jusqu'a maintenant le groupe se laisse porter par les surprises et la beaute du quotidien qui se dresse devant nous… apres tout, nous sommes en Arctique!

Christian Milette, CBC

Premiere journee a l’ile Akpatok !!!

2008-07-14T09:21:00.001-07:00

Je ne savais pas trop a quoi m’attendre… l’inconnu de l’arctique m’intriguait!!!
Mais voila, apres seulement quelques heures a Kuujuaak, hop, vous realisez que vous avez les deux pieds sur le Lyubov Orlova, le bateau qui deviendra votre maison pour les prochains 10 jours.
Le personnel est exemplaire, professionnel, attentionne… et souriant!!!
La premiere expedition sur l’ile Akpatok commence par une legere promenade de 2 heures a flanc de montagne… et tout ca apres avoir accoste entre 2 immenses icebergs sur le rivage. Tout les passagers, prenant des centaines de photos, ne veulent quitter cet endroit… meme si nous sommes encore a seulement quelques metres des zodiacs qui nous ont amenes sur l’ile. La randonnee commence… les fleurs, les icebergs, de vieux batiments abandonnes, nos « spotteurs » qui surveillent les ours polaires… ne sont la que quelques elements qui nous font rapidement comprendre que nous sommes loin de notre quotidien, notre realite, la realite urbaine… ici c’est dame nature qui gere notre horaire et non le temps… Retour au bateau… diner… et hop, dans les zodiacs au nord-est de l’ile pour aller a la rencontre des ours polaires. Chanceux comme nous sommes, nous en avons vu 3!!! Dont un qui nageait dans l’ocean.
Le retour au bateau, apres 2 heures en zodiac, fut apprecie par plusieurs… la temperature ayant descendu rapidement. Tout le monde au salon… the, cafe et chocolat chaud en main… on repasse la journee, les highlights, tout le monde semble avoir apprecie cette premiere journee remplie et mouvementee!!!
Demain… d’autres surprises!

Cruise North Expeditions Passenger : Day One has Akpatok Island!

2008-07-14T07:03:00.000-07:00

I did not know what to expect… the unknown of the Arctic intrigue! But now, after only a few hours in Kuujjuaq, the Lyubov Orlova (the ship) becomes your home for the next 10 days. The staff is exemplary, professional, attentive and smiling…! The first expedition on the island Akpatok begins with a slight walk 2 hours a mountainside… and all this after having docked between 2 immense icebergs on the shore. All passengers, taking hundreds of photos, unwilling to leave this place… even if we are still only a few meters from the zodiacs that we have brought on the island. The hike starts… flowers, icebergs, old abandoned buildings, our "spotters" who monitor polar bears… are the few elements that make us quickly understand that we are far from our lives, our reality, the urban reality … Here is Mother Nature who managed our schedule and not the time… Back to the boat…… dinner and hop in the zodiacs north-east of the island to go to meet the polar bears. Lucky as we are, we have seen 3! Including one who swam in the ocean. Returning to ship, after a 2 hour zodiac ride, … with the temperature down quickly. Everyone in the show…, cafe and hot chocolate in hand… back on the day, highlights, everyone seems to have appreciated this first day completed and hectic! Tomorrow… other surprises!

Cruise North Passenger Ruth says...

2008-07-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

Arctic Explorer: July 3 - 12, 2008
What an amazing day we have had. We started bright and early leaving the ship in zodiacs in the sheltered harbour of Ivujivik. This is a small Inuit community located on the northeastern point of Nunavik where the Hudson Strait meets Hudson Bay. It is a community of very warm, friendly people who are a very creative group. We hiked up to the cliff that towers over the town. We had amazing views of the two waters, islands, the town and the airport, a short strip running across the top of the cliff. There were many colourful flowers along the way similar to those we saw on Baffin Island. As we came down to the road, a man and his young son approached on an ATV and it turned out that he had a soapstone carving to sell. It was a lovely piece that you will soon see as I was the lucky purchaser.

We talked to a number of the community members and then headed to the Co-op. It was surprisingly well equipped and quite expensive. The room of carvings at the back was incredibly popular with our group and Andy and I made a couple of other purchases. The prices are incredible and we are so happy with the pieces we chose. We were blessed with meeting the sculptor and sharing some stories and time with her. Women sculptors are fairly rare so it is nice to have her piece. She was delighted to know it was going to an appreciative home and we will exchange emails and I will send her the photos we took.

We re-boarded the ship and after a short sail transferred to the zodiacs again to visit the cliffs where the thick-billed murres nest. The geography is unbelievable and these black and white birds make do with the smallest amount of space possible on the ledges. There was quite a swell which was a bit better near the cliffs but the photos likely will have a lot of camera shake. It was exhilarating and topped off a special day.

We are now sailing back east in the Strait along the coast of Nunavik with more adventures planned for the coming days. The ice conditions look promising ahead.
Tuesday July 8th 4:15 pm

Cruise North Passenger Ruth says...

2008-07-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

Arctic Explorer: July 3 - 12, 2008
We have just returned from a zodiac ice excursion off Cape Dorset. The ice conditions have prevented us from visiting Cape Dorset but we had a lot of excitement when Michael’s zodiac became engulfed in the fast-moving ice. Julio stayed to assist them and the remaining three zodiacs beat a hasty retreat from the encroaching ice. We saw many seals, both harp and bearded, lots of guillemots, murres, and couple of eiders (or perhaps only one on the move). We also saw the evidence of polar bears with the stained ice but it wasn’t possible to tell how recent they were there. Although we didn’t see the bears, it was an amazing experience to be so close to the ice. I even got a chance to dip my hand in the Hudson Strait. It was cold but not jarringly with a just a hand dip, but I won’t get out the bathing suit.

We have only had one landing on Baffin Island but the geography and fauna in the fiord at Nanuk Harbour was amazing. We were capably guarded by two Inuit guides armed with shotguns who nimbly ran up the cliffs to scout out the terrain. All this in Wellies. One of them, Aisa, is a star athlete who was very successful in the recent Arctic games.

Yesterday was rather an uninteresting day as we were mostly in fog, there were lots of lectures, movies, and (as usual) food, to keep us entertained.

There is never a dull day on board!
Monday the 7th at noon.