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Tuktoyaktuk - 69°27′03″ N 133°02′09″ W

By Kate and Sean - September 03, 2024

Polar Bound - skippered by the legendary David Cowper From the protection of Summer Bay, we watched the storm clouds pass over and around us and listened to the wind whistle through the rigging. All the boats in our convoy had pulled into shelter. Thor, Hauru and Night Owl in Summer Bay, Lumina in Letty Harbour on the east side of the Parry Peninsula and Sky Dancer and Myhann at Pearce Point to the east. We were also joined by Polar Bound and a tug boat with two huge work barges. The break gave us the opportunity to rest and do some forward planning. Wind and rain - but the blue sky started to peep through! Due to time constraints and concern for the weather slowing progress, we planned to disembark from Voyager at Tuktoyaktuk. Our friend Lorne was driving up from Whitehorse to meet us. He had flown up from San Francisco just to make this journey. Lorne, you are a legend! One small complication was he needed to catch a return flight from Whitehorse and needed

Summers Bay (Northwest Territories) - 70° 07' 35" N 125° 05' 45" W

By Kate and Sean - August 31, 2024

Forest of masts in Cambridge Bay or Iqaluktuuttiaq We rafted up to Hauru and the weather was glorious for our reunion with other west-bound boats. Unable to get fuel until the next morning, we were all able to relax and enjoy the sunshine. Our plans to dine out, however, were thwarted by it being a Sunday and everything was closed! Sean contacted the hotel and the lovely April offered to make pizzas for us and deliver them to the boat. She wins the hospitality award for the trip! We enjoyed our pizzas aboard Lumina then headed back to Voyager . As we stepped across Hauru , we were invited in for a drink... or two... or three! As close to a muskox as we will get on this trip A touch of Constable red - Mum will be pleased! This is a stunning art installation. It was created by a youth group under the guidance of an artist using scraps they found at the tip. While we were waiting for the fuel truck, we had a chance to wander around the town. It is the mos

Larsen Sound - 70° 27' 16" N 98° 30' 36" W

By Kate and Sean - August 25, 2024

On leaving Willis Bay, we hugged the coast to keep out of the worst of the ice. There was scattered bergy bits and growlers but nothing significant as long as we stuck to the coast and ducked inside the islands. Our planned route to Cambridge Bay And that literally means hugging the coast! We were only about 100m off shore. Fortunately, it was deep. We saw polar bears, seals and most excitingly, the East-bound fleet! We passed three of the five boats that has come from Alaska. Not only is it fun to see fellow sailors but if they had come from where we are going, it means we can get through! East-bound DogBark! And note us hugging the coast... Sean monitoring the fleet as we edge along the coast Kate helming through the mist and the ice Having negotiated the ice just to the south of Willis Bay, we had a clear run down through Larsen Sound until we hit the ice in Victoria Strait. The more usual route is to head down the east coast of King William Island because this is where the i

Prince of Wales Island - 71° 57' 58" N, 96° 34' 57" W

By Kate and Sean - August 24, 2024

We woke to a glorious but cold morning. It had snowed overnight and the hills around the bay were frosted white. And to our excitement, there was a herd of muskoxen grazing on one of them! The last major critter on our list now had been sighted. Okay, even through the binoculars, they were tiny, moving black dots but they were not 'muskrocks' which we had seen many, many of! Snowy hills with muskoxen - you are going to have to trust us on this one! Snow dusting the deck Snowy lines The sunshine suited our moods. We were through the notorious Bellot Strait and now had only Larsen Sound and Victoria Strait to contend with and we would be through the ice. And we had the day to rest, laze around, write emails, edit video and generally pat ourselves on the back. Making life easy for The Garcia Marketing Team! Adding to the excitement, we could see belugas swimming along the shore. Their white bodies make them remarkably easy to spot, even at a distance. Adriano managed some t

Bellot Strait Attempt 2 - 71° 57' 04" N 96° 34' 28" W

By Kate and Sean - August 23, 2024

The ice-filled Levesque Harbour On the change of tide, ice started to fill the harbour so we up-anchored, escaped the ice and drifted for a bit while we considered our options. We decided to head back to Depot Bay and assess the ice situation there. As we dodged through the ice on the 5nm jump, Thor contacted us to say they were nearly at Depot Bay along with Sky Dancer and Nashichata. So once again, we were five boats anchored in a remote corner of the globe! Rugged up and ready! The call went out and we are off! The ice is clearing and, despite the wind and the rainy forecast, it is the ice that rules. We headed out in a convoy - Sky Dancer, Thor, Voyager and Nashichata - charging along to make Magpie Rock on slack tide. The ice we had experienced coming from Levesque Harbour was gone. There were a few growlers and small lumps of ice but nothing of the wide band from 12 hours before. It was cold and wet, hang on, that’s snow!! We all rugged up in our warmest kit,

Bellot Strait: Attempt 1 - 71° 59' 58" N 94° 36' 55" W

By Kate and Sean - August 20, 2024

The route we have chosen, or the one the ice has chosen for us, includes passing through Bellot Strait. Bellot is a narrow strait that rounds the northernmost point of the Americas mainland! It is notorious for ice and there was a most unfortunate incident in 2018 when a sailing vessel transiting the strait was crushed by ice and sank . Lordy!! Our route through Bellot Strait We have been sitting at the east end of Bellot Strait since Friday waiting for the ideal conditions. A few of the boats have made it safely through and are anchored off Prince of Wales Island waiting for the ice to clear in the Franklin and Victoria Straits. Due to a narrow stretch between shallow water and a rock at the start of the Strait, the advice is to approach at slack water to avoid the eddies that can through both the boat and the ice around. This is where the sailing vessel was caught in the ice and was sunk so we followed this advice to the letter! Myhann in Levesque Harbour We left

Fort Ross - 72° 00' 38" N 94° 13' 45"W

By Kate and Sean - August 18, 2024

The iconic Hudson Bay Company hut I n this desolate and remote corner of the world, The Hudson Bay Company set up a trading post to take advantage of the fur trade in the area. So inhospitable and inaccessible it turned out to be, the post was abandoned six years later after supply ships were unable to access the fort for two years. The Canadian government enlisted the help of the US air force to evacuate the personnel. A chap parachuted down to prepare the landing site and it was the first parachute jump north of the Arctic Circle! Quite the remote corner The abandoned Fort Ross buildings are now iconic images on the NWP transit. A couple of the buildings are now gone, the house is derelict and the old store has been maintained as an emergency shelter. It is boarded up to be bear proof but once inside, it is a cosy oasis with a stove, bunks, cooking utensils and food. Five yachts in the bay and a hut calls for a party! So ashore we all trundled with munchies and drinks an

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