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

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 most substantial town we have been in since leaving Greenland.  It is home to a North Warning System (DEW Line) site and the Canadian High Arctic Research Station.  It also has a campus of the Nunavut Arctic College.  These institutions certainly give the town a heftier feel than similar-sized communities without them.

Flat and treeless - looking towards the North Warning System station

We relocated the boat to make refuelling easier and tied up directly to the dock.  Very happy to say we only spent the hour or so it took to refuel attached to this secure looking cleat! Filled to the brim with fuel, we headed off on the 685nm leg to Tuktoyaktuk.

Well, that looks secure!

1, 2, 3, 4 little ducklings - quack, quack, quack, quack!

Beautiful sailing conditions, even if the sea was a bit lumpy.

The Northern Lights low in the southern sky!
Ironic that we are so far north we nearly missed them!

Making dinner in her salopette. Pete Goss will be pleased!

We worked our way in a generally west direction through Coronation Gulf, the Dolphin and Union Strait and into Amundsen Gulf.  We crossed the provincial border into North West Territories.  It feels like we are nearly there!

Our dream run was going to be interrupted by a big blow from the west, and it was coming before we would get into Tuktoyaktuk.  So we tucked into a protected bay to wait it out. The bay is called Summers Harbour and is part of an island group called the Fiji islands.  Not a palm tree, sandy beach or umbrella-ed cocktail to be seen.

Winds of up to 35kn (70kn/hr) were forecast.

Now, we sit and wait (and wait) for the storm to blow through...