We are still waiting for the ice situation to improve, so there is not
much to do but deal with routine maintenance jobs, read, watch DVDs,
listen to music, receive visitors from other boats waiting like us in
this protected anchorage, or return those visits. There are also walks
ashore, and watching the wildlife around us, mostly sea birds and the
odd walrus from a nearby resident colony.
For the first time I was successful in my fishing, and caught three odd
looking fish with wide mouths and large spinal fins looking like wings.
Unable to feed our crew of eight on that meagre fare, I accepted
Jean-Luc’s offer of using them as the base for a tasty bouillabaisse soup.
There was much excitement yesterday, when one of our neighbours came on
the VHF radio to inform everyone that a polar bear was seen walking on
the nearby shore. With everyone’s cameras and binoculars trained on the
majestic beast, two of Drina’s crew took Emily from our boat in their
dinghy and went as close to the bear as they dared. The bear gave them
a bored look, turned around and walked nonchalantly away. Obviously
sailors were not on his menu that day.
Finally there seems to be change in the air, the ice charts are looking
increasingly promising, so we may start moving soon westwards, and
tackle the proper part of the Northwest Passage.
