Eric Cove is the
site of a depot of the Hudson Bay Company and some indications of a community
settlement close to the ‘harbour’ are obvious, including a cemetery. John (‘fast medium’ walker today) decides to change
his Muck boots for his walking boots…Mmmm. A young caribou is grazing in the river
valley and likes the look of John’s group, ‘accompanying’ them for some
distance before wandering off to greener pastures. The boot decision proves to be something of a
problem when the need arises to cross the main stream a couple of
times…completed barefoot, “Tassie style,” much to the amusement of the
group. My ‘slow mediums’ enjoy a very
pleasant stroll along the river valley, ending with a climb to a high point to
take in the overall perspective of the river/glacier valley, with snow drifts
still in the more protected valleys.A planned visit to Cape Wolstenholme (Quebec) is aborted due to fog, no soundings for anchorage, with danger of drifting, and no wildlife found by the advance party. Instead, we moor off Digges Island and Laurie, our historian, traces the search for the North-West Passage by Sir John Franklin’s expeditions. And we have time to put the finishing touches on our headwear for the “Crazy Hat’ ‘al fresco’ dinner tonight, to be held on the upper deck…I wear a bowl of fruit and John sews corks around his Aussie hat! Unfortunately the weather is unkind and, after a delicious dinner, we are forced indoors.
Overnight in the harbour off Digges Island in Hudson Strait, part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. 25 knot winds from the SW this morning, overcast, and the whitecaps are playing around the ship; a planned kayak adventure is cancelled. We make a ‘perimeter’ landing on the island…confined to a secure area with fire-armed staff on lookout points. Because of the rocky terrain, a polar bear can approach unnoticed and therefore pose a danger. A huge black cloud brings thunder and lightning and dumps heavy rain… John, Brian and I find a small corner out of the wind as a shelter. Cloud moves on and we are able to explore the remains of Dorset houses as well as photograph the many plants and rocks that provide interest. A stone bear trap is found – the old “you can get in but can’t get out” trick…very ingenious.
At the beginning of the journey we were provided with a bright yellow waterproof/windproof hooded parka with hood and zip-out fleece liner. This has proved most useful for zodiac excursions, both cruises and landings and on deck where it can get a bit cool and breezy. And we get to keep them. Down-side? They weigh about 2 kgs and are just a bit bulky.
While we enjoy lunch, our most capable and accommodating Captain takes us back to Cape Wolstenholme for the zodiac cruise we missed earlier…winds now 40 knots so no launch possible. Instead he takes us as close as possible to the cliffs where Thick-billed Murres, Iceland Gulls and Black Guillemots nest in their thousands. Wonderful viewing if you don’t mind walking horizontally along the outside decks as the birds fly low over the water, skimming the whitecaps! The impromptu ‘rock’n’roll’ show that follows is…40-50 knot winds causing the ship to list ~10 degrees to port, making moving around anywhere a little interesting. Dinner finds many empty chairs…I manage salad before succumbing to the need to be horizontal and go straight to sleep.
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