Iqaluit was the landing point for our charter and as we toured around in 3 school buses, it seemed to me to be quite a desolate place – my impressions emanated from its ocean-edge location, the billowing shrouds of dust as well as the worn-out looking buildings and homes. There was a strange feeling of abandonment emphasized by our visit to the “Road to Nowhere” – a peculiar focal point to show visitors. The town had grown up during the days of commercial whaling and then the fur trade, however when this market crashed in the 20’s, the town languished. It feels almost as if people here have given up.

The ship zodiacs were waiting for us on the outskirts of town and we had quite a ride out of the harbour to the ship as the tide can change by as much as 35 feet! Off we set about 1600, but soon we experienced our first Plan B. There was so much ice in Frobisher Bay that our ice-strengthened ship, the Russian Akademik Ioffe, required the use of an ice-breaker. The Terry Fox joined us about 2200 and it surged ahead through thick growlers and bergie bits until 0500 the next morning. We got up to watch it peel off to the right on its way to help some other ship out of trouble. » Read more: An Arctic Adventure – Exploring Baffin Island

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