Pond Inlet, Baffin Island
Meet the inhabitants
We arrived at Pond Inlet at the north-eastern tip of Baffin Island before breakfast. The sun was glinting on the water and the snow-covered mountains and glacier, 3- hours’ boat ride away were awe-inspiring.
This was our point of arrival into Canada, where immigration clearance took rather longer than anticipated, due a crew-member’s passport getting stuck to another passport and thus overlooked, whilst each passport was stamped, holding up disembarkation by Zodiac, until said passport was found.
Pond Inlet or Mittimatalik, in Inuktitut, was founded as a trading post in the early 20th century by the Hudson Bay Company. It has 1700 inhabitants and an international airport. The residents are supplied water in tanks, brought by lorry, heat their houses with diesel-generated electricity, have 2 general stores, 2 Internet providers and drive diesel ATV, trucks and cars on its dust roads. We were struck by the sight of big gas barbecues outside many houses.
We were shown the hamlet by a local guide, including the nursing centre, with 9 nurses and an absent doctor (hence the requirement for all visitors to wear face masks all the time), the elementary and secondary schools, the library but not the sod house on the way to the Cultural Centre.
We were entertained to a theatrical performance by a local drama group, including youngsters and a woman with a child in a papoouse, which comprised much singing, drumming and athletic competitions,
Due to the unhurried nature adopted by some of the groups, time ran out to visit all the sights but a couple of us managed to persuade our guide to allow us a quick visit to the sod house, which they are in the process of rebuilding. It is a summer house, constructed with turfs of peat, with a seal skin roof supported by whale jaw-bone, and contained 2 fires, one for cooking and one for drying clothes.
Back on board, Peter and I had some housekeeping to do, before we ventured to the gym. We were now sailing up the Navy Board Inlet towards Lancaster Sound, with absolutely magnificent snow-covered mountains in the background on Bylot Island, tundra at the water’s edge and icebergs floating past. A magical voyage in the sunshine.
Overall, an enjoyable day ( if a rather frustratingly shambolic excursion), with fun companions at dinner, but now we are all anxious to encounter some more wildlife.
