Dundas Harbour, not Croker Bay, John Rae
Fog, fog. Nothing but fog. We could hardly see the sea.
We were in the second zodiac group, early in the morning. So, no gym, but early breakfast and warm clothing on, ready for a fast scramble when zodiac loading was to be called. But breakfast needed not to be hurried. Fog, with more fog on the way in the weak wind. The fog prevents us spotting approaching polar bears, but not them sniffing us out AND we are not allowed to feed the animals!
A hurried schedule of lectures was announced, and we thoroughly enjoyed Colin’s talk on the Scottish ‘wild man of the west’ John Rae. An extraordinary man that had significance not only in the exploration of the Hudson Bay area and Canadian Arctic, but also became a prominent member of the Royal Society.
Fog, and lunch. The expedition crew gambled on staying on outside Dundas Harbour in the hope the fog would clear, rather than moving on to the next objective, the nearby Croker Bay.
Then, a set of ‘tiny talks’ – short talks on interesting subjects – the last ‘Great Auk’, the movement of icebergs in Baffin Bay, Stone Dating, Colin Archer the ship’s architect , Fritjof Nansen the explorer.
…And the fog lifted! Expedition crew swung into action, readying the landing, marking paths, setting polar bear guards, landing emergency equipment. Off we went!
Dundas Harbour was established in 1924 to establish Canadian presence with Royal Canadian Mounted Police providing authority to the settlement. It was abandoned completely in 1951. It was bleak – six wooden shacks on a vast shingle beach, and a tiny cemetery with four graves. How anybody would have overwintered in a place like this is beyond comprehension.
Trudging back to the zodiacs, we turned round and thrilled to a large flock of Snow Geese, wheeling and and honking across the bay. A rare delight!
Once all had returned to Fram, the ship was underway, omitting Croker Bay, and the first Polar Bear alert was announced! Passengers poured out of cabins and comfortable chairs in the lounge to grab massive telephoto-lensed cameras and binoculars. The object of all the interest was on a shingle beach, quite far away. The bear was visible now – but not now….. Now…? No…? Very difficult. There was another, even further away. Frustrating.
Gazing out of the restaurant windows, there was an extraordinary activity of birds, revealing patches of great fish activity under the surface. Binoculars revealed numbers of harp seal herds in the glinting sea, and there were reports of over 50 Narwhals (a pod!).
