Monday 28.08.2023 Cambridge Bay, Iqaluktuutiag
This is a large main settlement of at least 30,000 and is a main supply post for other smaller Inuit settlements around. We are supposed to have a guided walk and then some time to ourselves. Artic Foxes went over at 9.50. Morgan and I decided to stay on board ship today and let the Master and Missus tell us all about it when they get back. There was a quick briefing on the beach by Fred, we gave our cabin nos. to security and we didn't go on a guided walk as we felt it would have been too long for the Missus. Yet another disappointment awaited us, again the Heritage Centre will not be open to us because of COVID. So no souvenirs today either. Apparently we would have been meeting quite a few of the town elders. The place where we landed was an open air heritage site with some of the original houses had been preserved. One had been the RCMP station, another a business, but the most interesting were the 3 different styles of residences the Government had built for the people. They all had facilities they hadn't had before but no form of insulation. In fact one style of home from the 1970s looked like a shipping container, it was called the 'Matchbox'. It often housed several families. The snow houses and the other types of dwellings the Inuit had been used, to were probably warmer in winter. Heating and cooking was provided by an Oil Drop stove. One of the guided walks was led by a young lady who just the week before, had been evacuated from Yellowknife because of the wild fires surrounding the town. All she had was the clothes she stood up in and her Sandal's. She was quite jolly though.
One man stopped in his truck at a junction and asked us where we were from, we said England and we stayed and had a long chat with him. I think he worked on government projects in the area. We asked about Muskox in the area. Apparently there had been a lot and they had been decimated by Lungworm, but to add insult to injury hunters had shot and killed the best looking ones that were the big Bulls. So now no Muskox. They do however get Caribou coming down in the winter. The Bay is interesting as it has a higher amount of fresh water in it and it freezes in the winter to a depth of at least 7 feet, therefore Polar Bears can't hunt there and seals cannot live there either. This is to do with the water currents, before Cambridge bay the currents flow west. After Cambridge bay the currents flow east. So we might see more icefloes towards the Atlantic. Also according to the map we can see this piece of land at the end of of Victoria Island is interlaced with many small lakes. Ulrich the resident Geologist says the land had bounced back after the Ice Age glaciation, and that the lakes will eventually dry up. The Missus and I aren't convinced. We think the sea is inundating the land slowly again. Interesting thoughts. Ships stopping at places like Cambridge Bay make a donation to help the communities economy, e.g. Helping the local basket ball teams travelling to play in tournaments.
Ulrich, resident Geologist, German speaks English very well if not a bit fast for Master to understand, but he knows his stuff and very interesting.
When we got back to the ship we watched the others coming back from Cambridge Bay from the Lounge Deck 10 and a beautiful Male Artic Skua flew past the window.
Yet another mess up at Fredheim restaurant today. We were convinced our meal was given to someone else, and people who had arrived later than us were served before us. We were forgotten yet again.
Back on board Fred has announced that we will be meeting the sister ship Fridtjof Nansen and would like people on deck to wave and cheer. I went up with the Master and Missus, I was wrapped in her coat nice and warm. It was scary as the ship came so close I thought they were going to collide. They had what is called an Arctic Kiss. Phew! they didn't but we waved and cheered at them and they likewise. Master said we should have been flying the Jolly Roger, Missus informed me it is the Pirate Ships Flag of Skull and Crossbones! We all started getting quite cold so we went to Deck 10 for a coffee and warming Rum. It was very tasty hic! The ships then drew up Starboard to Starboard and the Zodiacs were busy taking and fetching items to both ships. We watched from deck 10.
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