Posts Tagged ‘adventure canada’
Dead Reckoning takes us to the wreck of John Franklin’s Erebus
To a crazy-busy 2017, the eagerly awaited, double-whammy climax will come in September. First, we go voyaging Out of the Northwest Passage with Adventure Canada. And this being a celebration year (something about Canada’s 150th birthday?), we get to enjoy a special, spectacular treat. Assuming the weather behaves, we will don a dry suit and, accompanied by…
Read MoreOur Northwest Passage voyage reaches for the Beaufort Sea
[Here endeth this series about our 2016 Adventure Canada voyage. Next September, we sail Out of the Northwest Passage, bent on finding the Hand of Franklin (or at least visiting the location of the Erebus).] DAY SIXTEEN . . . Cambridge Bay We saw the wreck of the Maud, recently brought to the surface after…
Read MoreGjoa Haven highlights this Adventure Canada voyage
DAY FIFTEEN — Gjoa Haven The people of Gjoa Haven welcomed our on-board Inuit singers as if they were rock stars. Come to think of it, they ARE rock starts. Susan Aglukark has an international reputation and following, so the screaming was no surprise. But young Kelly Fraser was also accorded a tumultuous reception. This…
Read MoreBeechey Island graves testify to the demise of the Franklin expedition
[Beechey Island is the most visited historical site in the Arctic — and with good reason. Last September, we got snow. In 2017, when we sail Out of the Northwest Passage, we will call in there once more.] DAY TEN– Beechey Island Sixty or seventy beluga whales stole the show at Beechey Island. We floated…
Read MoreVoyaging through history in the Northwest Passage
Looking back at our 2016 voyage Into the Northwest Passage, I find myself driven to juggling dates. Why? Well, because I love this image (left) of Dundas Harbour, which Sheena shot on Day Nine, and I think it deserves pride of place! DAY NINE — Dundas Harbour Under grey skies, we landed zodiacs on the…
Read MoreQuick hits from voyaging in the Northwest Passage
A couple more quick hits (excerpts) from our 2016 Adventure Canada voyage Into the Northwest Passage . . . DAY FOUR – Karrat Fjord At around 12:30, with the sun shining bright, the Ocean Endeavour entered one of the most spectacular fjords in Greenland. Karrat Fjord is almost 100 km long. We sailed up it…
Read MoreTo recall sailing the Northwest Passage is to dream of doing it again
[Last year, with Adventure Canada, Sheena and I sailed Into the Northwest Passage. Next year, in September 2017, we will reverse our route and sail Out of the Northwest Passage. Some of our stops will be different, but others we simply cannot miss — among them Ilulissat, where a river of ice produces the largest…
Read MoreChasing the Irish Pirate Queen around the Aran Islands
Hats off to James McQuiston, editor and publisher of The Celtic Guide, a superbly professional magazine that reflects his passionate interest in Scotland and Ireland. The December issue (click here) features contributions from throughout the Celtic world. They include an excerpt from my latest book, Celtic Lightning: How the Scots and the Irish Created a…
Read MoreArt show brings Northwest Passage to the Centre of the Universe
This is GRISE FJORD, one of the paintings that will turn up in MOUNTAINS AND ICEBERGS, Sheena’s forthcoming solo exhibition at Art Square Gallery in Toronto. Sheena did a lot of new works this year, drawing on voyages in the Northwest Passage with Adventure Canada. Situated on Ellesmere Island, Grise Fjord (home to about 130 people)…
Read MoreJohn Rae sails on through confusion & nay-saying
So here we are at Beechey Island, wending our way towards Victory Point, Rae Strait, and Gjoa Haven. We’re on the Ocean Endeavour, we’re sailing with Adventure Canada, and when I turn to Wikipedia, I discover a bit of confusion in the entry on explorer John Rae. I read that “Ken McGoogan has claimed that…
Read More