Mars Down Under

7235 09606 Belugas, seals, porridge and a porpophin

Breakfast entertainment in Peel Sound. There were about 6 belugas around the boat one came right alongside and lots of seals - brown heads, greyish mottled bodies, quite small. The porpophin was small, grey green brown - hard to tell - with a small fin. Fulmars and tiny petrels. And Kimbra had porridge.

We decided not to go through Bellot last night - the depth sounder dropped out of the instrument system and it was windy and murky to boot - so we went north.

The world awaits the exit from the ice. Alex, I hope you are making it through the ice gut. I'm afraid the lows at the north pole will cause you some NW wind. Bummer for going up Peel, but should be a help in Lancaster. Snowing at Resolute and expected to continue for a few days. No ice warnings yet today, but still early. Some loose ice blowing in at the western top of peel, best to keep right up there. The first ice bergs to start in a day or two in Parry-Lancaster. The fun is not over yet!!

Hot off the press.

Just talked to Alex, The Berri is just above Matty Island in the middle. They talked to another boat coming south at the other end of this ice gut and the report is open ice. Ice continues to dissipate. Green is still good. The Berri strikes out. We turn blue holding our breath. Fingers crossed. Knocked on wood.

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Seems there may be a die to be carped so we'll go carp. Fallback will be Taloyoak or back to GH. Wish us luck and cross 'em!

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Out in the middle of Maud, where, 2 weeks ago, there was ice. Water milky rather sludgy emerald and a balmy 8 degrees. Kevvo0 back in charge - his stainless brain the size of a planet is not fussed by magnetic anomalies.

We've been astonishingly lucky so far with both wind and ice but that may be about to change. If it does, the level of risk increases daily that we will not be able to cross the 25 mile stretch of ice in Franklin that may be all that is stopping us from getting through.

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Departed CB 1030 - about 3.5 days to Taloyoak if we get lucky and then we have to eyeball it. May be a longish wait - at anchor too, so possibly uncomfortable. There's still a lot of ice in Franklin and these westerlies will tend to keep it there, although they should also apply some heat and perhaps accelerate the melt. Tricky passage through Simpson Strait south of King William Island and towards the end of it we will cross the path of the last Franklin expedition survivors, on their way over the ice to Starvation Point, where it is believed they all died after eating the bodies of their dead colleagues and being unable to catch bears or seals and anyway not understanding that that way - perhaps - lay survival.