Final blog from me for our 2014 expedition effort to sail the North West Passage.

CATRYN
David Rice
Fri 19 Sep 2014 15:23
Dai, Pete and I have spent the last two days cleaning Catryn in preparations for wintering her over here in Lewisport, Newfoundland and readying her for our attempt next year. Yesterday was a brisk sunny day and were able to air and dry things out on the dockside. Everybody is very friendly towards us here at the marina and very interested in our voyage.
During this voyage Catryn sailed 5000 miles andwe sailed to 74.40 north and were able to sail as west on Lancaster Sound as far as Beechey Island and anchored in Erebus and Terror Bay. Since we were not willing to winter over and new ice was forming we needed to retreat.
We all experienced the sheer beauty of the immense landscape all around us. Constantly brushing up against the intense, passionate and powerful forces of the natural world, wind, ice and sea. To complete a journey such as this one you need good preparations, discipline and luck! It all went very well.
For me the new bird sightings, the sounds of the migratory birds singing on their Arctic tundra, summer grounds. Sounds that have not changed for thousand of years, a rare treat indeed! Profound vocal vibrations passed on by each mature bird to its new clutch of fledglings for generations.
During the past seven weeks I have been filming our voyage for a forty minute documentary that will premier at the Frozen River Film Festival in Winona, Minnesota in February 2015, please check the festival on line. It was 50 years ago that Lyndon Baines Johnson the U.S. President instigated the Wilderness Act and we will be representing the high Arctic region in our documentary.
I would like to thank the Minnesota Marine Art Museum for their sponsorship, Andy and the whole crew for their constant support. Bernadette Mahfood and all involved at the Frozen River Film Festival who believed in this project from the vey beginning. A big thank you to all our sponsors for their support and the Nagel and Kendrick families for their very generous gift in memory of Betsy Jean Kendrick. A big thank you to all the folks we interviewed on our voyage in Pond Inlet, Arctic Bay and along the way. The valuable technical assistance from our new made friends from Halifax University while in Pond Inlet.
A big thanks to Bernadette the manager of our documentary, Heidi Bryant our logistician, go to and accountant person and our very dedicated and hard working editor Harry Kline who trusted me to handle the cameras.
The score for this documentary will be composed by Professor Eric Heukeshoven and classroom at the University of St Mary in Winona this fall. Historical facts related to the Franklin expedition will be narrated by William Crozier Sr also from St Mary's University in Winona.
I would like to thank Peter Rice and Philip Britton for helping me with the filming on board.
Thanks to Dai, Katherine, Pete & Philip for your good work on board and all of you out
there for your support, emails, interest and curiosity.
Very sincerely, Hywel Taff Roberts.


Sent from my iPad