Women’s Gossip:

 

So, we’re anchored off Beechy Island – the historic location where Franklin wintered here with his ships Erebus and Terror. Its a desolate location with very little wild life. Not my choice of a place to hang out for months on end. However, the desolation certainly gives it an atmospheric feel to the place.

 

The graves of the seamen who died are in a line close to the shore with nothing but shale around them. They were worth a trip ashore to get a feel for the place – words such as barren, stark, desolate all come to mind.

 

It feels very incongruent to be on board typing on a laptop knowing that this will be sent via the internet to anyone who chooses to read it when I think of Franklin and his men stuck up here for two winters.

 

Meanwhile life on board ticks along at a slow pace whilst we play the waiting game for ice to melt. Timings and destinations are unknown at the moment. However, if the temperature in our cabin is anything to go by, nothing will be melting!! Phil tells me that the average temperatures in Pond Inlet for this time of year should be 8 – 10 deg C. Our current temperature feels quite a good deal colder and the sleet/snow we have on occasions would suggest temperatures below average at the moment. A development officer we met in Arctic Bay informed us that they do not normally get snow at this time of year and that weather conditions are unusual this year. I know generally I can get quite excited by the prospect of snow but this is an exception. With no skis on board, it just makes things cold and damp.

 

Re. our cabin temperature - We do get a reprieve when the generator goes on and then we have the luxury of the fan heater. Although the heat is short lived, it makes a massive difference and makes getting out of bed in the morning much easier. Not something I find easy at the best of times – although helped by the cup of tea Phil brings me in bed, which feels like an enormous treat.

 

For those of you who are interested – the gas continues not to leak and a considerable amount of baking has taken place to increase stocks of biscuits etc. We have now resorted to each of us having our own box with biscuits carefully rationed. Dave and Pete have one to share between them – and I reckon I will make money from some couples counselling by the end of the trip to support them to deal with the trauma of this!

 

Catherine