Last of the Serious Ice

The Belloit Strait would be the last of the "serious" ice- the stuff that was worrying Serenity's Captain Vorland (although he wouldn't say so until after we were safely through).  We knew something was up when- on the advice of our ice pilots- he requested of the Canadian government, and received, the help of an additional icebreaker.

Working as a team, the two icebreakers serpentined through the pack ice.

Learned a bit about spotting polar bears at a distance...this is a male- narrower hips, thicker neck.

Female- wider hips, shorter, thinner neck.

One of my favorite photos from the whole trip- KOWABUNGA!!!!

One hardy guest. The temp was about 17f with a wind of about 20 knots. Note, also, the rain streaks on the window between us (I wasn't crazy enough to go out there just for a photo of her flipflops....)

Ice is beautiful isn't it?  Until you realize that bright blue stuff is Serenity's underwater hull paint scraped off by it...

About a third of the way through the 18 kilometer strait, the pack ice broke up, and Des Grosseilliers  turned around to sail back to help another ice breaker make a safe passage.

The northernmost tip of  continental North America.

These photos aren't all mine.  Many thanks to the countless guests and crew who madly airdropped photos back and forth, eager to share the best of the best with all.