Into the Labrador Sea

It’s been seven days since we shook the snow off our sails outside of Qikiqtarjuaq and continued our journey towards the Labrador Sea. With 1,200nm to go, it would be a longest and probably more challenging legs we’ve had so far.

The east coast of Baffin Island is a spectacle that can only be experienced in person. You know how the Grand Canyon almost looks fake because it’s so vast and so amazing? I had similar feelings watching the cliffs of Baffin go by. There were still plenty of icebergs around and stay alert for, which became increasingly difficult as the days began to get darker earlier and get dark.

We sailed by Cape Searle, home to the largest fulmar colony in Canada with cliffs that reach 430 meters tall!

When we started entering the Davis Strait, and the forecasted breeze started to build, which made for some beautiful sailing.

The northern lights and bioluminescence kept us company in the dark night. I looked forward to the clear nights, which made for great dancing under the moonlight!

Somewhere around day four, when things started to get sporty, I started to go down for the count. It wasn’t so much as the bumpiness that got me, but the confused seas with swells up to 9ft coming from every direction in addition to the 27knots of wind gusting to 37 had me feeling like I was in the middle of the wash and spin cycle of the washing machine. I could hardly see the horizon at times while we were constantly shifting with the swells.

Around the same time several other crew started to fight a few head colds too. It’s funny how nobody was sick the entire time we were in the Arctic, but as soon as we came out of the Artic Circle, we all started to lose it. Maybe subconsciously our bodies were telling us we could relax or maybe we were too acclimated to the cold and the “warm” temperatures were a shock for us!

We haven’t seen any icebergs for days but they might be coming up along shore. The good news is that it takes a crew and everyone did a good job taking care of each other as we weathered out our different illnesses. The seas started to calm down yesterday and we’re all on the mend now and looking forward to getting to shore tonight. We could use a little more wind though, so send some or way!

We have been traveling north and east for so long, it’s been amazing how quickly the environment changed as we headed south. The Labrador Sea showed us more wildlife which included whales and dolphins, the water temperature is back up to 50 degrees, and there are more signs of civilization including airplanes and fishing vessels. I can’t remember the last time I saw an airplane in the sky. We’ve started seeing new birds including Atlantic puffins and Albatross!

I’m still hoping I might get to see a lost narwhal, but this morning’s white beaked dolphin party has been a highlight! They came from every direction, and came to play at the bow with us intermittently for over an hour.

After about 30 more dolphins I finally calmed down the squealing enough to not lose my mind. Sarah starts speaking dolphin though, and it works!

We are due to arrive in Twillingate, Newfoundland tonight around 10pm, where we will have to say goodbye to Rusty and Graeme, but Sarah, Al, Shauna and I are very excited to explore some more of the Newfoundland coast over the next week! We’ll be taking Dogbark to her winter home in St. John’s and I am excited to spend more time with Shauna and Al because since we changed watches I haven’t seen much of them.

It’s strange to shift into thinking about coming home next week, I haven’t said “See you next week” to anyone in months. We’re still out here on an adventure, and I am not quite ready for it to be over yet. My heart is still out on the water looking for narwhals, whispering songs over the ice.