Straight Outta Qikiqtarjuaq

Is this real life? When you wake up and come on deck and find that the boat is surrounded by eight bowhead whales! A few miles south of Cape Hooper in a cove, we happened upon several bowhead whales spouting nearby. We slowed down and watched as one floated near the surface, and as it swam by, we saw a fin come out of the water and I swear he was waving hello at us. Then a tail to say goodbye as we watched him disappear off our stern.

We tried to send Brian’s drone up in the area to see if we could capture them from above, but just as he launched, they seemed to disappear into the fog and reappear a mile or so away.

Just a couple miles before Qikiqtarjuaq, we witnessed the most astonishing sight. Al looking astern saw a rather large bird flying directly at Dogbark. He quickly realized it was an owl and we all looked over and I am sure we were all in shock and awe as it swooped down towards the port side of the boat. Al and Graeme was in the cockpit and Rusty and I were in the “sun room” and Rusty and we watched in complete shock the owl’s stretching out its talons and for a second we all thought the owl was coming in for a landing and Graeme’s head was the closest thing! But he soared up towards the spreaders, around the bow, back around starboard, and surprisingly, came back a second time! Rusty jumped up to try to get a video and we are so glad he did so we could share it with you.

I’ve been looking pretty hard for narwhals, and an owl was the last animal I would expect to see out here!

As we approached Qikiqtarjuaq, we could see our friends Noorderzon ahead on the AIS, but it wasn’t until we got through the fog that we could see them. It was rather exciting since we haven’t seen them since we left Nome. They went a different route and up to Resolute before coming back down. Reuniting after a great adventure, knowing we each had our own adventures had me all excited to exchange stories.

Noorderzon is a 36m converted tug to expedition super yacht. I didn’t even know that was possible, but it’s definitely the only superyacht I’ve seen that I thought was cool! She was converted by Balk Shipyard in 2012.

The captain, Estella came outside to great us and it was fun to yell across and send air hugs from afar. We made a plan to get together later to exchange stories. At the same time, a local boat of fisherman/hunters came out to say hello and greet us as well.

Qikiqtarjuaq (pronounced “ki-kik-TAAK-jo-ahk”) is made up of a small Inuit community located on Broughton Island just off of Baffin Island. It is a very picturesque town with a population of just over 500 people, traditionally made up of hunters and craftsman.

Nowadays, traditional skills are blended with modern day life. Many family still go hunting and berry picking in protected areas within Auyuittuq National Park. A local man probably in his 70s who grew up in a nearby area, but has called Qikiqtarjuaq home for the last 40 or so years, came down on his quad to greet us and start a friendly conversation. The next day we saw him and his family of three generations in the harbor returning from a successful berry picking excursion.

The freighter canoes we saw in Mittimatalik make up about 99% of the boats in Qikiqtarjuaq’s harbor and are fascinating to me. I am pretty sure if I were to get a small motorboat, this would be it! Would be awesome for my annual canoe camping trips! They look like a blend between canoes and a skiff, modified with something like a doghouse and with giant motors in the back. You can buy one for $10k and even though they recommend 10-15HP motors, we saw 90HP on the ends of some of them. We saw one leaving the harbor and it looked like a pretty sweet ride! Here’s a YouTube video of a guy modifying his canoe for those motorheads who are interested. Most of them are wood with fiberglass over them, but perhaps one of my favorite parts is that they are usually brightly painted. They’re functional and fun!

Since we had a little more time in Qikiqtarjuaq we had a liesurely day running boat chore errands which included a visit to the parks office. We wanted to find some information about the possibility of visiting Coronation Gulf and the permit process.

Angela from the parks office was very helpful and immediately got on a call with other offices to see if we could apply for a permit. There are limitations to motorized vehicles, and since we are a sailboat, we seemed to be in a grey area. Unfortunately, we were denied access because permits needed 90 days advance notice to be processed.

Having more time to speak with the Inuit, I finally got to learn a couple phrases in Inuktitut, the main Inuit language in Canada. There are different dialects of course, and after having asked several people, Sammy at the parks center told me was that I could use “aye-su-utee” (this is phonetic and not spelled correctly, I couldn’t find the correct spelling in my research) as a greeting. Most people greet based on the time of day so there are different greetings for that, but he said I could use that. I tested it walking in the streets and people responded with the same and a wave, so I think it was a success!

I also learned how to say “thank you”, which is “qujannamiik” (pronounced: KOO – yah – nah – MEE). And I think it worked because people would respond with “Ilaali” (pronounced: Ee-lah-li)! Here is an article if you would like to learn a few more phrases.

Something different and a uniquely me experience this journey has been how often I have been mistaken for being Inuit in Canada, but in Alaska as well. I had heard it several times from local white people, but the first time an Inuit in Teller asked me if I was native, I actually believed him. I assumed I still clearly looked out of place in my foul weather gear, but apparently that wasn’t obvious enough. In Qikiqtarjuaq, I was approached several times asking me if I was from Iglulik or if I was a teacher in town. It always feels a little embarrassing to be mistaken for something you are not, but somehow, being mistaken by the locals made it feel a little like a compliment!

After we treated ourselves to some ice cream, I noticed that we got the subsidy discount on the monitor. I thought the cashier was just being nice because I greeted her in Inuktitut, but it wasn’t until Brian pointed out, she might have given it to me because I looked Inuit. Ah for once, a misjudgment that worked in my favor!

After our errands we decided to circle back at the local hotel to treat ourselves to a dinner out. The only place in town was in the lobby of the hotel. We haven’t sat down and have someone else bring us a meal since Nome, and I had forgotten how much I loved fries and a fried chicken sandwich. We reconvened back on Dogbark and I worked on a batch of popcorn as the sun set waiting for our friends from Noorderzon to come over.

Another evening of stories and getting to know eachother. Four of the six crew came aboard and were comprised of professional mariners from Findland, France, Panama, and Slovenia!

The following day we parted ways, Noorderzon was on their way down south for a little cruising before heading over to Greenland and making their way towards Europe.

After a day of fueling, laundry, water, we sadly had to say goodbye to Brian, who was heading back to Arizona. Not only will we miss him and his drone skills, but his positive enthusiasm and hard work as well! For someone who did not know the crew at all other than Graeme, we felt he fit right in with everyone.

As we hugged Brian goodbye at the airport, we greeted our newest crew member, Sarah! I have been very excited for Sarah’s arrival for so many reasons, but mostly because she’s such a badass and I’ve had some of my best race experiences with her. We usually tag team bow duty on Creative and work really well together, plus I haven’t sailed with her in a while. She’s part of the OG crew of women on Creative when Shauna started up her all-women crew. She was new to racing then, but quickly became a star crew member. I actually came on board when Sarah went on “maternity leave”, but she was back out on the water just a couple months after giving birth and we’ve been sailing together ever since!

Shauna made a welcome cake for Sarah and decorated it with twizzlers and fruit snacks and we spent the evening making a plan for the next leg of our journey to Lewisporte, Newfoundland (approximately 1,200nm).

With two weather systems moving in, it’s been a little trickier to plan out our timing and hiding spots along the way. We had intended to leave this morning, but the system we were hoping to get in front of was already here, so we’ve had a nice catch up day at anchor, making a rough plan for Newfoundland cruising, cozied up with the wind and rain outside, and homemade granola and chili makings on the inside.

We’ll be underway for about a week before we get to Lewisporte, and it’s forecasted to be a bit sporty. So if you don’t hear from us for a bit, just know we’ll be a little busy, but we will update you as conditions allow. Wish us fair winds!