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Expedition Update: Aug. 15 - Butterfly Bay
Today was the last full day at sea on board the Polar Ambassador - as usual, the team was blessed by blue skies, calms seas and warm temperatures. Never before can we recall and Arctic voyage with such great weather.
The team spent their morning at beautiful Butterfly Bay. There were icebergs to see, beaches to cruise, wildlife to spot - and some fantastic hills and tundra to hike. It was the perfect expedition landing to wrap up the journey.
The afternoon on board was spent wrapping up workshops and packing up cabins. In the evening, there was big slide show presentation (all of these pictures by the way, were provided by our wonderful staff photographer Trevor Lush), there was a lot of singing and dancing, presentations, and of course a giant feast for dinner - as a well as a giant thank you to the Captain, his Officers and Crew. It was a memorable night.
Participant Journals:
From: Laura Anne Caroll 
Man, I’m going home around the 19th of August. I’ll be spending a night in Iqualuit and maybe in Kujuuak. The trip is ending but I don’t want it to end because I’m getting used to the trip.
Lying down on the beach is fun, feeling the air is calming. Dreaming of home, friends, and being with family. I was looking at all the small rocks on the beach in Butterfly Bay today. It’s weird to think that all the amazing people are going back to their lives. Hopefully they will be taking from this trip ideas on what we can do to help the planet.
I’m hoping to see some changes in the coming years. Remembering what has been, what was, and what we know is inspiring.
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From: Connor Jessup
I had a few lasts today. Last zodiac landing. Last day on board the ship. Last lecture. Last Zodiac cruise. Although I did have many lasts today I need to remember how many firsts I have had on this expedition. First Iceberg. First time above the Arctic Circle. First polar bear. First Walrus. First time in Nunavut. First time spending a night on a ship. First glacier. First snowball fight in the summer time. The list goes on and on and on. When I think back over the entire expedition I realize just how much I have learned, not only in the lecture hall but through personal, hands on  experience.
Today was SOI’s final day aboard the ship so we tried to make the best of it. Last night we sailed to a small bay on the east coast of Baffin Island named Butterfly Bay. It is a long and narrow bay filled with large icebergs and rocky hills. Half of our group made a cruise around the bay while the other half had a relaxing time on the beach. After an hour the groups switched and did the other activity. I landed on the beach first. It was so quiet and beautiful. I found a small rocky outcrop to sit on where the only sounds I heard were the relaxing lapsing of waves hitting sand. I really had time to think. I thought about everything that happened to pop up into my mind. Although I am not quite sure what I was pondering half of the time, I do know that time flew by fast and before I knew it the hour was up.
The zodiac cruise was a little less relaxing a tad more exciting. We sailed to within inches of majestic icebergs. The section of the iceberg that was underwater reflected in the sun and turned the surrounding water a sort of turquoise that you usually find in the Caribbean. Every iceberg had its own noble design. Some were abstract while others took the shapes of animals, trees and people. It was a humbling hour.
 The beginning of the afternoon was quite sad. Packing time. It felt like it was just yesterday that I was unpacking everything. I spent some time today finding lost items and realizing that during this process I had lost other items.
We had several lectures to rap up our education program including talks about the International Polar Years (2007-2009) and ecological footprints. If you do not already know, an ecological footprint is the amount of land a single person would need to sustain his of her life. E.g. Waste Disposal, Growing area for food, space for needed trees, etc….
After dinner this evening we all gathered into the lounge for our final briefing and expedition rap-up. It was a fun night full of stories, songs and discussion. I am going to miss the sense of community that exists on this ship. While we were in the middle of this, a staff member came into the room and told us that the Aurora Borealis (or Northern Light) were in the sky!!! The night could not get better.
Tomorrow we are docking in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut. We will be met by many high members of the Territorial government along with Nobel Prize nominee Sheila Watt-Cloutier. We will be toured around the city before boarding our return flight to Ottawa, Ontario and thus marking the end of this life changing voyage. I will try to write again tomorrow from Ottawa.
From: Omar Beg
Today was our last day. It was really fun even though we spent most of our day packing and settling our accounts. Even still we had a lot of fun wrapping up the education program, saying goodbyes, signing t-shirts, taking photos and being a part of the SOI Impressions Wall.
We also had a landing in Butterfly Bay in the morning. After this, we cruised in our zodiacs around a few icebergs, saw some spotted seals and others saw a caribou. We are just getting ready for our final briefing and last day celebrations.
From: Payal Patel
Today is the second last day where the entire team will be together. Tomorrow we will be in Iqaluit and some of our team will be staying. Today is a packing day, but we are also going to Butterfly Bay, a place with a beach, animals and a beautiful view. Earlier this morning, people saw a polar bear sleeping in the distance as well as a baby whale. We are super excited and sad because this will be our last expedition landing for the entire trip.
The rest of today will be filled with last minute workshops, activities, shipboard account settlements and of course, packing. This is going to be especially hard because when you pack, you realise that the trip is over. But I cannot wait to be back in Markham with my family!!!
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