Daily Journey Updates

 

Saturday, August 4, 2012

***Scroll down to see amazing photos from today's incredible Coast Guard rescue operation! August 4 journal entries are also posted below***

Expedition Update - 8:00 pm EST

New update from expedition leader Geoff Green:

It's a little hard to explain what happened yesterday - a bit of a miracle I would say. We woke up to discover the ice conditions in the Iqaluit harbour hadn't changed and the wind was still not helping to blow the ice out. The situation was looking desperate and we had just about run out of options. I contacted the Coast Guard again and explained the situation. Captain Sylvain Bertrand of the CCGS Des Groseilliers agreed to help us and came to our rescue. This was no small feat for the Coast Guard. Despite the fact that the Des Groseiliers is an icebreaker vessel, rescuing our stranded team meant bringing the ship in close to harbour on high tide with a limited time window in which to operate. Fortunately, the tide was unusually high as it was a full moon. Finally some good karma going our way! Nonetheless, it was an amazing display of expert navigation by Capt Bertrand and his crew.

Our expedition team was well-prepared for the arrival of the Des Groseilliers since we knew we only had a 3 hour window in which we had to load the expedition team and all our gear/luggage from a barge to the Coast Guard ship, and from there onto zodiacs for another transfer to our vessel the Academic Ioffe. We loaded the students onto the barges and they had to remain seated as we plowed through the ice to get to the coast guard ship. The barge and Coast Guard crew treated the students like royalty with coffee/tea and cookies awaiting their arrival on board! All our luggage and gear came out by barge as well. The Coast Guard crew were excited to help out and be part of the experience with SOI! Needless to say our expedition was in peril without them and we simply cannot thank them enough.

Our expedition team was all on board the Coast Guard ship by 10:30 pm and from there we had to get out of the harbour before the tide dropped. There was a narrow passage to go through but we made it out just in time. We spent the next hour moving through the ice to the Akademic Ioffe. While on the Coast Guard ship, two students - Ashley and Donna - gave a much appreciated throat singing performance to thank the captain and crew for their invaluable assistance. The captain was fantastic throughout and he told the students it was a great pleasure for him to help out SOI.

We finally made it to our vessel the Ioffe at 11:30 pm - dark but under a full moon. We then used zodiacs to transfer everything and everyone over. What an operation! We were all finally on board by 12:30 am this morning and our captain and crew gave us a warm and enthusiastic welcome (with more snacks at the ready!). The entire team was ecstatic that our mission had succeeded in such dramatic fashion. We were all flying high on adrenaline by this point, which powered us through a full team briefing at 1:30 am. By 2:00 am everyone was sound asleep in their cabins.

The whole experience has been almost surreal and the adventure has surely taught us something about traveling in the North: the importance of being patient and resilient while respecting the powerful and unpredictable forces of ice. Mother Nature is in control out here and we are constantly reminded that these kinds of Arctic expeditions are no easy undertaking. We also learned the importance of staying positive and keeping our energies strong. Good karma really works!

Once again, I can't speak highly enough about Capt Bertrand and his crew for assisting us so expertly in this extraordinary operation. It was so unusual, in fact, that the story of our rescue has made news headlines right across the country! Even Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, issued a statement Saturday congratulating the Coast Guard for the successful operation.

Today we have to be escorted the whole way by the Des Groseilliers and once we get out of Frobisher Bay this evening, we will be on our own sailing along the coast toward the north. Tomorrow we'll be heading to the area of Monumental Island and we're hoping to see polar bears, walruses, more wildlife and ice!

After such excitement, everyone is glowing, happy, enjoying the blue skies and thrilled to be on our way. 

Update from Participant Coordinator, Kathleen Connelly

After a well-deserved sleep-in, students and staff awoke to an excellent breakfast at 9:00am. The Ioffe had already been underway for two hours and was being escorted through the lands of ice by the Icebreaker DeGroselliers.

After a morning briefing by Geoff, it was time to go outside and absorb the glorious vista. The sun shone from the sky, the light highlighting the ice beautifully. The sun was occasionally strong enough to create refraction and the bending airwaves made the ice appear to be floating in the sky. Some harp seals swam by and lounged on the ice. This sight was framed by the mountains of Baffin Island and the Sylvia Grinell Glacier. Back on board, one of the mandatory activities was the lifeboat drill to get us familiar with the emergency procedures on the ship. In the afternoon, Judith presented her knowledge of birds while Eric helped students prepare bottles to drop in the ocean as a part of a study of ocean currents.  At 6:30pm our escort ice breaker left us with a toot of farewell and took off to find the next vessel to escort into Frobisher Bay. What an incredible favour she did for us! Now alone, the Ioffe continued to head out of the Bay meeting occasional bands of ice. After dinner , many went outside to bathin the late evening sunshine and the spectacular sunset before a final recap and briefing in the lecture room.

Photos from August 4!

CCGS Des Groseiliers in Frobisher Bay just off Iqaluit

 

Cargo tending barge moving people from Iqaluit shore to ship through heavy, multi-year pack ice.

 

 

Loading Students On Ice expedition team members onto cargo tending barge to get through ice to
Coast Guard Ship and eventually out to our ship Akademik Ioffe.

 

The barge plows its way though the pack ice in Frobisher Bay.

 

 

Expedition Leader Geoff Green: "Thanks to the Coast Guard, we're finally on our way!"

 

 

Malaika Vaz

 

 

A student photographs the Canadian Coast Guard helicopter.

 

 

 

 

A student takes a quiet moment to write in her journal.

 

 

Derrick Darnell enjoys the beauty of the north.

 

 

A beautiful striped iceberg.

 

 

Students are safely transported courtesy of the Canadian Coast Guard.

 

 

The Canadian Coast Guard ship Des Groselliers.

 

 

Emmanual Muktar, sponsored by Oceans North enjoys the view from the ship.

 

 

Julia Sisto and Alexia Fabiana hold the flag of Monaco.

 

 

Barge and zodiac manouver through the pack ice.

 

Student Journals - August 4, 2012

Ocean Wyatt

The past few days have been extremely odd, but interesting. We were supposed to get to our ship on Wednesday, but the ice conditions were pretty bad so we spent two extra nights in Iqaluit. After Geoff did a great job pulling some strings and discovering a way to get to the Akedemik Ioffe, we got into huge floater suits and got on a barge to the Canadian Coast Guard ice breaker! So awesome. The coast guard staff were very welcoming and it was super exciting. We then rode over on zodiacs to our ship, got something to eat, had a quick briefing and headed to bed at 1:30 - which is way past curfew. I think living on a ship for the next 8 days or so will be a neat experience and it's great to be disconnected from society. I was quite homesick the last couple of days in Iqaluit, but now that we're aboard the amazing Akademik Ioffe, the expedition is only getting better. So yeah, as opposed to Led Zeppelins' "I'm going to California with an ache in my heart" , I'm going to Greenland with excitement in my heart.

*****

Terri Woods-Boone

I’m here with lots of my new friends, having a good time.  I’m a little bit home sick but I think I’m  through this.  Oh, and on the plus side, we made it to our ship!  I’m sitting here and it’s very nice.  I can’t believe how nice the ship is.  The ship crew is very nice. I can’t wait to go home and see my mom, dad, dave, brothers, sisters, my dog, and all my friends.  Here lately I’ve been thinking of all of them a lot.  I’ve started to write a song. Oh, and there are alot of talented people on this expadition. I’ve made more friends as the day goes by.  On the ship, I have two amazing roommates: Ocean and Avery.  I’m learning soo much here.  I can’t wait to do a slide show of everything I’ve done, and I’ve learned how to play a song on the violin (twinkle twinkle little star). There’s a guy named  Tyson here who writes and raps his own raps. At this point I can’t believe I’m here. Sometimes I think its all a dream. We saw a seal today … well, I missed it because I got confused and couldnt find it in time, but it’s okay because we should see more on the way to Greenland. There’s not a lot of time left to go, and then we’ll all be on a plane on the way home to our families. It’s only been one day, and we have seen a glacier and an ice berg. Well, I think this a good journal entry for today. Maybe if I have time I’ll write another one before I go to bed tonight.

p.s Mom, Dad and Dave, I really miss and love you. And Katie, Camille, Chelsea , Shea, Destiny and all the rest of my friends, I cant wait to get back and see you all.  I miss you guys soo much. Hope you guys are having a good time while I’m gone. Oh yeah, and I would also like to thank Ben, Aimee, Steve and the rest of the DPCC (Dunfeild Park Community Center) for all that you have done for me and for helping me get here. This trip is amazing. Aimee, have a nice trip. When I get back, I’ll try to get up to see you before you leave, but just in case I can’t for some reason, have a good trip and keep safe. See you when you and I get back!!! :) Okay, well I have to go there now.  Love you Mom. Hope you’re taking care of yourself and not worrying too much about me, because I’m fine, there, taking great care of me.  Love you, byeee byeee!!! I miss everyone soo much!!! See you when I get home!!!! :)

*****

Emily Walsh

Well here we are, finally on the Akademik Ioffe! So far today we've had a wonderful breakfast, time to unpack, and time to relax in the lounge and on deck, a lunch, lifeboat safety training, and now more relaxing time. The ice surrounding us is incredible - we would never be able to get through without the Coast Guard clearing the way ahead of us. The mountains surrounding Frobisher Bay are beautifully carved by glaciers long melted away, although we did see one glacier today, albeit a smaller one. There have been lots of birds flying around us, and a few sightings of seals, which I never seen. The Coast Guard ship ahead of us has a helicopter that has been flying in the mountains today, and the pilot was definitely having fun, flying right alongside our ship, turning 360's, and waving at us! Left in store for us today are workshops, supper and briefings, but who knows what else we may just come across before the sun sets!

*****

Steve Sheppard (staff)

Leaving Iqaluit and Frobisher Bay

Hello Hauna, Isaac and Daniel, I love you guys and miss you.  I am having a blast here in the Arctic!!

The only word that I can think of to describe the events of the past 24 hours is WOW! So as you who are following this Students on Ice journey in the Arctic know, we were stuck in Iqaluit for two days longer than we were supposed to be.  We were, as we say about the fog in NL, socked in...only this time it was with ice and not fog!! I can probably write a book about these couple days, but I will try and keep it as short as possible.  We loaded and unloaded gear each day into our luggage truck, hoped to get out to the Akademik Ioffe, but were relegated to the Nunuvut Arctic College residents for two extra nights.  While we were there we had different workshops from photography to stream discharge, a flash mob in town, tours, hikes and different visits to various municipal buildings. One of the hikes was a 7km walk from town to Apex, which is kind of a subdivision of Iqaluit.  The beach there is fantastic at low tide and the pack ice sits high and dry. This was our second trip there in a couple days.  The flash mob and a tour of Jonathan Cruz's murals were also highlights for Aug 3.  The major highlight of the day however was getting to the ship, not just getting there finally, but how we actually arrived there. As I mentioned in a previous blog, the Canadian Coast Guard was wating to ecsort us through the ice when we actually got on ship, but little did we know they were going to get us to the ship.  The operation started around 5pm by loading the luggage yet again, and then getting the students to the breakwater where the Coast Guard were going to use thier barges to transport us through the ice...how cool is that? We had some people here that convinced Ottawa to allow the Coast Guard to assist us, and the crew was more than willing to help.  They transported 120 people and all of the gear to their ship first, then from there to the Akademik Ioffe in a Zodiac. By the time I left the Coast Guard Vessel is was almost midnight. We had a midnight Zodiac ride under a full moon through the pack ice...again, WOW.  We arrived on board and worked on getting people and gear to thier suites until 2:30am...a long day!!!

Today is Aug 4 and it is a sea day! We 'jogged' all night through the ice and woke this morning in one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever been in.  The Des Groseillers (Coast Guard) had moved out of Fobisher Bay a little further than us and was waiting when we got there. It was a beautiful calm morning on the water with Ice all around, mountains and fjords on our Starboard side, and many seals poking thier heads out of the water to check us out.  Every few kms we would pass by massive icebergs, none really close, but beautiful all the same.  Further out the bay, after two fly bys by the Coast Guard chopper pilot (one of which was totally cool), we passed by the Sylvia Grinnell glacier, what an amazing sight! Today was a full day out on deck with the scenery, and yes, there are photos to accompany this when I get home, just a few though!  I am sitting here in the lounge at 10:30pm as we sail by more icebergs, just after finishing dinner (steak), and a debriefing of today's activities.  It has been an eventful two days, and tomorrow is promising to be just as eventful with a great plan in place!! Stay tumed tomorrow for another update from the high arctic.  
Good night!

*****

Mercedes Rabesca

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOO! We’re finally on the Akademik Ioffe! ALL THANKS TO THE COAST GUARDS OF CANADA who escorted us to our boat. We took a "barge" to the coast guard ship and then we took Zodiacs (boats) to our SHIP! !!!  I am the happiest girl in the world!  There are so many talented people here, like honestly people playing the guitar and the violin then the piano and we have dancers and smart-intelligent people! I also got mistaken for being Inuit AGAIN but I fixed it and told him about my culture and what I like to eat :)  lol. The ship is amaazing!  I feel like royalty being in here. Their services are among the best in the world. I haven't got seasick yet but hopefully I won't. On my way here, I met many people from out of the country! Like honestly the nicest people ever! BEFORE I GET CARRIED AWAY, on August 3rd, 2012 we did a flash mob in Iqaluit and I somehow became a dancer in the beginning? Heard it is going to be on the news and I am looking forward to seeing it!

*****

Saalia Pijamini

Finally writing on my journal, and a lot has happened since I got to Iqaluit. We got on the Coast Guard ship around 7pm yesterday and stayed there for awhile. I had to get used to being on the ship; every little movement would make me feel sick. We finally got on the Students On Ice ship around 1 am and most of us were really tired by then. The ship is really nice! We have our own bathroom in our room, and the beds are so comfy! My roommate is Michela and she's from Ottawa. We both love Pretty Little Liars! :D The food here is so fancy and there are waiters. I didn't expect it to be like this. I'm still getting use to living on a ship; hopefully I won't get sea sick as much as I think I will. The ship we're on is a Russian ship. The Coast Guard is leading the way because there's so much ice, and it's breaking up some ice. I can't wait to show all the pictures to my family and friends.

I'm doing okay, miss the phone and internet though, hehe.
Hi Jenny! If you see this, you gotta apply for this in a few years.
Mom, I didn't have the chance to call you again, hope you read this. Love and miss you mom!!

*****

Evelyn Parry (staff)

11 pm.  Somewhere near the mouth of Frobisher Bay

Less than 24 hours ago, we finally boarded the Akademic Ioffe, thanks to a spectacular (not to mention highly irregular) operation by the Canadian Coast Guard who delivered all 114 members of the Students On Ice expedition (and our goodly amount of luggage) to our ship, taking us by barge through the 9/10 sea ice which has been packing Frobisher Bay since our arrival in Iqaluit on Monday.  Three cheers for the Captain and crew of the incredible ice breaker Des Groseillers, who not only delivered us in style, but also escorted us all day today through most of Frobisher Bay, charging through ice like they were making margaritas, with our ship following in their wake.  

I feel pretty positive that the impressive flash mob we staged in a parking lot in downtown Iqaulitat at 5 pm yesterday (with all the students and most of the staff dancing to "Ice, Ice Baby") must have been the final thing that convinced the Coast Guard to help us out...:)   No - in fact, i figure that the three day delay in our departure from Iqaluit only gave us the smallest taste of the experience of the long line of adventurers and explorers and Arctic people who's best laid plans are delayed or interrupted or changed by big mama nature.  She rules here in the Arctic in a way that we southern Canadians don't usually have the chance to encounter.

Highlights of the week are so many:  the sea ice is mesmerizing; the landscape so vast and so amazing, I could just spend all my time looking. But then there is also so much to listen to: the staff assembled for this trip has an overwhelming amount of interesting information and experience to impart - about the sea and rocks and wildlife and ecosystem we are travelling through, about Inuit culture and history and language and tradition...and I'm Curious George, madly trying to take notes and connect the dots between everything I'm seeing and hearing and learning.   More soon.  Must go to bed as the sun rises at 4:30 am and I seem to wake up with the sun.  

PS  Sillyness highlight of the day (I like to have one everyday) was my appearance in a skit at the expedition briefing as "Captain Preparo"! Costume featuring bath towel cape, and fushia long johns with blue striped underwear on top, doling out advice about sunscreen, rubber boots and the virtues of layering.

*****

Marck Mercado

All Aboard the Akademik Ioffe!

The past twenty-four hours have been flooding with intensity and excitement. Due to the excessive sea ice in Frobisher Bay, our ship, the Akademik Ioffe, was unable to come close enough for S.O.I. to safely board. However, after many phone calls and extra nights at the Nunavut Arctic College, Geoff managed to devise a plan - and boy was it crazy.

Yesterday, the S.O.I. family went on the school buses for the last time, to the harbour. We dressed up in orange life suits (not vests), and went on barges at sunset. It was my first time in Arctic waters and I could not have asked for anything more. From the barges, we boarded a ship of the Canadian Coast Guard. They sailed us closer to the Akademik Ioffe. In order to get to the Akademik Ioffe from the Coast Guard ship, we had to take zodiacs through the Arctic night and black waters. By the time we were all on board, we had travelled in four different types of vessels and it was one in the morning.

The joy of finally being on a ship kept me awake for an extra hour. The last thing I saw before going to sleep was my cabin porthole with the Arctic sunrise of deep orange gently striking the sky of a spectrum of blues that reflected off icy waters. It was phenomenally breathtaking.

*****

Samia Madwar (staff)

I'm stunned. In the world I left behind last week, I would have expected about 100 people’s Facebook statuses and profile pictures to reflect the drama of our Coast Guard-to-Akademik Ioffe transfer last night. I would have expected live tweets chronicling our every move and Instagram images archiving every moment we considered photogenic. But this was the world I lived in before I faced SOI’s imposed tech ban—no smartphones, tablet computers, laptops or MP3 players allowed.

It was hard to enforce or even follow that rule in Iqaluit, when even staff couldn't tear themselves away from email for longer than a few hours at a time. I myself am guilty of sneaking off to check my work email only to discover that the world does keep turning even when I'm not online. But since boarding the Akademik Ioffe Friday night, I haven't spotted a single smartphone or MP3 player; not a single act of surreptitious texting or bbming. Instead of training their eyes on tiny screens to scan texts and headlines, people are looking up—at the ice, through binoculars and viewfinders and even at each other for a change. Granted, it’s nearly impossible to go online when you’re sailing out of Frobisher Bay, and many of us would still probably jump at the opportunity to check our mail. But now that we’re out of Iqaluit and away from the Internet's constant grip, I’m loving the freedom of being disconnected. I love that I haven’t had to think about email or social media all day today. I'm thrilled to watch students, many of whom were craving Facebook time just a few days ago, play music, spend time on the deck of the ship, practice their photography, exchange stories, read maps or write in their notebooks. It's far more fulfilling than anything Facebook likes or retweets could ever achieve.

*****

Harmony Jordan

Privet and Dobreuyi Vecher!
 That's hi and good afternoon in Russian. Hello everyone at home. I hope you are having a wonderful time because I am! Yesterday afternoon we performed a flash mob in the middle of town in Iqaluit to the song Ice Ice Baby! It was so much fun being part of a flash mob, especially so far away from home. I will remember that for the rest of my life. After the flash mob, SOI had an even more incredible event occur, WE GOT ON THE SHIP! After being in Iqaluit for two extra days behind schedule, due to wind and ice issues, the Coast Guard was given the OK to escort us to the Ioffe. So at 7:30 at night we all drove to the shore at Frobisher Bay, got suited up in gigantic bulky life suits, and boarded a barge that carried us to the very gracious Coast Guard ship. One by one, the barges returned with more and more people until everyone was on the Coast Guard ship. Being picked up by the Coast Guard was a once and a lifetime experience, and it was an entirely extraordinary one.

From the big ship, we boarded zodiacs (10 at a time) at 12 at night, and at last we were finally on the Ioffe!!! After quick briefing, lots of cheering, and a warm shower I was in bed at 2 am, ending the most eventful day on the expedition so far. Today we have been on deck scoping out the ice, looking for fauna. No luck yet!  And guess what everyone, I went on the deck in a tank top! It was probably 30 degrees.... In my defense I am preparing for swimming in the water ;).

By the way, Prentice I hope your award ceremony wasn't as embarrassing as you anticipated! I bet it was actually a lot of fun seeing old Fuller alumni and all the campers. Also Pete, I bet your allstate concert was amazing! I hope your mother took lots of videos because I cannot wait to see them when I get back! Mom please give Dixie a big hug and kiss from me. I miss everyone so much but I am having so much fun!
Sincerely,
Harmony

*****

Salumie Etok

We are finally on the Akademic Ioffe!! It took us 3 days to get to our ship because there was so much ice, so we were stuck in Iqaluit. The Canadian Coast Guard ice breaker brought us to our ship. It was very late when we got to our ship. I was so tired and had a little headache. I'm so happy we are not in Iqaluit anymore.

To any of my family members or my friends who read this: I am doing all right and I am having fun with a friend and new friends. I am doing all right and I will talk to you a lot more when I get home, because there are so many things we did. Sea sickness hasn't come yet and I am still hoping that I won't get sea sick.

*****

Elena Mesher

Today is the first day we have beenon on our ship. I am really ecstatic to be on this expedition. Meeting new people and the staff members have been great. I love listening to what the staff know and what they did in the past years they have been in the Arctic. The stories they tell from the past are really interesting and make me lauph. I feel very lucky to be here. I was soo happy to hear that the Coast Guard ship helped us yesturday. It was a very long process to get to our ship. We finally got on our ship when it was midnight. I couldn't believe that we were still awake. I think it was all the excitement knowing that we were finally gonna get on our ship.

*****

Danno Peters

August 4th, 2012 - Frobisher Bay, Nunavut, Canada

Last night after a late night Coast Guard operation we were finally on our ship.

We started out our boarding operation two days earlier (August 1st) when we carried all of our suitcases down the stairs in the morning and then back up again when our launch was called off (an action which we would repeat over and over in the days to come. So often that it began to feel as if it was an endless cycle!).

After many attempted boardings (all called off by ice) many “Acme” ideas started to arise with the cabin feverish students (and a few of the staff who are children at heart). Ideas included rockets, zip lines, grappling hooks, rocket launchers, helicopters, torpedoes, submarines, airplanes, rapelling, and parachutes just to give you a feel. In response the staff members and other students would usually respond with “OK! But you go first!” or “I am sure we are covered for that! –by insurance-”.

Luckily the crew of the HMCS Des Groseilliers came to our rescue (before we went totally kooky).

After supper on Friday we boarded busses in twenty person groups and left for Iqauluit’s Breakwater where we were met by most of the town, Coast Guard personnel in D-Day lander type barges, local fishing boats, and some blaze orange float suits. After donning our float suits we boarded the barges and waved good bye to Iqaluit once again. After a very curvy trip of dodging ice chunks and small bergs we arrived at the Des Groseilliers. After all of us were aboard, our luggage was then loaded onto the barges and craned aboard in cargo nets. After breaking a path out of Iqaulit’s Harbour the icebreaker dropped anchor close to our ship in a patch of open water. After the search lights were aimed between the ships we boarded Zodiacs and headed for our ship. By two in the morning we were all aboard (and our luggage was too). And that is when I passed out in my nice warm bed….

*****

Emma Arsenault

August 4th, 2012- Frobisher Bay, Nunavut

So, WE MADE IT!! After a barge and a Canadian coast guard ice breaker, some zodiacs and alot
of teamwork, we reached our ship! Our first day on board the Akedemik Ioffe is wrapping
up and it's been full of amazing sights.
 
We got to spend a entire, relaxing day discovering the beauty of Frobisher Bay
as the Canadian Coast Guard led the way through the ice. With the sun overhead we
were able to roam around the gangways, snap some shots, curl up to write our
journals and even do some sunbathing on the top deck!

It's still hard to believe we are cozied up in a Russian research vessel heading
North to explore some of Canada's most remote places! Everyday we have been learning
new facts, meeting new people and seeing new sights.

I can't wait for tomorrow!

*****

Tyson Angnetsiak

Day one at 'Akademik Loffe', and everything stays the same but even better! Its been
two days we were stranded at Iqaluit, NU, but we also had fun stranded at Iqaluit.
Being with students and staff is a very big pleasure to me, and to everyone else. Also, I'm
having a great time spending time at 'Akademik Ioffe', even though its only a day I've
spent...

What's the best thing in my life right now is enjoying day by day with SOI Expedition,
and I can never imagine how weeks past by so fast. Right now, I'm just enjoying looking
outside on the 'Akademik Ioffe' because it's a beautiful day and the weather is calm.
The Coast Guard is escorting us, passing through Bay, and then we're going to Greenland. Its a good
karma for now...

*****

Rosemary Davies

Today was our first entire day on the ship, the Academic Ioffe. As the ship sailed towards the end of Frobisher Bay, everyone became familiar  with the environment.  We had an emergency drill, where we headed into lifeboats fitting 66 people each. And, throughout the day, everyone walked to-and-from floor to floor into different rooms. The many places include: our cabins, bridge, pool/sauna, dining hall, mud room, bow, stern, lounge, and library. There was a lot to explore!

My favorite memory of the day was making drift bottles (or letter-in-a-bottle) to be sent out to sea. I wrote three letters, each very unique unto themselves, and bottled them up amongst the 100 others. These drift bottles aren't just for amusement, but also for mapping the ocean currents when they're found and recorded. But, while there's between a 5 to 15 percent chance they will be found, I do hope that they'll be able to make their journey. May they go with the flow, and find themselves in a new land. Fingers are crossed!