And we’re off! After 10months of patiently sitting in the harsh arctic climate, Seabelle is back on the move. With a raw sense of excitement, we wave good bye to Willy one last time as we pull away from the dock at 9pm. It feels both strange and wonderful at the same time to be on the move again. With no wind at all, we glide through the peaceful meanders of the majestic MacKenzie river. The absolute stillness offers a perfect reflection of the bordering trees and a dramatic mirror of the textured skies, only fractured by our wake.
We’ve split the watches in chunks of 2 hours, shorter than usual since hand steering may be required. The temperature has cooled only slightly and unfortunately, the mosquitoes are happily taking a ride with us.
I am excited to take over Francis watch at 3am. Perched on the starboard aft hatch, with the sweet hum of a working engine, I remember our tow up last fall as we pass by the same landmarks. Memories of the challenges we had to face - as you are forced to when you break down in the middle of the arctic – come flooding back. Now, alone on deck, with Bruce Springsteen singing his River and a soft light of the morning sun that never sets, I am relishing one of these overwhelming moments of utter happiness. I am home.
As we continue north and approach the mouth of the river, trees become scarce. Soon there will be none, only the desolate arctic tundra.
We soon reach Kitti, or Kitti – gazuit area, the shallowest part of the river and its narrowest channel. Here in the delta, the MacKenzie deposits tons of silted sediments before draining into the arctic ocean. The water is at its lowest level the locals have seen in 90 years. There is hardly more than last fall and we have to hold our breath a handful of times as we watch the depth sounder dips below 1m. We timed our passage here for high tide and with our centerboard lifted and free to bounce up should we hit the bottom, we successfully pass the shallows with relatively little stress. The tidal range isn’t large, just over half a meter but with so little depth, every centimeter counts!
The timing is perfect, the wind has now picked up and we raise the sails up for the first time since last September as we enter the ocean. It is always a wonderful feeling to see the big white canvas above our heads after a long winterization. With 18knots of wind from behind, gusting 24, we make good speed averaging 6 to 7 knots on a wing on wing sail set up, allowing the westerly breeze carry us comfortably to Tuk, occasionally surfing the baby waves. It is still fairly shallow, only 2m below the keel, so we keep our daggerboard retracted half way. The clouds have made way to a blazing sun and with flat waters, we enjoy perfect sailing conditions.
By 2.30pm, we’re tied up alongside the Gruben’s dock in Tuk. With no real pressure of time as the ice still blocks our way further west, we allow ourselves to catch up on much needed sleep.