30th August 2023 – Bernard Harbour

Coming out of Cambridge Bay, we tacked into 17-22kt of wind. By midday, the wind became light so we continued under motor. We had to keep an average of 5.5kt for this passage in order to make it to the sheltering Bernard Harbour, close to Teddy Bear island (cute name!) before the next NW gale was predicted to hit at 2100 on Monday 28th. The wind returned in the night and we sailed happily with a 15kt south easterly breeze.
But despite good visibility and no ice, the passage to Teddy Bear Island was far from cozy. Our Refleks diesel heater has been given us a lot of trouble. In Cambridge Bay, we kept getting blowbacks with the high winds, filling the boat with a horrible diesel fumes. Although the diesel heater remained off, the smell has been lingering so badly we had to keep the hatch open the whole time, transforming Seabelle into a walking fridge. With near 0 degrees inside, we almost had to laugh about it. But when you come in from your watch withstanding icy winds, 0 degrees feels almost warm!

We anchor beside Caprivi in Bernard Harbour in the early afternoon and soon Thindra and Sentijn also joins us. We meet ashore and check out the remnants of the old Hudson Bay fuel tanks  before the storm hits us. It always feels good to stretch the legs after a passage.
Safely tucked in, we can hear the wind howling through the mast and it feels so cozy inside. After an indulgent sleepin and a substantial brunch, we take the opportunity to do an oil change on our Yanmar and fix my boots that have been taking on water - not a pleasant omen in these icy waters. 

Once it is deemed safe to venture outside, we all gather for dinner on Thindra and enjoy a really fun evening. It always amazes me how space on a boat can become almost infinite when we gather a bunch of sailors, there is always room for all - yet it seems to shrink to nothing when one tries to find storage space.

We tentatively deploy the fishing net that the estonian crew of SY Admiral Belhaussen had kindly donated to us in Cambridge Bay but  regrettably there'll be no arctic char caught this time.

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