I'm sitting on the couch in our suite and watching the mountains of Baffin Island pass by in the west. We just finished an evening walk on the fitness deck after an enjoyable dinner.
A nice thing about cruising, especially on a small vessel like Endeavour, is the opportunity to meet people. Tonight at dinner we chatted with a couple from Switzerland. It was fun to exchange travel stories. Turns out they were in Shanghaghi at the same time Andy was during the world expo. We've traded kayaking stories with a gentleman from British Columbia and played trivia with people from Poland and New Zealand. The subject matter experts that make up the expedition team come from all over and are always fascinating to talk with.
I woke up early this morning and peeked through the curtains. We were scheduled to go kayaking at 8:00. To my shock and disappointment, the fog was back. We were sure the outing would be cancelled. When the announcement system chirped, we were thrilled to learn that the kayaking was still a go! The fog was lifting. We would be kayaking in Cambridge Fjord on Buchanan Bay. We headed to the marina for our last minute instructions and to pick up our gear. Yep, there's a marina in the ship, instead of the ship being in a marina. We were issued a full dry suit, neoprene boots and mitts and a life jacket. We retuned to our suite and, with some effort, struggled into our gear. Expedition team members checked that we had the gear on correctly and we headed to the zodiac boarding area in the mud room. Yep, there's a mud room on the ship near the marina.
We transferred from the ship to the zodiac through a sea level door on the side of ship. After a short ride we transferred, over the side of the zodiac, into a tandem kayak. Andy in the back and me in the front. We spent the next couple hours kayaking in the Cambridge Fjord off Buchanan Gulf. The fog was still hanging around, but the views were spectacular. Our guide explained the difference between sea ice, ice that is formed over a winter, and an ice berg, ice fell off glacier.
We returned to the ship for lunch and a rest before heading out again for a zodiac ride. Zodiac rides don't require special gear and we all wore the red Silversea parkas we were given when we boarded the ship. We rode to the very end of the fjord, and while we didn't see any wildlife, the mountains, glaciers and waterfalls were more than enough the make the ride memorable.
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