Writes of Passage

^{From our balcony, after lunch}

Day 9: Akpatok Island. What a day. When I woke up, the sun was about to come out, with pink could. Then as we were about to set out, the sky became cloudy and ultimately rained. At end, an ungrateful passenger lost her phone. Afternoon’s schedule to go out on Zodiac, circling the island, looking for wild life was cancelled due to weather and rough water.

^{7:37am, the day started out nicely with pink clouds; … and yoga}  

^{A happy camper, under the water fall. The first & last photo is by our ship’s photographer.} 

According to the ship, very few people, even the Canadians know about Akpatok Island, due to its remoteness and uninhabited. No one lived there for more than a century, except thick-billed murres 厚嘴海鸥. The island is about 28 mile (45km) long and 14 miles (23km) wide, it’s the largest in Ungava Bay, separated from Baffin Island by Hudson Strait.

wiki. With the largest number of breeding thick-billed murres in Canada, Akpatok Island – whose name in Inuktitut means thick-billed murre – is an important birding area. More than half a million pairs make their home on the ledges of the sheer limestone cliffs, while glaucous gulls keep a beady eye out for unprotected chicks and eggs. Seals, walruses and polar bears make up the scene. The brutish act of cannibalism was practiced here as recently as 1900.

Although it was cloudy, but we enjoyed the site very much. The straight cliff, the vastness and the remoteness is just unique. And the water!! Unfortunately no one can swim there. Not even a polar plunge.

Two staffers are carrying guns, just in case polar bears show up.

Dinner: slow cooked lamb rack (interesting that the staff asked how do l like it cooked, rare, medium rare … how could that be?) Carine (?) joined us for dinner, and shared her experience, thank you!

Afternoon tea: caramel torte, eclair, banana-chocolate cup cake, egg and tuna sandwich. Their porcelain tea kittle is pretty fancy. The staff said there is also stainless steel model.

Lunch: monk fish, etc.

The trip to Akpatok Island was great, although weather wise was terrible: rainy and windy. Worst of all, at the end when the last Zodiac was about to come to take us back, a woman said she lost her phone by the water fall, which is the far end of the beach.

What would you do, in a such remote area, with a group of people??

Apparently, she boarded the Zodiac with Liz at helm. Then she suddenly realize that she lost her phone. She got up … Liz told her to sit down for safety. She won’t have it and got off the Zodiac.

She and her two men friends or coworkers went back to look, toward the water fall, without consulting the staff. The weather has become unbearable, very windy and rain came down pretty hard, in gust, and the staff is trying to get the last zodiac out safely.

The last four of us boarded (incl. the birthday girl) with four staff got on the last zodiac. Sarah said into the intercom/walkie talkie, that our zodiac is going to the water fall to pick the guests/phone lookers up.

^{The last Zodiac before ours; two staff on our Zodiac, all soaking wet.} 

Karin drove us out, and U back to the shore, to pick up a woman. It WAS a major struggle to get onto the shore and then leave. Sue who is 70 years old, also jumped out of the zodiac to help steady it without hesitation. The water was more of waist high. The lone woman boarded the Zodiac and showed NO sign of gratitude. NOT a single thank you. I couldn’t resist by saying, “oh thank you all so much, for working so HARD to get us out and back … just hope all of us are more cooperative and considerate.” Maybe the word considerate hurt her, when we were at basecamp, the narrow walk way, the woman walked right into me. Ok, bitch, you’re big. That much is obvious. Hope you’ve a sizable brain and decency to go with it.

I heard from others that she didn’t find her phone.