Off to the arctic

E

El and Bill

New member
Tomorrow we fly to Edmonton. Then the next day to Kugluktuk on the Arctic Ocean. We board an ice-hardened commercial ship to cruise for three weeks through the Canadian arctic Islands to Greenland's west coast, then in and out of fjiords along the coast, and then late in the month fly back to Colorado.

Thought our ole cruising C-Dory friends would be interested in this latest cruise of ours.
 
Sounds like a great adventure! Share it with us when you return.

I just finished reading an article about a man that spent the winter aboard his 38' sailboat on the west coast of Greenland. This was his second time, but the first solo. He built insulated bulkheads fore and aft, letting the ends of the boat freeze. Even with a heater going he was barely able to keep the living quarters above freezing. He cut blocks of snow and turned his boat into a gaff rigged igloo! With the snow for insulation he was able to get it up to around 40 deg. F. I believe it was in the April issue of Cruising World if you want to read it.

Another great read is "Greenland Expedition - where ice is born" by Lonnie Dupre. They kayaked up the west coast, took a dog sledge across the north then kayaked back down the east coast. The expedition goal was to circumnavigate Greenland by sea kayak and dog sledge - 4,800miles and 15 months. Excellent, thought provoking book with lots of pictures and astounding facts - like windchills of -95deg. F.

Have a great trip.
Rob
 
El and Bill,

You two find the neatest trips. What a great one this time. Do you need anyone to go along and carry your bags? I'm volunteering :wink:

Enjoy, stay safe, (I know you will) and bring back pictures. This ones going to keep me looking.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Hi Guys,

It was great seeing you last month. Hope the trip is great!

Are you taking a spot so we can follow on google maps?

Steve
 
El and Bill, I have a homework assignment for the teachers! A fellow brat sent me a pm regarding my use of the term "sledge". The book I referenced used the term numerous times throughout, so I had to assume it was not just a typo. Wondering about this I did a bit of a google search and as far as I can tell - in North America and many other countries it is referred to as a dog sled but in Greenland they call them a dog sledge.

Your assignment is to find out why - is it a language thing or something in the translation? Is a dog sledge from Greenland something different from a dog sled from North America?

The one link I googled was "www.greenland-guide.gl/dogsledge.htm"

I look forward to marking your homework! :lol: If anybody else can shed some light on this, feel free.

Regards, Rob
 
Rob,

Might be that sledge is British use. I believe that Scott used that term to describe what he and his doomed comrades pulled across the Antarctic ice cap.
 
The Inuit of Canada call the sled by the name "qamutiq", folks from the south call it a sled, in Greenland the common name is sledge, not sure what Greenlanders call it
Bill and El will find out
George
 
And me being the one that questioned the use of sledge, I will stand corrected one way or another when the graded paper arrives.

Isn't this site interesting??? Have a great trip Bill & El.

Jack in Alaska
 
Dave, you could be on to something. Sledge does have a bit of British slur to it. Always seemed to me that the British had an aversion to "sharp" sounding words(like sled).

El & Bill, I realise you are probably out of touch with the internet so there is no "hand in date" for your homework!

Jack, you just raised my curiosity. I'm not trying to correct anybody. Like I said in my pm, you have a far greater knowledge of the North Country than me! This site is interesting, I think because we can talk and learn about a variety of topics. Not all brats will be interested in dogs or sleds or care what they are called, but if some are and a meaningful discussion ensues - mission accomplished!

Regards, Rob
 
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