August 21, 2017
 It was an early start to the day today; up at 6am as we were anxious not to miss our passage through the Bellot Strait. As has been the norm, we woke up to full sun; for most of the journey so far, the sun has gotten low on the horizon at night, but hasn’t fully set, so even in the wee hours there has been daylight of varying intensity outside. We gathered on the bow in the sunshine, waiting to see how the currents and the slack water would guide (or impede) our journey. At only about 800 m. wide, the Strait forms a critical connection to the waters of Prince Regent Sound, and saves us going north around Somerset Island, which is still full of sea ice.  We formed an impromptu choir to sing Stan Roger’s epic song Northwest Passage on a Facebook Live Session as Bellot is considered the heart of this incredible journey.
I also spent some time in the bridge; under the expert leadership of Captain Steffan Guy, it was a quiet and tense atmosphere as the crew focused on the logistics of sailing us safely through the strait. Little did we know how hard the crew would work this day. As we arrived at the west end of Bellot, the sea ice began to appear, sporadically at first, and then thick enough to form a sea of white as we entered Franklin Strait. Who knew that watching an icebreaker do its work could be so fascinating? We spent hours on deck, listening to the bow crash through large chunks of sea ice, often as much as five or six feet thick. At one point, we came to the rescue of two sailboats surrounded by ice; hopping into our wake, they were relieved to have such an easy passage. To celebrate our trip through the Northwest Passage, Chef Matt prepared ‘country food’ appetizers: air-dried char (from Jaypooti’s wife), narwhal (caught by Jena’s brother), cod’s tongues, scallops/bacon, and smoked char on cucumbers. The narwhal was surprisingly tasty – not unlike sushi. The evening ended with a giant sing-along in the Knot, thanks to four talented guitar players (who do double-duty as scientists, zodiac drivers and expedition leaders) – a magical way to end a remarkable day!
