The ghost of Franklin ... into the North West passage
Sitting in my airport hotel room surrounded by a map of Nunavut and a waterproof kitbag bursting at the seams
with electrical gear I am super excited for the next 3 weeks as I set off on an Arctic Ocean traverse of Northern Canada by ship along the legendary North West Passage. On this assignment I am writing for Nat Geo Traveller and recording radio for the BBC.
On board the Ocean Endeavour I am going to be sailing through the 2,000,000sq.km of the Canadian Arctic Territory of Nunavut, sparsely populated by Inuit communities, many still living a traditional hunting existence.
Besides being on the first ever commercial vessel to visit the wreck site of one of the sunken ships, the HMS Erebus, of the disastrous Franklin Expedition of 1845, I hope to see Narwhals, Polar bears, splintering sea ice, icebergs, and try to find a way out of the notorious initiation ceremony - 'the polar plunge' - foolhardily attempted when crossing by sea into the Polar reasons. Did that once before in Antarctica. Never Again!
