The bad weather passes, and Arctic Tern I takes to sea again Thursday June 26 at 4am. Not much wind, but enough to finally put up some sails — feels good! We’re keeping an eye out for whales because we will visit the research station of the Mingan Islands, an organization that studies all species of large whales found in the St. Lawrence.
It’s also our last mail drop point for any needed items (spare parts , etc.). Our package arrives directly on board upon arrival! Thank you to the team. It’s fun to visit small local ports, far from major marinas.
One more quick visit and we’re at sea again, heading for the Belle Isle Strait for one last stop before crossing to Greenland. We were warned that the Strait of Belle Isle has a well-earned reputation: fog, fog and more fog, a little sunshine at times. Indeed, a few hours of sun yesterday benefited the crew greatly.

Our first stop along the St. Lawrence arrived earlier than expected: a gale was forecasted, but a little later than reality. So, off Baie Comeau, we had to return to port rather than continue our journey. Easier said than done when you have 30/35 knots of wind on the nose, given the currents and waves.
Hour after hour and mile after mile, we finally reach the Baie Comeau marina at 3 am, after nearly 12 hours. Tired, wet but happy to be docked, the crew finally takes the time to eat dinner and put everything out to dry. We take this opportunity to do some odd jobs (refill propane, insulate the boat even further, check the new engine filters, etc.). We also take a quick visit to Garden of the Glaciers. This organization observes glaciers around the world to help understand climate change — Grant and Pascale are two of their ambassadors. They have a beautiful exhibition of the glaciers of Chamonix. Given our busy schedule, we can’t stay long.

Finally leaving Gananoque on June 17 after several weeks of preparation: is a boat ever really ready? There is always something to finalize, improve or perfect … But everything is in order now and we can cast off! The journey from Gananoque to Montreal takes three days, navigating by day. Our days (filled by all the organizing to do on board) are punctuated by the passage of several locks: we get close, we look for the waiting dock, Grant disembarks and uses the dock  phone to find that the wait will be about 30 or 45 minutes, maybe more. A gigantic container ship leaves the lock, then it’s our turn,dropping nearly 40 feet and exiting on the other side. We feel very humbled by all those monsters … In all, we drop about 160 feet! The first lock is new for all on board, but we quickly become experts, look how many there are!
On to Montreal for a meeting with the media, and the WWF and Students on Ice teams: We get some last-minute advice and a lot of “to the north!” and “bon voyage!”. It’s hot – around 35 C, the inside of the boat is an oven. We look forward to the northern countries! A red buoy and then a green buoy, and we finally arrive in Quebec City, where we decide to stop two days to enjoy the stores one last time (not for shopping but to refuel) with the help of Pascale’s parents. And finally a little necessary work: raising the mast for Grant, last minute shopping for Pascale, work on deck for Valentine – the crew kept busy!

About the crew… Grant is the captain, Pascale is “Madame Velcro” and I am “Mrs. Ty-rap” this week. The three of us leave nothing to chance. Grant tests and checks everything, pampers the engine and listens to it closely, while Pascale and I arrange, repair and re-arrange and re-repair…! Pascale hangs anything that can be hung with Velcro (even her toothbrush) and if that doesn’t work, I’m never far away with Ty-rap (cable ties). We are worried about this Velcro addiction… We even hang our cups 90 degrees from normal! We’ll let you know how it works out.
We’re stocked with water and gasoline, and the boat and crew are ready. Leaving Quebec on Sunday morning (June 24, St. Jean Baptiste Day), and heading towards Greenland after a few stops along the St. Lawrence!
Follow the voyage here.

The Arctic Tern has officially launched in Montreal! The Arctic, and the Last Ice Area is still weeks away — but in the meantime, the crew will be be sending us regular updates. You can follow the ship’s progress here.
Check out this timelapse video of the ship navigating the St. Lambert lock in Canal de la Rive Sud, Montreal.
Although the ship is still many hundreds of kilometres from the Arctic, it may encounter evidence of Quebec’s icy past in the St. Lawrence River.
The world’s southernmost population of beluga whales lives year round in the St. Lawrence estuary and gulf. Belugas are usually found in the Arctic and sub-Arctic, but the St. Lawrence belugas are thought to be a remnant of the last ice age.

• St. Lawrence belugas (Parks Canada)
• Arctic belugas (WWF)

In just a few weeks, WWF staff and researchers will set off on an expedition to the heart of the Arctic, where summer sea ice is projected to last the longest. You’ll be able to follow along at lasticearea.org! But first, the ship will need to get to Greenland, where it will be joined by WWF staff and researchers. The Arctic Tern I, an ice-strengthened sailboat owned by Students on Ice, left its dock in Ivy Lea, Ontario this week.
The expedition will travel to the Last Ice Area — the northwest coast of Greenland, then probe up into the high Arctic Ocean before crossing to Canada’s High Arctic Islands. Along the way, we’ll talk to local communities, and fill in the knowledge gaps about this remote area.
Geoff Green, founder and Executive director of Students on Ice, celebrates the launch and talks about the partnership with WWF: