Traversing the Northwest Passage 1 - 27 September 2025
14 September 2025: Day 14
Cruise Day 7: Crocker Bay and Dundas Harbour: Bears, whales and a trading post
Introduction
We awoke to a cool morning and a stunning view of mountains and glaciers. We were soon in the Zodiacs zooming past the face of ice, dodging icebergs to
look for wildlife - maybe Muskox. instead we found a polar bear with a cub, then a large pod of Beluga whales. Back on board we returned back to Lancaster Sound then moved
a short distance east to Dundas Harbour for a walk over the ridge to see the now-abandoned RCMP outpost established in the 1920s to assert Canadian sovereignty.
As we shuttled ashore,
word spread of a lone beluga in the bay, unbothered
by our presence. The beach offered great views of the
beluga cruising nearby. After admiring it, groups split
off for longer, medium or shorter walks. We explored
the remains of RCMP buildings and a small cemetery
overlooking the harbour
Croker Bay
Croker Bay is a narrow harour on the south coast of Devon Island, with two ice flows descending from higher ground. We moored offshore from the two glaciers and were soon
looking for wildlife. We spied a polar bear and her cub but soon realised she was very thin and not in good condition, so we backed off to leave her undisturbed. After watching
flocks of seabirds we were advised that a pod of Beluga whales had been seen so we all zoomed around to the face of the ice to wtch them. The pod swam up and down near the beach,
probably trying to rub their moulting skin on the rocks and sandy beach. Later as we headed back to the ship some seals popped up to watch us depart.
Headland over Croker Bay
The ice front
Icebergs scattered on the sea
Crew getting the Zodiacs ready
Dodging icebergs
Polar bear with cub
Bear looks mal-nourished so we moved away
Sea ice was beginning to form
"Oily" or "grease" ice
Rumours received that there were Beluga whales so off we went
Sure enough, Beluga whales
Seal keeping an eye on us
Another seal checking on us
Dirty ice from the base of the glacier
Hoisting the Zodiacs back on board.
Departing Croker Bay
Dundas Harbour
In the early 1920s the Canadian Government decided it needed to assert its sovereignty over the Arctic. It established a RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) station
at Dundas Harbour to keep an eye on shipping that was using Lancaster Sound and the Northwest Passage. They sent young officers to this outpost and "enticed" some Inuit families
to join them to provide Arctic experience and hunt for food. The problems mounted - the officers were not sufficiently trained and the Inuit had never seen this part of the Arctic
so did not understand the patersn of wildlife that they depended on for food. The outpost was short-lived, but not before two officers had died there - both from gunshots - and
an Inuit baby, whose grave we were asked not to photograph. The officers are buried in a small plot above the outpost but the baby is outside the enclosure.
Along the coast to Dundas harbour
The coastline near our landing place
Landing
Solitary Beluga in the harbour
Over the hill to the RCMP post
View out to Lancaster Sound
RCMP buildings
Small cemetery high above the coast
Remains of coal store
Something wrong here?
It's upside down. Blown over by the wind.
Mountain climbers
And back to our ship.
Time-lapse video of our passage
I set up a camera on the deck of our cabin to record a photo every 30 seconds. The photos have been compressed into a short video. The second video was taken late in the day as we departed the coast
and headed east out into Baffin Strait. We were expecting rough weather and whilst we were at dinner the crew came around and shut everything down. This included moving my camera and tripod into our cabin.
Back to previous day-------------
Forward to next day