The team stayed up until midnight, reorganizing gear after the departure of teammate, Rebekah. They slept in this morning and took things a little slower. The water today was smooth as glass, a direct opposite of the past three days. The Arctic Cowboys made great progress with a strong tailwind, albeit colder temperatures, paddling 36.5 miles.
The team saw more hunters out today. It was determined they were hunting Narwhals although, after a while, they thought maybe they were hunting seals since they had the uncomfortable feeling the shots were aimed toward the shoreline, where the harbor seals (and West & Jeff) were. They passed 3 good-sized icebergs as well as three iron ships coming from Baffin Island, moving slowly through the channel.
The terrain was more desert-like and the weather was warmer. The team had to search high and low for a fresh water source toward the end of the day. Success was had! They have plenty of fresh water to start the day. Tomorrow, they will shift north through the channel. Based on projected winds, they may cross earlier rather than later as they will experience strong headwinds the farther north they go.
While decisions were made today that determined the make-up of the team going forward, West and Jeff will certainly miss the third part of their team. Rebekah is a strong paddler and an amazing athlete. She has been an integral part of organizing this expedition and she and her skills will be sorely missed.
–Barbara Edington
