MANGO says let it snow, let it snow, let it snow - READY TO WINTER OVER IN SEA ICE NEAR PAULATUK NWT

Argo Bay by Phil marine

That's it! We managed to get into Argo Bay!

So here we are at the end of our summer sailing, and we found our wintering place! This is also one originally intended, ie Paulatuk. Argo Bay is a little away from the village (7000 at the entrance of the bay). We see the city lights at night (the night begins to return), it's nice in the middle of the Arctic, but it is far enough away to be really "into the wild". A good compromise that will allow us to go to the village in the winter snowmobile once installed, and have regular visits, without having too much! The village people are very friendly, smiling, and were really happy to spend the winter here.

Entering the bay was not an easy task. Again, thank you for your Thierry Google Earth maps that allowed us to find the entrance channel. We had still two hours and a number of strandings also (but no gravity). Michele was in the crow's nest, and Carole Jean Philippe Cécile in the Annex, seeking to channel straw poll ...

The anchorage is well protected, even if the array is large enough. About 6 feet of water where we decided to anchor for the winter, NE of the bay. I had the opportunity to talk to you in detail, since we're here until at least the month of June 2014 ... It's pretty weird to say this ...I inquired about the usual period of the jam here, and it seems it was around mid-October. But climate change force in recent years, it was not as smooth as before. The period of the jam is a delicate moment for the boat, and I want to be on board to be able to act directly if needed (for example it is important to orient the boat here head south, because the strong and prevailing winds are from the south, and, combined with the very basics temperatures there regularly least 40 ° C here -., create an extremely low temperature felt better open the door of the square in the right direction if you do not want to freeze the Inside!). In addition, the jam is a transitional period where the sea already frozen surface, no longer allows the use of the Annex, but is not yet thick enough to support the weight of the skidoo. So this is a time when we are a bit stuck on board ...


We are now entering the period of preparation of the boat for the winter, exciting period refers to the child and the construction of huts! And we will soon, according to those who could potentially come on board to keep the boat when we can return to France ...

My cabin in Canada, by Phil marine

At first, Paulatuk was a small dot on a map. As we see an island in the Pacific or the Aegean Sea. One can imagine, we dream ... And then, over the days, it has become our reality. There are some days I started building our cabin. My cabin in Canada! So, the dreams, you have to believe until the end!

The "cabin" is actually a protection against the blizzard that blows from the south here, very hard for days. The steel is not known to be a very good insulator, so I designed a cabin of your dreams when you're a kid, made of driftwood, end of string, old nails and some screws new. Covered with plywood sheets recovered also in the buddy Bill Palmer! Sealing plates stirodur is made with foam collected in Argo Bay, as we saw in Norway to the traditional log cabins. I incorporated a plastic tarp (the pool liner Titian, yes, everything changes!) Between the plywood and foam, which makes everything really tight.Any forward cabin is well covered, and I soon attack the corridors to prevent the accumulation of snow and cut the wind, and thus the famous chill ...

And then we must think of our little artists who will be this winter. It is not to be mummified frozen / artists if we want to build our inukshuk. For the idea, you can well imagine, is still valid ...

A happy captain ...

Blog: http://lemanguier.typepad.fr/le_manguier/