Bellot Blizzards

02-09-2025, 72°14N 093°26W, Prince Regent Sound

An amazing sail brought us to Gjoa Haven on the east coast of King William Island. The night was black as ink, with rain squalls coming in thick and fast, the RADAR guiding us through Simpson Strait. We dropped anchor under sail in the most peaceful harbour you can imagine. Amundsen spent two winters here, and his presence is still felt as the local community continues to honour him to this day. For us, it was as close as one can get to history.

Not only is Amundsen remembered here, but the lost Franklin expedition also plays a major role in the local community and folklore. As is often said, this crew “forged the passage with their lives.” As we departed the next morning, we sailed past Todd Island, where skeletons were found, and later Starvation Cove, where even more remains were discovered. The weather did not allow us to land, but we could see Simpson’s cairn ashore – real and present, as if it had been placed there yesterday. Simpson and Dease mapped this area between 1836 and 1839. Their cairn became the beacon of hope for Crozier and his men. After abandoning Erebus and Terror, they set off on foot. If only they could reach this point, they would be in charted waters and surely find their way home.

A mystery still surrounds this desperate leap of faith. None of the men made it home, and some may even have turned on one another. Dr. Rae was the first to bring back news of the lost expedition, though what he reported was not well received. His evidence suggested cannibalism – something people refused to believe of these gallant men, no matter how clear the proof. Not until a young officer named McClintock confirmed Rae’s findings did the Admiralty accept them. McClintock had sledged from Fox Bay (present-day Fort Ross) to the north coast of King William Island, where he discovered the Victory Cairn note. It stated that Franklin, commander of the party, had died in 1847 and that the ships had been abandoned northwest of Victory Point. This brought Lady Franklin some comfort, for now she knew her husband could not have taken part in these “savage acts.”

Many facts remain unknown. For me, that was all the more reason to see for myself. King William Island was once thought to be a promontory, and it was not until Dr. Rae looked across what is now Rae Strait that we learned it was an island. The west coast of the island faces Victoria Strait and is normally beset with multi-year ice, unsuitable for a ship like Tecla. But not this year. The coast was clear, leaving me no excuse not to go.

Sailing into Collinson Inlet, the cairn at Lady Franklin Point came into sight. We had slipped past the wreck of the Terror on the south coast and were now retracing her last route. Our plan was to hike to Victory Point where the famous note was found. We were too late, though – there wasn’t enough light to make it all the way. Instead, we set off for the Lady Franklin cairn and looked out toward Victory Point from there. How many men must have stood here? One of the first maps of the island, from the 1920s, shows graves and skeletons marked from this place all the way to the south coast – a desperate trail left by these early explorers.

Two polar bears on the beach just south of us confirmed my decision not to walk to Victory Point. Instead, we silently turned back and returned to a warm meal – preferring that over being a meal ourselves.

The next morning, we passed Victory Point, thinking we might land if the sea state allowed. It did… but one of our furry friends was waiting for us on the beach. It was not meant to be. Somehow, I didn’t mind. Perhaps because I know I will be back, or perhaps because this was simply as close as we could get to the last days of that fatal passage.

A southeast wind was waiting to carry us further north to Prince of Wales Island. A stop without Northwest Passage history – just the living Northwest Passage, present and future. Wildlife everywhere.

To be continued.

All is well,

Gijs