DAY 10: CHANGE OF PLANS - MAXWELL BAY



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At the morning briefing we were made aware of looming problems with the ice.  The two ports of call scheduled on King Leopold Island and Beechey Island were not going to happen and little did we realise at the time that there were more difficult problems ahead.  Beechey Island is the site of four graves of members of the stricken Erebus ship.  However we continued towards Resolute Bay to make a landing at Maxwell Bay, not on the map but close by Radstock Bay.

At the entrance to Maxwell Bay

Wonderful reflections in the dead calm water


Just one bird

Something interesting ahead?

Yes, indeed


Our landing site

Problems here - that tiny white dot is a polar bear and two cubs!

Safety was always a priority and the team leader explained that we could not land.  However the bears moved off into the distance and a party left the ship to scout the landing area to see where the bears were and, if they were satisfied that we would be safe, we could land but only in a limited area with guards with guns on the perimeter.  It was deemed that the bears had moved well away and we were able to land.


We were formed into four groups - the chargers, the medium fast, the medium slow and the meanderers. 

The medium fast group sets out


The chargers who climbed quite a high hill
The medium fast group on the way
The meanderers again


Tiny delicate flowers
A  musk ox skull
Waiting for our return
Next Post - Real problems are developing




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