We Make a Mistake

When we reached Adams Sound, one of the many waterways that radiates out from the the sides of Admiralty Inlet, the call went out to prepare for a zodiac cruise.

Mui and I had already checked the conditions outside. The water was still very choppy. The wind was blustery. And there was nothing to see outside … except for the views we’d already enjoyed as Ultramarine transited Admiralty Inlet to Adams Sound … and which we’d be seeing again when the ship retraced its route back out.

Doing a zodiac cruise here made no sense whatsoever. We shook our heads, but decided to be good soldiers and participate in the outing anyway. After all, it looked like the sun was trying to break out. Perhaps conditions would improve. And thus the mistake we made. We definitely should have skipped this zodiac cruise.

With Wayne — the Inuit guide who is one of the members of the expedition team — at the helm, off we went on a bone-jarringly rough ride in choppy waters, getting splashed repeatedly. The wind was blowing so strong that we had to squint to see anything. Needless to say, our cameras remained in the dry bag and we used our hands to hang onto the rope on the pontoon to keep our balance.

Wayne tried to give us as smooth a ride as possible, but his efforts were to no avail. When he suggested we cut our ride short, we all agreed wholeheartedly that it was time to return to the ship.

It was a cold, wet ride … and one that we deeply regret … especially considering what has come to light since our return to the ship.Läs mer