DREAMSCAPES SPRING/SUMMER 2024
70
E X P E D I T I O N C R U I S E S
That is, until ten years ago, when a team of
Parks Canada underwater archaeologists
dove into the murky, icy seabed in Wilmot
and Crampton Bay to locate the HMS Erebus.
Its sister ship, the HMS Terror was later
discovered off King William Island in 2016.
Some expedition cruise ships will be
Northwest Passage bound this summer for
the 10
th
anniversary of the Erebus discovery.
My own Franklin interest was re-established
after watching AMC's The Terror. The drama
series, which incorporates Inuit mythology,
reimagines the doomed bid to find the
Northwest Passage to Asia.
As a history buff, I was thrilled to retrace
Franklin's quest. Unlike the on-board
conditions of the British explorer, I'd enjoy
the polar expertise of Quark Expeditions and
the creature comforts of helicopter tours and
à la carte dining. So what could go awry?
After boarding Ultramarine in
Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, our route quickly
changed. Baffin Bay ice obliged us to extend
our stay on Greenland's west coast. So be it. I
relished navigating between cathedral-sized
icebergs off Illulisat, viewing the 550-year-
old Qilakitsoq Mummies in Nuuk, and
sampling Greenlandic shrimp and muskox
soup in Sisimiut.
On our Atlantic crossing, I feasted on
swordfish steaks and crème brûlée and
sweated it out on the Concept2 rowing
machine in the gym overlooking the wave-
strewn Atlantic Ocean. In the Ambassador
Theater, historian Ross Day explored
Franklin lore, while biologist Fabrice
Genevois provided seabird-watching tips.
My Explorer Suite was kitted with a cosy
double bed, rain shower and heated
bathroom floor.
MUST-READ BOOKS
• Erebus: The Story of a Ship (Michael Palin, 2018)
• Searching for Franklin: New Answers to the Great
Arctic Mystery (Ken McGoogan, 2023)
• The Arctic Grail (Pierre Berton, 1988)
PHOTOS:
SAM
EDMONDS
|
QUARK
EXPEDITIONS/ACACIA
JOHNSON
|
ACACIA
JOHNSON
