Traversing the Northwest Passage 1 - 27 September 2025
10 September 2025: Day 10
Cruise Day 3: Strzelcki Harbour and Bellot Strait
Introduction
We had spent the night sailing northeast away from Victoria Island to the east coast of Prince of Wales Island. Here lies the sheltered waters of Strzelcki
Harbour, which we entered at sunrise. There was a report of narwhals ahead of us, but by the time we had all run up to Deck 7 they were long gone. So feeling disappointed we
headed for our first breakfast onboard - and our disappointment soon evaporated. After breakfast we donned our warm clothes, muck boots and lifevests and boarded the Zodiacs
for a morning cruise. We soon found the narwhal pod, crusing up and down by the beach.
After lunch we were entertained with a lecture from Alex, our historian, on Sir John Franklin’s expedition. He painted a vivid picture of the ill-fated voyage, the unanswered
mysteries, and the rescue missions that followed. Then it was time for enter the narrow Bellot Strait that took us from west to east of Somerset Island.
Strzelcki Harbour
Shortly after breakfast we were advised that we would be boarding the Zodiacs for a cruise of the harbour, so rug up in warm clothes - it was -1°C outside.
Cold it might be, but the sea was calm and as we motored towards the shore the sea ahead erupted in white spray as a very large pod of narwhals surfaced. They were close to shore
and swimming up and down. We kept our distance as cameras whirred and clicked.
Sunrise over Prince of Wales Island, with the moon
Early sun on the island
Getting closer to Strzelcki Island
Onto the Zodiacs
Heading into the harbour
Searching for narwhals
What are those lumps in the water...
Kicking up spray?
A large pod of narwhals.
Narwhals - the next 11 photos from Stas, the trip photographer.
Narwhal with tusk (what our French historian called "sardines with broomsticks"!
Where have they gone?
Back to harbour cruising.
Something large has been digging holes in the snow.
Pair of geese
Getting onto shore
Looking out for bears.
That's a tree?
Time to head back to the ship
Bellot Strait
Across the narrow strait from Strzelcki Harbour is a very narrow slice through Somerset Island to Fort Ross. With the right ship and slack tide the Strait cuts off a long voyage
around the top of the island, as well as being a spectacular sight. We were running late after our morning with the narwhals so the tide had turned and was flowing at 7-10 knots (13-18 Km/h)
through the narrowest parts of the channel. The ship was doing about 17 Km/h so found it hard going. At the western entrance the channel is up to 300m deep but near the eastern end there is a shallow
section only 30m deep. As we approached the eastern end at Fort Ross we encountred icebergs and a distant iceshelf attached to Long Island. We then headed southeast away from Somerset Island.
Bellot Strait - the thin blue line cutting across Somerset Island to Fort Ross
Entering Bellot Strait from the west
Watching the strait
Hey, I recognise those people
Looking ahead
Calm sea and reflected rocks of the north wall
Land to the south of the channel
A touch of green
Looking astern (west)
A white dot - ice.
Strong currents ahead
A narwhal crosses our path.. (Stas' photo)
and a bowhead whale.
Another block of ice
Another white blob..
this time a polar bear..
out for a swim - a long way from land. (Another Stas photo)
Looking ahead to Fox Island
Southern tip of Somerset Island
Long Island in the rear with remnants of sea ice
Looking back towards Somerset Island
Time-lapse video of our passage through Bellot Strait
I set up a camera on the deck of our cabin to record a photo every 30 seconds as we traversed Bellot Strait. The 273 photos have been compressed into a 34 second video
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