Traversing the Northwest Passage
1 - 27 September 2025

13 September 2025: Day 13

Cruise Day 6: Devon Island: Graham Harbour and Custance Inlet

Introduction

Overnight we sailed along the south coast of Devon Island to Maxwell Bay, the island’s largest fjord system where we went ashore for a while. After lunch we had sailed to the head of the bay were we stopped at Custance Inlet but the wind and sea got up necessitating an early departure.

Graham Harbour

We stopped in the eastern arm at Graham Harbour. Here we landed on a sandspit then walked up the low ridge onto boggy tundra. The flat ground has shallow ponds of water that provded good reflections for the photographers. Back to the beach we examined Dorset-era archaeological remains - small stone circles and mounds likely to be summer camping sites.

Entering Graham Harbour

Landing...

The gravel beach

One group heading off for a walk

The Greg Mortimer

Shells from the harbour..

and sea weed.

The boggy tundra

The edge of the tundra

Looking further up the harbour

Plant life

If there is a mountain, someone has to climb it...

Relections in the ephemeral ponds

he mud was vrey sticky

Photographing reflections.

Devon-aged archeological sites.

Where tundra meets beach

That iceberg looks interesting..

So we motored over for a closer look.

Custance Inlet

Over lunch we repositioned to Custance Inlet for a leisurely stroll up to the high point on a gravel covered moraine ridge. A dusting of fresh snow and soft light on jagged cliffs created a striking landscape.

Looking up Graham Harbour