We depart Ottawa this morning bound for Kangerlussuaq, on the west coast of Greenland. Excitement is in the air as we cast off and enjoy a welcome cocktail while cruising along Sondre Stromfjord, en route to the fabled NorthwestPassage.
Wildlife is a major draw card of this Arctic vacation, but there is also plenty of historical interest, and the stories of Sir John Franklin's ill-fated expedition nearly 170 years ago are central to our voyage. Franklin made his last heroic foray into the Arctic in 1845 with two ships and 129 men, never to be heard from again. The fate of the expedition remained a mystery until September 2014, when one of the vessels,HMS Erebus, was discovered in a remarkable state of preservation in the frigid waters of Victoria Strait. One Ocean Expeditions played a vital role in the search by carrying underwater search equipment on our ship as well as scientists, historians, researchers, dignitaries and sponsors of this history defining mission.