The
December Meeting 2000
The annual celebration of the looming winter solstice provided rich nourishment for the minds and bellies of the members. No one was sent empty away, and indeed a few, anxious to pay homage to the provisioners, were prepared to engage in the sin of gluttony, admittedly the least of the seven deadlies. The great spread was orchestrated by Joyce Parker, assisted by Heather Dickman and supported by several faithful volunteers. Those fortunates who made off with the splendid centerpieces paid tribute to the artists who created the festive decorations: Karen Morrison assisted by Norma Buckley and Joan McMurray. The raffle could be described as eclectic, with donations ranging from a wreath of the season, some fine comestibles and a cunning structure of seagulls soaring above a driftwood sculpture, in addition to the usual array of good plants. And the featured speaker enthralled the audience with an unusual topic.
by Bill Dancer
It all started several centuries ago, with the intrepid adventurers of Europe seeking vainly for the short north route to the Indies. Many were lost and none succeeded until the great explorer, Roald Amundsen completed the transit to the Pacific from 1903-06. The second triumph was Canadian, when the St. Roch, an RCMP schooner, made the cold passage from west to east, in the 1940-42 years. To herald a campaign to resurrect this historic vessel, the Nadon, a 22 metre aluminum catamaran was rechristened the St. Roch II for the reverse journey. Accompanied by the escort vessel Simon Fraser, the Nadon set out from Vancouver in July last, traversed the passage by late summer, and arrived home in December, having circumnavigated the continent. Bill Dancer, a life-long seaman and experienced Arctic hand, was aboard the escort, and his account of the voyage proved the evening’s highlight.
To distill an adventure of several months into a short hour takes talent, and Bill was equal to it in conveying his sense of wonder at some new experiences. Surprisingly, the Arctic was unusually free of ice, and the weather was very mild, with only 4 recorded hours below freezing (-1C), and hardly any winds above 30 knots. These conditions seem to confirm the much discussed global warming trend, a new phenomenon, or a rerun of glacial retreat in past ages. Bill noted the effects on wildlife with increases in the musk-ox population, matching the surging plant life in the whole region. Whales appeared throughout the voyage, no doubt in response to huge increases in capelin, but the Innu reported lower fish catches of their favourites.
He spoke of a phenomenal bird population in Unalaska:
“the sky was literally black with seabirds”.
This famous island in the Aleutian chain, with its Russian heritage (a
restored Orthodox church and a bishop’s house which never saw a bishop), seemed one great alpine
meadow. “As green as Ireland,” he
said. He showed slides of Geranium
erianthum, the ‘blue-red haze’, bog orchis and a red flower that
is stoloniferous – probably Epilobium
kamchatcum. He spoke of
an ubiquitous hogweed, menacingly known as ‘poison ivy with an
attitude’. Also, on Herschel Island in
the east Arctic, the Arctic poppies – ‘papavers’ as they are known, the ‘windflower’
anenome, and the white daisy Dryas octopetala.
The whole trip was packed with fascinating experiences, many of them new to the speaker. The Inuit community offered great hospitality: feasts of caribou, char, ‘muktuk’ (narwhal) and clams were partaken. An aurora display in red-pink – heretofore never before reported – was conjured to mark the celebrated voyage (did it also welcome the St. Roch I?). Artifacts from the 19th century were found, and a hitherto unknown gravesite which might have been connected with the ill-fated Sir John Franklin expedition, was mentioned by the Inuit. (This information will be investigated by an archaelogical team). The Simon Fraser provided good service in refueling the Nadon, whose fuel capacity was inadequate for such a long trip, and also an essential engine repair, preventing an ignominious halt to the whole undertaking.
Bill Dancer’s enthusiasm was quickly transferred to his listeners who happily shared his experiences, vicariously.