Sealift 2024

Arctic Bay’s annual sealift season began on August 30 with the arrival of the Rosaire A Desgagnes vessel, operated by NSSI.  The vessel is large at a length of 138.06 metres.  Thankfully, the depth of the bay is deep enough for large cargo vessels to anchor close to shore, shortening the transportation time of the small tugboats & barges. 

For those of you reading this blog for the first time, Nunavut communities are only accessible by air & sea during the summer months.  There is no permanent highway network in the territory and no roads to southern Canada.  I use the word permanent because ice roads are used in some places, but these are not extensive and restricted to winter.  Speaking of winter, when the waterways freeze & turn to ice, the only fast way to transport supplies in large quantities is by plane. 

The short summer months enable large cargo vessels to travel & deliver large amounts of supplies to communities.  Since this occurs only once a year, people & businesses order items in bulk, holding them over until the next sealift.  Heavy items that are too large to fit on planes are also ordered.  Think vehicles, furniture, boats, prefab houses, water, and anything else that’s not prohibited.  It can be costly to ship by sea, but I think you save money in the long run.  Air cargo transportation is still “the most expensive mode of shipping.”

I headed down to the shoreline in front of the Northern Store to take a closer look at what was being offloaded.  At that time, the shoreline crew had only offloaded several sea containers, loaders, and a few wooden crates.  Luck was on my side because one of those wooden crates was mine. Thanks!  Now I had to hire a local mover to deliver the crate to my residence.  More containers, crates, and several vehicles were brought ashore the following day (August 31).  People are advised to avoid the unloading area due to heavy loaders and the fast pace of work.  Cargo ships can’t stay in town too long because they have other communities to visit and the sailing schedule regularly changes due to weather and other setbacks.

I was able to hire a local mover, and they delivered my wooden crate.  I opened the crate on September 1^st with the assistance of a crowbar, hammer, and axe.  Two locals helped me move my belonging inside.  I spent the next 2 – 3 hours unpacking, sorting, and putting everything away.  My residence now looks like a fully stocked bomb shelter.  Not all the items are for home.  Several of them are for school and cadets.  The pieces of wood that made up the wooden crate were picked up and taken to the landfill.

The Rosaire A Desgagnes departed after a three-day stay.  The next vessel to arrive was the Aujaq, operated by NEAS, on September 5.  The Aujaq is another large cargo vessel but just a metre shorter in length compared to the Rosaire.  The unloading & delivery process was the same as before.  Sea containers, wooden crates, and loaders occupied the shoreline in front of the Northern Store.  Inuujaq School’s sealift orders happened to be on this vessel, and I located the tall, heavy wooden crates after school.  I notified the principal of their arrival.  The school supplies we normally order are photocopying paper, arts & crafts, food for the breakfast program, stationary, furniture, sports equipment, filing cabinets, and custodial supplies. 

The crates were moved to Inuujaq School the following day (September 6) and then opened on September 7.  School staff mostly did the unpacking and moving items inside the school.  I think several high school students helped as well.  I wasn’t available because I was cleaning the shoreline behind the airport with the army cadets.  (More on this in a future post).  I was told it took an hour or two to empty all the wooden crates and bring the items inside.  The school’s main hallway looked like a warehouse by the end of the day.  The large wooden crates were made available to anyone in the community for free.  People use them for storage and/or building materials.    

It’s going to take several days for school administration to record what items arrived & didn’t, unpack everything, determine where items go, deliver those items, and then dispose the leftover packaging.  It’s a good thing I keep accurate records. 

The Aujaq departed after three days. 

I should also mention a tourist ship, operated by Quark Expeditions, spent a couple of hours in the community on September 6.  It’s been a while since a cruise ship visited the community.  I guess the COVID-19 pandemic is truly over.  Tourists were ferried to shore & back using Zodiac boats.  The drivers avoided the sealift operation by driving into the breakwater pier.  Tourists were given a few hours to walk around town and take pictures.  It’s easy to spot the tourists because they wear large yellow jackets.        

 

To New Beginnings

I returned to Arctic Bay earlier than before to start my new job as Vice Principal of Inuujaq School.  Surprise!  No more acting.  I decided to continue in school administration and applied for the job over the summer.  The interview went well, and I was offered the position.  I accepted and here I am.  I will still be the high school music teacher.    

School administrators are required to return to work about a week before teachers and I quickly found out why.  There is plenty of work to do before the new school year begins.  I set up the Vice Principal’s office just the way I liked it and then got to work preparing staff binders.  The binders contain important information about school operations, rules, calendars, schedules, events, and due dates, just to name a few.  Preparing these binders alone took several days because of photocopying and organization.  There were other things in the office that needed to be done, but I won’t bore you with them.  I also had to prepare my high school drum class. 

Teachers & staff returned to school on Monday, August 12.  There were lots of greetings in the hallways.  The principal & I held the first staff meeting of the year in the morning, welcoming the staff, outlining the first few weeks of school, going through the staff binders I prepared, and what was expected of us from the school board.  The meeting took up the entire morning.  Staff then had the afternoon to prepare their classrooms.   

The next two days were also devoted to preparing for the upcoming start of the school year.  One day is never enough.  By the end of Wednesday, Inuujaq School was ready.

The first day for students was Thursday, August 15.  Staff arrived very early to prepare the food for the Welcome Back Assembly & Breakfast.  The Home Economics Room, aka the kitchen, was full of activity.  Various fruits and meats were cut into pieces and placed in large bowls.  The bowls were brought to the gym, along with juice boxes, granola bars, yogurt tubes, tea, coffee, & paper plates.  The gym was set up the day before.  Chairs lined the walls, a row of tables covered in cloths sat at the front, and a speaker system was also set.  Staff equipped themselves with non-latex gloves and began dividing the food onto paper plates.  You don’t want to keep the audience waiting during breakfast.  Juice boxes were arranged on a large side table.  We prepared as many plates as possible until the first school bell of the 2024-2025 school year rang at 8:35am.

Classes were called down to the gym at 9am.  Parents & guardians also arrived to attend the assembly & breakfast.  The assembly began 15 minutes later.

The principal welcomed everyone to the new school year and asked all staff to come to the front, introduce themselves, and state their title (job).  The food was blessed by an Elder after staff introductions, and then the staff began distributing the prepared plates & juice boxes.  Breakfast lasted about 35 minutes.  Teachers we then instructed to take their students back to class.  Parents & guardians were thanked were being in attendance.  High school students stayed behind to clean the gym.

The transition from acting vice principal to vice principal went smoothly for me.  I was acting vice principal for 4 months before the summer so that gave me plenty of time to see & experience working in school administration.  The transition from full time teacher to almost full-time vice principal was very noticeable.  The most being duties, routines, and responsibilities.  Communication plays a big role because I’ve been answering lots of emails, answering phones, distributing schedules, posting announcements online, and speaking to staff, students, parents, guardians, and superintendents.  I’m glad I’m organized, otherwise I’d be drowning in paperwork.

Unfortunately, being a vice principal means I’ll have to deal with disciplinary issues with students.  It’s just part of the job.  I hope there won’t be too many.

Inuujaq School staff held a retirement party for the dental hygienist that had been practicing in the community for more than 3 decades.  She had her own room in the school to operate her clinic.  The party was held near the end of August.  The staff gave her a card and a gift.  She thanked everyone for the gifts and for making her feel welcome from the beginning.  She & the staff enjoyed a tasty assortment of snacks.  Thank you for your many years of service!

 

Fighting For Freedom & Independence

The fight for Ukraine’s freedom & independence has continued since the last time I wrote about the war in early March.  There have been victories & defeats on both sides, but the war still doesn’t look close to ending.  If the world really wants the war to end, then the solution is simple: the orcs must withdraw all military forces & supporters from occupied Ukrainian territories, pay Ukraine reparations, and return all prisoners & stolen children.  It’s that simple.  No one should be lending their ears to listen to the orcs’ reasons for invading Ukraine.  They’re all lies & deceit.  They don’t want true peace.  They want enslavement, domination, and totalitarianism.  The Free World needs to rise up and fight Evil with full force.  Not piecemeal.

Ukraine won a big political & military victory in late April; the USA finally approved an additional $60 billion military aid package to provide crucial weapons, ammunition, and equipment to the Ukrainian military.  Everyone on the side of freedom was glad to finally see the forces of good prevail in Congress.  The brainwashed, and possibly bribed, orc-friendly Republicans were finally defeated in preventing the aid bill from passing.  The next challenge is getting the much-needed resources to the Ukrainian military as soon as possible because things are not going well on the frontlines.

After the recent loss of Avdiivka, orc forces pushed onwards and eventually captured the settlement of Ocheretyne and several surrounding villages.  They managed to breakthrough Ukrainian defenses northwest of Avdiivka in July and are approaching the strategically important city of Pokrovsk.  They also began a new offensive in Kharkiv Oblast in May, capturing more villages and forcing civilians to flee.  Ukrainian forces managed to slow down & eventually stop the offensive and now it’s a battle of attrition.  All of this could have been avoided if the USA had approved more military aid before the previous aid package ran out.

Despite these setbacks, something unexpected & surprising happened just a few days ago.  Ukraine has launched a surprise incursion into Russia, specifically in the Kursk region, with thousands of soldiers & equipment.  At first, I thought it was just a raid, but news reports suggest Ukrainian forces are trying to seize as much orc territory & prisoners as possible.  Everyone is guessing this incursion is to divert orc forces away from other battlefields and use the captured area(s) as a bargaining chip for future peace negotiations.  It’s a bold risk to take, given that Ukraine doesn’t have many soldiers to spare.  I hope this incursion goes very well for the brave soldiers of Ukraine.  The war has finally come home to the land of the orcs.  A big help would be for the American President to allow the Ukrainian military to use ATACMS in orc (Russian) territory.  The missiles have the range, speed, and armaments to inflict heavy losses.  Orcs should not be allowed to remain safe from American weapons attacks while in Russia.  They started this war, so they should feel its deadly effects wherever they are. 

Slava Ukraini! 

Summer In The Big Apple

The highlight of the summer was my trip to New York City with my dad in mid-July.  The last time I was in the Big Apple was 2004 and I wanted to see how much the city has changed in 20 years.  I only had a week to spare so our trip focused on exploring Manhattan Island.  You would need at least a month to explore all five burrows in detail.

My dad & I flew business class.  It’s the only way when travelling to the “city that never sleeps.”  The snack meals on the Air Canada flights were pretty good.  We landed at LaGuardia Airport in the early evening.  The last time I was at LaGuardia was 1999 and it wasn’t a nice-looking place.  The airport had a long reputation for being ugly and unpleasant.  Thankfully, the airport underwent an extensive redevelopment, beginning in 2016.  The project is mostly complete at a cost of around $5.5 billion USD.  I think the money was well-spent because the airport looks more spacious & visually appealing.

We took a cab from the airport to our hotel in Midtown Manhattan.  Traffic wasn’t too bad, and I was able to take pictures of buildings from the passenger window.  The hotel is located not too far from the Empire State Building.  In fact, we could clearly see the iconic building from our hotel room because it was on the 27^th floor.  We could also see the New Yorker building.

My dad & I planned on getting around Manhattan by using the extensive subway system.  We bought 7-day Metro passes at the nearest station.  We made our way to the Empire State Building on our first full day in the city.  I planned one activity for each day.  The iconic structure is nearing 100 years old!  We cleared security and then walked through a museum featuring portraits & information plaques.  We took an express elevator to the observation deck on the 86^th floor.  My dad & I walked outside, braving the hot sun, and took pictures of the surrounding cityscape.  I took many photos and even a short video.  It’s quite impressive to hear the metropolis from a high altitude.  Speaking of high altitude, we took an elevator up to the 102^nd floor observatory.  It’s smaller & you have to pay extra, but worth it.  The visit ended in the merchandise store.  All tourist places have a merchandise store at the end.  I’ll admit to buying a t-shirt.

We headed to Times Square by subway.  The area sounds louder to me, possibly due to many pedestrians, vehicles, bright lights, and digital ads plastered on buildings.  People suffering from seizures should be careful and/or avoid Times Square because it may be triggering.

At the end of the first day, my dad & I had dinner at the Beer Authority restaurant, not far from our hotel.  We ordered fish & chips, and shrimp teriyaki.

The second day was all about flight.  We visited the Intrepid Museum, on the actual USS Intrepid (CV-11).  The carrier was launched during World War 2, decommissioned after the end of the war, recommissioned in the 1950s as an attack carrier, converted into an anti-submarine carrier, decommissioned a second time in 1974, and finally becoming a museum ship in 1982.   The carrier hosts many aircraft, helicopters, and even the space shuttle Enterprise in an enclosed pavilion.  The pavilion is air conditioned and provides respite from the hot sun.  Wear a hat & sunscreen when visiting.  You can explore most of the decks & island control tower.  I took a lot of pictures, so many that I can’t post them all here.      

Next to the USS Intrepid sits the decommissioned British Airways Concorde G-BOAD.  It “holds the record for the fastest Atlantic crossing.”  You must buy a separate ticket to do the Concorde Tour.  The tour lasts 30 minutes and was very informative.  This was our first time sitting in a Concorde.  I wish I was rich to afford the tickets when Concorde operated.

We explored a small part of Central Park on the morning of the third day.  Central Park is a very big place, and you can spend an entire day there.  Maybe two.  The park serves as a way for the people of Manhattan to escape the hustle & bustle of the city . . . without actually leaving it.  Surprisingly, the noise level drops significantly when you walk several metres into the park.  You really feel like you’re in a quiet suburb or dense forest.  Just ignore the tall buildings surrounding the park.  There are a lot of places to visit, including a zoo.  We didn’t go there this time.

We proceeded to Lower Manhattan, aka Downtown New York City, where the Financial District is located.  We got off at the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, recently opened in 2016, at an estimated cost of $4 billion USD.  It was built to replace the previous hub that was destroyed in the September 11 terrorist attacks of 2001.  The main station house is the Oculus and it’s quite a nice-looking building with a lot of floor space and a very high ceiling.  My only gripe is the limited seating on the main floor.  I guess this was done to prevent people from congregating and interrupting the constant flow of foot traffic.  [Oculus video clip].

We walked across the street, got a close-up view of one of the reflection ponds and then proceeded to One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the western hemisphere.  The building stands at 1,776 feet, or 571 metres.  The height of 1,776 feet was deliberately chosen during the design phase to reference the Declaration of Independence.  We proceeded through security, walked through a small museum about the tower, and then took an express elevator to One World Observatory on floors 100 – 102.  I took a lot of pictures of NYC, including a passing Hercules transport plane.  I also purchased a New York City hat from the gift shop.  It’s the probably the most I ever paid for a hat.  We enjoyed a late lunch at the One Dine Restaurant before returning to street level.

We returned to Lower Manhattan the next day to explore the Financial District on foot.  We found the New York Stock Exchange but didn’t go inside.  We also located the famous Charging Bull statue but didn’t pose next to it because there were two long lines.  One for the front and one for the back.  The line at the back is for people who want their pictures taken of them holding the bull’s, um, balls.  I’m not kidding.  Apparently, holding them in your hands brings you good luck, but I doubt that’s true.  Someone probably said that as a joke and then many people believed it.

We continued south towards Battery Park.  I bought a large pretzel from a street vendor next to the US Custom House.  You have to buy good street food from a vendor at least once when visiting NYC.  Speaking of food, there are a lot of food vendors at Battery Park, selling fruits, drinks, ice cream, and sweets.  There are other vendors that sell hats, paintings, and post cards.  There are a lot of people in Battery Park because there’s a ferry terminal and a dock for tourists wanting to visit Liberty Island.  (More on this coming up).

My dad & I left the park and walked east towards a helicopter pier.  I booked The New Yorker Tour with HeliNY.  We checked-in, watched a safety video, given inflatable safety vests, and then waited with other passengers for our turn to board.  The pier is used by several helicopter tour companies.  The flight lasted about 20 minutes.  We flew past Governor’s Island, Liberty Island, Ellis Island, and then proceed up the Hudson River.  The pilot circled around the George Washington Bridge and then returned the way we came.  He pointed out notable landmarks and shared some history about the city.  A helicopter tour is a great way to view NYC.

We enjoyed an early dinner at Fraunces Tavern.  The establishment “played a prominent role […] before, during, and after the American Revolution.”  The tavern once “served as a headquarters for George Washington, a venue for peace negotiations with the British, and housing federal offices in the Early Republic.”

On our last full day in The Big Apple, my dad & I returned to Battery Park to catch one of the ferries to Liberty Island.  Liberty Island is where the famed Statue of Liberty is located.  There were a lot of people even though we arrived in the morning.  We lined up at the main dock after going through security.  The sky was clear & the sun was shining brightly in the sky.  It’s a good thing we put on sunscreen & were wearing hats.  The ferry made its way to the island filled to maximum capacity.  We disembarked and took in our surroundings.

Viewing the island from the air the day before made it easier for us to get our bearings.  The island was swarming with visitors, but thankfully, it wasn’t too crowded.  I took many photographs of the statue and the surrounding area.  The statue’s pedestal is currently under renovation.  We had to go through another security checkpoint to access the Statue of Liberty’s Pedestal.  You can either walk up stairs or take a small slow-moving elevator to the top of the Pedestal.  Thankfully we didn’t have to wait long for the elevator.  Unfortunately, that’s the only elevator.  It’s all stairs if you want to get to the observation decks in the crown and at the torch.  You must pay extra to gain access.  We spent about 20 minutes walking around & taking in the sights.

We explored the remainder of the island before lining up for the ferry.  Unfortunately, the line was very long.  I think we waited close to 45 minutes.  Liberty Island needs an additional dock to handle all the tourists.  Next stop was Ellis Island.

The last time I visited Ellis Island was 1999.  The island served as a gateway for immigrants from 1892 to 1954.  It’s now home to the National Museum of Immigration.  The museum looks a lot better since my last visit, especially the history exhibits.  There are plenty of statues, photos, and plaques to read & photograph.  I was ecstatic to see they kept the Old Italian Story quote.  (It’s the only thing I remember from my first visit).

It was mid-afternoon when we returned to Battery Park.  Visiting Liberty & Ellis Islands requires an entire day.

We took a subway to East Village to enjoy an early dinner at Veselka, a popular Ukrainian restaurant.  The place was busy, and the food was great.  The restaurant is also the subject of a recently released documentary.  Slava Ukraini!

Unfortunately, the time had come to return to Canada.  We checked out of our hotel and got a taxi ride to LaGuardia Airport.  We felt like VIPs because the taxi was a black SUV.  We checked in our luggage, went through security, and proceeded to the Maple Leaf Lounge for breakfast and to kill some time.  We walked to our gate after some time had passed.

The short return flight was uneventful and thankfully going through Canadian customs didn’t take long.  We caught our second flight a few hours later, collected our luggage at our final destination, and then took a taxi home. 

Overall, the trip was a success.  We did everything we set out to do and had a great time.  The only thing we had to get used to is going through security checkpoints at all tourist destinations.  It’s the norm in the USA and I doubt it’ll change.  I’m glad I returned to New York City after a 20-year absence.  I’ll need to plan a future visit to explore the other boroughs.