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| The Game | ||
Close encounters of the bear kind
Log Date: August 14, 1998
Author: Erik Larsen
Lat/Lon: 62 31' N, 64 22' W
Location: Kane Strait
Weather: Overcast
Sightings: Polar bears, walrus
Click on the pictures below to view enlargements.
Hi there, cyberadventurers. We are navigating Canadian coastal waters and should
show a courtesy flag. So we split up some rags and sewed them together to make a
flag.
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Your author finishing our version of the Canadian flag |
We have not gone very far today, mile-wise, but we have added a few unique experiences
to our log. As we left our hideout at the end of Chapell Inlet, the wind was very
weak. When we got out offshore it died completely and we started rowing. We rowed
from half-past seven in the morning till three o'clock in the afternoon. By that
time we had reached the entrance of the Kane Strait.
Again we spotted walruses off our starboard beam. They thrive in water near shore,
where they feed on clams and mussels. We could hear their blowing as they rose to
the surface, distinctly different from that of seals or whales.
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Oooh, I think I see a bear - no, wait! - three bears |
The current was running hard through the strait against our direction of sail,
so we dropped anchor and waited. We had barely dropped the hook before we heard,
"Bear, bear!" Rob spotted a bear, and then also Hodding spotted one, and
John Abbott saw a third.
They were dispersed over the coastline on the eastern side of Kane Strait. One of
them was BIG, I mean HUGE. As we got out our binoculars, we saw the big one start
to move - coming our way!
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Bear coming closer |
He slipped into the water and swam downstream, but he kept on the far shore. We
saw him going really far off shore. We had it all rigged up, anchor in the stern
and sails and oars ready to go.
You suddenly realize that you are no longer at the top of the food chain.
Two of the bears met, and the big one scared the small one away. The big one moved
out of sight and we started moving into the strait. The tide was now favorable, and
besides, the smaller bear came swimming in our direction. We outrowed him, but a
mile further down at our new anchorage we saw him again. He was obviously curious,
and headed for the waterline where he sat watching us for some time.
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Polar bear heading toward the water |
The bear was within 40 yards of us, and we begged that it would not choose to
go into the water and swim toward us. We could only hope to scare him off. John Abbott
was cooking dinner and the bear seemed to like the smell.
For the sake of experiment, we tried to scare him off by making a lot of noise. Strangely,
Hodding and Rob singing "Oh, Shenandoah" didn't seem to displease the bear.
When we fired the gun and banged the cooking utensils, however, it ran away. But
it came back, only to be chased away by another bear. This bear was more easily scared
and leapt over the rocks when we fired the gun in the air.
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It's looking at you, Dean! |
It's strange with these animals - they seem so cute, but the fact that one of
them probably weighs about 1000 pounds - up to 2000 pounds for the big one we saw
- is really quite frightening. Needless to say, we are on bear watch tonight, and
we hope that we can report on a quiet night tomorrow.
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