Searching for Franklin

It's over and we're on our way home

2012-09-19T17:53:43Z

Gravols were very popular last night. The boat Martin Bergmann goes very quickly towards Cambridge Bay, a journey that will have lasted 24 hours once we arrive tonight towards 10 p.m.

The sea was very turbulent last night. Some didn't get a good sleep, others had only a few hours of sleep. ]]>
Hydrographer Glenn Toldi, left, and University of Victoria engineer Alison Proctor close up shop.

Gravols were very popular last night. The boat Martin Bergmann is going very quickly towards Cambridge Bay, a journey that will have lasted 24 hours once we arrive tonight towards 10 p.m.

The sea was very turbulent last night. Some didn't get a good sleep, others had only a few hours of sleep.

This morning, everybody got ready to go home -- time to do your luggage!

The sheer idea that we'll be home soon makes us win the war against seasickness ... at last!

Robin cooks up a storm in the Bergmann kitchen

2012-09-14T20:40:43Z

The boat Martin Bergmann navigates alone at sea, near the coast of O'Reilly Island (latitude: 68 10 42 N; longitude: 98 55 59 W).

The sea is calm and the crews of researchers do their work without any bad surprises.

We can almost say that a certain routine has set in. ]]>
Robin keeps everything under control in the kitchen of the Martin Bergmann.

The boat Martin Bergmann navigates alone at sea, near the coast of O'Reilly Island (latitude: 68 10 42 N; longitude: 98 55 59 W).

The sea is calm and the crews of researchers do their work without any bad surprises.

We can almost say that a certain routine has set in.

At 7 a.m., Parks Canada archeologists put their sonar in the water and in the afternoon their University of Victoria colleagues do the same with their huge "torpedo," their autonomous underwater vehicle.

Three meals a day are served. This can also look like a boring routine but that's because you don't know the chef.

Her name is Robin, Robin the cook, and she's a real bomb of energy.

It's absolutely impossible to get bored with her, the kitchen is on fire!

Back to work and collecting live data

2012-09-13T19:13:00Z

The search for Franklin ships has resumed with vigour.

The day before, winds and waves were too strong to do any searching at all.

]]>
Alison Proctor, left, and James Markes of the University of Victoria prepare to launch their autonomous underwater vehicle.

The search for Franklin ships has resumed with vigour.

The day before, winds and waves were too strong to do any searching at all.

Today the weather is better. Parks Canada put its sonar in the water and is collecting live data.

Later during the day, the University of Victoria's autonomous underwater vehicle should be launched, too.

Ryan Harris, left, and Jonathan Moore of Parks Canada check data coming from the sonar.

Too much wind and a new suit to try on

2012-09-13T14:20:37Z

There is one thing we don't control: the weather.

Last night, we left the Sir Wilfrid Laurier to start our new journey alone on board the Martin Bergmann.

We are 11 on board: five crew members, five scientists from Parks Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, University of Victoria and one reporter-cameraman-editor: me. ]]>
Ryan Harris, left, a marine archeologist with Parks Canada, and Carey Collinge, captain of the Martin Bergmann, give Maxence Bilodeau some moral support as he tries out an immersion suit.

There is one thing we don't control: the weather.

Last night, we left the Sir Wilfrid Laurier to start our new journey alone on board the Martin Bergmann.

We are 11 on board: five crew members, five scientists from Parks Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the University of Victoria and one reporter-cameraman-editor: me.

We are right now hiding behind an island, unable to do any scientific work because the sea is too bad, too much wind in the open ocean.

We should soon go back navigating as the wind calms down. We are five hours away from where we want to be, near O'Reilly Island.

This break gave us time to learn more about safety measures. I tried for the very first time an immersion suit, which I will never want to wear for real!

Moving to smaller quarters

2012-09-11T19:23:56Z

That's it. About half of the scientists left the icebreaker Sir Wilfrid Laurier and went to Cambridge Bay, where they will be heading home.

Late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, the boat Martin Bergmann will start its solo trip south to get to the O'Reilly Island region, where one of the two wrecks of the Franklin ships could be. ]]>
Late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, the boat Martin Bergmann will start its solo trip south to get to the O'Reilly Island region, where one of the two wrecks of the Franklin ships could be.

The Martin Bergmann is so small by comparison with the Laurier. Life on board the Laurier is like staying at a five-star hotel.

The truth? I look forward to going on the Bergmann but this time I think I won't escape being seasick.

Captain's Log: Fair winds as our part in the Franklin search ends

2012-09-11T16:22:01Z

Capt. Bill Noon: It is with great pride that I commend all of the partners involved on this year's project.

It has been a pleasure for the Canadian Coast Guard to have provided the logistics support to Parks Canada's underwater archeology service, Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Canadian Hydrographic Service, Environment Canada's E-Space program, the University of Victoria's Ocean Technology Laboratory and the Government of Nunavut's Department of Culture and Heritage.
]]> (Bill Noon, a 31-year veteran of the Canadian Coast Guard, is a captain on the icebreaker Sir Wilfrid Laurier as it completes its 2012 Arctic mission and offers a two-week support stint to the Parks Canada-led search for the missing ships of explorer Sir John Franklin.)

Day 20 Sept. 11, 2012: 0700h

It is with great pride that I commend all of the partners involved on this year's project.

It has been a pleasure for the Canadian Coast Guard to have provided the logistics support to Parks Canada's underwater archeology service, Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Canadian Hydrographic Service, Environment Canada's E-Space program, the University of Victoria's Ocean Technology Laboratory and the Government of Nunavut's Department of Culture and Heritage.

And while they didn't get a lot of space in this blog, other partners who contributed greatly to ensuring the success of this project included the Arctic Research Foundation (which provided the Martin Bergmann to this project), the Canadian Space Agency, Environment Canada's Ice Service, the community of Gjoa Haven and the Inuit Heritage Trust.

While we may not have found the lost ships this year, we found new clues, charted new waters, forged new alliances and rediscovered our past (and we can mark off new areas where there are definitely no shipwrecks).

On behalf of the Canadian Coast Guard, I thank everyone who joined us on our journey and I wish you fair winds.

And while CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier heads out to return to normal operations, we'll be watching the Martin Bergmann for another week or so, and perhaps, just perhaps, they can finish what we started.

Captain's Log: Getting ready to say goodbye

2012-09-11T16:01:31Z

Capt. Bill Noon: Today is officially Laurier's last full day supporting this year's expedition.

By tomorrow, we'll be saying goodbye to many of our guests.

Some will transfer to the Martin Bergmann to continue their work, while others will be flown to Gladman Point in Simpson Strait to catch a charter flight to Cambridge Bay. ]]>
Partners in the Franklin search project gather on the Laurier on the final day of this year's expedition.

(Bill Noon, a 31-year veteran of the Canadian Coast Guard, is a captain on the icebreaker Sir Wilfrid Laurier as it completes its 2012 Arctic mission and offers a two-week support stint to the Parks Canada-led search for the missing ships of explorer Sir John Franklin.)

Day 19 Sept. 10, 2012: 1400h

Today is officially Laurier's last full day supporting this year's expedition.

By tomorrow, we'll be saying goodbye to many of our guests.

Some will transfer to the Martin Bergmann to continue their work, while others will be flown to Gladman Point in Simpson Strait to catch a charter flight to Cambridge Bay.

Most of the hydrographers will remain behind to continue sounding work onboard CCGS Laurier, and will leave instead with the upcoming crew change on Sept. 18.

The early weather report sounded good this morning; however, the fog horn announced the arrival of fog shortly afterwards, which disappeared and reappeared in patches throughout the day.

The Gannet, Kinglett and Bergmann were on their sonar lines early this morning, and the 733 zodiac was dispatched to retrieve a second water level gauge near Racon Island.

We weighed anchor early and steamed towards Gladman Point (where we will anchor tonight) on our new charted passage.

Late this afternoon, the Environment Canada team was able to take the helicopter to the south side of Simpson Strait to video their final coastline this season.

The terrestrial archeologists used their last day to conduct a show-and-tell session with guests and crew onboard, and Parks Canada's marine archeologists are planning to follow suit with group discussions on the HMS Investigator found in 2010.

To have been a part of both the charting and the sailing of a new shipping route has been a career highlight.

Few mariners or hydrographers will ever enjoy this combined honour. My wife, Megan, has strongly suggested that the new passage be named Pooky Passage after our 21-year-old white cat (except that that is no longer how place names are selected, but I'll let someone else tell her).

Honestly, I can't think of a better way to experience discovering our own Canadian history.

Our final dinner to celebrate the many successes achieved in these past weeks will involve a big barbecue on deck, where we'll be joined by the team on the Martin Bergmann.

After that, I suspect that we will have a tightly packed crew's and officers' messes where the big screens have already been fully prepped for a viewing of The National.

Update: As of last night, the Gannet, Kinglett, Bergmann and the AUV had sounded over 3,198 kilometres, with multibeam/sidescan sonar coverage of over 232 square kilometres.

Environment Canada's coastal surveyors filmed even more coastline to add to the 500 kilometres collected last week. That is in addition to the earlier reported 879 square kilometres of LIDAR conducted at the beginning of the mission.

Captain's Log: Going full out as the time flies by

2012-09-11T15:51:44Z

Capt. Bill Noon: With only two days left, the focus today shifted to identifying which objectives would be given priority in the day's operations.

To add to the pressure, the helicopter's 100-hour inspection is quickly coming due and I need to reserve some of its remaining time for any unforeseen operations that might arise. ]]> (Bill Noon, a 31-year veteran of the Canadian Coast Guard, is a captain on the icebreaker Sir Wilfrid Laurier as it completes its 2012 Arctic mission and offers a two-week support stint to the Parks Canada-led search for the missing ships of explorer Sir John Franklin.)

Day 18 Sept. 9, 2012, 2235h

With only two days left, the focus today shifted to identifying which objectives would be given priority in the day's operations.

To add to the pressure, the helicopter's 100-hour inspection is quickly coming due and I need to reserve some of its remaining time for any unforeseen operations that might arise.

We've been very fortunate that we haven't been called away during these past two weeks, as a search and rescue tasking is a top priority for the coast guard, and would have taken precedence over our current mission.

Today's weather forecast had reported morning winds of 15 knots, with weather models predicting an additional five to 10 knots within hours.

With that, the AUV operations were grounded for the morning. The Gannet and Kinglett were launched by 0730 to finish off the final survey work in Alex Block South.

The Martin Bergmann had an even earlier start. Priority for the helicopter was given to the hydrographic work to conduct water observations at Racon Island, followed by the dismantling of the M'Clintock GPS reference stations.

You cannot produce a chart without good tidal information, so this work is very important.

We moved the Laurier northward and dispatched the 733 zodiac to retrieve one of the Canadian Hydrographic Service's water level gauges at Admiralty Island.

Similar to the Sea Spider (see Day 2), this mooring releases its buoy using an acoustic (sound) signal, which worked on the first try. The plan to use the zodiac to transport the hydrographers to Racon Island for their final water observations was replaced by the helicopter suddenly when fresh bear tracks in the area were reported.

We were back at home base in Alexandra Strait by mid-afternoon, and conditions were tame enough to allow the AUV team to spend several hours out collecting data.

Not having the chance to get back to land today, Doug and Robert spent their time carefully itemizing the new finds, cataloging photographs and writing up the information.

Environment Canada's team also spent the day reviewing video and preparing for a final flight, hopefully tomorrow.

All of the boats continued their surveys until late into the evening. The time is just flying now.

We were going full out today, with every resource stretched to the maximum.

Like the previous dozens of expeditions before us, we just want that one last chance to find something.

A milestone in the Franklin expedition

2012-09-11T13:31:31Z

No, the Franklin expedition still hasn't found any trace of the Erebus or the Terror, the two mythical ships of Sir John Franklin.

What happened to those two ships, we still don't know. One of the theories says that they drifted separately, one heading north, the other south.

Today, the Franklin expedition has a similar faith (so to speak). The two ships of the expedition, the Sir Wilfrid Laurier and the Martin Bergmann, will part way. ]]>
No, the Franklin expedition still hasn't found any trace of the Erebus or the Terror, the two mythical ships of Sir John Franklin.

What happened to those two ships, we still don't know. One of the theories says that they drifted separately, one heading north, the other south.

Today, the Franklin expedition has a similar path (so to speak). The two ships of the expedition, the Sir Wilfrid Laurier and the Martin Bergmann, will part way.

Progressively, the Laurier will go back to its normal Canadian Coast Guard duties and the Bergman will stay in the area for some more days in search of the lost wrecks and to map the sea floor.

The separation of the two ships marks the end of the expedition for many scientists who will head back home on Tuesday after many weeks spent in the Arctic.

A family picture has been taken with both crews to immortalize the event.

Captain's Log: Only a few more days to find Franklin clues

2012-09-10T16:12:18Z

Capt. Bill Noon: In just a few hours, the Canadian Hydrographic Service will complete the preliminary electronic charting of a new route taking us further south into Alexandra Strait.

Only one vessel is known to have previously sailed this specific route - the U.S. Coast Guard ship Storis, which left behind a very narrow track line of soundings around 1957. ]]>
A screen capture from the Sir Wilfrid Laurier's electronic charting system shows the alternate route through Alexandra Strait. Also indicated in red is the position of the Laurier at the time of the screen capture.

(Bill Noon, a 31-year veteran of the Canadian Coast Guard, is a captain on the icebreaker Sir Wilfrid Laurier as it completes its 2012 Arctic mission and offers a two-week support stint to the Parks Canada-led search for the missing ships of explorer Sir John Franklin.)

Day 17 Sept. 8, 2012, 1442h

In just a few hours, the Canadian Hydrographic Service will complete the preliminary electronic charting of a new route taking us further south into Alexandra Strait.

Only one vessel is known to have previously sailed this specific route - the U.S. Coast Guard ship Storis, which left behind a very narrow track line of soundings around 1957.

This single line of soundings has been described by Andrew as a dirt track.

But now, the depth and sidescan sonar collected by Gannet, Kinglett and Martin Bergmann this past week has been used to compile the electronic chart and CCGS Laurier will soon be able to safely transit from Victoria Strait to Storis Passage to shorten our trip to Gladman Point by at least six to seven hours, which makes for significant fuel savings on an icebreaker.

Eventually this work could lead to a new chart of an alternate route in the Northwest Passage around King William Island.

This charting also opens up an area for Parks Canada to continue its search for the sunken HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, as ice and current models suggest that the lost ships may have drifted from the site of abandonment into this zone.

The other partners are also taking full advantage of these last few days onboard, and every weather opportunity will be seized.

Today looks very promising, as the 20-knot winds of the early morning continue to drop.

Anne-Marie and Mélanie embarked on a flight early this morning, and completed some Radarsat-2 ground verification and GPS work at Cape Crozier.

The Gannet and Kinglett are well underway, and the AUV has collected depth and sidescan sonar data across 12 transit lines in the Alex South Block.

The sonar pole on the Bergmann was redesigned and rebuilt with senior coast guard engineer Gary Babin's incredible machining abilities, allowing them to continue surveying in Bergmann Block as of 0600 this morning.

One of the hydrographers is heading out to the GPS Reference Station on M'Clintock Point to retrieve data, and our terrestrial archeologists will spend more hours in Erebus Bay near the gravesites today.

We are in full production today, with all our resources deployed, keeping us all extremely busy.

Only a few more days until most of our non-coast guard guests head off the Laurier.

Only a few more days before we return to our normal operations.

Only a few more days to find more clues to Franklin's lost ships.

Captain's Log: Archeologists outdoing themselves at Erebus Bay

2012-09-10T15:18:15Z

Capt. Bill Noon: The fog rolled in early, about 0400h, and lasted on and off for most of the morning.

The winds increased throughout the morning, increasing to 25 knots with gusts up to 30 knots. The Gannet and Kinglett survey launches went out early, as has been their habit, but the Gannet began experiencing some minor electrical problems, requiring the replacement of their alternator. ]]>
Government of Nunavut archeologist Doug Stenton kneels beside a cairn erected at the Erebus Bay site on King William Island in 1994 by the Government of Northwest Territories in memory of the lost men of the Franklin expedition.

(Bill Noon, a 31-year veteran of the Canadian Coast Guard, is a captain on the icebreaker Sir Wilfrid Laurier as it completes its 2012 Arctic mission and offers a two-week support stint to the Parks Canada-led search for the missing ships of explorer Sir John Franklin.)

Day 16 Sept. 7, 2012, 1850h

The fog rolled in early, about 0400h, and lasted on and off for most of the morning.

The winds increased throughout the morning, increasing to 25 knots with gusts up to 30 knots. The Gannet and Kinglett survey launches went out early, as has been their habit, but the Gannet began experiencing some minor electrical problems, requiring the replacement of its alternator.

Andrew maintains a good supply of spare parts for the Canadian Hydrographic Service's launches, so the replacement was done quickly and the Gannet was sent back out to resume work after supper.

Unfortunately, at about the same time, the growing wind and wave conditions required that the Kinglett and the Martin Bergmann stopped work to take shelter in a small bay for several hours to give respite to their crew while the Laurier moved closer to their position to retrieve them.

We also kept the AUV on deck most of the day until it could be safely launched.

And back to the onboard programming, terrestrial archeologists Doug and Robert are quickly becoming unrivalled superstars.

Last week at Cape Felix, they located percussion caps (used to fire guns), screws (some marked with a small arrow branding them as military property to discourage theft), square iron and copper nails, a piece of a ceramic pipe, glass bottle fragments and canvas (used for tents, sails and other purposes).

But you're only as good as your last find, and this week they've outdone themselves again on Erebus Bay.

Doug and Robert visited a Franklin site on the coast of Erebus Bay, known as the Boat Place because of the discovery by M'Clintock's search party of a boat and sled that had been hauled by Franklin's men after they had abandoned the ships.

Doug had been at this site last year when he repaired the burial cairn after some likely polar bear vandalism.

The cairn contains the remains of at least 11 of Franklin's crew. These bones were excavated and analysed in 1993, and returned to the site in 1994 for burial.

A cairn was erected at the site in 1994 by the Government of Northwest Territories in memory of the lost men. The plaque inscription placed on the cairn reads: "To the memory of the crew members of Sir John Franklin's expedition of 1845 who died here in the spring of 1848."

A second burial cairn was erected in 1997 at another Franklin site about two kilometres away, and contains the remains of another three of Franklin's men.

Its plaque reads: "Here rest the remains of members of the Northwest Passage Expedition of 1845 commanded by Sir John Franklin."

At both sites, the archeologists found more types of nails, screws, buttons, glass and copper pieces similar those found at Cape Felix.

But new finds at the Boat Place included a concentration of wood, a copper button with a manufacturer's stamp and some additional human remains (including teeth, ribs, and arm and leg bone fragments).

Out of respect for the lost men, their remains were added to those already interred in the cairn.

The new artifacts will be added to the Government of Nunavut's archeology collection, as per the archeological permit requirements (in case you were wondering, you can't simply show up on these islands and walk away with artifacts).

And besides all of the new artifacts located, Doug and Robert also found a capable new assistant in Peter Mansbridge, who himself made some new discoveries, including a bone toothbrush.

Worth noting is that in 1879, while searching for records of the lost Franklin expedition, Lt. Frederick Schwatka had also reported finding toothbrushes at this same site. I guess if Peter's current stint as a news anchor on CBC's The National doesn't work out, Doug will offer him a job.

Having the Parks Canada underwater archeologists Jonathan Moore and Ryan Harris onboard at the same time was ideal, as their marine expertise helped identify and explain several of these artifacts.

Many lively discussions led by Jon and Ryan have taken place on the Laurier about those broad arrow (↑) naval markings on the screws, the types of cargo and equipment that would have been carried ashore, the types of boat fastenings found, the origin of the wood fragments from the boats and how these new artifacts compared to those of the HMS Investigator found offshore of Banks Island in 2010.

As a wooden boat owner myself, I could not be any luckier, or in better company at this moment in history.

A copper button found at the Erebus Bay site shows manufacturer's markings.

Moments of grace on board the Laurier

2012-09-10T14:50:59Z

There is a great amount of activity these days on board the coast guard ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier.

Every day, many missions are conducted by boat or helicopter. The crew wakes up early in the morning (breakfast is served between 6 and 7 a.m.) and finishes often after night has fallen.

Meals are absorbed in minutes, people come and go at the speed of light and go back to work. ]]>

There is a great amount of activity these days on board the coast guard ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier.

Every day, many missions are conducted by boat or helicopter. The crew wakes up early in the morning (breakfast is served between 6 and 7 a.m.) and finishes often after night has fallen.

Meals are absorbed in minutes, people come and go at the speed of light and go back to work.

All that hard work bears its fruits: For example, the Canadian Hydrographic Service just finished charting a new navigation route near King William Island.

Depending on where the ships are going, they could save seven hours and a ship like the Laurier could save $6,000 in fuel.

Lots of work, lots of fatigue, but there are on the Laurier moments of grace.

In the evening, when weather permits, we can get the most fabulous sunsets, nicer and more moving than any painting in the Louvre.

Cameraman-reporter Maxence Bilodeau films a sunset.

My search comes to an end

2012-09-08T00:29:04Z

After nearly three weeks aboard the coast guard icebreaker Sir Wilfrid Laurier, my time is up. I have swapped places with my friend and colleague from the French side, Maxence Bilodeau, who will join the search for the Franklin expedition's lost ships. ]]>
Unless they hid them from me, no shipwrecks have been found. That certainly doesn't mean failure. The crews have charted unknown waters, making way for safe shipping in the future.

I had a blast. The combination of a big ship with a helicopter, and small boats that go fast is irresistible to the little boy inside this man. But getting a chance to see a small part of the vast Arctic was a treat, and an eye-opener. The sunsets over the water are incredible, to be sure, but so is the land.

We left on board a Twin Otter, the workhorse of isolated communities, a plane that will land nearly anywhere. And boy, did this crew ever prove that. They picked us up not on an airport, or a field, or even flat ground but from a short strip of hard-packed sand and pebbles on a spit that juts out from an island.

Canadians owe a debt to these planes and their pilots, who allow the North to carry on in the way that it does. They are as integral to Arctic sovereignty as any navy patrol or fighter jet flyover. The people who live in these remote communities, largely in Nunavut, deserve credit too. Life is a challenge.

On the flight south from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut to Yellowknife, our pilots were kind enough to fly relatively low, offering some spectacular views. The experience gave me a sense of the vastness and of the tremendous amount of fresh water up here.

Now I need to shake my sea legs. All the rooms I'm in keep spinning around.

Captain's Log: Welcoming Mr. Mansbridge

2012-09-07T20:43:25Z

Captain Bill Noon: By now, you've probably noticed the ongoing theme of weather and logistics in my log. In the Arctic, you can simply never forget that it will be weather that decides if, how and when you will achieve your goals. This was as true for Franklin as it is for us, and that will certainly be true today.

Today is the day that we will welcome Peter Mansbridge and his colleagues onboard. At least, that's the plan. ]]> (Bill Noon, a 31-year veteran of the Canadian Coast Guard, is a captain on the icebreaker Sir Wilfrid Laurier as it completes its 2012 Arctic mission and offers a two-week support stint to the Parks Canada-led search for the missing ships of explorer Sir John Franklin.)

Day 15 September 6, 2012: 1410h

By now, you've probably noticed the ongoing theme of weather and logistics in my log. In the Arctic, you can simply never forget that it will be weather that decides if, how and when you will achieve your goals. This was as true for Franklin as it is for us, and that will certainly be true today.

Today is the day that we will welcome Peter Mansbridge and his colleagues onboard. At least, that's the plan.

But, as always, the weather is unpredictable and threatening to get worse. Since the early morning, the bridge officers have been keeping a very close watch on these 20 to 25 knot winds, and the forecasts suggest might become more intense by late afternoon.

Simply put, the strength of these winds could affect the unique travel arrangements that we've helped them plan for months. Starting yesterday, from Toronto to Cambridge Bay, the Mansbridge team's flight plan has used standard commercial travel. But getting them from Cambridge Bay to us required far more unique arrangements. The solution? A Twin Otter with tundra tires. Yes, I said tundra tires. You won't find those just anywhere. They allow planes to land in Arctic terrain, but only if you can find a location that is flat and hard-packed, with a relatively smooth surface.

We received word that their team left about an hour ago from Cambridge Bay's airport and is now en route. The natural landing strip where the plane is headed is near M'Clintock Point, selected by by the Canadian Hydrographic Service and our highly talented helicopter pilot Dave Ferguson after reviewing Radarsat-2 Satellite imagery and Worldview-2 optical imagery provided by the Canadian Space Agency, as well as substantial air and ground reconnaissance. Dave is also our official go-between with the twin otter pilots, ensuring that they receive all aviation information necessary to make this landing safe. For our part, we moved even closer to M'Clintock Point to wait.

Being this close was only possible because of the new charting information collected this week. From the vantage point of the bridge, I can see the landing area using my binoculars. So, now we are all keeping our fingers crossed that the weather holds so that the plane can land. Our helicopter is en route to the landing strip, and Dave has radioed information relayed from the other incoming plane. As we watch the twin otter circle the site several times assessing the landing site, I held my breath.

Day 15 September 6, 2012: 1414h

Welcome Mr. Mansbridge to CCGS Laurier and our 2012 expedition!

After months of planning, the plan came together on schedule. On days like today, being the captain of an icebreaker is the most rewarding job in the world. I remember telling my mom when I was a young boy that "When I grow up I want to be a sailor". Her response is still my favourite. "That's fine Bill, but you can't do both".

Peter Mansbridge joins the search for Franklin

2012-09-07T20:33:28Z

So why should David Common have all the fun?

He's been in the Arctic covering the search for the Franklin ships for a couple of weeks now, and doing a great job. Well, move over, David!]]>

By Peter Mansbridge, chief correspondent, CBC News

So why should David Common have all the fun?

He's been in the Arctic covering the search for the Franklin ships for a couple of weeks now, and doing a great job. Well, move over, David!

This weekend I'm flying up to spend a few days prepping a two night extended look at the search, from why it's happening to what it's accomplished and why we should care.

These broadcasts will air next Monday and Tuesday nights on the National.

After Wednesday's National, I caught the redeye overnight flight to Edmonton, got on an early morning flight to Yellowknife and then Cambridge Bay from where it's a Twin Otter to a remote beach and then a Coast Guard chopper onto the ice breaker Sir Wilfred Laurier.

Anyone who knows me knows I love the north and spend a good chunk of time in it, both professionally and personally. And I love this Franklin story.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I'm in it beyond just covering it. I'm a member of the Canadian Arctic Research Foundation which is one of the private partners in the search, as well as a promoting body for sustainable arctic development, which includes monitoring climate change to helping arctic communities deal with the challenges of a new century.

But this weekend is all about journalism and I'm excited about the places I'll be going to and the dedicated researchers, scientists and northern residents I'll be meeting to help tell the story.

I'm particularly excited about a planned visit to the Inuit community of Gjoa Haven on King William Island tomorrow night where I hear quite an evening is planned.

The next few days will be hectic but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

I'm often asked, "Where is the most interesting place you've been?"

My answer surprises many because they know I've been all over the world for the CBC and that I've been lucky enough to have seen some incredible things.

But my answer is always the same,"Canada's Arctic - there's no place like it."