       
CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier
Arctic Expedition Sponsors
Canadian Airborne Regiment
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CANADIAN
ARCTIC AID
Before describing my Arctic expedition I’m asking
for your help to assist Canada’s Arctic people.
When I see how Canadians rally to help those in
dire need around the planet, besides being reassured that people
haven’t entirely lost their compassionate souls, it bothers me to
think that we can do such good elsewhere, yet all but neglect the
Canadians here at home who need so much. To me, that is not only an
embarrassment in our affluent nation but also a travesty among the
worst kinds.
My passion for the Arctic ignited with my first
deployment there as a youthful paratrooper, becoming evermore
intrigued with successive missions from Alaska to Hudson Bay and
points between. More recently, I had the privilege to better know
the people and communities while plying the waters of the western
Canadian Arctic aboard CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier. (Read my daily journal,
below)
Learning their stories and seeing their life
struggles left me inexplicably unsettled since returning to my
southern comforts. I feel compelled to find ways to benefit their
existence and to personally be challenged in the pursuit of a
greater good. From my experiences in the Arctic, and because I want
this amazing country of mine to be truly great everywhere within
itself, I see this as an endeavour worth pursuing – if not long
overdue.
I want to create an organization to deliver
meaningful aid to our Arctic people and communities - not just short
term, quick-fix stuff, but also an ongoing plan to foster northern
community vitality and independence.
Regardless of its ultimate form, such an
organization must be non-profit, non-governmental, non-political,
non-religious, and non-partisan – being humanitarian to its core,
with no other motive for its efforts.
It might seem that “everything” is needed, but
there is a logical way to break the needs into something do-able for
a specific community. Not to lead your thinking, I won’t mention
here what is on my list – rather ask you, if you were mounting a
humanitarian mission to the Canadian Arctic:
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What do they need but not get from anyone else?
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What do they get but need more of?
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Which organizations or individuals seem likely
allies to help make this happen?
These out-of-sight, out-of-mind Canadians exist in
sub-standard, often-overcrowded dwellings and struggle with poverty,
hunger, disease and despair – due in large measure to the
northward encroachment of others interests.
Besides appreciating and valuing your observations
and comments, I would welcome your collaboration to help make a
difference in the lives of our farthest-north citizens.
If not now - when? If not us - who? Please care
enough to become the solution!
Contact me via email arctic@ewmanchester.com
ARCTIC
EXPEDITION 2007
For 76 days, during August through
October 2007, I sailed aboard the icebreaker, Canadian Coast Guard
Ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier. I joined the ship to document its 2007
Arctic patrol. (Read my daily journal, below)
My freelance objective was simple. The ship's mission was not.
Laurier's voyage, which began and ended in Victoria, British
Columbia, Canada, comprised issues of Canadian sovereignty;
international scientific research; northern community survival;
navigation safety; search and rescue; and icebreaking techniques -
among others. Consequently, the entire patrol was rich in diverse
subject matter.
The patrol occurred during the International Polar Year, which was
billed as an intensive, coordinated burst of scientific effort to
accelerate advances in knowledge and understanding of Earth's Polar
Regions. It was also at a time of increased activity by modern-day
Arctic explorers seeking natural resources, trade routes and tourist
dollars in an environment that is both hostile and vulnerable.
While onboard I had unrestricted access throughout the ship, to its
officers, crew and the hosted science teams. I participated in ship,
helicopter and small-boat projects, which enabled me to chronicle
aspects of shipborne, airborne, and land/ice-based activities.
THE SHIP
The 83-metre Laurier - a Canadian prime minister's namesake - is a
light icebreaker and navaids tender. The 1986-vintage ship has three
16-cylinder diesel engines that produce 7,600 horsepower, which,
when converted through two electric propulsion motors results in
15-knot speeds. When this power is applied to Laurier’s 3,800
registered tons, one-metre thick ice is dispersed at five-knot
speeds. Depending on conditions, Laurier can even defeat ice three
metres thick. A five-passenger helicopter is carried on deck for
re-supply, reconnaissance and repair work, which can be launched and
retrieved in three-metre seas and winds to 40 knots. The ship’s
complement of up to 50 officers, crew and scientists worked 12-hour
shifts, seven days per week, around the clock. Two complete crews
shared Laurier, changing every six weeks. The researchers hailed
from universities and agencies in Canada, Japan and the United
States.
THE SHIP'S WORK
Besides being a Canadian sovereignty presence in the Arctic and
hosting myriad science projects, the ship's own coast guard work was
intense. Laurier serviced hundreds of navigation aids and beacons.
During most summers icebreaking is a life-sustaining task. The ship
opens passages for tugs and barges hauling supplies to remote
villages and other isolated sites, which are essential to their
surviving the winter - everything from canned goods to new houses
and fuel. Laurier’s escort services were not needed during 2007, as
that summer had the least amount of sea ice on record.
AREA OF OPERATIONS
Its expansive operations took Laurier near the International
Dateline in the Bering Strait at about 170° West Longitude; above
75° North Latitude in the Arctic Ocean, and, as far east as Boothia
Peninsula at around 95° West Longitude - roughly straight up from
Winnipeg, Manitoba. Overall, the ship travelled some 15,000 nautical
miles – mostly on shallow, uncharted waters.
CONDITIONS
Weather, especially wind and fog (together), repeatedly interrupted
Laurier’s critical work. For nearly four months, around the clock,
the wind continuously blew at more than 20 knots, and was frequently
in the 30-50-knot range. The summer weather included below-freezing
temperatures, fast-moving rain-sleet squalls and snow. Strong winds
frequently blew up big seas, sufficient to make onboard life
challenging – the worst being 75-knot wind and ten-metre seas during
the homeward voyage.
ARCTIC CREDENTIALS
My prior northern experience includes military deployments
parachuting into Alaska, plus Canadian locales Coral Harbour,
Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk, and Resolute where we lived in tents and
travelled the land by snowmobile and skis in -50°F conditions.
Arctic Journal
Arctic Photos
© Eric W. Manchester. All
Rights Reserved
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