And the ice is blue! The snow melts and the sea ice is flooded. This fresh water flows slowly through cracks or seal holes. In the meantime, we sometimes wonder what we are doing with a snowmobile with so much water around! Yesterday we had to lift up the front of the snowmobile onto the sled to dry the engine and to be able to move away from a too flooded area.

Since June 11th, the school is over for Léonie; until August 15th. The summer holidays are slightly shifted with our sailing season (late July to late September). On our return from Greenland, Aurore will also go to the Inuksuit school in Qikiqtarjuaq to learn English and Inuktitut. Léonie now loves to sing in Inuktitut, she brings us more Inuit culture.

We are just back from three days camping in the first fjord, northwest of Vagabond. We had our tent on shore, looking at flooded ice, not far from a big torrent. The first flowers appear, as well as many berries form last year, which have been frozen all winter: despite a small characteristic taste, everyone is enjoying them, including our dogs! Leelee and Sarah, came to visit us twice (a good hour by snowmobile from the village), they show us different berries, plants used to make tea, to make fire...

Between two scientific stations (measurements, ice coring and water sampling every two days on the ice for Takuvik), we tried a large net, 100 meters high and 2 meters wide, set up just above the bottom of the fjord (370m) for 24 hours: a total of 8h of work, but nothing, no polar cod in the net! There was one however in the hole four days later, swimming in the strong current generated by the flow of meltwater...

Last week, Mike Beedell and a group of French friends visited us after a challenging ski trip. We were all pleased with these shared moments on board or in town. France and I never had so much company during our scientific work, either on the sea ice or in the lab! Thanks to Billy for all skidoo transfers (Billy is also the local Gospel Church Reverend!).

In order to bring back the anchor before the ice begins to drift, risking to break the chain, I hooked it to a 60 liters plastic drum during my last dive. I filled it with air, but the anchor did not move! I'm going back soon, with another drum.