Since the winter solstice, we are six on board Vagabond! The slow return of light is coinciding with the beginning of the games, in Qikiqtarjuaq. For ten days we are either in the village, with our Inuit friends, either aboard Vagabond, for family time. Shooting competition, spear throwing, slow snowmobile racing, hunting competition, team games or Christmas Mass in the gym-village-hall, music, frozen caribou, seal and clams feast... Decorating the boat, cooking, opening gifts, music and computer session, games with Pikuli's puppies, setting up swings, packing up snow along the hull (insulation), building up toilets (snow wall!), collecting ice at closest iceberg (freshwater)... life is good on the ice, with a beautiful gift this year: three brothers together for three weeks!

Upon returning from my mission in Antarctica (see photo album), I met up with Aurore, Leonie and France in Brittany for two short weeks in greenery! Mid-December, together with my brother François, we arrived in Quebec for a few days of meetings at Laval University, to work on a major scientific project scheduled from March to July 2015 with Takuvik. It was also the opportunity to visit the icebreaker Amundsen docked in Quebec! Sunday, a last plane took us back to Qikiqtarjuaq, where my brother Piem and our friends welcomed us warmly. Two snowmobiles and a lot of warm clothes were waiting for us to go to Vagabond, pack ice thickness was a little more than a foot. End of eight weeks solo experience for Piem, everyone happy to gather on board.

Happy Holidays to all!