Since the light came back the hunters are regularly leaving for several days, in search for caribous, wolves or polar bears. Foxes are roaming around town, we need to be careful as they may have rabies! As for the dogs who manage to detach, it is not always easy to catch, they begin to have itchy legs at the approach of the long sleigh hunts! During gales, it is less cold and the icemeter (EM31) operate without interruption, allowing longer surveys. A spare part for the icemeter is expected, as well as a new CTD. A new burner is also coming for our stove which gets dirty too quickly (no surprise after seven winters), but the mail can take weeks, especially when the plane, only link with the rest of the world, is stuck in bad weather... Last month, it's a baby who arrived suddenly in Grise Fiord, adopted at the age of one week.

Seal hunting under the moonlight with Tom and Joanie, seal and plankton net with Kavavow, Léonie's birthday... see all pictures.

Article by Katja Trippel in GEO Germany, pictures from Jean Gaumy.

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Sun is back!

The polar night is over for a few days in Grise Fiord, but the sun is still hidden by clouds! The polar night is not as dark as before: the warming of the upper atmosphere leads to greater refraction of the sun.

We were about twenty people on board Vagabond yesterday to share pancakes for Mardi Gras (Shrove Tuesday). Even the Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese of the Arctic, in Grise Fiord for a few days, joined us with the faithful after Mass.

Jeffrey's dogs are now installed in front of the village, on the ice, they finally have enough snow to insulate from ice and to drink. They will leave next month for a polar bear sport hunt.

Monday night, Nolan, 12, killed his first bear, near town. Half a dozen of trucks gathered on the ice for the occasion.

No nightclub, no cinema, no bar, no restaurant... so often, in the evening, young people go for snowmobile rides on the ice! On her side, one of the teachers of the village is working hard to collect the large budget needed to take her students to Ottawa, to discover the capital of their country.

Last week, the whole village vibrated on the rhythm of the workshop "Wellness through the Hip-Hop", hosted by Buddha and his team Blue Print For Life. The final show on Friday night showed the strength of the social work carried out with youth.

The previous week, with Ummimaq school students, Meeka organized bonfire, presentations and workshops to fight against addictions.

End of January, the Nunavut Planning Commission was here to collect, on large maps, knowledge from hunters on important places to protect in the future, throughout the region.

The new management plan for narwhal has been approved, it includes an increase for Grise Fiord from 20 to 50 narwhals from Jones Sound.

Next Friday, while the asteroid 2012DA14 will be passing close to the Earth (!), the Honourable Edna Elias, Commissioner of Nunavut, will present the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Commissioner’s Awards.

On 27 January, following the arrival of the winner of the Vendée Globe, Aurore said: "I want to do the race but with our red boat." She loves to dress up as a princess, and also going to daycare from time to time, to find her friend Lily.

Léonie is delighted at the school where she improves her English and Inuktitut. Two playtime per day (regardless of the cold night!), time at the gym, time in computer room... Back on board, she regularly practice reading and writing in French.

France is looking after our crew's warm clothes: she goes to sewing courses and cleverly uses skins from seal, wolf, hare, dog... for our parkas, pants and gloves.

We sometimes miss being in the heart of the countryside, as well as collecting ice or feeding dogs, but life in Grise Fiord is full of exciting encounters.