Three Funerals and a Polar Plunge

We are closing in on the mystery of the Franklin Expedition when we visit the infamous Beechey Island, named after William Beechey in 1819. Captain William Edward Perry discovered the island, and his first Lieutenant, Frederick Beechey named the island after his father. This place provided some of the first clues as to what happened to Franklin. When the island was revisited in 1850, three grave sites were discovered. The sites were identified as missing members of Franklin's group. There is a fourth site which was added at a later date to recognize the rest of the missing members of the expedition team. Wooden tablet head engravings were originally installed on the site, and now can be found at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa. The island’s beach has also been designated as our place to do the Polar Plunge for those who are less mentally stable. The water temperature hovers around -1 Celsius. Naturally, having done the Antarctic Polar Plunge, one wouldn’t contemplate not participating in both if you had already foolishly done the other. In a word, FREEZING!!! Later that afternoon we entered Resolute Bay and were treated to the sightings of Beluga whales and seals in abundance and a record-breaking sighting of 17 polar bears. A word of advice to those fortunate to go on a polar bear sighting expedition. Bring a telescopic lens if you want photos. Though visible through our binoculars, the ship wouldn’t approach them very closely for fear of frightening them away. If you want to see a polar bear up close, go to a zoo.