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Les restes attirent des oiseaux qui sont de plus en plus nombreux et variés autour de Vagabond : goéland bourgmestre, grand corbeau, oie bernache, eider à duvet, plongeon catmarin, guillemot à miroir, labbe parasite, bécasseau violet, bruant des neiges.
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A seal is scratching the hull! It is quiet on board when suddenly we hear bubbles, just under our cabin. Then a few scratches, and a breath. A seal is catching his breath at one or two meters from us. Silence again, he dived. A few minutes later, he is back: big bubbles and powerful breathing. We cannot see it from the deck, but he found a gap between ice and the hull to reach the surface. Happily we didn't dissuade him by cutting up his fellow creature. Remains are attracting more and various birds around Vagabond: glaucous gull, raven, barnacle goose, common eider, red-throated diver, black guillemot, Arctic skua, purple sandpiper, snow bunting. On land, Arctic hares, always white, are easy to see since snow melted. A few trips to the nearest river with the dogs were enough to fill up the fresh water tanks, we now have running water on board! From the nearby summit, also from the top of the mast, packice, spotted with melt ponds, is like a patchwork. It took not much more than two weeks for all snow to melt on packice. The icemeter has been set up in our kayak to keep it dry. The snowmobile which is pulling it, is not far from turning to a jetski! A year ago, we were sailing: Vagabond we finding her way through packice in Melville Bay, similar packice that is surrounding us today...
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