The storm continues overnight, and it is still raining when we wake up to break camp. The wind has died some, though, and the surf is not as loud. Marianne serves breakfast of oatmeal with apples, raisins, and dried apricots. We eat and discuss what to do.

The calming storm presents an unexpected problem. Overnight, Charlie pulled his boat up the stream to escape the rough surf. But with the decreased storm runoff and a lower tide, the boat sits beached. We wait to see if high tide will free the boat. When it becomes clear it won’t, Emil sounds the call to action.

Charlie pulls the wooden boards from off his boat and organizes a damming of the stream. Those people not holding the boards in place either operate the levers at the back or pull on a rope to haul from the front. Who knew that eleven people could move a boat? Under Charlie’s direction, we dam and heave and lever that boat foot by stubborn foot until it floats free into the bay.

By then the rain has stopped, the sun is out, and the day has turned warm. We pack up camp and wonder how our stuff multiplied. It seems strange to pull away from shore without seeing our little camp spread out on the rocks.

We stop at Bruce Head to take Mamarou back to Pond Inlet. While we wait for him to break camp, we see narwhal spouts across the bay. About sixty or so whales lounge just under the water’s surface. None show tusks, but a group of three wander close to the boat. When they dive, the third whale presents its fluke.

On our arrival at camp, clouds and fog obscured the scenery. Now we have a chance to see what we missed on the way in. Clouds still cling to many of the hills on Baffin Island like life preservers, but we can now see the sharply weathered rock and valleys in between. We pass close to more icebergs, the sun glinting off their sides. Northern Fulmars circle the boat and brush the water with their wings. Across Eclipse Sound, the mountains of Bylot Island sport a new layer of snow. It’s the end of August, and fall has come to the Artice.

As we approach Pond Inlet, Dave spots a supply ship anchored just outside town. That means fresh pop and much rejoicing. We unload the boat and carry our luggage up to the bus waiting to take us to the hotel. Then it’s time for a shower, a meal in the dining room, and the joys of indoor plumbing.