by Steve Selden | Jan 7, 2015 | Churchill News
If you have been to Churchill you have more than likely seen the infamous Ithaca shipwreck just off the coast heading toward the airport or polar rover launch-site. The ship rests on the sea-bed 12 miles east of Churchill in Bird Cove.
Built in Three – Rivers, Quebec the Ithaca is eighty meters in length. Operated by the Clarke Steamship Company to deliver nickel concentrate from the works at Rankin Inlet, she sailed from Churchill on 10 September 1960 to collect her cargo, carrying supplies for the settlement. The ship’s rudder fractured in an 80 mph gale force wind and when anchors failed to hold she ran aground on September 14, 1960. The vessel came to rest on the rocky shoals, where it sits today, and all 37 men aboard were rescued.
MV Ithaca (September 2012)
Source: Heidi den Haan
Low tide often allows locals and travelers to walk out to the wreck and gain a close-up vantage point of the rusty behemoth. You will need to keep an eye on the tide chart however as you might end booked in a “rustic” cabin heading nowhere fast. It has happened.
There’s a bit more history of the Ithaca but this is the main crux of the wreck. It stands in the Hudson Bay as a monument to all those seamen that have traveled the waters of the north.
by Steve Selden | Jan 3, 2015 | Churchill News
Churchill is under a cold siege! The next 14 hours or more are supposed to be very cold in the region. How cold? An extreme wind chill factor resulting in minus thirty and below centigrade is expected. Extreme cold warnings go into affect when the temperatures fall between minus 30 C and minus 50 C for two hours or more.
Spruce trees in the blowing snow of a blizzard. Brad Josephs photo.
Churchill is expected to push the minus 50 C level resulting from minus 30 C and below real temperatures coupled with 15-20 km/hour winds overnight into Sunday.
Extra caution is being advised to those people needing to go outside or those who work in the cold.
With the intense cold, the sea ice in the Hudson Bay builds to very thick which will bode well for an extended polar bear seal -hunting season.
by Steve Selden | Dec 30, 2014 | Conservation
Churchill is a funky frontier town with some unusual characters and a town center right out of the movies. The town is self-contained with just about every activity you want located in the town complex. Northern restaurants and bars line the main drag which is Kelsey Boulevard. Polar bears even saunter into town so if one is patient one doesn’t have to head out to the Churchill Wildlife management Area in a polar rover to see them.
Here are five attractions outside of Churchill proper that are worth checking out if you happen to visit the northern village.
1. Ithaca Shipwreck: Just off the coast near Bird Cove in Churchill, this old freighter is a classic landmark of the region.
2. Cape Merry: This iconic overlook on the precambrian sheild above the Churchill River and Hudson Bay is a classic starting point for any Adventure group arriving in Churchill. One can become geographically centered here and get a feel for the immensity of the Hudson Bay.
Natural Habitat group at the Cape Merry battery. Karen Walker photo.
3. Port of Churchill: A major economic stalwart of the town, this massive grain storage and port facility facilitates the cargo train as well as enormous cargo ships transporting grain products across the oceans via waterways accessible to the the Hudson Bay.
Grain port of Churchill.Steve Selden photo.
4. Observation tower at Goose Creek: In the summer this spot is a great place to observe various marsh birds and ducks. You also can get a distant view of an annual osprey nest as well as a clear vista about eight kilometers up the Churchill River. A quiet respite with amazing sky and landscape views.
Observation tower at Goose Creek marina.
5. Anglican Church: If you like the intimate atmosphere of a quaint church service, this is the place. If you also want to see a national treasure you can do that as well. The Lady Franklin stained glass window is displayed to the right of the alter. This grand piece of art was given by Sir John Franklin’s wife, Jane, in appreciation of all the search efforts put forth to find her husband and their lost Arctic expedition of 1845.
Anglican church in Churchill rests on the edge of the Hudson Bay.
Close – up of the Lady Franklin stained glass window Photo Karen Walker
by Steve Selden | Dec 29, 2014 | Churchill Photography
“Boxing Day” follows Christmas..usually celebrated on December 26th traditionally to recognize those people who provide services throughout the year such as tradesmen or postal delivery workers. It has nothing to do with boxing…as in fighting …or polar bears sparring.
Anyway, I know this is a stretch, but this weeks photos are “boxing” photos..rather amazing sparring photos of polar bears in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area where incredible bear action occurs in October and November prior to the Hudson Bay freeze up. Enjoy.
Sparring polar bears in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. Brad Josephs photo.
Two polar bears sparring near the tundra Lodge. Eric Rock photo.
Polar bears grapple in the willows. Colby Brokvist photo.
Polar bears sparring in the willows along the Hudson Bay coast. Kurt Johnson photo.
Sparring polar bears in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. Rick Pepin photo.
by Steve Selden | Dec 24, 2014 | Churchill News
In Churchill, Manitoba fall is polar bear season and winter is aurora season. The rest of the year provides overlapping sights and wildlife encounters but those two seasons are pretty exclusive for those attractions. You can see northern lights in Churchill just about year-round though the most reliable time is the heart of winter. The Hudson Bay is frozen and therefore the moisture level in the air is low influencing cloud cover. Natural Habitat Adventures is gearing up for the aurora season that begins on January 31. This year promises to be the most amazing year so far with a record number of people taking the train or flying to Churchill for a glimpse of the magical lights.
FACT: There needs to be solar flares on the sun or solar wind for the aurora borealis to happen. When particles from the sun enter Earth’s atmosphere and collide violently with gas atoms various colors of “northern lights” appear.
Check out this link for aurora forecasts in the north:
https://gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast
Aurora in the northern Churchill sky.
Aurora borealis in Churchill. Colby Brokvist photo.
Aurora in the boreal forest. Brad Josephs photo.
Incredible shot of musher hut with aurora above. Brad Joseph photo.
