Two weeks ago I was lucky enough to be flown up to Yellowknife to work with some sailors and coaches. A new program, just two years old, and these folks are stoked. Breeze was on, heat was off (I could see my breath in August), and we ran coach certification, program management seminars, and tactics talks for the keelboat group. If you’re ever feeling down and out about the conditions, just remember that these folks win the hardcore award for the following reasons:
Great Slave Lake doesn’t lose its ice until the second week of June. Seriously.
See that gentleman in the drysuit with long johns there? That’s Jacob, sailing a week before labour day!
One of your coaching duties throughout the summer is to start up the wood fire place to heat up the clubhouse.
Don’t be fooled though, this is a very awesome club. Not only is the hospitality outstanding, but it’s extremely beautiful. To give you an idea, Great Slave Lake is the 10th largest lake in the world. It rivals the great lakes in terms of vastness and is host to one of the most northerly overnight races in the world. The fun part is, when this race is held at the end of July, it doesn’t bother getting dark, so you just sail sail sail! Top that off with the surrounding Canadian shield as your backdrop and you’re looking at billowing mounds of granite, some of the oldest rocks in the world, all around you. Hungry? How about some Great Slave whitefish and chips? Some pickerel maybe? Or if you’re feeling exotic, how about some smoked arctic char cakes from the nearby Wildcat Cafe, a refurbished old miner’s grub joint which admittedly seems to have been somewhat hipsterfied…but made all the more delicious as a result. Then, if it ever actually gets dark, you can head down to Aurora Village and view the northern lights. Naw….that’s not romantic at alllllllll..
These two shots were taken during an evening run around 9:30pm, hauntingly beautiful, and sunset lasts for roughly two hours.
Tasty eats from the Wildcat cafe, and the view from Pilot’s Monument aka. a heaping pile of granite (hey wait, you mean granite’s not just a counter top??)
thesaltysister 