Polar Princess – Moosonee River to James Bay, Canada

Today is Canada Day. The 140th birthday of Canada is today and Canada treats it like the Fourth of July in the United States., as well they should.

Breakfast was to be available at 6:30. We were down there with the rest of the guests at 7. Because there was a light rain, the owner drove us over in his truck, a pick up, so he had to make three trips to deliver us all. My wife and I went first. Our luggage was left at the bed and breakfast to be delivered to the station at 5 this evening.

The Polar Princess, operated by Two Bay Tours, departs at 8. After our tickets were exchanged for a boarding pass we were ready to board. Rachel*, the guide, took a couple of pictures of us on the dock with the boat in view. The Polar Princess is 65 feet long, holding 100 passengers. Today there are only 13. A good number as there is plenty of room. There are maps of the river so we can see the route up to the mouth of the Moosonee River, at the entrance of James Bay. There we turn around, as a larger boat is required for a special the license to travel in the bay.

Departure took place at 7:50, after all the guests were on board. Seating was booth style with a table between the two seats, like in a restaurant. On our return we watched a movie. Try and guess the title, available at the end. The river bank is mostly trees with a few beach areas. The water is brown or brackish. There is a community in Moosonee and one on Moose Factory Island. Moosonee has a population of around 3000 and it is about 85% Cree. Moose Factory, on the island, has a population around 2500, mostly Cree. The High School and a small college are located in Moosonee, while the hospital is in Moose Factory. I didn’t learn why it is called a factory but the island was where the first white men settled, establishing trade with the Cree; the First Nation people of the area. More about the island later.

One fact really fascinated me. After “freeze up” begins in November the river is frozen by Christmas allowing traffic, including trucks, to drive across the river. This is hard for me to believe but the river at that time has at least four feet of ice, enough to support the traffic.

At the bed and breakfast we were told that a river of ice extending about 300 miles north allows easier travel to that area. They add about a foot of water to this ice road to make a frozen road bed. During the winter they can deliver supplies to the north over this road. Last winter the area only received a few inches of snow. Low humidity makes the cold feel less extreme when the temperature drops to -40 “C”. I have learned that you double the Celsius number then add 30 for an approximation of Fahrenheit. Here, double negative 40 Celsius equaling negative 80 then you add 30 for negative 50 Fahrenheit. Remember that this is an approximation.

The dirt roads in Moosonee had numerous pot holes while we were there. The owner at the bed and breakfast said that when it starts to freeze he washes his truck and it stays clean all winter! Although no salt is added to the roads I did notice that the small bridge had dirt piled up on the sides where it had been spread during the winter. While there in the summer all the cars were dirty from the dirt roads. The roads are actually smooth when they freeze.

Children on the island come to the school aboard the Polar Express before “Freeze up” and after “Spring Break Up.” With the river frozen, they ride the school bus. During freeze up and break up a helicopter is used, the cost picked up by the government. Sometimes, in the lower 48, we think the weather is bad!
*Name changed

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