We've done eight or nine voyages with Adventure Canada, Sheena and I, but this year is shaping up to be special. First, sailing Out of the Northwest Passage is my favorite itinerary. As always, we'll be sailing through exploration history: John Franklin, John Rae, Thomas Simpson, Roald Amundsen. But this year, traveling in September, we'll probably be on the water at the same time as the Erebus search expedition . . . and at one point, not all that far away. Apart from which, we will sail north into Smith Sound and Kane Basin . . . and then, heading south along Greenland, we'll end up zodiac-winding among the most fantastical icebergs in the northern hemisphere.
Second, we've always enjoyed the Sea Adventurer (pictured above). But this year, we get a fancy new vessel called the Ocean Endeavour . . . and no fewer than twenty zodiacs! Multiple lounges . . . outdoor dining . . . and did someone whisper the words "hot tub?" Third, check out the resource staff.  Margaret Atwood, Freeman Patterson, James Raffan . . . and that's just for starters. But see for yourself. This gang is aces, top to bottom. Believe me, that makes a difference. OK, this is my first-ever commercial for Adventure Canada and I won't go on. If you've been hankering after the Arctic, check 'em out. Tell 'em Ken sent you.
 

Originally, I had planned to give a talk entitled Nothing is More Fun Than Chasing the New History. But then came the finding of the Erebus. And participating in the documentary called Franklin's Lost Ships. And people saying, well, this latest discovery is fun. But what does it mean? Why does it matter?
So I've narrowed my focus. I'm still Chasing the New History. But I'll talk, more specifically, about Searching for Franklin: The Lost Ships, the Discoveries, and the Woman Who Created a Legend. Above, we see one of the slides that will turn up in my presentation.
The occasion is the celebratory May Dinner of the Aurora/Newmarket branch of the Canadian Federation of University Women. The venue is the DiamondBack Golf Club in Richmond Hill, just north of Toronto. The date and time: May 12 beginning at 6 p.m. Can you afford to miss it?

which authors will be where. Here in the Beach Village, known for having Ontario's Best Small-Town Main Street, a bunch of us, Beachers all, will put our shoulders to the wheel at Book City (1950 Queen Street East). Wander into that well-stocked bookstore and you might run into Lee Gowan (The Last Cowboy), Tish Cohen (Town House), or Kim Echlin (The Disappeared). And that's just for starters. Yours truly (Fatal Passage) will be hanging out from around 2 p.m. And, hey, don’t be surprised if I try to sell you a book. Gotta love those indies.
Book City in The Beach: Authors: Ken McGoogan, Lisa de Nikolits, DJ McIntosh, Kim Echlin, George A. Walker, Lee Gowan, Tish Cohen, Brian Panhuyzen, Dr. Vera Tarman

Hats off to Andrew E.M. Gregg! He produced Franklin's Lost Ships, an extraordinary new documentary that turned up April 9 on CBC-TVs The Nature of Things. And finished in such a short period! The most impressive thing may well have been how smoothly the narrative unwound, cutting back and forth between the contemporary search and the history of the tragedy. So many figures winding in and out without a hitch: very sophisticated, very polished.

The seamless intermingling of documentary footage and credible reconstruction was terrific. Also, we got some exciting views of the sunken Erebus we have never seen before. Oh, and the CGI was great! I know, I know: the aficionados will be clamoring for more history: what does it all mean? But I expect that the longer version of this documentary, coming soon to PBS and Nova, will deliver more of that. Meanwhile, Franklin's Lost Ships will air again this Saturday on CBC News Network, starting at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Honestly: this doc is the perfect primer for what promises to be an outstanding season of dives, discoveries and revelations. Don't miss it. 
[Here is the CBC link for online viewing: http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episodes/franklins-lost-ships]