The Arctic Tern has officially launched in Montreal! The Arctic, and the Last Ice Area is still weeks away — but in the meantime, the crew will be be sending us regular updates. You can follow the ship’s progress here.
Check out this timelapse video of the ship navigating the St. Lambert lock in Canal de la Rive Sud, Montreal.
Although the ship is still many hundreds of kilometres from the Arctic, it may encounter evidence of Quebec’s icy past in the St. Lawrence River.
The world’s southernmost population of beluga whales lives year round in the St. Lawrence estuary and gulf. Belugas are usually found in the Arctic and sub-Arctic, but the St. Lawrence belugas are thought to be a remnant of the last ice age.

• St. Lawrence belugas (Parks Canada)
• Arctic belugas (WWF)