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The sea for the past 24 hours has been, well, puke-your-guts-out rough. There are lots of holes in the ranks and more than usual quick exits from lectures in the forward lounge, where fresh air and daylight and the all important horizon view are often in short supply. But, as we head east along the south coast of Baffin Island, the plan is to stop right at the corner and go for a bit of a Zodiac cruise in the Savage Islands. Getting off the ship is okay, not too many missteps, especially with the strong arms of Russian sailors guiding each person from the companionway to the Zodiacs, but getting back on takes a good few tries in heavy seas. There is danger here if the ship falls and the Zodiac rises with embarking passengers caught in the gap in between. But it just adds to the overall exhilaration of the outing.

After supper we're back in the forward lounge revisiting the cascading cornucopia of experiences. The only thing vaguely Russian in the menu is the fact that every meal starts with soup — tonight borscht was followed by fresh Arctic charr from Kimmirut. Of Kimmirut, people remember the metallic taste of raw seal and the friendliness of the people, especially the children. Sun Ye, from China, is struck by the beauty of the people, especially the girls and women and how they remind her of home and a school trip to Nepal. Evgenia from Yamal can't get over how similar the feel of Northern Canada is with the people, places and landscapes of her home province in Russia. Several are taken with meeting carvers and seeing soapstone artworks in process. From talking to people in town, David Grey, the expedition historian, is overjoyed to learn the name of the Inuit pilot in a 1928 black-and-white film of an RCMP boat visit to the community.

Former ambassador Mary Simon takes her turn with highlights from Kimmirut and says that it was a treat for her to know that everyone on the expedition got to see Inuit culture in its real form, to know that we had experienced the "ceremonial respect" for hunting a seal and sharing it with visitors to the community. "Now," she says, "maybe you'll understand why the international ban on sealing is not right. You can see that going after this type of activity will have a big impact on the Inuit communities across the North."

In a free moment before bedtime, I watch more throat-singing lessons, with much laughter amid jumbled Russian, Chinese, English and Inuktitut, Sarina, a girl from Yukon sings a rousing chorus of O Canada in her native Han language. We've seen much in the way of wildlife and landscape, which have left powerful impressions, but the personal connections — the moments of new friendships built on shared experience — are equally memorable and probably as long-lasting as anything else we have seen or done.