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and west coasts; according to Munn, the ice in South Bay left the coast in 1917 on 14th July, in 1918 on 8th August. There is no continuous ice barrier on the north-east coast; this high, steep coast is on the whole difficult of access, blocked by pack-ice in summer and with open water in winter.
In the waters between Vansittart Island and Winter Island, as well as in Gore Bay and Lyon Inlet, the ice appears every year, in the outer part (for instance round Danish Island) often in the form of pack-ice, however. There are open current holes throughout the winter in Hurd Channel and the narrows of Lyon Inlet. A barrier of mostly flat winter ice follows the west coast of Melville Peninsula, only broken by the stretch from Cape Wilson to Cape Brown, where open water reaches right into the coast. The winter ice attains great extent in the bay at Amitsoq and in Fury and Hecla Strait, where towards the east it reaches almost a line from Alarnang to Calthorpe Island; in the narrowest part of the strait, however, there is a big current hole. Other wide areas with flat winter ice are Murray Maxwell Bay and Steensby's Fjord; open current holes are to be found by the western entrance to Murray Maxwell Bay and between Koch Island and Sadleq. Parry was able to leave his winter harbour at Iglulik with his ships on 8th August, 1823.
The great fjords in Cockburn Land are covered with flat winter ice; there is an important current opening in Paaskesundet in Admiralty Inlet. Along the more open coasts towards Baffin Bay and Prince Regents Inlet a narrow ice barrier forms, at the capes often with pack ice and with open water near. At Ponds Inlet the ice most often breaks up about 1st August, although in 1923 this took place on 24th July, in 1907 (Bernier) on 20th July: it forms again in October.
In the short period of open water, which often only lasts about two months, navigation in these waters is often a most incalculable matter owing to the great masses of ice that always drift about in Hudson Bay, Fox Basin and Baffin Bay. With the east winds which are not of rare occurrence in summer, these masses of ice are forced on to the coasts of the country, fill all the bays and coves and put a stop to all communication. The strong tide-water currents will. however, gradually loosen the ice if the west wind does not blow it away entirely. If these old masses of drifting ice set fast in all bays and fjords, as it does happen on rare occasions, it means nothing short of a catastrophe to the inhabitants; not only is sledge-journeying on the sea ice rendered almost impossible, but hunting the seal on the ice, especially at the breathing holes, cannot be pursued.