The Royal Canadian Mounted
Police boarded a 34-meter, seven-stateroom luxury yacht moored in Cambridge
Bay, Nunavut on September 7 and charged its owner, Paul McDonald, 51, with
providing liquor to a minor and being in possession of liquor without a permit.
The federal police seized 200
bottles of liquor, as well as illegal fireworks, said an RCMP statement issued
Tuesday.
The Nunatsiaq News said the
resource tycoon from Noosa, Australia and his crew ignored warnings not to
shoot off fireworks in the pristine Arctic environment, harassed muskox, and
allowed an underage girl to "dive off the side of the yacht during a wild
party" into icy waters.
Moreover, a cheque written to
cover the fines bounced, it reported.
"This is the first time
we've ever had this kind of thing happen," a police spokeswoman told AFP.
McDonald, who is leading the
yacht on a circumnavigation of North America, is scheduled to appear in court
on November 15, in the Nunavut community of 1,500 where alcohol is banned.
A website chronicling the
yacht's journey says the Fortrus entered the Pacific Ocean via the Bering
Straight one week after leaving Cambridge Bay and traversing the famed
Northwest Passage. It is now headed for the Panama Canal.
"We all had a very
memorable time in Cambridge Bay," said a post on trackingfortrus.com. It
notes that the awestruck passengers and crew saw sea otters, whales and sea
lions as well as "spectacular northern lights" during their Arctic
voyage.
Norwegian explorer Roald
Amundsen became the first to traverse the Northwest Passage 106 years ago.
The route is now seasonally
ice-free as global warming linked to greenhouse gas emissions melts the polar
ice cap, with access leading to a rush of prospecting, oil and gas exploration
and new tourism.
According to the US Geological
Survey, the region contains one fifth of the world's undiscovered oil reserves.
Internet giant Google also
started mapping the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in August for its online map
service.
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