As part of an observational program to estimate freshwater fluxes through the Canadian Archipelago, a multiply-nested mesoscale model is used to estimate wind stress and near surface winds in the Nares Strait and Smith Sound channels west of Greenland. Daily forecast fields during August 2003 through July 2004 are used to estimate the monthly mean fields in the Strait and to examine the characteristics and evolution of specific events. Winds within Nares Strait are topographically controlled and largely channeled through the Strait. The influence of the mean and fluctuating winds on the ocean and ice transport through the Strait is discussed.