Monday 21 September 2015

A day in the Ice

Day 12 21.09.2015

A day in the ice.
We did not get far during the night and our course had a trend southwards. We got caught in a pack ice belt that stretched from far north to the south from our position and fog prevented us from seeing much wildlife. The bridge was working hard to find a way through it all day while it was a calm day of lectures and relaxing for us.
We learned about Nansens first ice cap crossing, the northern lights, Eriks time in the Sirius Patrol and many more things. It was not a boring day for sure. We could almost imagine how it must have been 400 years ago to travel these waters in wooden boats, heading into unknown areas. Many followed the development of our route on the navigation chart screens, as our movement through the ice was much alike the pattern a housefly would draw on a windowglass.
Lastly we found a way through the belt and could accelerate out into open waters. Svalbard, we are coming!