“Give me this glorious ocean life, this salt-sea life, this briny, foamy life, when the sea neighs and snorts, and you breathe the very breath that the great whales respire! Let me roll around the globe, let me rock upon the sea, let me race and pant out my life, with an eternal breeze astern, and an endless sea before.”

-Herman Melville-

Today concludes 4 days making our way through the Arctic Ocean. It’s the smallest of the five oceans but you’ve never know it by traversing it. All about us and across the expansive horizon one sees only a large desert of ice. Snow and ice like grains of sand cover an ocean, which now having crossed the 85th parallel, is revealed through our wake with our ships continuous confrontations with the ice pack.

From our initial approach with the ice, we have come to see the sea ice in many of it’s manifestations. We started initially with nilas ice which displayed as a thin elastic crust of ice which bent on the waves. We progressed to ice floes, large flat segments broken by the wind and the waves which moved with the wind and currents. We now have come to find ourselves entrapped in pack ice, making passage forward only due to the 75,000 horse power and specially designed spoon-shaped bow of our icebreaker. This pack ice exhibits as massive ice floes thrust over one another. Pressure ridges produced by ice pushing up against each other are presenting with a greater size and frequency with some at times up to 15 feet tall. Likewise the look and age of the ice we see is changing. Whereby we initially started with seeing young ice, 10 to 30cm thick with a gray-white color, we are now amongst multi-year ice, nearly 9 feet thick at points, blue in color with areas of powder blue colored puddles. Given the seemly constant shakes and bumps one feels on board one might think that we are pushing through the ice. Actually, we are rising up on the ice with the ship’s bow pushing the ice down beneath the ship and having it broken up and rise along the ships sides.

Day light is constant with 1AM looking pretty much like 1PM. If one is in the habit of going to sleep when the darkness of night arrives, he may find his day will be a long one, endless for that matter. I’ve come to regulate and space out my day with the coming and goings of meal times.

On board, interspersed between meal times, are daily lectures and briefings by the excellent staff of Quark. Quark has assembled experts in the field of Biology, History, Geology, and Ornithology. The guides and staff are available not only during lecture but as well informally throughout the day. Recently featured lectures included discussions on polar bears, arctic birds, tacking photographs at the ends of the world, and an initial history of the arctic.

My favorite lecture to date is by Quarks historian Bob Headland with his talking on “unveiling the arctic” In this introduction to the history of the arctic, Bob, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, discussed the development of the arctic map. Using historical figures and moments in time, he painted a colorful picture of how the arctic map came to be filled and patched together as it is today. Bob is the spitting image in looks, tone, and behavior of the proper British Gentleman. Throw in Bob’s vast knowledge of polar history, his quick wit, and sense of humor, and you’ve got the makings for lectures worth the price of admission. There probably has not been a book written on the history of polar history that does not reference him. He should be incorporated into the British Trust.

There is much to do on board. Many enjoy hanging about the bridge watching the crew pilot the ship. Others there peer out in the distance with binoculars to catch the first sight of a Polar Bear, seal. Or birds that are in the habit of flying about the ship. Some are finding the library to be a retreat place to coil up with one of the many books related to Arctic and Antarctic issues. The bar is always a sure place to find a kindred spirit to share a drink and conversation with. Tours of the ship and the engine room, have begun today and will continue until everyone has had the opportunity to explore the in’s and out’s of this marvel that we now call home. Of course the number one attraction on board is found outside of one’s cabin windows, the arctic and all that it beholds.

Last night ended in a most wonderful manner. All passengers assembled outside on the bow deck to enjoy warm spiced wine and to witness the granting of permission from Neptune so that we may go to the North Pole.

Parading on deck in costume were the ship’s crew and captain performing a dramatization of the fable of seeking Neptune to give permission to proceed on our expedition. Permission to go to the North Pole was granted! Afterwards, all of us were treated to an outdoor grilling.

Dining alfresco on deck in the middle of a frozen arctic ocean amongst the ice floes….a special memory indeed.

Given we have passed the 85th parallel just a few hours ago we are now less then 300 miles from 90 degree North. We may arrive at the North Pole tomorrow night. The excitement level rises with the each degree north.

Cheers,

Giovanni Savaglio

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