Adventure Travel Blogs

“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in the water…its substance reaches everywhere; it touches the past and prepares the future.” - Lorne Eisley

‘Quiet moments of introspection, reflections and temperate perspective’, what was I on last night, for that sort of supine, shandy nonsense has no place on a grown-up ship like this. Today that metero-sexual mumbo jumbo was firmly placed in its box. What Woody’s morning call lacked in decibels ...

“Never doubt the ability of a few committed people to change the world, in
fact it’s the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead

The principle word of yesterday was reflections, there were very few on the water today but plenty on board. Sometimes, only sometimes, a few quiet introspective moments are critical for perspective. I am convinced there were no slack-jawed lightweights who actually had a nap today in between visits to the boutique, no ?.... Go...

“If you don’t look, you can’t see” - Ian Stirling

The term stir crazy could be legitimately employed describing the stoic inhabitants of the James Caird – for those polar pilgrims on the Vavilov it would be stretching it. However, Woody had swallowed the pioneering pill early this morning and a one hour Zodiac perambulation turned into an intrepid circumnavigation of Half Moon island, a nautical feat never before completed.... in June ... 2012.

Ursus Maritimus may...

When a seasoned Spitsbergen campaigner – a veteran of over 70 journeys here - says that was the best morning he had ever had you know you have struck gold.
Three mothers with cubs, a big turf war with an old male and a blood daubed male swimming next to the ship. The graphite isosceles were set up early but no-one really felt that yesterday could be trumped - they were wrong, it was simply ... astonishing. No words can describe, and anyway what are words when there is another charter n...

“If you are going to wish, wish big; it doesn’t cost any more.”   Ian Stirling

The Kennedy assassination, Pearl Harbour, the 1966 World Cup - these are dates remembered, but burnished onto the memory of one hundred polar disciples is the 21st June 2012, the longest day of the year, but perhaps more pertinent – it was only day two!