Late on Saturday evening, Ortelius had entered the fringes of the pack ice; I stayed up in anticipation of this moment.
Around 1 am, a patchwork blanket of ice covering the ocean started to appear. We were moving at a steady able continuously northward.
By 6 am we had reached 82° 23’2 N, which was much further North than the trip was planned to reach. The ice was 400 miles more north this year than in previous years.
It was cold but all guests seemed to stay on deck as long as possible to enjoy the spectacular views before warming up in the lounge area with hot coffee and warm hot chocolate.
This is a vista uniquely arctic and one that is sadly in decline. It is a pleasure to enjoy the expanse of such a landscape and be in the moment.