VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE Moving too quickly or making too
much noise could scare the bear away, so we have tricks that show us when the bear might feel uneasy, and we back the ship off to ensure it remains calm and in place. Again, the skill of the Captain or officers and naturalists directly impacts the quality of the experience our guests have. Approaching whales requires similar skill. While they are not as likely to be scared, we never want to harass them or otherwise change their behaviour. We know how close we can get without upsetting the animals and always approach from an angle where they are aware of our presence. The goal is to allow the whale to make the choice between investigating the ship out of its own curiosity or carrying on as it was before. Perhaps my biggest challenge, though,
was in learning ice navigation. In Antarctica, we would routinely sail past icebergs more than a mile long, while in Arctic Svalbard, our best chance of finding polar bears was within the thick pack ice. I have marvelled
at the tremendous variety of ice, from ice- bergs tall and angular to ones rounded and smooth. Colours vary from a deep blue to a blinding white to perfectly translucent.
field, the ship can shake and shudder as ice cracks and breaks apart, and I soon realised not all ice is created equal. Ice only a year old still has salt from the ocean embedded in it and is softer. It is easi- er, and safer, for a ship to penetrate and break apart this type of ice. In contrast, ice that has lasted several seasons of melting and refreez- ing has forced the salt out and is denser. This type of ice is potentially dangerous for ships, even if thinner than the younger ice. Here again, experience is essential for
W
safe navigation. With 20 years of experi- ence in Polar regions, our Captain scans ahead and reads subtle nuances in the ice. Flat, white ice is indicative of softer, first
hile beautiful to look at, ice is, of course, potentially dangerous. Sailing into an ice
year ice, while hummocky, bluer ice usu- ally indicates harder, multi-year ice. The Captain also has to factor the con-
centration of ice, potential dangers from grounding if ice forces the ship off track, currents, visibility and how much power the ship has in reserve when deciding if entering the ice was safe. Despite all the technology on the bridge and the plethora of information on the internet, ice naviga- tion still remains principally a visual art. Ice can also change rapidly. An anchor- age that is ice-free when a landing begins
LINDBLAD EXPEDITIONS FACTFILE
POLAR SHIP: National Geographic Explorer, 6,471 tons, 148 passengers.
ITINERARIES: November- February, Antarctica, South Georgia, Falklands; late May- August, Norway’s fjords and Arctic Svalbard.
“It may be the INEXPLICABLE THRILL of watching a POLAR BEAR approach the ship’”
92 WORLD OF CRUISING I Summer 2011
MORE INFO: Call (in the US) 212 765 7740 or 1800 397 3348, or visit www.expedition. com. In the UK, call adventure cruise specialists the Cruise Line Ltd on 0800 008 6677.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100