Chukchi Sea, 71º16' North, Alaska, July 19th: Losing my polar virginity

There I am, a peaceful breeze hitting my mostly covered face as I pray to the gods of Gore-Tex and down jackets to keep me warm until the end of my ice watch, when I hear a sudden: “Ice ho, ice ho”.

I turn around with great precipitation, then great care as I almost slip of the bow into freezing waters, to try and identify the audacious character who has the presumption to observe the first ice, on ice watch, before me.

There I see it, a curious little grinning pack of fire-red Musto gear jumping up and down excitedly on the teak cockpit platform, as it is pointing far to the horizon on our portside: Manuela “Cruela Manuela and her 101 weasels” “Shivers” “Jelly Baby” “Ice Warrior” Legoretta – I know, that about as many titles as the blond girl in Game of Thrones right?! But who gives a damn?

In minutes, the entire crew is on deck and twenty-two souls engage in a staring contest with a horizon that changes with every boat lengths, as the light plays with the laws of optics and does its best not to reveal the final shape of our first ice.

And I will not bore you with the details of the first ice latitude bet won by Diana, the following stab wound I inflicted on her to hide my deception at my own uneducated wager, or the largest amount of selfies ever taken on Infinity. I will just leave you with these breathtaking images, taken by Nico Edwards, our resident documentary director, and his faithful drone.

Nico (7)

Nico (5)

Nico (9)

Nico (4)

Nico (1)

You have to live this once. Seriously, do it.

Yours in awe,

Vicou the Sea Gypsy