Bjorn Sundet, Kapp Fanshawe & 560 miles from the North Pole
Date: July 30, 2009
Time: 00:06
80 40.43 N
15 59.15 E
(Data recorded from the National Geographic Explorer bridge GPS)
Distance….a difficult concept here in the high Arctic and discussed constantly here on the National Geographic Explorer. How far away do you live, how long was your flight, what distance did you travel? How far away is that glacier, what is the distance from the top of the icy face to the water level? What is the distance from the ship to that Polar Bear?
We began our morning with a Polar Bear sighting in Bjorn Sundet, along with some 7 or so seals and an Arctic Fox. The tightly packed ice prevented us from exploring deep into the fjord. So the sighting was a distant one. After so many up close viewings of Polar Bears we were satisfied. Distance, in this case, was not an issue.
We then proceeded to the very tall and incredibly formidable Kapp Fanshawe, the home to thousands of guillemots. What is the distance from the ship to the cliff faces? Why do the birds tolerate each other at such a close distance? Distance in this instance enhanced the wonder and magic of these special High Arctic cliff faces.
After Kapp Fanshawe, we headed north. North? Yes, towards the North Pole. What is the distance from Arctic Svalbard to the North Pole? Our goal was to go as far as the ice would allow, an expedition into the very, very High Arctic with hopes of going farther north than the National Geographic Explorer had ever gone.
As a new ship she has a clean pallet in front of her, a canvas that will be painted with numerous expeditions and firsts. Today we travelled the distance from the tip of Svalbard to the very edge of the Polar Ice Basin, the exact latitude and longitude being 80 40.43 N, 15 59.15 E.
The distance? 560 nautical miles from the North Pole… a record distance for the National Geographic Explorer.
Distance….a difficult concept here in the high Arctic, but distance itself can be worthy of exploration.
