Day at Sea, East Greenland - Polar Plunge
Thursday, 7/13/23
Latitude: 60.35° Longitude: -41.99°
For those who have always been interested in adventurous movies ... on this day and for some mysterious reason - one movie seemed to resonate - The Hunt for the Red October starring Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin and Sam Neil. Today, for those with vivid imaginations, a parallel adventure plot appeared to be playing out aboard Seabourn Venture. As the polar-class vessel proceeded north up the east coast of Greenland and wove a path through fragmented chunks of sea ice looking for 'Peanut Butters' (expedition code word for 'Polar Bears'), it became 'The Hunt for the White July'. Like the submarine 'Red October' in the movie, the 'peanut butters' were proving just as elusive. There was, however, the occasional seal lounging on sea ice enjoying the Arctic sunshine, and surely, if the prey (being seal) was around, then so must be the predator. Everyone onboard hoped the ship would be lucky to come across these magnificent beasts.
While traveling through the sea ice, we stood on the mooring line viewing platforms extending three to four meters outward from the vessel's bow on both the port (left) and starboard (right) sides of Seabourn Venture. It was an exhilarating feeling standing on this platform, sensing the penetrating chill in the air as the vessel's bow casually pushes aside large quantities of sea ice beneath.
In a matter of minutes, the fine sunny weather and visibility to the Greenland coastline were completely gone ... Seabourn Venture was suddenly immersed in fog. Without the land and sun for reference, it was near impossible to know in which direction the ship traveled. Such are the hazards of navigating at high latitudes - where weather conditions can change instantly and become perilous or pleasant.
In the afternoon, there was an atmosphere of fun and frivolity at polar plunge time. Guests lined up to throw themselves into the frigid Arctic waters, albeit attached to a safety harness. In the background, and as far as the eye could see, were continuous lines of sea ice, gradually drifting south. It's a crazy experience with a great deal of excitement and laughter sprinkled with bravado and a degree of fear. However, the Expedition Team was on-hand to ensure maximum safety, and the ship's lovely medical team was in attendance just in case. Fortunately, they always have little to do other than to look good. In all his penguin splendor, the Entertainment Director Brian was there, supported by the Hotel Team, to provide liquid comforts and warm towels in the post-plunge aftermath. Of course, photographer Daniel was also conveniently stationed on a Zodiac to capture for posterity the shocked face of the polar plungers as they emerged from the brisk Arctic water.