ZECO TRAVEL TALK

After a morning visit to the port of Dutch Harbor, our captain navigated the Clipper Odyssey towards the pass between Akutan and Unalaska Islands, our passage from the Bering Sea into the North Pacific. The upwelling of cold nutrient-rich water around the Aleutian Islands is legendary, and its productivity was evidenced by the huge flocks of birds swarming around the ship. Read more

A following wind saw us arrive ahead of schedule at the little port of Heimaey in the Westman Islands off the southern coast of Iceland. The narrow entrance to the harbor was spectacular, with a 36-year old lava flow on one side and steep lava cliffs on the other. This little fishing community made headline news around the world in January 1973 when, without warning, fountains of lava began to erupt on the edge of town.

Although the morning had dawned gray, the sun shone as we toured the island. From a steep grassy cliff, we watched puffins fleeting in and out of their burrows and diving gannets plunging headlong into the sea. But the highlight must be the volcano of Eldfell, known as ‘Mount Fire.’ In 1973 the lava flow threatened to engulf the town and block its harbor. Holding a handful of the hot ash on the volcanic cone from which it erupted brought home to us how recent the volcanic activity had taken place here. All around us were signs of the power of the Earth: concrete tanks broken and overwhelmed by the lava; electricity pylons disappearing into the rock and the remains of buildings protruding from the flow. Today was a day when we really saw the power of our planet.

The Pribilof Islands are known for the dense fog that regularly envelops them throughout the summer months, and today was no exception. We couldn’t see the island of St. George from the ship, nor for most of our short Zodiac ride to shore. However, soon the rocky coastline materialized before us, and we arrived at a small and very atmospheric village, nestled amongst green hillsides accented with beautiful wildflowers.

The Pribilofs are the most important breeding site in the world for the northern fur seal, which was the target of commercial sealing operations for many years. We hiked out to a bluff from which we could look down across a fur seal rookery, and watch the social dynamics unfold below us. Read more

The Clipper Adventurer arrived at Alkefjallet on the northeastern side of Spitsbergen to find a strong wind blowing in the direction of the spectacular basalt cliffs, ruling out our planned Zodiac cruise. Not willing to give in to the weather, our captain managed to successfully maneuver his ship close to the bird cliffs, giving us outstanding views of the massive colony of Brunnich’s guillemots. This vantage point provided us with a much more stable platform for photographing the birds, an opportunity fully utilized by our travelers who sported an impressive array of telephoto lenses. Not only did we have a great view of the guillemots nesting on the cliff ledges, but also of them flying above and around the ship, or sitting in the water. Read more

As the Clipper Odyssey steamed north towards the Arctic Circle, the seas calmed so dramatically that the surface took on a mirror-like quality. Even the ubiquitous fog began to burn off, with some sun creeping down to warm our skin, and bits of blue sky visible overhead. We gathered on the back deck for a group photo and, while we squeezed together along the railing for the picture, anticipation grew for what was to follow: an Arctic swim. Read more

While scouting independently along the Hornsund coast, our expedition leader Mike Messick found a polar bear lounging on a hillside. Returning to the ship, he quickly organized an excursion for everyone to observe the bear from aboard Zodiacs. Following Mike’s lead, one Zodiac moving in line behind the other, to look as non-threatening to the bear as possible, we approached the beach. From the water we reveled in the bear’s movements, each series of lumbering steps along the path gave us a view of rear paws that looked as large as hubcaps. After assessing the situation, Mike decided we could safely disembark on shore, and made sure we kept a safe distance from the bear. Read more

With the ship’s crossing of the International Date Line en route to Russia, we watched Friday the 17th of July disappear as we were propelled 21 hours into the future! We approached a long fjord flanked by bare mountainsides, which were accented by residual patches of snow from the long winter that dominates life in this part of the world. Soon the city of Provideniya came into view in the distance, and our captain took the Clipper Odyssey alongside a dock, a rare luxury on this expedition cruise. Customs officials came aboard while we were enjoying lunch, and soon enough we were able to stroll down the gangway onto the pier and set out to explore the town. Read more

Loyal Zegrahm traveler, Marilyn Armel, traveled on our Circumnavigation of New Guinea voyage in March of this year and has kindly shared with us some of her video footage taken during our visit to the Asmat region of West Papua. The Asmat are perhaps the best known tribe in Papua, but they remain the hardest to reach. Semi-nomadic, they inhabit the pristine mangrove swampland of Papua’s south coast, a remote region only accessible by boat or charter plane. On our expedition cruise aboard the Clipper Odyssey, our fleet of Zodiacs brought us into this remote, riverine world following narrow waterways bordered by a jungle of entwined roots and branches. Read more