ZECO TRAVEL TALK

By Kevin Clement
(with apologies to Robert Service)

There are strange things done in the Midnight sun
And one of those was our trip
Through Alaska Wild, but in highest style
On the Clipper Odyssey ship.

And so we set sail, no need to bail
Our ship was tight and well-found
From distant Nome, the far-northern home
Of the gold-diggers of Norton Sound.

And in a short time, we reached the Line
Where the Arctic Sea truly does start
With water so frigid, the swimmers went rigid
Well, except for certain parts. Read more

We continued our exploration of unvisited fjords farther south on the eastern Greenland coast where we entered Napassorssuaq Fjord, a spectacular glacial inlet containing a huge number of icebergs. We passed many sharp horned peaks and wide glaciers and had a view of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Our captain carefully maneuvered Clipper Adventurer through the ice to the head of the fjord where we took the Zodiacs out for a cruise through the icebergs. Read more

We awoke before dawn to greet the low tide in Geographic Harbor, a maze of channels and islands in Alaska’s remote Katmai National Park. As we boarded the Zodiacs, the glow in the eastern sky was substantial enough to begin brightening the spectacular mountains and the low alder forest that covered the lower slopes. Despite the difficulty in prying ourselves out from under the warm covers of our beds at this early hour, we knew that our best chance of encountering brown bears was at the low tide, when they descend to the shoreline to dig for clams below the tide line. And on this particular day, low tide happened to be a very early one. Read more

The Watkins Mountains and Gunnbjornsfjeld, the highest mountain in Greenland, were on the horizon as we rose for breakfast this morning marking the beginning of an exciting first day on this remote island. We entered Nansen Fjord through loose ice cover and sailed past steep, bare mountains of glacier-sculpted basalt. The eight-mile tidewater front of Christian IV Glacier, bringing ice down from the distant ice sheet, filled the head of the fjord. Icebergs; white, blue, and black drifted past the Clipper Adventurer as we sailed towards an unnamed fjord on the northern side of Nansen Fjord. Zodiacs were lowered and we made our first footprints in the dark Greenland sand. The stark moraine landscape was impressive. This was new ground as we were the first cruise ship to visit this isolated spot at over 68° N. 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