Ben Edwards 9 Aug evening entrance between Kara and the Laptev Sea.
A very exciting thing happened today. We reached the ice! Finally after twenty one days out of Murmansk, I think, we’ve reached the pack ice. We can only go through thin ice because despite the design of the boat, what limits our capacity to go through ice is how good the helmsman is at avoiding icebergs. So far we’ve done okay. When we got to the ice we had to take sails down and put the engine on so that we could manoeuvre properly. I really enjoy dodging in and out of the ice floes, it takes a lot of effort, you have to be aware of everything in front of you despite your restricted vision because boats don’t turn very quickly.
A couple of hours ago we passed from the Kara Sea into the Laptev Sea through a thin passage between the mainland and an island. To mark this memorable occasion we hit heavier ice. It’s now much more difficult to find ways through and you’ve got to be even more alert than normal. Once we get through this ice we’ll be able to speed up again and take a more desirable course. During my watches I’ve seen three seals lounging on icebergs and one in the water. I like seals, they’re funny.
I’ve just got off my watch and in the last half an hour something very irritating happened. We came across ice that was too thick get through. We’ve had to turn around and are now trying to get close to the shore where we think there is less ice. At worst we’ll have to anchor in a nearby bay for a couple of days while the ice melts. Personally I think there’ll be a more open patch of water closer to land. In any case I’m tired and want to go to bed so I’ll leave you now. I’ll write again tomorrow if possible. Bye.