I have seen large tabular icebergs before, but this morning's sight was spectacular. The berg emerged from the fog, towering over the ship, extending beyond the horizons - and anxious excitement spread instantly around deck. It is clear that most people desperately just want to get onto the ice. At the same time the signs of advanced decay of the berg are hard to miss - it is surrounded by ice ranging from slush to grand pianos to several football fields in size, all pieces that have recently broken off its edge - and it is simply impossible to tell which part will go next. There are waterfalls of meltwater thundering down its face, a face that rises up to 20m at points. Who would voluntarily want to spend a night on an island that is literally rotting beneath your feet? (i do, oh yeah!)
Oh yes! and I was the first one to touch the iceberg with my fingertips when the captain put the bow of the ship briefly against the berg's face.
And then even the most experienced polar explorers* were proven wrong - not just a little, but altogether wrong: they had pretty confidently announced that there would be no bears around the berg - or maybe a lost lonely one somewhere. By early afternoon we had seen 8! - sleeping on the berg edge, bathing in the water, strolling alongside us. Small bears, big bears - bears everywhere!
It really looks like this slab of ice might make for some pretty exciting TV.
We're planning on going ashore tomorrow morning** - and the anxious excitement on the ship is greater than at the start of the day.
*We have some of the most experienced polar scientists and travellers in the world on board: Doug Allan (look him up!) has spent over 8 years in Antarctica and won lots of BAFTAs and Emmys for his films. Peter Wadhams is on his 44th Arctic Cruise (or thereabouts), etc.
**By 'we' I mean the extreme climber and diver Andy Torbent with his team - to secure a safe landing site.
