Where We Be

Here’s a good map of where Polar Bear has been so far and where we’re headed in the coming weeks (click on the image to enlarge, and then click again to see it at full size). I’ve done some quickie edits to this image so you can see where Bodø and Lofoten are here in Norway, and you can see where the Shetland Islands are in relation to England and Scandinavia. I’ve also circled where we’re headed next — Jan Mayen Island — and where we’ll head from there: Akureyri, Iceland. And finally, you can see our destination in Greenland: Ittoqqortoormiit and Scoresby Sund.

And, of course, you can always click on the “where are we now” link in the left-hand margin; that Spot fix is usually on and updates every 10 minutes while we’re moving.

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Brooding in Bodø

Sitting in the saloon of Polar Bear all by my lonesome. And it’s…wonderful. Given my earlier anchor-watch posts, I’m sure that sentiment isn’t surprising to anyone, but…just thought I’d throw it out there. The midnight sunshine from the boat is gorgeous, with some clouds to reflect the light and glow in a pink-orange tint reminiscent of alpenglow on a mountaintop. It was just six minutes ago that the sun “set” and started up again…all of which took place above the horizon (but below the neighboring mountains, as you can see).

The view from Polar Bear’s hatch in the Bodø harbor at 1:02am…

In addition to the light, what’s interesting about right now is that I’m currently in the situation I’ve sought for some time…and I have no clearer thoughts about a path than I did when such a situation seemed so far off.

Throughout most (if not all) of the past several weeks’ worth of trips with clients, I’ve often thought, “If only I were here in my own boat, with friends rather than paying customers, on a schedule of our own choosing, this would be perfect.” Well, now I have some of that — I’m on a boat by myself in a harbor in an awesome place — and I haven’t had any life-shattering bursts of insight anytime in the last little while. Certainly no exultations along the lines of “yeah! THIS is what I was after, baby!”

…and at 1:54am

Not that I really expected any. But what is very interesting (to me, anyway) is that my internal dialogue has revolved around a question I hadn’t anticipated: do I really want to go cruising? That’s surprising because for so long (hell, back to my teenage years many centuries ago) the question was never DO I want to go cruising but always WHEN and HOW will I go cruising. The dream for me was always a sailboat, my surfboards and other toys, and…buh-bye. And now that I have some semblance of that image, it’s not an affirmation or even a negation that arises, but rather a new and unforeseen emotion. A question, actually, that I thought had been asked and answered so long ago but now seems scarily current: do you really want to go cruising? Do you REALLY want to go cruising?

And the answer is: I don’t know. Before it all seemed so clear-cut. And now that I’ve been out there tasting the dream in ever-so-small morsels, what I’d be leaving behind looms larger. I can go tomorrow, if I so choose. The question now is: do I so choose?

The old saying that you don’t know what ya got till it’s gone is powerful because reality usually frames the saying as: “you didn’t know what ya had till you threw it away.” I’ve already thrown a lot of things — important things, to me — away to chase this dream, so this lack of clarity, this doubt, that has arisen is a wee bit troubling. As a result, sitting here in the saloon of Polar Bear all by lonesome, I’m now WAY inside my head…and as you folks know: it ain’t pretty when I get deep into my head. So…stay tuned and we’ll see how it turns out.

But in the meantime, it really was a beautiful twilight from the boat this evening.

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Returning to Land

Arrived in the harbor in Bodø this morning around 11am. And not a moment too soon…

This has been a trying week. As you all know, I’m not the most social guy around. In fact, I might even qualify as a misanthrope. (“The hell you say,” you reply…) But even a saint might have been tried this past week.

That’s not to say there weren’t great moments. There were. There was even some connecting going on — AFTER a stupendous meal of group-caught halibut and (especially after) peer-pressure-induced sampling of the various types of vodka. But for the most part, it was a case of “never the twain shall meet,” and rather than get into specifics (and be accused of being yet another Ugly American), let’s just leave the week as an incident of divergent cultures.

As a recuperative measure, and to escape the final night of our Polish guests’ presence within the close confines of Polar Bear, I’ve rented a hotel room overlooking the harbor for the night. A solid bed; no one other than me snoring; a long, hot shower with no time limit; a clear mirror in which to shave at an unpressured pace…these are wonderful things, and all unavailable on a charter boat.

The goal is to recuperate before our next charter begins on Monday. An interesting way for an American, ugly or otherwise, to celebrate the Fourth of July: heading to sea en route to Jan Mayen Island with seven Norwegian hikers/climbers. We’ll spend a few days there while they try to summit the big volcano at the northern end of the island, and then head south and west to Iceland.

Before that, however, there are two days of cleaning and prepping to do. And I hope to recap a bit of the past week — highs and lows — in between boat chores.

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