Following the Ice from Afar

From my desk here in the Netherlands, I follow Tecla’s every move across the Northwest Passage. While Gijs and the crew carefully weave their way between floes of drifting ice, I get to live the adventure through their logbook entries and photos. They don’t break through the ice—the art lies in avoiding it. With years of experience and daily ice charts, they pick their way through this legendary seaway as explorers once did, but with a steady confidence born of practice.

The photographs are stunning. A polar bear swimming, a whale surfacing near the ship, the endless glow of Arctic light now giving way to darker nights. I can almost imagine the northern lights flickering into view. Reading along from home, it feels like stepping into the pages of a classic adventure novel—only this is happening now, in real time, with people I know and love aboard.

I find myself comparing it to our voyages in the south. In the Arctic, red-throated divers skim across the water, while in Antarctica penguins march across the ice. The landscapes could not be further apart, and yet both places remind us how small we are in the face of nature—and how alive we feel when we’re out there.

This is our third time through the Passage, and it will also be our last. The political climate and new regulations mean the Arctic is becoming harder to reach. That makes following along bittersweet: so much joy and pride in seeing Tecla progressing further every day, and a touch of longing knowing I won’t sail there myself this time.

But there are still chances to experience this kind of magic. In Antarctica, the wildlife is everywhere: penguins, seals, whales, and seabirds in numbers that leave you speechless. The icebergs glow in shades of blue you didn’t think existed, and every day feels like a new discovery.

So while Tecla charts her careful course between the ice of the north, I am working on new webinars and newsletters about Antarctica and the Pacific (more info soon) and dream away with every logbook entry and picture I receive.

All is well behind my desk,

Jet