August 29^th, 2026

Anchorage

We made it! It was never a given that we would get here, we are the second ship to sail through the passage this year. In previous years expedition ships have had to turn back. But we are here.

It was a sunny day in Anchorage. No icebergs outside our window today, just a crane.

My first order of business was to go to the Square and get a new cruise card so I could actually leave the ship at the appointed time. There was no queue and I received my card right away. Phew!

When our time to disembark was called we grabbed our hand luggage and headed straight to the gangway. Again, no crowds or fuss and bother. As we had already done immigration and customs in the middle of the night while anchored in Port Clarence Bay, we could just walk off the ship straight to the coach. It was all too easy.

Captain Simon was at the bottom of the gangway saying goodbye to all of us. He has been totally amazing these past 3 weeks, he and ice captain Alex did a really great job getting us to Anchorage on time.

Our suitcases were waiting for us at the airport, check in was open, our bags were only slightly overweight, but we were able to rearrange things to avoid the fees, so there was nothing left to do but go through security and wait for our plane.

Once on the plane I had time to reflect on our trip.

At the end of the Napoleonic wars, John Barrow, the Second Secretary to the Admiralty announced that “The discovery of a north-west passage to India and China has always been considered as an object peculiarly British”, and with those words Britain embarked on an age of polar discovery in the 19^th century. Some expeditions were successful, but there were plenty of failures. Many experienced explorers and adventurers failed to recognize the unforgiving nature of the arctic ice. They failed to pay heed to the warnings of the local people who had inhabited this region for centuries. Some men were too proud, some ill equipped, some too inexperienced, some just ran out of luck. Their ships were stuck in the ice for years while the sailors had to exist on ever diminishing supplies. Some never came home again.

One of the most moving parts of my experience was seeing the graves of fallen sailors on the barren shores of Beechy Island.

In the end it was not the British who managed to find a passage through the ice, but a Norwegian man, Roald Amundsen in the early 20^th century on his ship Gjoya. He showed the world it could be done.

And here 120 years later it still presents a challenge. I am so grateful to those who went before us and enabled us to see this incredibly beautiful pristine part of the world. I do not feel I have just been on a cruise. This was so much more. It was journey into unspoiled frozen north where new experiences were around every corner, every minute in this beautiful place was to be savored. And I saw puffins and polar bears on the way.

I had the best time.