The Arctic and Antarctic waters are some of the hardest in the world, with high waves, strong currents, and ice-cold water.
To make it even more interesting, there are icebergs floating around, and getting into land can sometimes be the most dangerous part of the trip. On my way to Antarctica, I decided to do some marin wildlife research for the organisations I’m working for.
Johan Ernst Nilson has made a few magnificent crossings during his 20 years of adventures. In 1999, he crossed the whole Northwest Passage with the Swedish Polar Research Institute. In 2001, he sailed the Atlantic from Rome to Antigua. During his polar expeditions, he has crossed from Cape Town to Antarctica, from South America to Antarctica, and along the island of Greenland.
All of them have been impressive journeys, but the crossings during Pole2Pole were something different.
When crossing to Antarctica, Johan and his team sailed for 12 days in up to 7-8 meter waves and with icebergs around every day. The Arctic crossing up to Thule Airbase in Greenland was not much easier with complicated ice conditions and difficulties in finding a place to go shore on the ice.
