Prospice ex animo — Move forward with courage from the heart. My journey aboard the Linden

For someone who panicked earlier this summer getting into a kayak floating in 3-inches of water, I talk a pretty good game about Arctic Ocean exploration.

When in reality, my mind is asking, “What the hell were you thinking?”

I’m honestly not sure, other than the Arctic has such a strong hold on me an invitation to travel north is impossible to resist.

As I write this, I am currently at 35,000 feet over the Barents Sea on my way to Svalbard and the “Great Expedition”, run by my old friend Joe Shutter. Awaiting me and my as-yet unknown other 10 expedition members, is the SV Linden, a 160-foot, three-masted wooden vessel powered by almost 7,500 square-feet of sails.

On August 14 my journey aboard the Linden begins when we haul anchor and head out to open sea and west in search of the Arctic sea ice. Once we reach it, we will sail along its edge to Greenland where we will sail into Northeast Greenland National Park — the world’s largest national park.

Getting to the Arctic sea ice means several days of crossing open ocean — something I have never done before. Not going to lie, I’m pretty nervous about the prospect of open water and no land in sight. Plus, just the thought of being on water in any form that is not mirror-reflection calm sends my heart racing. Not that I’ve avoided it in search of adventure. But it never gets any easier.

Which brings me back to this upcoming expedition. 

For one thing, there is the opportunity to see a variety of Arctic wildlife, sea life and plant life. Not to mention stunning landscapes with towering granite walls that line Greenland’s fjords. Then there is that siren’s call of the unknown, of the remote and northern latitudes. When it comes to those, I’m just a girl who can’t say no. Doing all this with a small group on a wooden sailing vessel? It’s a no-brainer.

There is also a scientific component to this trip. The Linden’s captain and crew will be collecting all manner of data as we sail through different ocean biomes and waters. They’ll be looking at water temperature, any presence of microplastics, salinity, acidity and logging any wildlife sightings. As citizen scientists, passengers are invited to get involved in this research and I can’t wait! All the collected information will be included in a report and shared with various scientific databases related to Arctic research.

But lest you think my time will be spent hoisting sales, swabbing decks or engaged in active scientific monitoring, that is far from the case.

Life aboard the Linden promises to be very chill with ample time to relax on deck or in the salon below decks. Heck, there is even a sauna on board!

Because of all of that and more, once again I’m sucking up my terror of being on water. Given all that I will see and experience, it does seem to be a small price to pay.

And at least I don’t get seasick.