Expedition Cruising; a great way to explore!

You see a lot more at sea.

Much of it water, of course, and depending on the itinerary that you pick, be sure to request a cabin that will offer the greatest sight of land, but all in all, travelling by sea is a very great privilege. It is slow, it is intimate and above all, it offers the sense of distance and achievement that aeroplanes most decidedly do not.

The Akademik Ioffee

Ships can allow exploration; they allow, assuming that they are the correct vessels, the opportunity to get up close and personal with coastlines, remote communities, small islands and many geographical wonders that would otherwise remain unseen. Ships, and I am not talking here about the massive casino-type cruisers, are poking their noses in everywhere; from a myriad of fascinating routes through Antarctica, and the uninhabited islands of South Georgia and South Orkney to the deep fjords of the Arctic coast and the wilderness and glacial gravitas of the Greenland coast.

Quite simply, small ships are nosey, and their passengers seem to share this feature. There is absolutely no reason on earth to travel to most of the destinations of the One Ocean portfolio, but clearly there is a demand for this kind of experience. Stopping for an afternoon in a remote Newfoundland outport, or enjoying the authoritative odour of several thousand indifferent walruses and sea lions may not appear on every bucket-list, but for a growing number of travellers seeking experiences and not simply the security of sneeze-shield protected dining.

Launching the Zodiacs for a trip to shore

The sea offers a different sense of timing, and indeed time. Stubbornly sticking to “ship time”, and ignoring the conventions of other time zones through which we passed, was only mildly disconcerting. It was peculiar to have one’s iPhone (for it is the 21^st century, and we are addicts) tell a different story to the ship’s schedules, and for all that it matters, we could have chosen an entirely random notation of time and stuck stubbornly to that particular fiction. Tim also passes differently; the speed of passage ensures that minor incidents receive deliberation, comment and reflection. The hour of happiness, heralded by the announcement of the daily cocktail is a powerful marker, as are the suns daily appearance and disappearance. Meals, taken at roughly logical intervals punctuate the day, and lead all on board to quickly fall into a delightfully timeless existence.

Another day, another port, another idea and another new lesson learned. Who know that the smoking of fish or the oxidisation of the earth’s mantle, conveniently sticking out through the planet’s crust in GrosMorne, or the lyrical syntax of Newfoundland’s musical heritage could be so captivating? Not I. Let alone the historical weaving that has bound the Great War, sealing accidents and the connection to Mussolini in Canada’s most easterly province into a single rich fabric; knowledge is a fine thing, and the “colour commentators” on board the ship are absolutely first class.

Off to explore!

And above all, perhaps, these expeditionary itineraries offer the opportunity to explore and visit a collection of quite fascinating destinations within a relatively short period of time. Unencumbered by the frippery of casinos, high-end boutiques, combat Mariachi bands and the tiresome ephemera of the glossier end of the cruising spectrum, these vessels simply do their job.

They introduce interested people to interesting places.  

Surging through the Gulf of St. Lawrence