Above the Arctic Circle: A rescue leads to fun in an icy sea

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It’s almost midnight but the sky is bright outside the windows of the Observation Lounge where excited passengers wait to celebrate their first glimpse of polar ice.

Capt. Dag’s voice calls over the ship’s loudspeaker, “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We are one hour from the polar ice pack. Unfortunately, there is a medical emergency and I must turn the ship around to meet the rescue helicopter.”

As the ship rushes towards medical help, Capt. Dag explains that we have reached Latitude 80 degrees 03”17’ North above the Arctic Circle. The noise level in the Observation Lounge is reduced to quiet whispers as we discuss the rescue at sea.

Instead of observing polar ice, passengers crowd the windows and area around the Pool Deck to watch the emergency rescue. The captain turns the ship into the wind as the helicopter hovers over Deck 11, allowing rescue personnel to slide down ropes and onto the deck. Stabilizing the patient, the medics raise him up into the aircraft along with his traveling companion. The race is on to save his life, a more important accomplishment than viewing polar ice.

Later in the day, Alan and I rush out onto our balcony when we hear a loud commotion. “Ho, ho, ho,” Santa Claus calls out to us. Jamie, the Cruise Director, dressed in a Santa suit, is perched on top of a tender while it navigates through a field of ice debris.

Capt. Dag has found an icy area and is providing a bit of fun to make up for our failed attempt to reach the polar ice. We take photos and enjoy the scene; after all, ice is ice.

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