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| We kept an eye on this screen as we drew near the Arctic Pole of Inaccessibility |
After the Geographic North Pole and the Magnetic North Pole, the Arctic Pole of Inaccessibility is the 3rd Arctic Pole. Until today it had yet to be reached so it is the last significant world first in polar exploration - and we were there to experience it! This point was first contemplated in 1909 by Russian polar pioneer Alexandr Kolchak. He defined it as the furthest point from any land in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. He concluded that because the true Arctic Pole of Inaccessibility was permanently covered by the ice fields of the Arctic ice pack, it was "Inaccessible to Navigation". In 1920 Canadian explorer Vlihjalmur Stefansson developed the concept as the centre (Pole) of the "Area of Comparative Inaccessibility" defined as the area calculated from the furthest points reached by ships of the polar explorers including Peary, Nansen, Collinson. A distance of 500 miles being the limit of man and dog hauling a sled and returning. As it is further from land than the North Pole, the Arctic Pole of Inaccessibility (API) is said to be harder to reach. In 2013 the location of the API was recalculated using satellite data and located at 85° 48' N, 176°09'E.
We did it! Today we reached that point - the Arctic Pole of Inaccessibility - by ship. 85 48’ N, 176 09’ E. No vessel has been to the true API before us so today is a very exciting one for many of us and the Captains are ecstatic (we have two captains on board). For those who don’t know, the pole of inaccessibility in an ocean is the furthest point from land and on land it is the furthest point from the sea. (Australia's pole of inaccessibility is located in the Northern Territory, about 160km WNW of Alice Springs and about 900km from the nearest coastline.) I first heard the term when we were in Antarctica 18 months ago. There, the Pole of Inaccessibility is on land not far from the now defunct Soviet research station in Kemp Land, Antarctica.
The Geographic North Pole was first reached by Amundsen in 1926, the Magnetic South Pole by Mawson on Shackleton’s British Antarctic Expedition in 1909, and now Captains Garcia and Marchesseau and Ponant’s Le Commandant Charcot have now been listed side by side on this exclusive list of firsts for reaching the Arctic Pole of Inaccessibility.
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| Preparations for the celebration underway |
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| Some delightful delicacy being prepared to accompany our champers |
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| The champagne and other delicious drinks flowed freely |
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| We were there on tyhe spot with glasses raised |
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| And warm foie gras but of course it is a special occasion |
The celebrations went on for quite some time but eventually we began navigating on towards the Magnetic North Pole! What an adventure ……
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