Pole to Pole
Day 12: The Barents Sea

'Do not be afraid,' grins one of our Polish crew with relish as he slips a rope under my arms. He signals to some faceless figure high above me and I'm suddenly ascending, swinging like a box of toilet paper, a case of beer or any other piece of goods, over the side and across the water, then up and up into a different world. The sailors on the Jan Mayen are not scruffy and informal like our friends on the Norsel. They are smartly clad in yellow PVC with tall black boots, like policemen round a road accident. Unlike the Norsel, wildly bobbing below, the Jan Mayen is almost motionless. We are led indoors and shown an air-conditioned bridge with quietly clicking consoles and men sitting around as if they were in Star Trek.
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PALIN'S GUIDES
- Series: Pole to Pole
- Day: 12
- Country/sea: Arctic Ocean
- Place: Barents Sea
- Book page no: 28
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