Just one day after the Tall Ships bade their final farewell at Howth, Arctic Fern, the Irish boat on expedition to the Arctic Circle, returned to its home harbour last night.
The tanned and elated crew members, whose boat was trapped in Arctic ice for 5 1/2 days, were hailed as they arrived at 7.30 p.m. by a small welcoming crowd of friends and family in the marina at Howth Yacht Club.
After travelling 4,536 nautical miles in seven weeks, the crew guided the 44-foot, Swedish-built Najad into a berth.
The skipper, Mr John Gore-Grimes (56), a Dublin solicitor, sailor and Arctic explorer, unsuccessfully attempted to travel with his crew to Franz Josef Land, a Soviet archipelago in the Arctic belt. Asked if he would make another attempt the skipper nodded and said: "I'm not cured yet."
Joining Mr Gore-Grimes on the voyage were his son-in-law, Mr Robert Pendleton (33); nephew, Mr Nico Gore-Grimes (22); Ms Merryl Huxstable (42), from Britain; and Mr Andrew Collins (28), from Malahide. He praised them as his best crew to date and acknowledged their good humour and hard work during one difficult part of the journey.
For 5 1/2 days the Arctic Fern was trapped in ice about 112 nautical miles from its destination and 10 nautical miles from the open sea. "There was no such thing as a night's sleep. It was 24 hours of daylight but very misty. Ice can crush a boat so we had work for six or seven hours a day" to keep the rudder and boat clear, Mr Gore-Grimes said.
"The most harrowing thing was the sound of ice crushing against ice," Mr Pendleton said.
Polar bears came within a few yards of the boat on one occasion.
With hands shaking, the skipper went outside to start shooting photographs. "In 1989 I pointed a rifle at a bear on the ice and I couldn't pull the trigger. You can protect yourself in other ways, especially in a boat this size," Mr Gore-Grimes said.
As a precautionary measure, the crew placed ropes around the deck, boarded up the hatch and used a small window as an exit, if needed. Of the ropes, Mr Nico Gore-Grimes said: "It was peace of mind more than anything else, especially since the bears never tested it."
They also shot flares in the direction of the bears, which fled twice but were unfazed by the third flare. "Eventually we left them caches of food. I don't know if that was a good idea or a bad idea," Mr Gore-Grimes said. Either way, the bears soon tired of the curiosity in the ice and wandered off in search of seals.
"I love travelling. There is something very fresh and special about it. There is a special feeling of seeing nature untouched by man," Mr Gore-Grimes said.
"It's a unique experience that you'll never, ever forget. That's the first thing John said to us after we broke free of the ice," Mr Pendleton said.
The Arctic Fern's state-of-the art computer system, satellite phone, fax and global positioning system were a great comfort to the crew during their ordeal. "There would have been more tension if we hadn't had the satellite telephone," Mr Andrew Collins said.