Greetings from Iceland. Our ETD is 12:00, a half hour from now. Martina and I just downed our seasickness pills and are tidying up our cabin so that stuff doesn't get tossed everywhere. We also have to go hunt down some buckets because according to Arne (the Captain), "it will be a bit rough out there." For exactly how long, I don't know. He said something to the effect of the wind changing direction to come from the southwest after a while, which will mean it will be behind us and will make the ride a lot smoother. I'm not keeping my hopes up, though, and am ready for a few days of feeling pretty puny in my bunk.

We met with the mayor of Isafjordur yesterday. The whale campaigner, Frode, told us that the mayor is a fisherman and would probably dress casual for our meeting. I wore a jeans and a fleece, and felt kinda bad when the mayor showed up in a suit. Oh well.

We met on the bridge of our ship so it was pretty informal, anyway. Frode talked about how this is the third year in a row that Greenpeace has visited Isafjordur because we are conscious of the criticism that some NGOs visit, make a lot of promises and never return.

Martina talked with the mayor about the town's plans to establish a sort of climate research station here to look into sea currents and ocean temperature and how they are being affected by global warming. The mayor said how he's concerned about the impacts of global warming on the country's fish stocks. Some species of fish seek out a particular water temperature, and if the water temperature of traditional fishing grounds changes, then the fish may go elsewhere.

The mayor also told us an interesting story about how the town's new dock has been built half a meter (1.5 feet) higher than the old one since sea level will rise due to global warming. I chimed in that this kind of information is important for Americans because when we hear that global warming is affecting people, we will be motivated to take action.

This morning I reviewed some footage of a glacier expert in Reykjavik who said that melting glaciers in this country could lead to more volcanic eruptions. I'd never heard that before.

It is VERY interesting for me being an American on board this ship, coming from the country that's the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and is also the most recalcitrant when it comes to dealing with global warming. The ship's engines just fired up so I am going to shut down this laptop and start stowing things for the ship's transit to Greenland. Next update will hopefully be while en route or, if it's too rough, from the calmer, ice infested waters of Greenland.

-Melanie

Today at around 1400 hours we started to enter substantial ice. I checked the GPS and we were a bit above 70 degrees north latitude. Floes now fill the landscape (seascape?) as far as the eye can see.

It's overcast but not at all foggy so we are going along at eight knots, a decent clip, weaving in and out of ice floes and occasionally bashing into one with a big thud that shakes the ship.

The energy on board - already high - has been cranked up a few notches by the ice. Everyone's wearing a grin and folks are circulating from the bridge to the bow, checking out the ice floes. We've seen some auks and some seals, and one seal entertained us by popping up about 10 meters in front of the bow, then swimming along the starboard rail and keeping up with us for a while before drifting along the side of the ship and diving, showing off with a splash of its tail.

This is Isha's first time above the Arctic circle, in sea ice, and seeing whales and seals. She is positively awestruck and describes feeling "numb with delight." That kind of excitement doesn't wane, at least not for me, and this is my fifth trip on this ship in Arctic waters. I feel the same kind of excitement and awe that she does.

Arne, the Captain, told me earlier today that he thought we would enter the ice at some point soon. He's got so much experience at the poles, I swear, it's as if he can smell the ice as we approach.

There were other signs that the ship was heading farther and farther north above the Arctic Circle. Everyone was issued cold weather gear from the ship's stores. Hot chocolate appeared in the mess. And the reading material posted in each toilet was switched from a briefing on heat stroke to hypothermia (if you want to make sure something is read, then post it in the toilet!).

We are still on the look-out for our first iceberg, and there is talk of starting another contest to predict the first polar bear sighting.

- Melanie