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Following the footsteps of many polar explorers, the small expedition cruise ship Isis heads south with a mixed group of passengers keen to see Antarctica for themselves. After leaving Cape Horn behind they have to cross the fearsome Drake Passage. This lives up to its reputation, with the wind picking up and the ship sustaining what appears to be minor damage during a storm. However the episode is soon forgotten when the Isis reaches the Antarctic and the passengers enjoy the spectacular scenery and wildlife. Penguins, seals and whales are all observed in glorious weather and a great feeling of contentment permeates the ship. Things are going so well that the fateful decision is taken to enter the Weddell Sea, the area where Sir Ernest Shackleton s ship the Endurance foundered in the ice. With modern ice-strengthened ships and satellite technology such a fate nowadays is unthinkable

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James has long had an interest in polar regions, his first job being with the British Antarctic Survey. Since then he has been in Scotland, working as an ecologist and also launching the monthly news digest ´SCENES: Scottish Environment News.´ He has led ski expeditions to the Arctic and recently published the booklet ´A Field Guide to Ice.´

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