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Crossing the Barents Sea.
   Our route on this voyage took us from
   Murmansk on the North Cape across
   the Barents Sea to Franz Josef Land,
   a group of desolate islands at the edge
  of the Arctic Ocean and just about at
   the point where the icepack begins. The
   Franz Josef Archipelago consists of 60
   mostly ice-covered islands and was
   discovered in 1873 by an Austrian and
   Hungarian expedition. Franz Josef Land
   is under the control of Russia. From
   there it was a two-day sail to the North
   Pole, then back to Franz Josef Land
   and southeastward to Novaya Zemlya,
   where we landed on the northern end
   of the island. Novaya Zemlya is where
   the Russians conducted about 195
   atmospheric nuclear tests. We landed
   again on the southern end of the island
   after staying well out to sea on the way
   south. Our final landing was at a Gulag
   camp on the Siberian mainland that was
   in operation until around 1970. Two
   days sailing brought us back to port.
   On the Yamal there were 140 officers and crew. Every single sailor had his or her own cabin, with a full
   bathroom equipped with shower, sink and toilet, a bunk that could be curtained off, a desk with drawers
   and cabinets, a convertible daybed, a phone for talking to other people on the ship, a large closet, two good-
   sized portholes, and a radio and television that broadcast music and movies on a closed circuit. On our
   first evening aboard, they somewhat whimsically screened The Hunt for Red October! The officers all
   doubled up, thereby freeing up enough cabins for the passengers. The accomodations were tremendous,
   especially when you consider that this is a working vessel and not a cruise liner. We did have to keep our
   portholes open during the whole voyage because the cabins were kept so warm. Russians like warmth, and
   there is no shortage of energy on a nuclear ship.
   John Steinbeck once said that "we don't take a trip, a trip takes us," and never was the truth of his statement
   more clearly demonstrated to me than by my excursion to the top of the world, for it was not those things I
   expected, not the actual crossing of the Arctic Ocean and our arrival at 90 degrees North that proved most
   meaningful to me. Rather it was being in Russia and seeing things that no westerners would have been allowed
   to see just two or three short years before, making close contacts with a great group of Russian people and
   having the chance to influence them as indeed they were influencing us, and the very process and experience
   of sailing on what is at least in terms of icebreaking the most powerful and technologically modern ship on
   earth.
   On a nuclear-power ship, there is a lot of heat to dissipate, so
   there are vents everywhere.
 
   (L) The bridge extends the full width of the ship for unobstructed
   360° vision. We had access to the bridge at any time. (R) The
   deck above the bridge, sometimes called Monkey Island, was
   where I spent most of my free time, with great views all around.
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