Modern technology is always one step ahead of me. Before sitting down to write this second column about my recent journey to the Scottish Islands on board MV Greg Mortimer, I thought it would be good to know which seas the hardworking small ship was surfing at that particular moment. I was about to phone Aurora Cruises, the vessel’s owner, when an IT-savvy friend referred me to the website www.vesselfinder.com.
From there I gleaned that: “The current position of Greg Mortimer is at North East Atlantic Ocean (coordinates 65.5679 N / 24.6406 W) reported 11 days ago by AIS. The vessel is en route to the port of Sisimiut, Greenland, sailing at a speed of 10.6 knots... Current draught: 5.2m...”
I could almost feel a cool Arctic whiff of the “5.2m draught” on my face, the draught that would ruffle my hair all the way to the mysterious Greenland port of Sisimiut.
In my previous Greg Mortimer column, I focused primarily on the ship herself – brand-new and stuffed...