On February 16, 2016, Coryn and Tony Gooch, aboard their 42 ‘ aluminum sloop, Taonui, are going to take us on a voyage from southern UK to the Island of Spitsbergen, 400 miles north of Norway and at it’s northern end, only 600 miles from the North Pole.
The Island has a fascinating history: whaling, exploration, including balloon trips across the Arctic, conflict in WW II, and standoff’s in the Cold War. Today Spitsbergen still belongs to no one, but by International agreement, is administered by Norway. It is a centre for scientific research and a place of spectacular scenery, home to polar bears and reindeer and, in the summer, delicate Arctic flowers and abundant bird life.