For many people, a visit to the bridge is a highlight of any cruise. When you get to visit the bridge while your ship is underway on a scenic sailing, or holding position in one of the world’s picturesque waters, that’s even better. But maybe the best bridge visit is when you can meet the captain and hear the perspectives of the person whose finger is on the pulse of the ship, and whose sailing experience brings to life the joys and culture of cruising.

 

 

We hit the trifecta of wonderful bridge visits while sailing on the Seabourn Venture during an Arctic expedition cruise to Iceland and Greenland. The ship was holding position in Umivik Bay, Greenland, surrounded by an ever-changing seascape of one-of-a-kind icebergs, while other guests were off the ship on zodiac excursions around the bay.

 

Captain Simon Bishop showed us around the bridge and shared with us his family heritage sailing small boats off the coast of England, as well as what makes polar cruising in the Arctic or Antarctic special no matter how many times you visit. Plus, what expedition cruising means to the navigation team on the bridge… and how it’s changing the way we experience some of the most remote places in the world.