We now wanted to get further North; from the ice charts, that had been presented the day before, we knew, there was a massive 168 km² ice floe waiting for us just a few miles up North in the Eureka Sound. So … it was not too far to go – however there was still the magic line of 80°N, which we still had to cross – and did just a bit after our turning back into the Eureka Sound.

The trip North did not last too long, at 80° 5’N we hit the ice floe; our captain already had decreased the ship’s speed and was now slowly getting as close as possible. We stayed here for a while – celebrating our position in awe – before turning around and heading South again.
We could have used a gap between the ice floe and Ellesmere Island to pass by and get further North – however had we done so, we would still be up there, with no way back until one of the next summers – so a no-brainer to turn around.