In the summer of 1972 my intention had been to sail up the west coast of Greenland to Baffin Bay (the North Water of whaling days) to land somewhere on the south-east coast of Ellesmere Island and if possible climb a mountain. As the great Von Moltke used to remind his staff, few plans withstand contact with the enemy, and this plan had to be dropped. Since ice conditions in the Canadian Arctic were severe this forced change of plan should have been welcome but in fact it proved fatal.