An Arctic Encounter With A Polar Bear

I’m cocooned in my cabin, the closed porthole blocking out the bright 2am sunshine of 24 hour Arctic daylight. The tannoy interrupts my sleep, announcing a polar bear sighting. I stumble out of bed, pull my cold-weather gear over my pyjamas, sling my binoculars around my neck and clamber out on deck, into the freezing air of Svalbard.