Adrian Flanagan, the solo sailor on a quest to become the first person to single-handedly circumnavigate the globe via the Russian Arctic, has come face to muzzle with a polar bear.

The chance encounter occurred as Adrian steered his stainless steel yacht Barrabas through packed ice. He describes how it happened: ‘Two black eyes stared back at me. Now 20 metres in front of my bow, the polar bear lifted its snout to sniff at the strange thing in its midst. He swam off to one side, checking over his shoulder. I circled round. I was expecting this. The bear reached the ice and lumbered out of the water. A young male with an immaculate coat. The bear shook itself and studied the boat from a better vantage. Everything was still. Just me and the bear.’

Whilst Adrian was able to capture the polar bear on video, we’ll have to wait until his return for the footage as he cannot send high def. video over his sat-phone. No doubt he will encounter many more amazing animals and obstacles as he continues his voyage.

To read Adrian’s voyage blog and get more info on the expedition visit:
www.alphaglobalex.com

(Note: the above site is no longer live. See instead: www.adrianflanagansculpture.com