I was travelling on a 100 year old schooner ship called the Noorderlicht, in the Greenlandic Arctic, working on a project for Cape Farewell, an organisation that works with artists, scientists and writers to help promote an awareness of climate change. Although it was my fourth trip inside the Arctic circle, it was by far the most stormy and scary of my career. It took us 8 days to sail from Svalbard to the East coast of Greenland, twice the time predicted. Experiencing force 9 gales along the way, many of those on board were severely sea-sick and very glad to reach land.

This image was taken whilst the Noorderlicht negotiated drifting and broken sea ice off the coast of Greenland. She is not ice class and would probably not survive a collision with even a medium sized berg. Much care was exercised by the captain that day.

Nick Cobbing is a photographer who’s work spans photojournalism and fine-art, exploring the relationship between humankind and the environment. He has made work in a range of countries and continents, including: Japan, Tibet, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. The Arctic, the seas and oceans are strong themes in his work. With much of his career spent in photojournalism, a strong narrative and sense of storytelling continues to influence his photography. A recent project from Greenland about glaciers and ice Surface Tension has been widely published, in a year when climate-change inspired headlines, gaining five awards for magazine photography. More of his work can be seen at www.nickcobbing.co.uk

Photographer since 1998, EPUK member since 1999.

See more work by Nick Cobbing