From the Arctic circle onwards to the northern coast

Colin leaps ashore a sand island as we take cover from the swells for a well earned break The river is around 2km wide at this point and we are near Igarka, above the Arctic Circle.

Ben is silhouetted, standing nearby the Arctic bonfire On this day we celebrated the crossing of the Arctic Circle and heated up rocks to make a tent sauna, before running naked and steaming into the cool waters of the Yenisey.

Tim starts up the Arctic party fire as the sun slwoly drifts towrds the horizon on the far west bank of the river Rocks were carefully placed in the fire for heating, to be used in a tent sauna.

Taking cover on a sand island not far from Igarka.

Tim wears his trusted fox fur liner (bought in a market on the Kola peninsula in early 2000 and sewn onto his hood).

The port of Dudinka, serving the industrial city of Norilsk was the last main town before setting off a further 300km north to the Yenisey Gulf Dodging freighters passing in and out on the route from Murmansk was one of the more dangerous realities of rowing this far north.

The boat is belittled as Ben rows into a gust northerly The river was around 30km wide at this point.

The toll of heavy industry can be clearly seen in Norilsk, a city set on the Siberian permafrost east of Dudinka The cobalt, nickel, and copper mines here are infamous for their terrible effects on the environment as far away as Finland and Alaska (let alone the local region).

The toll of heavy industry can be clearly seen in Norilsk, a city set on the Siberian permafrost east of Dudinka The cobalt, nickel, and copper mines here are infamous for their terrible effects on the environment as far away as Finland and Alaska (let alone the local region).

These extravagant murals are a feature of almost all city apartment buildings in Norilsk- a relic of soviet times.

Docked on the karaul pier (a sunken rusty vessel), we are watched with amusment by locals heading off south on the weekly ferry This dillapidated vessel turned out to be our lift south on our journey back from the Arctic coast.