Forced by ice and weather conditions to lose 60 hours on her trans Atlantic journey, Spirit of Portsmouth left the shelter of Arsuk Fjord, south west Greenland at 10.30 UTC today. The next stop is Iceland, 845 nautical miles away.

The crew of Spirit of Portsmouth have been guests of The Danish Defence Headquarters in Greenland at Groennal, who deployed HDMS Agdlek Danish Naval Patrol Vessel to assist them on their arrival on Tuesday amid heavy polar ice. Today the 30 mile wide belt of pack ice opened up briefly, allowing Spirit of Portsmouth to escape the hazardous Arctic Seas which threatened its safety.

With a full fuel load the voyage is expected to take 72 hours, passing Cape Farewell and crossing the Denmark Strait, one of the North Atlantic's most treacherous areas.

Things are not all bad though; the weather is calm and sunny, and the crew are reported to be well rested and in good spirits.