Because of the lack of ice during the summer 2006, our ship, the Grigoryi Mikheev, was able to take us beyond the 82nd parallel. For the first time in its history, the ship crossed the 82° 03°N latitude. It is aboard zodiacs that we then crossed 82° 04°N. An extra two or three days of navigation and we would have made it to the North Pole, less than 8 degrees away.