In this slim travel book Horatio Clare voyages as a guest on the Finnish icebreaker Otso (Bear), ‘mostly in darkness, certainly in snow’. The ship breaks ice to create shipping channels, known as fairways, so that trade can continue through the long winter. Most of its business is with bulk carriers, ore carriers, colliers and chemical tankers; each ship pays about €20,000 a day for her icebreaking escort.