Sudbury's Kevin Closs, Franco Mariotti share arctic summer experiences

They didn't go together, but two men from Sudbury, Ont., nowshare a life-changingexperience: they both spent part of the summer touring and working on ships inthe Arctic.

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Musician Kevin Clossworked on a ship that travelledout of Svalbard, Norway. He was the ship'smusician, but said he also had a "day job" driving zodiac boats for tourists and acting as polar bear patrol.

"We did go to Gjoa Haven and Cambridge Bay [Nunavut], and those were the highlights for me," he said.

"Meeting the people in these northern communities. They are so happy to see visitors, and they put on these amazing presentations their communitycentres with dancing and singing and country food that [was the] highlight for me."

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Former Science North staff scientist Franco Mariottispent August working as a presenter and guide on a ship that sailed through the famednorthwestpassage to Cambridge Bay, Nunavut.

"Our focus was on wildlife, Franklin stories and the landscape that we travelled through," he said.

Recalling the breathtaking view ofonefiord, "The walls are over 200 ft high, capped with glaciers, " he said. "It was like sailinginto a LawrenHarris [Group of Seven]painting."

"It's kind of the dream-of-a-lifetime experience for a lot of people."

Listen to the complete interview with Kevin Closs and Franco Mariotti here.

Morning North11:03Working on a cruise ship in the arctic

What did you do this summer? We spoke to a couple of northerners who worked on cruise ships in the arctic. Kevin Closs and Franco Mariotti joined us in studio to talk about their experience.