Why An Arctic Tern?

According to recent findings, by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, in Greenland, Arctic Terns will fly more than 50,000 miles annually between the Arctic and Antarctic, the longest journey for any living creature according to the research.

It was Life President, Tom Pindar, who three decades ago chose this athletic little bird to represent Pindar and replace the heraldic lion from a family crest.  Tom remembers the moment. "On a sailing trip to Skye, I was on watch at dawn on a mooring near a narrow beach and as the sea was calm and there was a lot of wildlife, I fell to reading a bird book as there were some I didn't recognise.  There were various terns and reading the notes on the Arctic tern I realised it was just the identifiable symbol with a substantial meaning to it that we needed.

The notes told me the Arctic tern, though compact and trim, flies immense distances.  It works in harmony, is loyal, returns each year to the same mate and nest site and is peaceful unless its territory is threatened by a predator when it fights back fiercely.

I could hardly wait to get back, and with colleagues set about creating an image that people would recognise so and that would last.  We wanted to communicate stability plus being progressive as printers, be able to incorporate colour or leave it out and still have an immediately recognisable image."

Since its incorporation the Pindar Arctic tern has been seen all over the world, none more so than recently. A Sail Bahrain yacht, sporting the Pindar logo (as it is sponsored by Chairman Andrew Pindar) was detained by the Iranian authorities when it inadvertently stayed into Iranian waters.

Whilst being towed to Siri, where the yacht and crew were to spend the following week, an injured Arctic tern landed on the deck. Fed and watered the little bird stayed on the yacht for the duration of the crew's detention. When the crew were finally released to carry on their journey to Dubai, the bird, refreshed and recovered also flew off to continue its journey.  A heart-warming and true tale.