Recherchebreen and Bamsebu

 

This morning we were due to land at Vårsolbukta at 08:00 but there was too much wave action at the beach and therefore not safe to operate the Polar Cirkel in safety.  We decided to move to the opposite side of Bellsund to Recherchefjord and Recherchebreen.  This side of Bellsund was very sheltered form the wind.  At 09:00 the Expedition Team went on shore to survey the site for bears.  The all clear signal was soon given and our Polar Cirkel boats began shuttling everyone to shore.  We landed on a nice gravel beach.  From there you could roam around a large moraine plain left from the now retreating Recherchebreen.  In front of Recherchebreen was a large glacial lake.  A small river of glacial outflow joined the lake to the sea.

The Expedition Team set up a perimetre within which we could stroll at our leisure.  The sun shone on steep mountains which rose on either side of the glacial plain.   With the brilliant sunshine, blue skies, the mountains, and the glacial front, no one cared that we switched landing sites.  Indeed, it seemed to have been completely forgotten. 

 

After lunch at 14:45 we landed at Bamsebu.  This is a site that was used by hunters in the 1930s that were hunting for Beluga whales .  Whale oil at that time was still valuable.  The hunters only used the skins and the blubber.  The rest of the animal was discarded.  The bones of an estimated 550 whales lie on the beach close to a small cabin.
 

Once again the Expedition Team fanned out to make sure no Polar Bears were lurking in the area.  Once the all clear was given, the Expedition Team led us on a 1 hour tour of the site where they explained the history of the area. Depending on which team member you were with, you learned about the geology, or the biology of the region.

 

While everyone was roaming around the moraine plain, several people went out kayaking.  It was a perfect day for it.  Virtually no wind and very sunny.  At approximately 19:30 everyone was back on board.

In the evening we were entertained with a fashion show.  The officers and Expedition Team modelled all of the clothes from the gift shop.  While no one had any runway experience it was still a lot of fun.

Hornsund and Whales

 

Gazing out the window this morning brought sweeping views of Hornbreen (Glacier). Seeing ice is always nice, and we were afforded picturesque bergs floating past the boat. The mood was set for the day as we cruised slowly through the calm waters of the fjord towards our landing site for the afternoon.  As passengers were getting fitted for the rubber boots used for beach landings, we arrived at the mouth of Hornsund.

After the usual polar bear sweep, passengers began coming ashore and exploring a bit. A highlight for many of the folks I spoke to were the birds nesting in the cliffs above the landing beach. Hundreds of Guillemots and Kittiwakes were nesting on the cliff walls, and fulmars and an occasional puffin flew by, high above the ground where a small arctic fox was running around in search of its next meal. It was a rather curious fox, and was very interested in our backpacks, running from one side of the landing site to the other, investigating his visitors. After returning to the ship under a sunny sky, we set off for a special site where whales are often spotted.

 

 

As the Captain and Crew were introduced, whale spouts were began being spotted in the distance. We had reached the “Drop-off”, where whales come to feed during the summer months. The observation lounge and outside decks provided a spectacular view of the show that was unfolding before everyone on board. Humpback and Minke whales, among others, were feeding in an area with lots of upwelling. The steep rise in sea level, combined with a strong ocean current  push nutrient rich water to the surface, in the process known as upwelling; which in turn provide the essential nutrients for algae and small organisms to grow on which these large marine mammals live off. For nearly 45 minutes, a group of about a dozen humpback whales stayed just off the bow and fed while we floated quietly. It was an amazing experience, and perfect way to end the day, to be able to hear their vocalizations and loud breaths when they came up for air under the midnight sun.

 

We're High in the Arctic!

No.  Not that kind of high.  Give us a little latitude.  We're so high that were you to try to find us on a globe we would be under the brass cap.  Our journey started in Longyearbyen and already we were at 78.xxxx N.  While it is one of our goals to exceed 80˚ N, we begin our journey on a heading that will take us south to the very unique Russian coal mining town of Barentsburg. Barentsburg is located at 78.0667 ˚N. 

We arrived at the pier just after 20:00.  The tide was very low which enabled us to use the gangway on deck three.  Upon disembarking we assembled in language groups on the dock beside the ship where we met our local Russian guides and the Expedition Team.

 Mining for coal started here in 1916.  Ownership of the mines changed hands a couple of times but was resold to a Russian company in 1932.  The Russian influence is felt from the moment you step on the pier. Many of the buildings reflect the styles of architecture in vogue in Russia at that time.

Now Barentsburg is a community of approximately 450 people.  Many of the buildings are abandoned and in a state of decay.  It definitely has a feeling of a ghost town except people live and work there all year round.

Upon completion of a 30 minute tour of the community we were invited to a beautiful old  theatre where we were entertained with Russian folk dancing and singing.  It certainly wasn't what one expects on a trip to a Norwegian Arctic archipelago.  The performers, four Russian guys and five women were all amateurs and all held regular jobs related to the coal mine.  Despite their amateur status they put on an excellent show.

From Ice to Hunters

We spent the morning in Liefdefjorden were we could see four glaciers named: Idabreen, Emmabreen, Seligerbreen and Monacobreen.  We did a polarcirkle-boat cruise through the ice cruising along the Monacobreen ice wall.  We had a unique view to the wall and was literally thousands of birds around, mainly  Kittiwakes, Glaucous Gulls, Artic Terns , but the occasional Fulmar, Artic Skua and others did show up.

During the afternoon we visited Mushamna “the mouse bay” also there is a hunters/trapper hut, that now belongs to the Svalbard Government. The area has 3 small lakes that contained Eider Ducks and some Red-throated Divers (Loons). In the Tundra were Purple Sandpipers breeding as well. The tundra at this period of time also contained many small flowers such as the Tufted Saxifraga.

 

 

 

 

Late in the evening we reached 80 degrees north our highest latitude on this voyage at Moffen Island were we observed Walruses laying on a beach.

Ny-Ålesund

After sailing for most of the day at about 12:30 hrs we finally saw land.  The first visible bit of land was  Prince Kong Forland, however with the fog visibility was low. A soft rain was with us while approaching to Ny Alesund.

Ny Alesund is a small settlement that initially started as a mining town and later become a research town.  Year round there is people in town, although the number of residents is variable during the summer months might be 150 inhabitants, while during the winter months it might reach 10 to 15 persons.  There is a small hotel, Post office, two mini museums and a souvenir shop, on the daily life most people run in bicycles and if they have to go to the outer parts of town they carry a gun and sometimes dogs.

 

This settlement gained fame during the 1920’s, this fame was through the dramatic flights attempts to reach the North Pole.  Among the individuals that came to this settlement were Richard Bird, Roald Amundsen, Lincoln Ellsworth, and Umberto Nobile to name some.  All of these persons were trying to reach the North Pole by either flying boats or airships. There is much to talk on the theme but we have no space here to do so, but check on board for lectures on the topic. The airship mast from were some of this expeditions departed still there a bit moved by the permafrost but still in good shape.

Norwegian Sea

We have another sea day on the way to Spitzbergen. Still a day with lots of activities.

Sea days offer possibilities for bridge visits. There were six groups today to meet the captain on the bridge. Two more will come tomorrow. The captain explains the principles of navigation and equipment of Fram as well. And of course our Chinese passengers love photo sessions and also stamps and signatures of the ship's officers.

A former head of Yellow River Station in Ny Alesund, our next destination, gave a lecture about the place and his work there. In addition to our briefing for the landing, the passengers are now best prepared for their visit to the science village Ny Alesund.

Another lecture dealt with the question: Who owns the Arctic. An overview of the present situation in the five nations that border the Arctic Ocean. Basis for all territorial questions is the "United Nations Convention on the law of the sea". Even though all these activities in the Arctic circle around economic profit there is a chance for a new dimension of international cooperation in the Arctic, due to the specific conditions in this area. Hopefully the rights and interests of the native people of the Arctic will be taken into account in an appropriate way. Cause in the end it is the home of these people, the bordering nations are longing for.

The afternoon was filled with a table tennis competition, a lecture for the children on board, and a lecture by the Taoist master for the others.

And of course, since it is Sunday, we had freshly prepared waffles in the observation lounge.

Even after dinner the program went on with the fashion show, presenting the season's new collection of clothing that is offered in the ship's shop. And finally this show was topped by another one with singing and dancing that our cheerful Chinese guests had prepared.

So, never think a sea day could be boring.

Jan Mayen

After all the fog yesterday, this morning the sun and a clear horizon welcomed us when we got up. Nevertheless life appeared slowly today. Maybe because of another hour of time change – a "lost" hour – last night.

But then all of a sudden there was a lot of chatting onboard. Our Chinese guests were eagerly awaiting our first landing: Jan Mayen.

Steffen gave an introduction to the volcanic island, and when the passengers saw the first few photographs of erupting volcanoes they were a kind of cheerful.

Jan Mayen is regarded being active, even though there are no eruptions at the moment, giving us the chance for a landing. Which is in general a rare event, to be able to land on Jan Mayen.

When we came closer it turned out that the East coast showed too much swell for small boats. So we chose plan B which was at landing at the western side at Walrus Bay.

The head of the Norwegian Station on Jan Mayen had been driving over to our landing site to welcome us very friendly.

From a hill and a ridge behind the bay and a few Norwegian shelter buildings there was a great view on this volcanic landscape. Volcanic ashes all over the place. But since the last eruption dates back to the 70s there were also extended green areas with moss and grass and some flowering plants. From time to time all this disappeared in dense very low clouds that were blown across the bay. That way we didn't get to see the highest volcano of the island, named Beerenberg, which is 2277 m high.

Still, we had an afternoon with lots of fascinating impressions. Including lots of Fulmars and Puffins, that were nesting on a cliff and a high slope above the bay.

After four hours we left to head for Svalbard.

A CALM SEA DAY

As we woke up we found a calm and misty sea stable but with low visibility, which ensured us a soft ride through the sea, with basically no waves.  A few birds did follow us among them Fulmars and Kittiwakes and occasionally we saw some Guillemots in the water even do some of us saw a dolphin emerging on the side of the vessel. People got very relax and some reading and some eating their nut shells.

 

Right after lunch we did the rubber boot trial, that was for those persons that did not brought their own and thus to avoid to get wet during some of our landings. Later our guests went to some lectures and many participated in M.r Wang Chzn Ya, a master in Taoism where passengers were learning ways to relax the body. As the day progressed the fog was thicker and we had lesser visibility than in the morning. 

SMOKY BAY

We arrived to Reykjavik or smoky bay – this area was one of the first placed inhabited by the Vikings in the island and its name is to translate to smoky bay.  It is a clean and art oriented town from the street walk to street to bottle and other items recycling centers.

During the afternoon at our arrival soft rain came along while we embarked. After we got our vessel registration card and the rest of the paper work we did our mandatory safety drill.  As soon as the mandatory embarkation and check in work was done we left Reykjavik and departed with misty rainy weather and calm seas. Later during the evening we had a welcome reception on which our captain said some welcome words.

 

Snaesfeljokul, the Entrance to the Centre of the Earth

Grundafjordur Harbour and Polar Cirkel Boat

We didn't arrive in Iceland until 14:00 which left the morning wide open for lectures and the remainder of the bridge visits.  It was a busy morning for the Expedition Team as not only were they giving lectures and conducting bridge tours but they also had to compile the data for the Cd Log, create a master cd and then burn approximately 120 cds so that every guest would receive a comprehensive record of this voyage.  On the compact discs will be a voyage map with all of the landings and dates of the landings, a list of officers, the bio's of the Expedition Team, a list of the different nationalities on board the ship for this voyage, distance sailed, all of the daily programs and all of the blog postings.  Early this evening the  cds will be delivered to everyone's cabin. 

The sky was completely overcast throughout the morning but as we approached Grundafjordur the clouds began to break up and the sun poked through holes in the clouds more and more frequently.  Our local guides informed us that it had been raining in Iceland pretty much steadily for the last two weeks.  The sunshine was a welcome relief.

Motor Coach for our Excursions in Grundafjordur

At the pier there were four motor coaches waiting for us.  The first three set off on a large circular tour with the famous Snaefelsjokul (Glacier) in the centre of the circuit.  Even though the sun seemed to be shining more often than not, the top of Snaesfeljokul was obscured by clouds.  For those of you who are not fans of Jules Verne, Verne wrote in his famous novel, Journey to the Centre of the Earth,  that the entrance to the centre of the earth is found at Snaefelsjokul.  By the way, "jokul" in Icelandic means glacier, so to say "Snaesfeljokul Glacier" is like saying Snaefels glacier glacier.

Typical volcanic landscape in Iceland

The fourth motor coach set off for for the picturesque town of Stykkisholmur  where we joined a small boat for a nature tour in Breidafjordur Bay.  It was a lovely day for a cruise.  The boat did not have to go far before we were at a small island with a colony of seabirds.  The Captain gave a running narrative of the wildlife and the islands and at the same time skilfully navigated the boat extremely close to the cliff face where we were afforded excellent views of Kittiwakes, Fulmars and Shags on the nest.  We could also see Puffins in the grass but they were a little shy of the microphone and more often than not they ducked into their burrows.

Before we began our return to the harbour in Stykkisholmur, we stopped to pick up the small trawling net we had been dragging.  The crew poured the contents onto a sizeable table at the stern of the ship.  There was a large variety of small animals collected but the crew quickly busied themselves shucking scallops and preparing sea urchins and then dumped the remainder over the side. There was enough for everyone to sample some Icelandic Sushi.  There was even ginger, wasabi, soy sauce and chop sticks available.

The last motor coach returned to the ship at 20:10 which was a trifle late.  However dinner was still being served and the Captain's Farewell Cocktail was postponed until 21:30.