Southern Spitsbergen - Hornsund

After leaving Barentzburg at midnight we sailed out the Isfjorden. Fore those of you enjoying a coffee or a night cap in the panorama lounge you where able to see the Isfjorden Radio in the inlet to the fjord. This is an old radio station that was the communication relay to the main land before Svalbard got a fibre cable some years ago. Now it has been turned into a nice hotel.There was a calm night with no waves nor wind, the weather was cloudy and with some mist hanging around the majestic Hornsundtind ( 1624 m.). This is the mountain spotted firs by Jonas Pole in 1610 when he discovered and named the area after the shape of an reindeer antler.
Sailing into the bay of Hornbreen with the great glacier front, Ursus Maritimus showed up. A polar bear walking in the Moreno area, thank god we have digital cameras these days, if not you would be out of film.
Ankering at Gnålodden (gnål =to nag), we were tendered into the beach. Here the expedition team where waiting fore us. We had about an hour on land, and during this time we could understand the naming. The Mountain rising in front of us where packed with 10 000´s of birds, dominated by little auks. They where noisy and flying in and out constantly. The vegetation was strong green from fertilisation of the birds. Now we are cruising northward towards Bellsund, and 3 dolphins where swimming around the bow and 3 whales laying in the surface before they dove down into the deep. With lots of impressions of the day we go to bed.