Month: February 2024

Categories
Europe Norway Svalbard

Svalbard – 30 June 2022

It was all coming to an end !! Disembarkation was shortly after 9am where the airport and hotel groups were put on different buses as were the bags.

Got dropped off at my accommodation and walked in to town. Met up with Denise for a coffee and catch up, to be joined by Sam and Minne and then Caroline and Powell.

After saying goodbye in the late morning I grabbed a sandwich for lunch and headed back to my accommodation to get a ride for the mine tour I booked.

Mmmm… and I’m not sure where I took down notes for the mine tour 

Categories
Europe Norway Svalbard

Svalbard – 29 June 2022

This was our final day of actual activities so we’re looking forward to them big time !!

In the morning we stopped at Bamsebu,  where there were old whaling huts, many piles of beluga bones as these were hunted here and a few old whaling boats from the 1930s.

The supports along the sides of the hut is to help hold up the roof with all the snow. The weak points, like windows,  also have nails hammered in, so that polar bears are deterred from pressing on the hut with their paws to break in.

The old grindstone is here, it was used to sharpen the flensing knives.

From here we also checked out a large sandstone rock that had soooo many fossils in it and traces of animal movement.  Pretty cool indeed.

We were then split into two groups and we did a 4km walk to the other side of the bay where the zodiacs were waiting.

It was exciting to see some more flowers, especially the Svalbard poppy. White and abundant on a few slopes.

The detail inside is fabulous!! Between this and the spider plant … those two are my favourite I think.

The final -final activity was due to be a landing at Camp Millar.

However a ship had to do a very quick emergency evacuation after a walking group was surprised by a bear just 30-50m away!!!! Apparently it was pretty large too…but I reckon being that close any bear would have been large!!!

So that plan was changed to another zodiac cruise off Gasbergkilen. With the red group being first again, Denise and I got on Howard’s zodiac … so we knew we would be in for a good time!!

The ship stopped off near another dramatic, geologically interesting mountain and we were off towards some more bird cliffs. It is here, at the base, that we hoped to find an Arctic fox.

We saw many eider ducks and geese , even with little cute babies. The cliffs were full of kittiwakes and guillemots but no foxes around. The base of the cliffs looked like good places for puffins to borrow into but Howard said it is very unlikely that we would see any this far north. Hold that thought…

As we scoured the base for foxes I noticed three birds on the water … I thought they were just plain old guillemots but one looked odd. Didn’t think much of it but Howard looked through the binoculars and was surprised to see a puffin !!!!

So I obviously gave him a look … not 10min later another 2 flew past !!

Howard … what’s happening… hahahahaha. One of the other guys asked where they would probably nest and Howard says … there where Jo asked originally …. hehehehe

As we came back around the corner we got a radio call that there was a pod of beluga near the other zodiacs. As they were coming towards us we cut the engine and just waited . They swam right past us about 15m away. The third pod right there!!! The guides normally don’t see that many in a whole season , never mind one trip!!

Now we were very focused on finding an Arctic fox ,slowly,  slowly we made our way along the cliffs and everyone had their eyes peeled, when finally Ken and Sergio yelled ‘fox’ at the same time.

Boy oh boy !!! The fox was very active , made its way down from the heights to the base of cliffs, found an egg, dug a hole and buried it, then found another and did the same. It came about 50m away from us then ran back up the hill and ate some greenery. Then came all the way down and along the beach!!! Spectacular ! It also had so many shades of white, cream and brown …very cool…as it changed coats from winter to summer.

It must be said that during all this exploration Howard had hit 3 rocks already …some twice … and as we were joking about this… on the way back to the ship already we hit another … I don’t know how we still had blades left!!! We were all keeping an eye out for shallow rocks too …hehehehe

Categories
Europe Norway Svalbard

Svalbard – 28 June 2022

We spent the night sailing all the way around the southern point of Spitsbergen and into the southern fjord known as Hornsund.

Gnaloden was due to be our afternoon landing site; however the 40knot winds made it much too rough and outside the company limits of safe operation so we went around the corner to a protected fjord.

A ship had to do a very quick emergency evacuation after a walking group was surprised by a bear just 30-50m away!!!! Apparently it was pretty large too…but I reckon being that close any bear would have been large!!!

So that plan was changed to another zodiac cruise at Vestra Burberbukta.  This fjord was amazing in its scale with cliffs up to 1,500m high, loads of waterfalls cascading down the mounting sides, a hanging glacier and normal glaciers with great geology too boot!!

Sheila ,  Denise and myself were on the same Zodiac, with Howard as our guide. Whenever we have been with him he goes off exploring on a tangent, which is always good fun. Howard says …I just want to check around the corner , at the bottom of the cliffs , if we can spot any Arctic foxes. This is around the same corner that we didn’t land cause of the 40 knot winds.

Well, we held on good and got a whole lot of cold soakings with us joking and laughing about it and Howard’s driving skills as well as this being an expedition and not just a cruise .

Needless to say our adventures didn’t pay any dividends as the sea was too rough , visibility not great and we were well soaked. So we headed back to the ship all looking forward to warm showers and dry clothes !! The fox remained pretty elusive though !

Categories
Europe Norway Svalbard

Svalbard- 27 June 2022

We had a bit of a way to go to get south for a short cut passage through Freemansundet.

We did RAT testing just after breakfast and there were 3 more positive cases. All of us are nervous before results as who knows who will be confined to their cabin next!?

We then gathered our things and landed randomly on shore before dividing up into short, medium and long hiking groups. Landing site is called Sundneset.

I joined the long hikers and we went up the snow patch, along the ridge and got some great views and reindeer from very far.

When we had made our way down to near a hut used in 1967 by a geographer,  Ben called everyone on the radio to tell them they had spotted a bear. Ulyana confirmed it was mother and cub. We thus made haste and got off the island quickly and in orderly manner. This is the protocol as you don’t really want to come across a bear on land.

When everyone was on-board we pulled up anchor and headed across the Strait to Kapp Lee.

This landing site was due to be a small place but with some old historic huts that the walrus hunters once used. We were all very pleasantly surprised to find the biggest haul-out of walrus on the beach that any of the expedition team had ever seen! Dani spent some time counting them off of a photo and landed on 387!!!

We got to see them from atop a small hill overlooking the beach. The funniest of the walrus made me laugh inside…as not to make a noise! He wanted to go in the water and wasn’t far from it. Rather than go in the normal way, he lay down and rolled over and over in slow motion until he touched the water and then rolled again until in it properly. What a lazy walrus!!

 

We then swapped activities to go for a short walk with Howard and had a close encounter with two, then three reindeer. They were pretty inquisitive. We hadn’t really seen reindeer up until today and there were quiet a few!

Right before we swapped groups again to get some history from Ben, had an Arctic fox pointed out to us. But it was really a bundle of fur and didn’t move at all. So doesn’t quiet tick my list of having seen one really just yet.

Something interesting to note is that all hunting for fur animals was done while overwintering as that is when animal pelts are at their thickest and lushest. Note that reindeer fur is very brittle and cannot be used for anything really but meat is good and lean.

 

As a matter of fact, there used to be so many bears that 10 or more would bother hunters every day! 

During our recap , before dinner, we were told that we had an additional 5 Covid cases after testing this morning. So we have had about 10 this trip.

Dani also told us a few facts about the walrus. What literally stuck out the most, is that the walrus is one of few animals that has a bone within their penis that is up to 0.5m long!!! I just don’t know where the hell they put it when they are done!?!?!

Categories
Europe Norway Svalbard

Svalbard – 26 June 2022

Upon waking up our lovely geology location and mountains were covered with low lying clouds and the blue skies were no longer visible. It was 0C and we hoped that the cloud would lift before our later landing so we could see some more of the scenery .

I joined the long walk group an we made our way up to and along the Ridgeline. Jeff was way up high , with rifle, as our sentry. Howard lead the way with his rifle and stopped and went ahead a few time to check for polar bears in small valleys.

As we climbed up the scree and through some streams and across peat we saw many tiny flowers , lichens and mosses. You need to get down low to see all the details but it’s worth it!

As we got up the Ridgeline we could see the length of the beach but not much more as the fog was coming in again.

Got back on-board and someone had spotted a minke whale but it didn’t come up for air again when I was outside and many of us didn’t see it. Had lunch and the sailed around north up the Hinloppen Strait to try and find whales … but alas…

We were going in for a landing at Andreneset to see the research buildings, when someone on the bridge spotted a polar bear a few islands over. So the plan changed slightly to zodiac around the island, check out the bear and then zodiac in to see the research buildings built in 1957.

The only problem was that now the bear was no where to be seen ! After much searching by a scout boat we abandoned that mission and zodiac-ed all the way to the research station.

We only had 20min and were guided by a rifled Ulyana.  The station was only used for 1 year and then called a cultural heritage site, left intact but not open to visitors. Some more research done 50 years later for the anniversary.  Otherwise it’s abandoned.

Categories
Europe Norway Svalbard

Svalbard – 25 June 2022

We awoke to another fabulous morning, blue skies, wonderful sunshine and such still seas!!!

We got to our planned walrus landing area just at breakfast and we’re all happy to go for a long walk, however that plan had to change as all the walrus were parked up on the one and only place we could land on!! So, no walk and get re-dressed with more layers for a zodiac cruise.

As we got closer we got to experience the curious walruses in the water . They would come up closer to the zodiacs in a group of 6 or so, have a quick look around, get spooked and then quickly make a get away … and repeat their investigation process.

There was also a group who were laying on an iceberg that was tipping more and more with time. Not that there were no other ice sheets around but they all fought over that one!!

From the zodiacs we also saw the beach master, big daddy of all the walruses, wobble his giant body up the left hand side of the herd that was on land! He was like double the size of the others!!

We spent a long time with the walrus and then headed around the corner to try and find a polar bear that was spotted from far.

I was the one who eventually spotted in at the base of a mountain that was far away. I noticed it as a white moving blob then saw it was a bear either binoculars .

The stunning sunshine and beautiful blue skies continue through the afternoon as we very slowly made our way to Alkefjellet Cliffs. We had to wait for our booked slot though. So to kill time we were doing some whale watching …or trying to find whales to watch. Unfortunately,  no luck. 

What we did have the whole way in to Faksevagen was stunning sunshine, blue skies, white ice caps and snow as well as some soft clouds nestled on and around a few peaks. The scenery was amazing , 360 degrees around us.

Our parking space for the evening had us surrounded by some great geology and a couple of glaciers. This made for a truly fabulous jacuzzi  location !!!

Categories
Europe Norway Svalbard

Svalbard- 24 June 2022

The night was pretty smooth as we made our way east and then south to Stroya. This is a small island where walruses are often seen.

The expedition team went to scout out the island but saw no walruses, nor polar bears and with a temperature of  -4C , the decision was made for no zodiac cruise. A landing was not possible as there was sea ice collected around the landing area. This drove the decision to continue south west then.  We came across some pack ice and got an announcement that there is a mother and 2 cubs on the ice ahead of the ship.

The cubs were at first cuddled up to mom, then mom got up and they started moving around , even hopping between some ice and then actually swam off to another far off ice patch . We watched until you couldn’t see them well with the naked eye anymore. They were very cute and we hadn’t see the bears swimming before.

Lunch was scheduled after this excitement, followed by a late zodiac cruise. Here we saw a huge variety of birds in a bit of a feeding frenzy. There were eider ducks, guillamonts, kittiwakes and Arctic terns bomb diving.

Further around the corner I noticed a lone polar bear on the ridge of the mountain that ran along the side of the island. It posed nicely ,walked further along the ridge then disappeared down the other side. Howard tried to go around the other side but we got a radio call that the bear was back on the ridge and turned back. It walked around some more, then plonked down and stayed in place.

We watched the bear for a little while longer then headed down to check out some of the sculpted icebergs, and then finally, cause we were with Howard- expedition leader- we quickly went to check out the ice shelf .

It was very expansive, 116km across its width and approx. 30m high.

Categories
Europe Norway Svalbard

Svalbard – 23 June 2022

We were expecting pack ice through the night but it was all good, still and good sleep.

Pre breakfast Covid test for day 3. Then off to breakfast. I wasn’t sitting for long when Howard made the announcement that there is a polar bear on the port side . Dropped everything and went to check him out. Pretty far away and only really visible with binoculars .

As I eventually went back to breakfast and got some warmer clothes to go back on deck we crept ever closer to the bear for a 3 hour encounter.

I was pretty cold at one stage and needed to pee so went off quickly as the bear hadn’t moved much.

Upon my return he was so close to the ship, walked right towards us. I saw his paw prints where he was but he had already been heading back towards his old spot and beyond once I had returned from my quick pee- I couldn’t believe that I missed it!!

While this action was happening, Snowy, our birder, spotted an ivory gull. They are all white, black legs and patches around their eyes. He said it was the first one of the season.

With the pack ice and polar bear there was no planned landing and we headed off at approx. 11am for the open waters.

The ship sailed slightly more north to Karl XII-OYA. It has been described as the end of the earth as it is so far north – over 83 degrees. It is a pyramidal mountain with a long spit. The rocks here are basal of nature.

We got pretty wet going out as it is a bit choppy in the zodiacs. It wasn’t too far up to a little protected bay, where our whole zodiac only later realised that we were looking at a polar bear mid way up the face of the mountain rather than the birds above!

We all took 300 more polar bear photos in ever colder and windier conditions then went around the corner as we were headed to circumnavigate the strangely shaped island.

All of a sudden I saw what looked like light coloured rocks appearing above the surface of the water and realised they were beluga whales!!! Yeah!!!! They took a little while to appear again …about 4-5 of them in one pod!!! It included one young calf and another older calf. They swam around the bay and put on a bit of a show but not too much action.

As we were checking out the beluga, the polar bear started to move slowly down to shore, even sliding down the snowy slope. The bear first sank deep into the snow including his/ her face .

While all of this was occurring it also started to snow!!! Horizontally mind you, as the wind was pretty strong and we saw the snow front coming in. The day had been beautiful and sunny just hours before and shortly after !!!

After dinner Denise and I did our traditional sauna and then braved the cold in the jacuzzi. Never a dull moment as it snowed while we sat in the warm tub.

Categories
Europe Norway Svalbard

Svalbard – 22 June 2022

Had some sleep as we spent some time overnight in the bay without movement then awoke when we set off before 3am.

After breakfast we did a split landing where some of us went zodiac cruising to a historic site where there was an attempt by the Swedish team lead by Andre to take a hot air Balloon over the North Pole .

I was part of the group that went to check out the few walruses on the beach on Smeerenberg (Grease mountain from Dutch).

We only got about 50-70m away from the group of walruses , so that was a bit far . I thought we would be able to get much closer while keeping at least 2m away from wildlife rule.

There were also a few swimming around in the water.

After this Ben, our historian on-board,  gave us a run down of the history of Smeerenberg from the 1600s. It follows below.

 

 

“Smeer” is Dutch for blubber or blubber town. It was a centre for whaling in 16th century. Established in 1614 by Dutch.

1492 the pope divided the world in half : Spanish got one half and Portuguese the other. Dutch and British were more global and not happy – they had to pay taxes where they went. Looked for ways around it. This lead to the exploration through /around the NW PASSAGE.


William Barentz discovered 1596 Svalbard. He checked for economic potential. In the European Bay of Bisque whaling had been happening for 150 years already by the Basques – Inventors of whaling so to speak.

Main species hunted was the bow head because the whale floats due to high blubber content and slow swimmers. They were hauled in entirely by human power.

The bay was ice free most of the year which allowed the whales to come in and out. The whole area is also surrounded by polar bears -which became a bit of a pest to the hunters. Carcasses left in bay and birds fed on them as well as polar bears .

Hunting of whales:

  • Transport by ship, bring workers 5-6 small whaling boats to the shallows. 
  • Rowed by whalers
  • The technology didn’t change until 1657 when the harpoon was invented
  • Whales run rope out. Tie to boat then line all up. Whale would dive down . No dorsal fin to go under ice. Would try to find ice sheet to go under it to save themselves
  • Attach barrel to line before chopping it off if required.
  • Cut up whale using flensing knives, cut into flitches.

Attach to ship, turn around and around.

Blubber pots on shore. 6-7 Dutch companies on shore.  Competing with other nations. Use coal for fire.

Little fort with cannons . 200 people on shore in summer.
By 1640 , 25 years , whaling finished on shore. Had to move off shore.

15,000 walrus here when island discovered, now very few.

Baleen used in coil, freeze in whale meat, then take out as polar bear trap.
Polar bears eat and it will spring open in stomach and die.
1% of value as payment no salary.

The people came as last resort poor people. Criminals used to look after the area when no one here as English raided the place. But they didn’t want to stay. Many explorers’ used criminals as crew.
Site was abandoned 1640

Approx. killed 100,000 bow head over 150 years in whole Arctic.

After the history lesson we went for a zodiac cruise across the bay to Virgo Hamna, where the hot air balloon attempt across the North Pole was to be taken from. In summary it was an epic fail. Story in more detail, below.

Andre, (Swedish), wanted to fly over north pole in late 1890s. he used metal and acids for making of hydrogen.
Balloon was lined with felt and a storage shed was built for protection of balloon

1896 winds were from north so couldn’t head north

1897 take #2 . Cape Canaveral.  Hydrogen balloon expected to hold hydrogen for 30 days. This was not realistic – only 15 to 20 days was the real-life situation.
Hoping to steer balloon with heavy ropes and cook using a primus stove. He couldn’t use on the balloon though , so dropped 8m on rope and cooked with the use of a mirror to see what he was doing.

Lost 500kg of ropes. Threw 200kg of ballast over . Just goes up in winds. Higher up and never seen again.

Aug 1939. Kvitoya, White Island. Buried in snow remnants.  From Logs , crashed 2 days later.  Made way across ice . Just survived a few months.

33 years later discovered. 

Balloon was called the Eagle. Movie from 60s : Flight of the Eagle.

We came back on board for lunch and were due to have some time off until our next landing at Ytre Norskoya,  a historic whaling station site and graveyard site.

As we got into our relaxation state, the expedition leader, Howard , made an announcement that polar bears were spotted very nearby and we were going to be zodiac cruising passed them and to be ready ASAP.

We hopped on to the zodiacs and were off. There was a mamma bear with an older cub as well as another adult bear, of unknown sex. They were nice visible from in the water, though a little far. The separate adult bear was eating something and then disappeared into the little valley, behind some rocks.

The mom and cub were lying next to one another then on their feet and walking around. Good to see them interacting.

We did do circles in the water with all our zodiacs so everyone got a turn to see them

However with the polar bears nearby , relatively speaking, our landing on Ytre Norskoya was cancelled and we did a zodiac cruise around it instead. We hoped to see puffins on the cliffs but no luck! There were many cute auks that made an appearance,  so they were fun too.

We got back onto the ship for some free time.

A little later , Howard, made the announcement that we had our first Covid case on-board and that we need to wear masks.

After dinner Denise and I went straight to the sauna and the into the jacuzzi. While we were in there we arrived at Moffen Island,  a rather strange sand spit island that had quiet a few walruses on the beach. It is a reserve,  so no zodiacs, we just checked them out from a distance. We were hoping that the captain would spin is around so we can view walruses from the jacuzzi, but no such luck!! So had to hop out, put on a robe and quickly go check them out , to the dismay of all the other rugged up guests !!

Categories
Europe Norway Svalbard

Svalbard – 21 June 2022

Breakfast was at 7am, followed by a briefing on biosecurity , zodiac safety etc. We then got all our outdoor gear ready for vacuuming to get out any potential seeds/ mud etc.

The morning activity was a Zodiac cruise around Lilliehookbreen. It is a glacier face which was pretty spectacular. The fog had covered up the top of the peaks to start with but then lifted rather nicely to reveal the full glory of the surrounds.

One can’t go hungry while exploring the artic …so you need to eat 😊. The next stop after lunch was just “around the corner. The plan was an option of three walks (with 3 separate guides) around Signehamma. The choice was a short, medium or long walk. The long walk was steep and icy -so I gave that a skip and went for the medium.

Many of the older patrons also went on the medium walk. This was the start of our problems. The surface was slightly uneven- as can be expected in the wild. When it came to crossing a small-scale boulder field (more like rock field not boulders by size- less than 30cm each) the old people struggled terribly with balance and complained bitterly about it. This peeved me (and many others; off). Hereafter the descriptions of the hikes were clearer so that the older (read less fit and agile) people knew what to expect.

After we came back onboard we showered and got ready for Captain’s cocktails. It is here when we meet the whole crew- including some of the behind-the-scenes teams. Usually, we would be able to interact more with them- including on the bridge but this was not possible due to Covid.

After cocktails we had dinner and Denise and I went to sauna and jacuzzi. It was great and we booked in further sessions later in the week. Densie is an ex-Kiwi who has lived in France for decades. We sat at the same table. Ultimately, we all had to sit at the same table to help contain the germs. So, it was me and Denise, Sheila (USA), Arthur (USA) and Rod (SA/Aus). We were all a bit sad about this as you couldn’t get to know as many people as usual with this arrangement.

Categories
Europe Norway Svalbard

Svalbard – 20 June 2022

Today is embarkation day but only much later.  I enjoy our free time by going in to town and checking out the shops. Huge supermarket and an unreal amount of outdoor gear shops. On our way into town, Belinda tells me of some of our ship passengers are missing their bags and were told they wouldn’t be seeing them before the cruise!! Luckily one of the gents had a tracker in his bag and he noticed that the location was updated to being in Longyearbyen Airport in the afternoon!! Luckily everyone got their bags just before the cruise!!

At 2pm we met up and went to the Svalbard Museum for some background on geology, nature and history.

The ship transfer was by Zodiac as there is only space for one ship in port. I was number 1 on board the vessel in terms of passengers . Yay!!!  

We had a safety briefing and did an emergency drill then dinner, a la carte.

Categories
Europe Norway Svalbard

Svalbard- 19 June 2022

Up early today for train to catch the flight from Oslo to Longyearbyen via Tromso.

We waited for two mechanics to board the flight so they could fix a plane in Tromso. They boarded some 20min later than scheduled take-off time.

The Cole Family-the American family I met at PCR testing were on the flight too.

There was a delay in Tromso passport control, where one passenger’s paperwork didn’t cut the mustard and a long delay to find his bag- about 1 hour late for take off!

When we eventually got to Svalbard, Longyearbyen, we were met by Anna with it turning out that American family are on same cruise.

Dropped off the Americans in town centre and me approx 1.5km to Funken Lodge. Anna then gave me some of the best news ever: they upgraded all the triple share passengers to their own rooms!!!! This was due to there being fewer passengers than normal and in case anyone gets covid then we have own isolation rooms alone and not all being in quarantine. This meant that I had my own room, desk, couch, King bed and balcony!!!!  Very excited to say the least!!!

I left my bags in my lodge room and off to explore. Crossed down river , then up the other side of the river to the graveyard. These days you are not allowed to die on the islands as you cannot get buried as the bodied get pushed up into the active permafrost. Mind you, you are also not allowed to give birth as the hospital is not equipped for any complications.

I continued back down the road towards the church. Unfortunately it was under repair on the outside and is covered in scaffolding. Inside though it was open, warm, welcoming and simple. It was divided into the church portion and then a meeting area with group seating, like a church hall.

Also to note is that everywhere on Svalbard, when you enter a home or building, it is shoes off and in socks to help keep the floor clean and free of mud.

Still further down the road I walked up towards a lookout and the old coal loading station. There are still cable ways and cars that are in place as historic monuments. Coal mining started in the early 1900s after an American found coal and started up the Arctic Coal Company, soon to be taken over by the Norwegians. Production only from Mine 7 now at only 70kt per annum!!! Very tiny.  Most used for electricity generation and rest sent off to Germany. I booked a Coal mine visit for after the cruise.

Headed back to lodge as the  shops were closed. I wanted to sauna but it was not working.