Storfjord, Svalbard
Svalbard is really referred to as The High Latitudes. Longyearbyen, the small settlement where we boarded the Endeavour to set out for our polar exploration, is situated at the latitude of N 78º18’. Western Svalbard, the island of Spitsbergen, is often open water as the very last strength of the Gulf Stream pushes up along the coast.
Last evening, our first night onboard, we sailed out in Isfjorden. We were met by the beginning of the pack ice. Someone once said, “In Svalbard the unusual is the average!” To find pack ice in Isefjorden in late July is indeed strange. The pack ice, barren land, and 24 hours of daylight and blue sky gave us a very first impression of the High Arctic.
Along the ship, fulmars, kittiwakes, and glaucous gulls followed our wake out into the ocean. Between the pack ice, as the ship pushed through, they could find polar cod. We also heard the calls from juvenile thick-billed murres, recently leaving the cliff ledges and now only about two weeks old swimming with the males out to sea. The chicks cannot fly as they leave the ledges, but are able to use the wings for their first glide into the water. The male will follow the chick for another two weeks and feed it as the female stays at the breeding cliffs to fight for future territory.
Our aim with the ship, as we all came out on deck after dinner, enjoying remarkable scenery before retiring to bed, was to sail south around Sørkapp (the most southerly tip of Spitsbergen) and explore the fjord between Spitsbergen and Egdeøya.
As the wake up call came from our EL early this morning, the ship was embedded in fog, fog, and more fog. Today we could experience something many of the early Artic explorers had been fighting – cold and warm air meeting at the edge of the ice.
The day was filled with lectures about Artic context but also photography lessons. This is a photo expedition and we are here to find motives, but fog will always be our enemy.
Well, why head for Storfjord? Our aim is of course to look for the ruler of the Arctic, the ice bear! The polar bear is not a land mammal, it is more of a marine bear, and the frozen sea is the territory for this white “monster.” The latest satellite photo we have downloaded showed good ice along the eastern side of Spitsbergen and further into Storfjord. Still the fog really made it impossible to see anything!
Flexibility is crucial in any Polar environment, and in the later afternoon as we approached the southwestern shoreline at Edgeøya, we not only saw the shore line at the radar screen, through the fog we could also see land.
Two scouting boats were immediately dropped and after a few minutes, a landing operation was running. The landing site is one of Svalbards most interesting historical sites – Habennichtbukta, Årdalsnuten at Edgeøya.
The English whalers in early 1600, followed by Russian Pomors through the 17th century, and at last Norwegian trappers from 1895 onwards, all used the same place.
As we landed, a walrus was swimming in the bay and as we came ashore we could all encounter the remains from different periods, from the early 1600’s onto late 1900’s.
The keen hikers with “owl eyes” went out and spotted lots of different bird species, including the rare red phalarope. The photographers had a heyday on the tundra with whale bones, and flora... The very last sighting as we boarded the Zodiac was an Artic fox searching the tundra for food.
The scenery with the mystical fog coming and going but also some blue sky really gave us the true impression of the Arctic as a beautiful place but also lonely and harsh.
It was nice to board the Zodiac bringing us back to a warm cozy ship and enjoy Gaylord, the headwaiter’s, announcement, “Dinner is served.” Well, we did not see any reindeer on shore this time, but at least we had it on the menu! Bon appetite!
Yes, we really grabbed the moment and thanks to the galley who was able to delay the dinner! True exploration!
Svalbard is really referred to as The High Latitudes. Longyearbyen, the small settlement where we boarded the Endeavour to set out for our polar exploration, is situated at the latitude of N 78º18’. Western Svalbard, the island of Spitsbergen, is often open water as the very last strength of the Gulf Stream pushes up along the coast.
Last evening, our first night onboard, we sailed out in Isfjorden. We were met by the beginning of the pack ice. Someone once said, “In Svalbard the unusual is the average!” To find pack ice in Isefjorden in late July is indeed strange. The pack ice, barren land, and 24 hours of daylight and blue sky gave us a very first impression of the High Arctic.
Along the ship, fulmars, kittiwakes, and glaucous gulls followed our wake out into the ocean. Between the pack ice, as the ship pushed through, they could find polar cod. We also heard the calls from juvenile thick-billed murres, recently leaving the cliff ledges and now only about two weeks old swimming with the males out to sea. The chicks cannot fly as they leave the ledges, but are able to use the wings for their first glide into the water. The male will follow the chick for another two weeks and feed it as the female stays at the breeding cliffs to fight for future territory.
Our aim with the ship, as we all came out on deck after dinner, enjoying remarkable scenery before retiring to bed, was to sail south around Sørkapp (the most southerly tip of Spitsbergen) and explore the fjord between Spitsbergen and Egdeøya.
As the wake up call came from our EL early this morning, the ship was embedded in fog, fog, and more fog. Today we could experience something many of the early Artic explorers had been fighting – cold and warm air meeting at the edge of the ice.
The day was filled with lectures about Artic context but also photography lessons. This is a photo expedition and we are here to find motives, but fog will always be our enemy.
Well, why head for Storfjord? Our aim is of course to look for the ruler of the Arctic, the ice bear! The polar bear is not a land mammal, it is more of a marine bear, and the frozen sea is the territory for this white “monster.” The latest satellite photo we have downloaded showed good ice along the eastern side of Spitsbergen and further into Storfjord. Still the fog really made it impossible to see anything!
Flexibility is crucial in any Polar environment, and in the later afternoon as we approached the southwestern shoreline at Edgeøya, we not only saw the shore line at the radar screen, through the fog we could also see land.
Two scouting boats were immediately dropped and after a few minutes, a landing operation was running. The landing site is one of Svalbards most interesting historical sites – Habennichtbukta, Årdalsnuten at Edgeøya.
The English whalers in early 1600, followed by Russian Pomors through the 17th century, and at last Norwegian trappers from 1895 onwards, all used the same place.
As we landed, a walrus was swimming in the bay and as we came ashore we could all encounter the remains from different periods, from the early 1600’s onto late 1900’s.
The keen hikers with “owl eyes” went out and spotted lots of different bird species, including the rare red phalarope. The photographers had a heyday on the tundra with whale bones, and flora... The very last sighting as we boarded the Zodiac was an Artic fox searching the tundra for food.
The scenery with the mystical fog coming and going but also some blue sky really gave us the true impression of the Arctic as a beautiful place but also lonely and harsh.
It was nice to board the Zodiac bringing us back to a warm cozy ship and enjoy Gaylord, the headwaiter’s, announcement, “Dinner is served.” Well, we did not see any reindeer on shore this time, but at least we had it on the menu! Bon appetite!
Yes, we really grabbed the moment and thanks to the galley who was able to delay the dinner! True exploration!
