HDS06-24, trip log, Around Spitsbergen, In the realm of Polar Bear & Ice

It was with great excitement that we all arrived in Longyearbyen for our trip of a lifetime around the Svalbard Archipelago onboard the Hondius.

Many of us had arrived earlier today from Oslo, but some of us had already been spending some quality time in the picturesque town of Longyearbyen. The largest of the settlements on the island of Spitsbergen, it is home to c.2000 people in the summer months and has all the modern amenities and attractions one could wish for.

With Hondius docked nearby to town, it was time in the mid-afternoon to be welcomed aboard by the staff and crew. We settled into our cabins for the journey and got a quick moment to explore the ship and were soon called up to the lounge for a mandatory safety briefing.

After a safety drill and a trip to view the lifeboats, we were again invited to the lounge for cocktails and a welcome from Captain Artur and Hotel Manager Albert, followed by introductions from the Expedition team, led by Marcel.

After all the new information was absorbed, and with new names to remember, it was time for a well-earned dinner. The galley team had cooked up a storm and we all enjoyed the variety of choices on offer, especially the roasted vegetables and the banana crumble to finish.

As many of us had been travelling in today from far and wide, it was time after dinner to rest our heads and prepare for all the adventures ahead in the realm of polar bears and ice!

This morning before breakfast, Hondius entered Lilliehookbreen under sunny skies. The ship stopped in front of a stunning glacier while we enjoyed our morning meal. What a great first morning scene on board to wake up to in the Arctic!

After breakfast, we conducted the last of our mandatory briefings from the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) and about Zodiac and polar bear safety. We were now almost ready for our first landing - the only thing missing was our boots, so we filed down to deck 3 to get fitted.

Now fully briefed and properly kitted-out, we headed off to lunch as the ship steamed to our afternoon destination: Ny-Ålesund.

Ny-Ålesund is now a research station used for a wide variety of projects. Some of these projects require the use of very sensitive equipment, so the ship and all guests are asked to turn off all Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functions to not interfere with their measurements.

We were able to freely roam the little town of Ny-Ålesund and take guided walks for those interested in the history of polar exploration in this area. In town, we enjoyed views of reindeer and a variety of birds. A few of us had the chance to watch researchers trapping arctic terns and taking samples from them. Unfortunately, the terns were quite sensitive after being sampled, so many of them defended their nests fiercely against innocent passersby. Even a reindeer was subject to an aerial attack as it grazed too closely to the nests.

For those that were looking for an opportunity for some souvenir shopping, the gift shop was open for a few hours. Also in town was the museum. This was a great visit for those looking to learn more about the coal mining and scientific history of the settlement. Many guests also took pictures at the yellow river station, and some were even lucky enough to get a stamp from the station staff.

After a lovely visit in town, it was time to head back to Hondius for dinner. There was also a screening of a film about the yellow river station in the evening for Mandarin speaking guests.

Glassy water and misty conditions awaited us at the entrance of the Liefdefjorden on the way to our first and truly expedition-type day.

On the bridge a group of early morning scouting pairs of eyes spotted a polar bear roaming around the small archipelago of the Andøyane. The bear was raiding goose nests in search of protein-rich eggs. Immediately Expedition Leader Marcel woke us up with the good news, and Captain Artur promptly steered the ship so that we could have a good view from the bow and the outer decks, although we were restricted to a fairly distant viewing due to the Andøyane being a protected area for birds. A Zodiac was dropped in the water with two guides to assure our safety in case the bear would have decided to swim towards Texas Bar, our landing site for morning.

Hondius continued sailing whilst breakfast was served and we eventually disembarked on the northwestern corner of the fjord. Liefdefjorden is a 30km-long fjord that branches out to the west-southwest of the Woodfjorden. Named after a XVII century Dutch barque, the Liefde “love”, it welcomed us with a beautiful mountainous and glaciated scenery. We hopped in the Zodiacs and were shuttled ashore near the vicinity of an old trapper’s hut baptized “Texas Bar”. Here we divided in groups and went on long, medium, and short hikes around the steep and rocky slopes of the bay.

Even though the day was quite gloomy, the terrain was dotted with colorful flowers: purple saxifrages, whitlowgrasses, mountain Avens and Svalbard poppies introduced us to the colorful world of the Arctic tundra. Erratic boulders and glacier moraines told us of the long-lasting history of glaciation of Svalbard and after rounding up the groups near the shoreline the classic Polar Plunge was performed.

A short repositioning for came for Hondius during lunch time, moving deeper into Liefdefjorden right in front the most impressive tidewater glacier of the area: Monacobreen. This massive 4,5km-wide by 22km-long river of ice flows down from the northern side of the Isachsenfonna ice field, calving into the fjord, resulting in a huge variety in types and colors of small to medium-sized icebergs. The expedition guides drove us around the bay on a magnificent Zodiac cruise for just over two hours, before the cold wind and light-snow forced us to retreat to the warmth of Hondius’ lounge. The scenery in the water was sublime, surrounded by brash, glimmering bergy bits, we observed Arctic terns, black legged kittiwakes and a few Arctic skuas, hovering about our heads, whilst thunderous calvings from the 50 to 60m-high front of Monacobreen warned us to keep a safe distance.

At the evening recap, Marco talked about information about glacier formation and dynamics in which we learned about the surging behavior of Monaco glacier, wrapped up by Simon’s fun facts about the Arctic tern. Right after dinner, the 80° North was announced on the PA system and the sandy island of Moffen dotted with a numerous group of Walruses appeared on the horizon in the mist.

What a day full of activity and excitement in the northwestern corner of the Svalbard archipelago!

Regular Kayak Group 5th July

Today was our first opportunity to paddle. Texas Bar offers a great introduction as there are sheltered lagoons to launch our kayak from the Zodiac and practice a few strokes. It was pretty cold today, we were all advised to bring hats, gloves, spare fleeces etc., but we were pretty protected and only a few snowflakes fell later in the morning.

After learning to steer as a tandem and with plenty of advice about keeping together we turned out of Hornbaekpollen to follow up the coast a few hundred meters, surprising some pink footed geese and goslings. As we moved away, we enjoyed the sight of the parent birds encouraging the youngsters to jump from the rocks onto the water. Then we turned to head northeast under bird cliffs where barnacle geese were nesting and landed on the beach at Texas Bar where most of the kayak team stopped to polar plunge while the kayaks were returned to the ship!

We awoke early this morning excited for the day to come. After a hearty breakfast we started activities in Seven Islands – the northernmost part of the Svalbard archipelago, and the northernmost landmass in the world reachable by normal means, just 1024 kilometers south of the North Pole. In comparison, Robert Falcon Scott started his ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition 1374 km from the South Pole. Many of the islands are named after English explorers, most notably Captain Nelson.

Phippsøya, the largest of the seven islands, was the site of the morning’s activities, with half the group landing on the island, whilst the other group took a Zodiac cruise around the east coast of the island.

Our guides secured a perimeter around the landing site for our safety. On the island, we found the northernmost hut of Svalbard and had the opportunity to stretch our legs and enjoy a beautiful walk. We saw Arctic skuas, kittiwakes and snow buntings. The groups on the Zodiac cruise encountered a minke whale and the first walruses of the day. Later the groups switched so that everybody could enjoy the magic of this place.

After lunch, we were excited to enjoy a Zodiac cruise next to Parryøya Island. The afternoon was amazing: blue sky, no wind, a splendid landscape. We reached a little islet with hundreds of walruses where we had the opportunity to see some calves nursing. We stayed in silence at a safe distance, embracing the noises, games, fights and cuddling moments between these gorgeous smelly animals. Moving up the coastline along the cliffs we found kittiwakes, little auks and guillemots flying above us. Smiles all round in our Zodiacs at the end of our amazing day!

At the daily recap, Marcel explained about the activities of the day and the next day. Hazel managed to get us fall in love of the Walruses, and Julian told us all about “Old Rocks of Svalbard”.

After a delicious buffet dinner, we stayed for hours in the lounge with the expedition team. It was such an incredible day that it was almost impossible to go to rest, we needed to share stories and pictures and played some games.

Regular Kayak Group 6th July

It’s not often you can get the chance to kayak in the Seven Islands but today in Phippsoya we had calm weather and smooth seas – perfect to launch our kayaks at the furthest most point for kayaking on this voyage.

We hugged the coast of Isflakbukta wondering about the extensive amount of driftwood on the beaches – all perfectly processed pine and spruce logs come from Siberia by way of the northern currents. We passed the landing site and kept on going round the southwest headland in improving weather but unfortunately, we were stopped by walrus in the water and on the rocks. Walruses are unpredictable and defensive when threatened, especially when there are pups about – so we kept our distance. We turned back knowing we would be able to see them from the safety of a Zodiac in the afternoon.

Marcel’s morning call announced we were about to enter the ice at the edge of the drifting pack ice. With excitement, and after a good breakfast, we started to make our way into the ice. The sounds of the ice getting crushed and pushed away by the bow of Hondius brought excitement to everyone onboard!

Our first sighting of the day was a walrus in a vast icy landscape. While we continued our way, we were accompanies by many Northern fulmars and black legged kittiwakes. During the morning, Hazel invited everyone to her lecture about polar bears. Right before lunch we got a very big surprise! We sighted five bowhead whales. Everyone on the vessel was grabbing their clothes and gear and rushed out on the decks to get a glimpse of this rare marine mammal with an estimated population of just 200-300 living between Greenland and Franz-Josef land. During that magnificent sighting we were as well surprised by two Atlantic puffins flying around the ship for a bit.

In the afternoon, everyone was out again on the bow, the decks, or the bridge to spot more wildlife. The wind picked-up and fog patches made the search for wildlife challenging. In the early afternoon it was time for Marco’s lecture, which couldn’t fit better for the day, about sea ice formation and dynamics. Later in the afternoon, Will held his lecture about the epic history of Arctic expeditions in the 19th century which Rose simultaneously held in Mandarin for the benefit of Mandarin speaking guests.

In the evening, Marcel summarized our adventure in the ice and told us the plan for the upcoming day. After, Katlyn shared information about bowhead whales and many questions from the questions box got answered. After dinner we slowly started to make our way towards Alkefjellet in Storfjorden.

An early wake-up call, this morning we arrived early at Alkefjellet or the Auk Mountain. After a delicious breakfast we boarded the Zodiacs and headed off towards the cliff.

We started at the waterfalls where we could meet the first few pairs of Brunnich’s guillemots of the nearly 60,000 that breed here. The weather turned out to be not so bad, and with the wind in our backs and the sun breaking through the clouds we enjoyed the wonderful scenery that opened up before us. We saw thousands of guillemots flying around the cliffs which were covered with nesting birds. We were told not to open our mouths in awe when looking up, to prevent the special guillemot delivery to be ingested. Suddenly we saw something on the move along the cliffs: a fox was proudly running about with his freshly caught guillemot prey in his mouth. While enjoying a spectacular view of the glacier at the north side of the cliffs our drivers noticed the winds were picking up and decided to return to the ship. This was a very splashy drive in as the waves came in perpendicular to our Zodiacs.

When all were safe onboard, Hondius took off for another surprise the expedition team had in store for us. Another vessel from Oceanwide, Plancius, had spotted bears on an island in the Hinlopen strait. We managed to spot all four bears in total. A mother with her cub and one male bear were moving around the island. Unfortunately the wind was unbearable (no pun intended!) so we could not lower Zodiacs to get closer. The captain manoeuvred Hondius in such a way we could get as close as possible. In between looking at bears we had a wonderful lunch and in the afternoon we still got plenty of time to watch the bears.

In the afternoon Simon gave a lecture about Auks and we learned a lot about these flying penguins of the North. After a wonderful dinner we sailed past the ice cliffs of Brasvelbreen, which unfortunately today were encased by fog. 

After our day in the sea ice, we headed back south to concentrate our efforts around the narrow channel between Edgeoya and Barentsoya called Freemansundet; as we rounded the corner and approached our first stop of Kapp Walberg we could see the remnants of the sea ice that blocked the passage just last week and continued scouting didn’t produce any dangerous wildlife that would have prevented us landing. Once ashore for our split landing it was a fine morning with light winds and high cloud, and we all made our way up to the centerpiece of this site. A pair of fantastic, narrow gullies leading up to the ridge above the plain which, due to their structure and steep sides have made a perfect location for a wonderful kittiwake colony.

Once in the canyon it was like entering a different world with all the outside sights and sounds disappearing, leaving you with just the cacophony of a busy seabird colony getting in your head until it’s all you can see and hear – a truly immersive experience! Naturally, where you have this high concentration of birds, it produces a magnet effect for predators, in this case attracting numerous Arctic foxes. They certainly entertained during the first half of the landing, running around, in amongst the passengers as they searched for an inattentive kittiwake to pounce upon.

The tide was racing through Freemansundet as we returned to the ship producing an impressive torrent of ice chunks zooming along the shore, creating a videogame-like ride back to Hondius, the drivers expertly dodging between the fleet of mini-icebergs. A short transit down the straight and we were nearing our next destination of Kapp Lee. Following a tip-off, combined with some intensive scouting from the bridge, the staff located a polar bear walking along the shore near our planned landing site so inevitably the afternoon schedule had to be altered. It did though, present a different, some might say more exciting opportunity, so we prepared to go and Zodiac cruise near the polar bear.

We were soon aboard the boats and after a bit of a trek we were soon level with the bear as it wandered unconcerned along the shore. It gave everyone brilliant views as we zig-zagged in front of it at a respectful distance but after a while it seemed to discover some kind of carcass on the beach, so we backed off and left it to feed in peace. The ride back to the ship was far from uneventful with a curious bearded Seal providing welcome distraction before a detour to our Plan-a landing site for a quick look at a small group of hauled-out walrus in front of the huts as several others frolicked about in the shallows.

A fine, wildlife packed day, from immense seabird colonies and sneaky foxes to some icons of the Arctic – another day in paradise!

Regular Kayak Group 9th July

After two days of sub optimal weather, we saw a brief window of opportunity to put our kayaks on the water in the afternoon at Kapp Lee. In the end it was indeed a brief opportunity as the wind picked up into a fresh south easterly soon after we launched the kayaks. So, we experienced what it is like to paddle into a stiff 15-17 kt wind before turning around and enjoying the wind on our backs. Unfortunately, though a lot more agreeable, and fun, this was also short lived as the wind and current conspired to take us right back to our morning landing site at Kapp Waldburg, the opposite direction to where Hondius was anchored! We collected back up at the Zodiac and endured a long slow drive back to the ship, However, though fingers and toes were cold, spirits were high, and we all agreed it had been a ‘valuable learning experience’!

The day started with a wake-up call in Hornsund. Hornsund is the most southerly fjord in Spitsbergen and one of the most spectacular in terms of scenery. It was known to the whalers of the 17th century for a long time and one of them, the Englishman Johnas Poole, named it Hornsund "They brought a piece of a Deer horn aboard, therefore I called this sound Horne Sound". In the Bay Gåshamna was for a short period of time in the 17th century also an English whaling station.

During breakfast, we anchored off the two bays Austre and Vestre Burgerbukta. The weather was kind to us today - no wind and the sun shining - so we can really enjoy our Zodiac cruise. We cruise slowly into the approximately 6 km long Vestre Burgerbukta and soon see on the map that we have long since entered the glacier. Like all the glaciers in Spitsbergen, the Paierbreen is retreating so much that the cartographers can hardly keep up.

The names in this part of the Hornsund were given by the Austrian Count Wilczek, who financed a support expedition for the Austro-Hungarian North Polar Expedition in 1872 and did not miss the opportunity to lead it himself. He was on his way to Novaya Zemlya to set up a depot there. On the way there he stopped in Hornsund and mapped it and gave it many of its names.

Although the Austro-Hungarian North Polar Expedition did not reach the North Pole, it did discover Franz Josef Land and became known as the Payer-Weyprecht Expedition, named after its two expedition leaders.

As we drove further into Burger Bay, we can hardly get enough of the steeply rising walls of carbonate rock in which we keep discovering small kittiwake colonies. In front of the glacier front, our Expedition Leader Marcel and his team served us hot chai latte. Some of us spotted a small herd of beluga whales at the entrance to the bay, while other Zodiacs spend a long time among the numerous small icebergs stranded on and in front of the almost black beach.

After lunch, we land at Gnålodden. Gnålodden is Norwegian and means something like the eternally humming mountain. And as soon as we land here, we realized that the mountain lives up to its name. Thousands of seabirds, mostly kittiwakes and Brunnich’s guillemots, breed in the cliffs. Down in the lush green tundra stands a small trapper's hut. It is one of the auxiliary huts to the hut in Hyttevika and was used to extend the trappers' territory. The Arctic fox was hunted, especially in winter, as the white fur was the most sought-after and expensive. The fox traps were spread over a large area, and it was rarely possible to reach the furthest trap in one day. The trappers therefore made use of small auxiliary huts where they spent the night or, in bad weather and storms, sometimes several nights or weeks.

The hut at Gnålodden was also used for several years by one of Spitsbergen's most prominent female trappers. Wanny Wolstad was one of the first women to work as a trapper on Spitsbergen. Together with her husband, she spent six winters in Hornsund. Two of them were spent with her children, who were at an age when they should have been at school rather than hunting polar bears. Tragically, Wanny died in a traffic accident in Tromso in 1959. But her story lives on and is vividly told by Will at the hut at Gnålodden. Otherwise, our guides have secured an area in which half of us could move freely while the others listen to a lecture about the geology of Svalbard given by Julian.

Finally, the day was wrapped up by Albert call for a fantastic barbecue. With little wind, small icebergs and ice floes floating on the glassy water we fully enjoyed this great surprise and while Hondius was making her way west out from Hornsund a considerable group of dancers continued the party on Deck 5 till it was time to go to sleep.

Regular Kayak Group 10th July

Today was widely regarded as the best day so far. The sun shone, the winds were in our favor and there was a light swell that added interest to our paddling. Burgerbukta is always beautiful – two branches of the fjord, both headed by glaciers and hemmed in by steep, folded rock walls. Quite a change to the tundra and flat-topped hills of the east side of Svalbard! We ended the trip in a small cove in Vibebukta, where a small patch of old sea ice remained, and a lagoon had been created in front of the glacier. Sheltered from the breeze here we disembarked our kayaks and enjoyed a quiet ride back to the ship, drinking-in the views for the last time.

After a little bit of a lie-in after last night’s BBQ party we enjoyed yet another fabulous breakfast. We were waiting for a landing at Bamsebu when we heard it was delayed - Simon had spotted something from miles away and Marcel had to send out scout Zodiacs to check it out - It was a polar bear walking on the beach straight towards the landing site.

With changed plans, we all went in the Zodiacs to see if we could get a good look at the bear. The cruise was amazing, we got a very good view, and the bear was slowly strolling over the beach towards the cabins. Every now and then he disappeared behind the moraine, but always reappeared. At a certain moment an Arctic fox appeared right in front of our Zodiacs and started to feed on some bird carcasses. A grey phalarope, a very rare sighting in Svalbard, landed on the beach in front of us next to the fox. Afterall this Zodiac cruise turned out to be a wildlife bonanza!

After lunch we sailed first towards Ingeborgfjellet on the northern coast of the Bellsund. The wind had picked up dramatically and was too much to operate our Zodiacs safely and this landing was unfortunately cancelled. The Captain made a sharp turn and sailed straight back to the southern side of Bellsund towards Recherchefjord to find a more sheltered spot at Recherchebreen (Recherche-Glacier) where we were offered our last event of this expedition: an amazing Zodiac cruise near the abandoned end moraine and inside the lagoon in front of the glacier. In the evening we had a toast with our captain to a successful voyage and later that evening during dinner all hotel departments presented themselves and got a warm applause. It was time for one last drink in Hondius’ bar which were served, as always, by Rolando and Mark with a smile.

Slowly but steadily, Hondius made her way into Svalbard’s largest fjord, Isfjord and pulled alongside the quay. Sadly, time had come to conclude our amazing trip around this remote Arctic archipelago. We had a fantastic week in the frigid waters of the Arctic and the barren tundra of Svalbard, with some amazing wildlife encounters, hikes, Zodiac cruises along the fjords and around the glaciers and navigation through the sea ice. Most importantly, we found new friends with whom to share future travels and memories. Once alongside Longyearbyen’s coal jetty, we walked down the gangway, waved, shook hands and hugged with the expedition team, before starting our way home.  

NORTHERN MOST POSITION: 80° 55.9’N 15° 15.5’E

Goodbye and thank you from the Expedition Team