HDS08-24, trip log, Around Spitsbergen - In the realm of polar bear & ice

Finally! The day had come, it was time for us to board our new home for our newly starting expedition, the Hondius! We arrived at the port in Longyearbyen with calm, glassy waters. Some of us only had landed a few hours before and now we were about to start our adventure onboard M/V Hondius. The Expedition Team and Hotel Staff had helpfully brought our luggage aboard and taken it to our cabins earlier in the day. All that remained was for us to take a few photos of the ship while we made our way up the gangway. We were warmly welcomed by all the crew and staff who assisted us in finding our cabins. With some time left, we explored the ship and enjoyed a cup of tea or coffee in the bar.

Once everyone was onboard, it was time for the mandatory ship safety video and briefing. We were given all the information we needed such as moving safely around the ship, the things we could and could not do, and how to put on our emergency life jackets. Having learned this, it was then time for an abandon ship drill so after hearing the seven short and one long blast of the ship’s horn we went to our cabins, got our lifejackets, and went to our muster station. Then we were led to our lifeboats so we would know where to go in case of a real emergency.

After the drill we headed to the bar where Hotel Manager Will and Expedition Leader Marcel gave a welcome. With briefing formalities concluded, it was time to join Captain Artur in the bar to raise a glass in celebration of the voyage. Then it was time for our first evening meal, with a delicious buffet selection provided by Chef Gaurav and his galley team served by our friendly dining room staff. After dinner we were given our muck boots which we would use for going ashore; comfortable but also, very importantly, waterproof for our wet zodiac landings! After a long day of travel for most of us it was time for bed to get some rest before the first full day of our trip tomorrow.

We got our first Expedition Leader Wake Up Call, warmly announcing that a new day had dawned full of adventures ahead of us. We sailed towards Lilliehookbreen, a glacier nestled in the NW corner of Krosssfjorden, but low clouds prevented our views on arrival. On board we got the last mandatory briefing, picked a pair of Muck Boots, leaving us ready to set off! Just before leaving Lilliehookbreen the clouds lifted and exposed the magnificent glacier. The outer decks were filled with binoculars and cameras as folks snapped pics of the glacier and admired the passing birds.

Around noon we got out to the unique science village of Ny-Alesund, where the scientists from eight countries take measurements of almost anything you can measure in the Arctic. It was our first experience with Zodiacs! We walked freely through the quiet streets in between the historic houses, paying a visit to the shop, museum and for those with Chinese roots, a selfie with the Chinese Polar Institute, Yellow River.

Some of us took a guided tour to learn more about Roald Amundsen, the famous Norwegian polar explorer who started his life on skis, then changed to boats, then to planes and at last an airship. The “mast”, to which his airship “Norge” was attached, still stands at Ny Alesund and is reminiscent of this great piece of history. Walks were led by the team with Will and Jens passing on the wonderful story of the airship expedition. We spotted some great birds, Arctic terns, Barnacle Geese, Glaucous gulls, long tailed duck, Red throated Diver and even a purple sandpiper with a chick.

After a fantastic afternoon out we headed back to the ship for our first recap and briefing of the trip. Marcel gave us our plans for the next day and the team gave some insight into the history and working life in Ny Alesund. What a start!!

After leaving the safety of civilization in Ny Alesund behind, today marked the start of our real expedition! We began our morning with a landing at a site named Texas Bar which, despite the name, was not home to any bar but rather a quaint old trappers hut tucked amongst rolling hills in an ice-berg-littered bay. We split into two groups, with the first half of the ship going ashore to enjoy a morning strolling at our own pace. Many began at the hut which, as we learnt from our Guide John, was built in 1927 by a famous hunter and his uncle and is still maintained by the Sysselman (Local government) to this day. The terrain outside the hut was covered in a wash of soft pink pastels coming from flowering Moss Campions, a view enjoyed by many who photographed the flowers. Others of us spent time walking the perimeter, enjoying the views of the bay and finished it all off with a polar plunge! Despite reluctance by many the night before, the warm winds and sunshine on the beach convinced us to seize the moment and plunge into the roughly 3-degree water off of the beach. Shrieks of shock and laughter flooded the shore as friends and family enjoyed witnessing what for many of us will certainly be a morning to remember.

During this time half of the group remained on the ship and were entertained by Grant, a guide who provided an insightful lecture on the formation, abundance, and uniqueness of the glaciers around Svalbard. His knowledge was especially useful given that in the afternoon we had our first zodiac cruise to the very vast and impressive glacier of Monacobreen. The face of Monacobreen glacier extends over an area of roughly 2.8 km, an impressive scene that we were thrilled to cruise in our fleet of zodiacs. The wind stayed with us but thankfully enough sun came out to warm us up for the roughly 2 hours we spent admiring the glacier and seabirds that surrounded it. Calvings of various sizes fell off the glacier, each time creating plenty of excitement for those of us witnessing the wave that came out in front of us. After finishing the cruise, we gathered in the lounge to hear a bit about our plans for the next day, learn a about the history of some notable figures who ventured down here (William Spiers Bruce and the Prince of Monaco to name a few), and get an overview of the seabirds we would encounter this trip. It was a spectacular end to a great first day of real expedition cruising.

Today is our day in the pack ice. We awoke to foggy and rainy conditions and the ship rocking as it pushed through big pieces of sea ice. Hondius is built for breaking first year sea ice, so the bridge team lead us deeper into the ice in the hope of finding the suitable habitat for ice-loving wildlife such as seals and polar bears. By mid-morning we had encountered several areas of ice too thick for the ship to pass and we had to change our course to go around the thick ice floes.

We also put on a great lecture program throughout the day. Hazel gave a lecture about polar bears in the lecture room – while John lectured on the same topic in Mandarin in the observation lounge to start off the morning. After an extended coffee break Aitana gave a lecture about sea ice and ocean currents in the lecture room while John delivered the same topics in Mandarin in the observation lounge.

After lunch we had one last lecture session with Will telling the story of Fridtjof Nansen in English and John telling the story of Peary and Cook in Mandarin. We had some success spotting seals in the afternoon for those who were up on the bridge.

To commemorate our rainy sea ice day, we gathered in the lounge in the late afternoon for a hot chocolate before the ship starting making its way out of the sea ice.

After a full day of fog on ice day yesterday, we woke at 7.45 on a beautiful morning. However, it was short lived. Within half an hour the fog returned exactly at our initial landing site Faksevågen. The fog came and went. The sun shone on the very thin fog layer, so we hoped that the fog would lift entirely. That did not happen. Our Expedition leader Marcel decided to look for wildlife in the Hinlopenstretet instead. When we left Faksevågen the weather almost instantly cleared. The fog stayed at Faksevågen while we were in bright sunshine. It was the only wise decision. What a wonderful moment to see a Minky whale when we only sailed for a short while. It was rather close to the boat but moved away from us. Many guillemots were on the water. At least that is what we thought. Later that day we discovered we didn’t see nothing (Argentinian saying 😊). We journeyed south to look for the white fluffy ones. Unfortunately, the bears were not to be seen. We ship cruised the Bragebreen on the second largest island of Svalbard, Nordaustlandet.

We started lunch early, so we had extra time to one of the most extraordinary places we visited. The Cliffs of Alkefjellet. After lunch we made for the Auk mountain on a sunny afternoon. we boarded the Zodiacs and headed off towards the cliffs in the distance. We started at the waterfalls where we met the first few pairs of Brunnich’s Guillemots of the nearly 60.000 that breed here. You could see the different colour of the ocean where the glacial melt water was trying to mix with the water of the ocean. From the distance the birds looked like a bunch of mosquitos waiting for their prey. We soon discovered that we were greeted by the roaring crowd of Guillemots and Kittiwakes when we approached the main colony. We could get really close and saw many Guillemots. Swimming on the water and arguing with their neighbour on the really small ledges where they were nesting. We all could admire the wonderful scenery of the gigantic bird cliff on the dolerite rocks. Thousands of guillemots flew 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 ingestion of special guillemot delivery! Around the corner we discovered a Glaucous Gull enjoying lunch with the remains of a dead Kittiwake. A little bit further down, we saw a couple of Glaucous Gull chicks. After some hours we were glad to step out of the Zodiac to warm our feet and hands.

With a warm cup of tea, we went looking for bears. Long and behold we found a bear on Faksevågen, pretty much on the landing site where we were to land this morning. We were really happy to see our first bear from the ship rather than in the dense fog from this morning. It was a huge male bear clearly just eaten because of the red stains of bloody lipstick on its lips. We had some brilliant views from the ship while we silently approached. We all got to enjoy our first polar bear! What a sight, what a speed. It covered so much ground within a blink of an eye. We were all in awe and skipped the recap almost entirely to see the king of the Arctic!

It was in the wee hours of the night that the ship left the sheltered waters of Lomfjorden to enter the more exposed Hinlopen Strait. This water was previously known as ‘Vaigat’ which translates as wind hole, but today it is anything but windy. The midnight sun is kind to us and casts its sunrays in bucketloads, leaving all searching for their sunglasses. This day is dedicated to ‘expeditioning’: browsing the horizon on the quest for wildlife. In the morning a few minke whales appear in the besides the ship and we pass by Ardneset, where walruses are basking in the sun. Here and there walruses appear by the sides of the ship, while the Brunnich’s guillemots pass by on their way home to Alkefjellet. In the background, creamy glaciers and pastel mountains make it looks like we are cruising in a live-action water painting.

While the galley team was again doing their best at delivering a varied menu (surprising the guests with quesadillas and pork), the team stood the fresh breeze on the Deck 8 on a search for polar bears. The islands in Hinlopen Strait are known to be ‘bear traps’, where the bears are stuck when the sea ice retreats at the end of spring. We sail past many small islands such as Nyströmøya, Smittøya, Wahlbergøya, Holmgrenøya, Obergøya, Wijkanderøyane, Palanderøya, Friesøyane, Von Otterøya, Malmgrenøya, Nordenskiöldøya, Wilhelmøya, Langeøya, Konerøya, Geograføya and Kiepertøya. The islands come in many different forms: from rounded and flat islets and shoals to elongated ribbons that shield sheltered bays. The shorelines are littered with Siberian driftwood. All islands – except Wilhelmøya – have their geology in common. They are composed of dolerite, a basaltic rocks that formed by magna intruding between other sedimentary rocks, which have long eroded away. Dolerite often appears as columns, which makes it particularly easy for sleepy bears to hide from inquisitive expedition vessels. After several hours, the expedition team manages to localise them. A sleepy bear is visible with the naked eye, but as it is hadn’t had its morning coffee yet and shows no signs of getting up, Hondius leaves after 20 minutes. Bearing: northeast.

In the evening, we honour the 50th birthday of Rolando, our beloved bar tender. He is always willing to provide those in need of refreshments, served with a smile. Thanks, Rolando, for everything!

We kiss the day goodbye in the shelter of Bråsvellbreen, although this glacier does not make itself visible, as it stays shrouded in clouds. Unfortunately, this will turn out a prelude to the upcoming days.

We awoke early this morning as we were excited to the day was to come. During the wake-up call, Marcel informed us that the place chosen for our morning landing was too foggy. So, for safety reasons we continued sailing to our next destination! We all attended the restaurant for a hearty breakfast.

Shortly after breakfast, Marcel made an announcement, a polar bear was spotted walking at the coast of Sundbukta. We all went to the closest deck to have pictures of this beautiful animal! We were just smiling with happiness.

After the exciting started of the day, some of us watched how the expedition team did the scouting around our landing. One more time, exciting news came from Marcel, one more bear was spotted! Now we know what an expedition is. The Plan was changed from a landing to a zodiac Cruising. The Polar bear is in Kapp Lee. Kapp Lee is the northwesternmost point of Edgeøya, a southeastern island in the Svalbard archipelago. Three huts are located on this headland, one of which is known as Karosaelen, “the carousel,” for its octagonal shape. Built by trappers in 1904, this hut lies next to two others that were built in the 1960s as outposts for oil explorations. We cruised the polar bear for a while. We were so excited! Nobody was talking, just the click of our cameras. It’s a beautiful male! Afterwards, we continued our zodiac cruising. Some reindeers on the gorgeous landscape made us take more and more pictures. Sailing towards our supposed landing, we managed to see the huts, and some walruses swimming close. Some Eiders, Arctic Terns, and Glaucous Gulls made the view even more special.

After some well-deserved lunch we were ready for our next adventure of the day, a zodiac cruise in the special Glacier “Negribreen”. The glacier debouches into Storfjorden, in Olav V Land and Sabine Land, and forms a wide glacier front with the moving extreme point Kapp Antinori. The glacier covers an area of about 1,180 km2 (460 sq mi). It is named after Italian geographer Christoforo Negri. The Negribreen glacier has recently seen a surge in ice surface speed, increasing from 1 m to 13 m a day over the winter.

When a glacier ‘surges’, a large amount of ice flows to the end in an unusually short time. While the causes are not completely understood, they are believed to be linked to changes in the amount of heat or water in the lowest layers of the glaciers.

We spent the afternoon surrounded by amazing icebergs of different shapes, sizes, and colors. We picked up some examples of ice, just to look closer the nature of them. We had the chance to see the rare Ivory gull, and the rare Sabine’s Gull. Some brash ice made our afternoon a complete expedition experience!

Time to return to the ship and have some warm tea or coffee. During recap, Marcel informed us about the plans for tomorrow. Kathlyn taught us about the walruses, how they eat, the uses of the tusks and much more!

The day wasn’t over, we still had a barbecue! It was a unique experience, not only did we have the opportunity of eating outside with the most spectacular view, but after the dessert, the expedition team and the hotel department invited us to dance. It was something that we are never going to forget.

Our day started with Marcels morning call at Russebukta, Edgeøya where he woke us all up and informed us that we got caught up in fog. This was immediately visible to everyone as soon as we watched out of the windows.

Since we had still some time till the operation started, we waited at Russebukta and everyone enjoyed their breakfast in the restaurant. After breakfast we waited in the fog. Due to a change in the forecast we tried to escape the fog and sailed towards Diskobukta.

While we were arriving at Diskobukta Katlyn spotted a suspicious white spot on the shoreline. Since the fog was not too thick Jerry and Marcel dropped in a Zodiac to scout the shoreline. Unfortunately, it turned out as fishing gear. While Marcel and Jerry were starting to make their way back to the ship the fog came into Diskobukta and within a very short time the coastline disappeared in the vast nothingness of the grey wall surrounding us. As there was no other option, we made our way back to Russebukta and Katlyn invited everyone to the lecture room for her presentation about cetaceans around Svalbard while John held his lecture on whales in mandarin in the lounge. After that everyone enjoyed the delicious lunch with freshly made Pizza.

After lunch we anchored at Russebukta. While we were waiting for the fog to lift, Will gave his interesting lecture about Andrée’s Arctic balloon expedition in the lecture room while Johnny held a lecture about his life being a guide. At four p.m. we were still stuck in the fog and the decision was made to start sailing and make our way to Hornsund in southern Svalbard. Luckily the expedition team used its time wisely to create a quiz and many teams competed for the first place while enjoying ice cream. Everyone had a blast during the quiz and enjoyed this happening in the lounge.

After that Marcel invited everyone for the recap and showed the plans for the next day. Furthermore, we had a lot of questions to answer from the questions box and Daan gave a great recap about Ivory gulls. After that we all went to the restaurant and had an amazing dinner.

After several days on the ship without setting foot on firm land, locked by fog in our golden dungeon, we were finally let free. On this day when in 1890 Vincent van Gogh dies, we woke to a Goghesque landscape at Gnalodden. The sky was clear of fog and for the first time in a couple of days we could see further than 100 meters.

The expedition team wasted no time in taking the chance to take us on land! We were sent off on the zodiacs for our last landing on a remote and desolate piece of land where birds rule. The giant cliff towering over our heads hidden by the clouds and echoing with the chants of thousands of birds, who, like us, were enjoying the gift of sight.

We were able to stretch our legs and visit the local trapper hut. A hut which used to house a famous trapper woman, Wanny Woldstad. She trapped here for several years, with her two sons, trapping over 80 polar bears.

Later in the day, after a short lunch we set off to Burgerbukta, cruising underneath the immense mountain side dwarfing our small embarkations. Along the shoreline we found wonders, many waterfalls, and underground tunnels where water shot out like magic. Further along came the glacier, which was losing its icebergs one after the other, all scattered and drifting in the long fjord.

As we returned on board it was time to part with our beloved boots before being called up to the lecture room for the captain’s farewell. A drink or two to loosen up, a well-deserved round of applause for all the incredible crew that made our stay so special, and we were treated to a fantastic slideshow from Aitana that highlighted in the best way the special moments of our trip.

One last wonderful dinner was enjoyed thanks to our chef Bawa and another round of applause to all the departments of the ship led by William, our hotel manager.

Slowly but steadily Hondius made her way into Svalbard’s largest fjord, Isfjord. Sadly, time had come to conclude our amazing trip around this remote Arctic Archipelago. The week we had spent between the frigid waters of the Arctic and the barren although wildlife-rich tundra of Svalbard was beyond expectations; great encounters, beautiful weather, sea ice navigation, hikes, Zodiac cruises but most importantly new friends with whom to share future travels and memories.

With our luggage left outside our cabins ready for the staff and crew to take down the gangway, we headed to breakfast. After saying goodbye to the dining room crew, we took our remaining belongings and disembarked onto the coal pier. There was just enough time to say farewell to the expedition team before we boarded the buses and left for our onward travel.