SV Noorderlicht, the two mast sailing ship originally built in Germany as fireship Kalkgrund and in Dutch ownership a regular and beautiful sight in Spitsbergen waters for many years now, is known to many as the “ship in the ice”.
When the ice settled in Tempelfjord, Noorderlicht was parked there and frozen in intentionally. As soon as the ice was strong enough, the ship could be visited and tourists could spend a night on a ship in the ice, to enjoy an atmosphere that reminded one of Nansen’s ship Fram during her great ice drift across the arctic ocean in 1893-1896. A bit shorter and less dangerous, but the feeling was there. Noorderlicht‘s first season as ship in the ice was in 2002, and since then, near 7000 overnight guests have enjoyed this unique experience. Due to permit restrictions, the ship was not open for individual tourists, but only those who came as organized groups with guides. It was often visited by groups who came by dog sledge.
The Noorderlicht crew has the desire to explore something new and has scheduled sailing in north Norway in the spring 2016, so the ship will not be back in Tempelfjord.
The tour operator behind the ship in the ice concept, Basecamp Spitsbergen, is now looking of an alternative, so the story of the ship in the ice may continue with another vessel. It will, however, be difficult to replace Noorderlicht.
Click here for some 360 degree panoramas from Noorderlicht as “ship in the ice”.
Noorderlicht as “ship in the ice” in Tempelfjord.
The airport at Longyearbyen, Svalbard lufthavn, is running out of fuel. New kerosine is ordered and coming up by ship, but this takes some time. Meanwhile, fuel is rationed. Police and rescue services have got priority, while airlines are asked to refuel in mainland Norway as much as possible.
As a result, direct flights from Longyearbyen to Oslo may be forced to make an extra stop in Tromsø for refuelling, which results in delayed arrivals, as this author painfully experienced last week.
The supply ship is to come next week, and then all planes can refuel again in Longyearbyen.
A kingdom for a jerrycan! Svalbard lufthavn is running out of fuel.
Kjerstin Askholt will be the new Sysselmannen på Svalbard from 01 October. The Sysselmannen is the highest representative of the Norwegian government in Svalbard and is appointed (not elected) for 3 years. This time, there were 7 applicants, as usual mostly high-ranking police officers or the juridical administration.
Kjerstin Askholt has been involved with the administration of the Norwegian polar areas within the Ministry of Justice since 2003 and is accordingly experienced in relevant matters. She has announced to emphasize general continuity and a continuously good relationship with the Russian neighbours in Barentsburg. There are challenges in both, as the difficult situation of the coal industry, growing tourism and the relationship with the Russians is usually good in Spitsbergen but internationally currently obviously difficult, which may reflect on the local dialogue as well.
Kjerstin Askholt will be the second woman in the position of the Sysselmannen. The first one was Ann-Kristin Olsen, who was the boss on Skjæringa from 1995 to 1998. Skjæringa is the part of Longyearbyen where the Sysselmannen’s office is located and a commonly used local term.
This final day showed that winter still had the land in Isfjord in its firm grip, more so than further south. In Bellsund, we had enjoyed easy walks over snow-free tundra and even the views of some first, early flowers (Purple saxifrage). Here in Isfjord, the land is largely under deep snow down to sea level. And where the tundra is snow-free, there are mostly birds sitting – good reasons to keep excursions short at the time being. Nevertheless, very pleasant stays on the arctic tundra and good round views over outer Isfjord.
It was not exactly a complete surprise that there was still a lot of ice in the bays, so we had to make do with views of a considerable distance of the glacier front in Borebukta. But who cared after everything that the last days had given us?
After a final, short crossing of Isfjord, we went alongside in the port of Longyearbyen and thus finished the trip. Well, not yet – the swell was quite unpleasant, so soon we moved out again and dropped the anchor once more. Then it was time for a warm farewell with everybody.
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To my great pleasure, a large delivery of books also finished its trip on this day when it was moved onto dry arctic ground in Longyearbyen. Always a great and important event! I’d like to thank everybody who has given a hand with the books on their way from northeastern Germany to Longyearbyen!
Today it was time to make friends with some of Spitsbergen’s inhabitants. We did so on Prins Karls Forland and in Barentsburg.
The Forlandsund was at home. Quite lazy, but one impressive walrus came slowly rolling out of the water, feeding the eyes and lenses of happy tourists.
Barentsburg turned out to be not just a strong visual contrast, but also a very informative lesson about Spitsbergen history and politics. And a chance to taste the local beer. To a good trip – na sdarowje!
The photos may speak for themselves. We did not have so many impressions of the diversity of this high arctic land so far, so it was time to catch up with some landings. A glacier, a lagoon with ice floes driven by tidal currents, tundra, sun above the blue sea.
Van Keulenfjord turned out to be a treasure chamber of arctic impressions. Of course, it was good to step out on solid ground again. Real arctic soil, permafrost-based tundra. But what followed later will definitely remain a treasured memory well beyond this summer.
Further in, the fjord was still frozen solid. Four polar beas were visible in the distance, a mother with two cubs and a single bear, all resting at times and moving at others, even meeting occasionally. All in a distance that reduced them to little yellow dots for us. Meanwhile, a group of Belugas came into sight, with an exceptional high proportion of young animals, distinguishable by their dark grey colour.
We had the good idea to moor the Antigua at the fast ice edge during the night. That is one of the beauties of travelling with a sailing ship: you are not always in a rush. Sometimes you have time, the most important thing during travelling (and otherwise in life). We do not follow schedules, we take opportunities. The weather was fine, wildlife within view. So we did not save any cost or effort but went out to find a suitable piece of driftwood, which was then put through a hole in the ice with great enthusiasm by Captain Joachim and some helping hands. A rope between the driftwood log and Antigua would keep the ship in position for some hours without wind. The selfmade port was ready, and we could enjoy the evening.
The night was short. Around 4 a.m., the polar bear family decided to visit this strange iceberg which had appeared at the ice edge. The two second year cubs, 1.5 years old, were as curious as polar bears can be. The walked on the ice around the bow of the ship and stood up on their hind legs to get better views of us. They were biting into the ropes, which may have smelled from many sailors’ hands which have handled them over years and many ports where they have fixed Antigua to the pier.
It is late in the evening, the sun is shining on coast and mountains south of Bellsund – not a good time to spend ages with the computer, writing a lot of text. I rather spend the time watching the scenery and looking for a potential polar bear somewhere on shore.
A lot of ice blocking Hornsund today, unexpectedly – but beautiful. And hundreds – no: thousands! – of Harp seals ☺ an early season specialty.
The further we came north, the better the weather. The stiff breeze eased out until the water surface became oily, just moved by the gentle swell, shining in the evening sun. Best conditions to find some whales!
We were not the only ones in the area looking for whales, but little did we know that the intentions of the other boat that came into sight were far less peaceful. The seemingly innocent boat Reinebruen from Svolvær (Lofoten, Norway) turned out to be a whale catcher, with a crow’s nest and a harpoon gun on the bow, and while we were watching a young Humpback whale, we heard the first shot being fired in the distance. Several more shots followed over the next couple of minutes, and we saw a smaller whale splashing under the bow of the whaler. It fought the pain of the steel harpoon in its belly for 5-6 minutes until it died.
It is not a secret that Norway issues well beyond 1000 licenses for Minke whales to its whaling fleet every year, and sometimes we see whaling ships in Norwegian ports including Longyearbyen. But seeing a whaler in deadly action is something different. I had never seen that before and I did not have an idea of the impression it would make on me to see how a whale is shot, dies and is pulled up on deck.
The crew of the Reinebuen turned the ship several times quickly, obviously trying to move the strongly bleeding whale out of our sight. They know what the world things about this.
Finally they went their way and we went ours. I had a bad feeling in my stomach and weak knees, as if I had just become witness to a murder. Well, this was pretty much the case, in a wider sense.
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Soon, two more Humpback whales appeared under the midnight sun, happy and alive, not knowing that a slightly remoter relative had just died in a very bloody and painful way. Spirits on board were rising noticeably. Admittedly, I was not yet up for it. The emotional change from slaughter to observation of almost the same wonderful animal was just a bit too fast for me, so I watched it slightly mechanically, took my photos and was then happy to finish the day.
29th/30th May 2015 – There is nothing much to say about the crossing. Wind and waves made it an experience of limited pleasure, and presence during meals was visibly reduced. Well, it was not dramatic, but not really popular either. No sightings of whales, only small groups of dolphins every now and then. The better that we made good speed, so we reached Bear Island already mid-day of the 29th. We kept on the southeastern side, as this side offered the best shelter available from wind and waves, and soon we had found a suitable landing site.
From the distance, Bear Island may seem a grey, empty rock in the ocean, but a closer look reveals all the treasures of nature you can imagine of a remote, small island in the Arctic. An impressive coastal landscape with bird cliffs, various geomorphological phenomena including frost-patterned ground and karst springs and so on. The feeling of remoteness and exposure is amongst the best parts of the Bear Island experience, especially in quiet moments when all you hear is the wind. We spend a rather long afternoon on the island, roaming around from the river mouth in Ærfuglvika to the seabird colony at Kapp Ruth, passing some small, mostly still frozen lakes in flat tundra towards the river Jordbruelva, which we followed between steep snow-covered river banks, until we returned to Kapp Maria with its impressive rock cave Kvalkjeften (whale jaw) and a huge hole in the rocky ground, through which you see the surf 15 m lower down.
A calm night at anchor in the shelter of the island was certainly amongst the highlights of the day for many.
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Next morning, we cruised around the southern end of Bear Island, where nature has created some of the most impressive cliffs in the north Atlantic. The seas and winds being too high for any Zodiac operations, we enjoyed the views from the ship, in the presence of countless Northern fulmars, before we continued northwards, course for Spitsbergen.
May 17th is the National Day of Norway. On this day Norwegians celebrate the Norwegian Constitution which was adopted on May 17th in 1814 by the recently established Constituent Assembly at the small place of Eidsvoll in southern Norway. A considerable act for the country and courageous as well, as Norway before was governed by the Danish crown for almost 300 years. Officially Norway was part of the Danish kingdom, the important positions were held by Danes and by the impact of culture- and school-politics Norwegians should become Danish.
In 1814, at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, as the territorial reorganization of the Scandinavian countries was negotiated in the Treaty of Kiel, the Norwegians took the opportunity: They established a national assembly, gave themselves a constitution and elected an own king. Yet, it did not work that easy. Norway was pressed into a union with Sweden instead and the Swedish king also became king of Norway in personal union. But at least Norway was a separate kingdom again, the national assembly was transformed into a parliament (Storting) and the constitution, celebrated on May 17th, was maintained. Norway became completely independent in 1905 when the union with Sweden was suspended.
Traditionally the National Day is celebrated with a parade including music, lots of Norwegian flags and a diversity of traditional costumes from the different parts of the country. In the capital Oslo the parade moves along Karl Johans Gate and passes the Royal Palace. All over the country people raise the Norwegian flag.
In the Norwegian Arctic May 17th was celebrated as well, not only on Spitsbergen, in Longyearbyen, among the researchers in Ny Ålesund and in the mining settlement of Sveagruva, but also at the meteorological stations on the remote islands of Bjørnøya, Jan Mayen and Hopen. Even the crew of the research vessel RV ´Lance´, frozen in the ice north of Spitsbergen, organized a parade: across the ice, once around the ship. Afterwards there was a party onboard. The station on Bjørnøya was visited by the crew of the coastguard vessel KV ´Harstad´, increasing the number of participants at the parade significantly. It is also said, that they could win some new members for the Bjørnøya Nude-Bathing-Association. The smallest May 17th celebration was held on Hopen. At least with 4 persons (and the 4 station dogs) all inhabitants were present.
In Longyearbyen the parade moved from the church to the city center and further to the war memorial where flowers were laid down and speeches were held. The speakers were Robert Hermansen, former CEO of the mining company Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani and the Russian Consul General in Barentsburg, Jurij Gribkov, who congratulated the Norwegians to the celebration of their Constitution. Afterwards the parade moved to the Svalbardhall where a meal was served and the celebration continued with several events, especially for the children. In his speech the Sysselmannen Odd Olsen Ingerø emphasized Norway´s sovereignty over Svalbard and confirmed the validity of the Spitsbergen Treaty.
Tromsø, Paris of the north, traditional gateway to the Arctic and our stepping stone towards Bear Island and Spitsbergen, presents itself in the best of weather. Visits to the museums dedicated to the Arctic, excursions to the viewpoint on Fløya and some time to relax in zivilisation, before we continue towards the Barents Sea.
Two years ago, we „discovered“ Tinden, an old trading post on the outer coast of the Vesterålen islands, beautifully situated in a bay under a steep mountain, hidden behind some small islands. We did not have any idea back then what to expect, we had just been told that it should be a nice place. Which was quite an understatement. The old trading post was abandoned long time ago, but has been beautifully revived as a museum, in a similar way as Port Lockroy in Antarctica. Tinden is a small, but lovely ensemble of white wooden houses, shelves squeezed with early 20th century items, there is even a flower garden with old species which they had to re-gather on churchyards. The manager of the place, Kjell, is a great character and a very valuable part of the experience.
So this is what we could enjoy today, and to make things even better, the sun was shining on the whole setting, so a little walk up the steep slope behind the buildings was definitely a good thing to do.
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Hard to imagine that there had been a storm here some months ago, strong enough to destroy several houses here that had survived countless storms during many decades. An irreplacable loss, as nobody can tax or even replace all the historical artefacts lost. And I don’t really want to know how strong the winds were that flattened those sturdy buildings. How nice is today’s light breeze.
We watch the southern Vesterålen islands passing by while we are making miles to the north. Scenic coastlines and mountains, sea eagles and even orcas make the afternoon a very pleasant and interesting experience.
We are certainly not the first tourists in this area. The German emperor Wilhelm II. was here in 1889. If he had only spent more time traveling and less with politics, it might have saved the world a lot of trouble, who knows.
Despite all the troubles that he had with his job – his own fault! – he managed to travel to Norway quite a lot. And twice he made it to Digermulen, a little village – about 300 inhabitants – at the southern end of Raftsund. That is the strait that separates Austvågøya (Lofoten) from Hinnøya (Vesterålen). There is a mountain next to Digermulen that is called Digerkollen. It is not so terribly diger (big), actually not at all with an altitude of 384 m, that is something we can do. And nobody has to carry up plates of granite with our names incarved after us. We are more than happy with our signatures in the Gipfelbuch (what is that in English?).
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The way up, across stones, mud and snow, takes about 1 ½ hours, with an interesting mixture of rain, sun, snow and sun again. Luckily, it remains sunny as we reach the top, so we can enjoy splendid views of Raftsund, Hinnøya, Austvågøya and and a number of smaller islands. An imperial view, indeed!