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Yearly Archives: 2022 − News & Stories
Duvefjord – 14th August 2022
Sun
14 Aug
2022
This „right place, right time“ thing still applies to us here on the north side of Nordaustland. Stunning weather in Duvefjord. Which has quite a couple of side bays, and we went and had a look at some of them, hiking from one over to the next one. Amazing landscapes, seen by very few people, and waters that are rarely visited by ships.
Gallery – Duvefjord – 14th August 2022
- gallery anchor link: #gallery_2357
Click on thumbnail to open an enlarged version of the specific photo.
Rijpfjord-Duvefjord – 13th August 2022
Sat
13 Aug
2022
As mentioned: it was a lucky combination of right place and right time. Nordaustland was friendly with us, which is a rare thing. We experienced some stunningly beautiful landscapes and were able to do some really amazing hikes.
Gallery – Rijpfjord-Duvefjord – 13th August 2022
- gallery anchor link: #gallery_2360
Click on thumbnail to open an enlarged version of the specific photo.
Nordaustland – 12th August 2022
Fri
12 Aug
2022
After a bit of a grey day yesterday – we could watch a polar bear on a small island disappearing in the fog – it cleared up today. The weather was on our side again, and it was to remain so for several days. We were (and still are) clearly in the right area on the right time. Good stuff!
That is also the simple reason why there was just no time for blog writing. I need to catch up a bit now.
We spent that Friday (12th August) on the north side of Nordaustland, in Nordenskiöldbukta and in Rijpfjord. Stunningly beautiful scenery, barren, of a high arctic, strong character, not seen by many peoples’ eyes. There are indeed places where you can think that you might indeed be the first person there. Of course that is impossible to tell for sure, and quite likely at least some geologists have been there, they have been all over the place. But still, just the fact that the thought as such isn’t completely nonsense is amazing, in the year 2022.
I leave it up to the pictures to tell the rest of the story of this day.
Gallery – Nordaustland – 12th August 2022
- gallery anchor link: #gallery_2354
Click on thumbnail to open an enlarged version of the specific photo.
Furthest north – 11th August 2022
Thu
11 Aug
2022
A weather forecast that was quite bad especially for the northwestern part of Spitsbergen made us move away from that area quickly, and a long night of sailing (motoring, actually) took us to Sjuøyane, the northernmost islands of Svalbard. We passed by Waldenøya in wind and fog, but reached Phippsøya not much later and could make a landing there.
Northwest Spitsbergen – 10th August 2022
Wed
10 Aug
2022
Nordvesthjørnest av Spitsbergen er et veldig vakkert og variert område, med mange spennende steder som man kan besøke. Været var litt grått men ellers fullt på vår side, og dermed ble det en veldig opplevelsesrik dag. Vi begynte med en flott fottur på Danskøya og så besøkte vi noen hvalrosser på Amsterdamøya, ved siden av gamle spekkovner fra hvalfangsttiden i Smeerenburg. Så tilbake til Danskøya. Det var en del steinkobbe der på fjæresteinene, og ikke langt derfra ligger fortsatt kulturminner fra Andrée og Wellman sine nordpolferder i Virgohamna. På turen videre nordover gjorde vi en avstikker inn i den utrolig vakre Fuglefjorden. For en flott dag!
Gallery – Northwest Spitsbergen – 10th August 2022
- gallery anchor link: #gallery_2351
Click on thumbnail to open an enlarged version of the specific photo.
Engelskbukta, Ny-Ålesund – 09th August 2022
Tue
9 Aug
2022
Engelskbukta gave us beautiful scenic views despite the low clouds.
Later, we reached Ny-Ålesund.
A lot could be written about the many beautiful impressions of this day, but it is late now …
Gallery – Engelskbukta, Ny-Ålesund – 09th August 2022
- gallery anchor link: #gallery_2348
Click on thumbnail to open an enlarged version of the specific photo.
Polar bear incident in Ekmanfjord
Today (Wednesday, 08th August), a person was injured and a polar bear killed during an accident at Sveaneset in Ekmanfjord.
Not much is known so far in public, but a polar bear came into a camp with 25 French tourists. A woman received injuries to her arm, but her conditions appears not to be life threatening.
The polar bear was shot at during the event and it is now reported dead.
Further details are not available at the moment.
Isfjord – 07th August 2022
Sun
7 Aug
2022
We are off again, now with Arctica II. Good stuff! Actually, it doesn’t take much these days to make a start a good one: the trip actually happens, it starts as scheduled and with everybody who is supposed to be here. That is enough to make us happy for now.
After a couple of hours we had reached Trygghamna and took the opportunity for a first walk. To our amazement, we find ourselves walking in the fossil remains of a tropical sea. Corals and other fossils everywhere! But it is more than 300 million years ago that they were alive …
Gallery – Isfjord – 07th August 2022
- gallery anchor link: #gallery_2345
Click on thumbnail to open an enlarged version of the specific photo.
Spitsbergen with SV Antigua: Photos & short online diary
Last week we finished the latest arctic voyage with SV Antigua in Spitsbergen. Now there are several pages with photo galleries and short narrations available to illustrate this beautiful journey. It is a privilege to experience this and it is a pleasure to share it here with everybody who might be curious – it was an amazing trip and it is certainly worth having a look at the pictures. Click here to start.
Antigua in Magdalenefjord, on a beautiful mid July evening.
Enjoy!
P.S. if you prefer to experience Spitsbergen yourself (whon wouldn’t?), then you can join us in September because a cabin on Antigua is available again after a cancellation. Click here for more information or get in touch, ideally directly with Geographische Reisegesellschaft (German speaking departure, so you should at least be able to understand some German).
Sveagruva: air connection is history
In 2017, it was decided that the former coal mining settlement of Sveagruva would be abandoned and actually mostly physically cleaned up and removed. A milestone was reached recently, on 01st August, when the final flight took off from Longyearbyen to Sveagruva and back. This 20 minute air connection has been the lifeline for Sveagruva for decades, more than 40,000 flights are said to have been operated.
Airplaine on the runway of Sveagruva.
Now, the little airport of Sveagruva will be removed. About 70 people will work on this and other parts of the cleanup project for the next couple of months. During this time, they will live not live in the former settlement anymore, but on supply ships.
Next year, a small work force of 8 is scheduled to do the last bits and pieces of the cleanup, according to Svalbardposten.
The former coal mining settlement of Sveagruva, including the mines of Lunckefjellet and Sveagruva, is well documented on this website (click here).
The (almost) everyday madness continues
It is nice to be somewhere remote, far away from civilization and offline, as we were on board SV Antigua until Wednesday (27th July). Without any connection to the outside world other than satellite-based communication, far from fit for real internet.
Back in Longyearbyen, this all changes. The world news are mostly depressing, but obviously not what this page is about. Compared to much of what is going on in the world, Spitsbergen is and remains a peaceful place without major troubles. But still, things happen here and many of them are not great at all.
One can only wonder what was got into some people who are working within tourism in Spitsbergen, steering ships or boats or being in responsible positions on them. Two French expedition ships (or small cruise ships, whatever you prefer) got their guns removed recently because they did not have the required papers. About 50 weapons in total! That can indeed raise an eyebrow or two. At least, mistakes made in this case were made on paper and not during navigation on the bridge or in the field, where major mistakes can have entirely different consequences.
As will become clear in this case, in case anyone may wonder. After the grounding of the Virgo in Fuglefjord a couple of weeks ago, the Ocean Atlantic, a major expedition ship (or: see above) operated by Albatross Expeditions, touched the ground (or ice?) somewhere. The incident was serious enough to have caused damage to the hull, involving ingression of water. And as if that had not yet been enough, the crew did not deem it necessary to inform the Norwegian maritime authority, who could have dispatched rescue forces to be on stand-by in the vicinity of the Ocean Explorer in case of an escalation. It is probably needless to say that such a report to the maritime authority would have been required by law, and talk of luck that the situation did not deteriorate. The crew on board was able to control the situation. Nevertheless, someone on board felt uncomfortable enough to make a phone call at some stage, and soon the Ocean Atlantic was escorted to Longyearbyen by a Norwegian coastguard vessel. Now the ship is anchored in Adventfjord, awaiting inspection. Earlier controls this year had already revealed more than 20 serious security flaws.
Comment: incredulous shaking of the head.
Ocean Atlantic in the port of Longyearbyen.
Less dramatic, but nevertheless serious and making one wonder, is the incident where a Zodiac fleet belonging to Hondius went to a small island in Kongsfjord to give their passengers an opportunity to see a polar bear. Witnesses claim that the boats were close enough to cause disturbance of the animal or even put people or the bear at risk, but this may be a matter of controversial debate; it is said that the boats were “at one time within 50 meters”, a distance that does not at all necessarily (but may) involve disturbance or even risk to life and limb of man or beast. It is not possible to say more about this aspect of the incident without further knowledge of relevant details.
But one thing is clear, unfortunately: the island in question is part of a bird sanctuary. From 15th May to 15th August, a minimum distance of 300 metres from the island’s (and neighbouring islands) shores are required for all traffic, including boats. This regulation has been in force for decades.
Comment: also here, one can only wonder how this could happen. The only explanation this author can think of is an astonishing lack of knowledge regarding relevant regulations. This should not have happened to the expedition staff of a ship operated by a comapany with decades of regional experience, an opinion shared by the chief operating officer of the company in question as reported by Svalbardposten. The incident is likely the debate about a certification scheme for guides, something which in itself is not necessary a bad thing at all, although this debate is not necessarily going a fruitful way either, but that is another issue.
The final days from Raudfjord to Isfjord
Thu
28 Jul
2022
The last days of this voyage were just going so quickly, full of beauty and excitement as they were. I just didn’t manage to write any blog entries during this time, so here is the update including a slightly more extensive photo gallery, as I am able to use proper internet again. This chapter of the voyage started in a slightly Raudfjord and then took us to the magnificent St. Jonsfjord and the tundra on the west coast. It brought us the luck of a polar bear sighting (the only one other than the bears that we saw in the distance from Ny-Ålesund) as well as the beauty of doing some miles under sails again in Isfjord before we rounded the whole thing off in Colesbukta.
Gallery – From Raudfjord to Isfjord – 24th to 26th july 2022
- gallery anchor link: #gallery_2333
Click on thumbnail to open an enlarged version of the specific photo.
Woodfjord & Bockfjord – 23rd July 2022
Sat
23 Jul
2022
We covered some good distance to the west – we must not forget that we will need to get back to Longyearbyen at some stage. The early morning saw us all the way down in innermost Woodfjord. Scenery of stunning beauty all around us, with amazing colours. And amazing amounts of plastic garbage on the coast. A good bit less when we left, at least.
Bockfjord has Spitsbergen’s only volcano, or volcanic ruin, that is. And a great variety of flowers, including some pretty rare ones.
Gallery – Woodfjord & Bockfjord – 23rd July 2022
- gallery anchor link: #gallery_2327
Click on thumbnail to open an enlarged version of the specific photo.
Hinlopen – 22nd July 2022
Fri
22 Jul
2022
Great that we made it as far as this – nothing we could take for granted considering the time we had left at this stage. But we made it into Hinlopen and could enjoy a little hike to and even onto the inland ice of northwestern Spitsbergen as well as tenthousands of Brünich’s guillemots at Alkefjellet. And later, even a Blue whale! What a day!
Gallery – Hinlopen – 22nd July 2022
- gallery anchor link: #gallery_2330
Click on thumbnail to open an enlarged version of the specific photo.
Murchisonfjord – 21st July 2022
Thu
21 Jul
2022
Murchisonfjord – So we made it to northern Hinlopen Strait, to Nordaustland. The barren, mostly ice-covered second largest island of Svalbard. A very strong scenic contrast to all that we had seen so far on this trip. Go to the Panos Murchisonfjord.
Gallery – Murchisonfjord – 21st July 2022
- gallery anchor link: #gallery_2324
Click on thumbnail to open an enlarged version of the specific photo.
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