Pretty In Orange

The 25 mile dash from Barentsburg to Lonyearbyen turned into a major production. Snow Dragon poked her nose out of the Grone Fjord and found herself in over 35 knots of wind on the nose and snowing. It was rougher than anticipated and we quickly turned around and headed back to the protected area of Barentsberg and evaluated our options. Kirsty and Eivan had a flight to catch and we did not want a little thing like wind to get in the way.

Since going out with a stay sail and triple reefed main was too much sail, we decided the storm stay sail was the next logical solution. After getting the bright orange storm sail up and the dinghy out of the davits and on deck, we were ready to try again.

Once out we quickly realized that Snow Dragon could not point high enough to windward with such a small sail. Instead of risking being blown out to sea we went back to our anchorage and waiting six hours for the wind to calm down to a sensible level. It did, just barely, and we were able to get Kirsty and Eiven to Longyearbyen in time for their plane.

Kirsty, Elvar & Krystina sleeping on the trip to Longyearbyen.

Welcome To The USSR. I Am Where?

Imagine sailing along a beautiful snow covered fjord, then suddenly the water turns brown and the sky darkens to a menacing shade of black. A mysterious ghost ship appears out of the fog, its name written in a alphabet you cannot read. Welcome to Barentsburg, one of the few places where you can still get a taste of the USSR.

Since 1932 the coal field has been Russian property and except for a brief period during WWII, has remained a active mine. Over the years Barentsburg has become Russia’s main focus in Spitsbergen. Including during the Cold War when a KGB unit and several helicopters were stationed there. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the cash stopped and Barentsburg was left to fend for its self.

On top of financial hardships the town has also had to endure two serious accidents in recent years. In 1996 a plane carrying miners and their families to Barentsburg crashed, killing all 143 on board. A year later a mining accident killed 23 workers. Both tragic events took a toll on the population and spirit of the community. When we visited the mine had just reopened after a fire. The town has started to recover from its various set backs but the mine is becoming worked out.

There is nothing redeeming about the town other than the very nice Russian people who work there. Barely maintained buildings and piles of rusted equipment attest to the neglect Barentsburg has suffered. The electrical installation is unique, if not down right scary. Even the coffee leaves a lot to be desired.

The main highlights are a token statue of Lenin and the Pomor Museum. Pomors were hunters from the north coast of Russia. It is claimed that Pomors made trips to Spitsbergen before its discovery by the Dutch in 1596.

Overall Barentsburg is more of a political wildcard than a tourist destination. Russia clearly desires to be a major player in the arctic and it is unlikely they will ever give up their foothold in Spitsbergen. In the coming years Russia intends to expand its presence and is considering opening a new mine. This plan has not made environmentalists happy and many hope Russia will loose interest in the project.

For More photos of Barentsburg

http://picasaweb.google.com/krystinascheller/Barentsburg#

Getting Acquainted With The Arctic

Our first anchorage Gashamma, in Hornsund fjord, with its beach scattered with remnants of Svalbard’s past, turned out to be an excellent introduction to the area. On one side are the remains of a prosperous 17^th century whaling camp. Very little of the actual camp remains aside from a few bits of wood but the whale bones surrounding the site make it easy to envision the extensive whaling that went on in the vicinity.

The Russo-Swedish scientific expedition huts on the other side of the beach are in much better shape. They are dated from 1899-1901 but must have been used until fairly recently as many of the remnants including the axe and kettle are fairly modern.

The area around the huts was one of the few place where the snow had already thawed, providing excellent grazing potential for a shy reindeer that briefly posed for photos before leaping into the air like a ballerina and taking off for higher ground. It was a powerful and elegant display from a creature with such short legs. Unlike normal reindeer, Svalbard Reindeer are smaller and have a much thicker pelt that enables them to survive in temperatures down to -50 C.

Aside from the historical ruins and wildlife, the most intriguing experience on shore was walking on the candle ice covered ground. Once stepped on candle ice instantly shatters into individual icicles giving it a domino like effect. At first it is quite disconcerting to walk on but after a few tentative steps it becomes obvious that you will only sink in a few inches.

The head of Hornsund was still solid with sea ice but we were able to invent an anchorage near Chomjakovbreen, one of the tidewater glaciers midway up the fjord. Chomjakovbreen is magnificent and the surrounding mountains made the location look ideal for a hike. Once Frances, Kirsty, Elvar and Eivan got to shore they quickly realized that the snow was covered with Polar Bear tracks. The tracks ranged from old, fairly recent to very fresh and it did not take them long to radio back to the boat and request to be retrieved. Krystina had stayed on board hoping to enjoy a quiet afternoon but was content with picking up the potential Polar Bear treats and taking them for a dinghy tour of the glacier instead.

Our last stop in Hornsund was the Polish Research Station which is manned year around. The staff warmly invited us inside, supplied us with coffee and delicious polish cakes followed by a tour of their station. From the tour we learned that they do some monitoring for the Norwegian Polar Institute but mostly they do their own research. They also explained why Hornsund is so popular amongst Polar Bears. During the winter the bears live on the sea ice which breaks up and floats around to the west cost of Spitsbergen. The bears use Hornsund Fjord to return to the east side. This year 98 bears have already passed their station and they are hoping to reach 100. Before we leave Svalbard we hope to have time to stop by the Polish Research Station and repay them for their wonderful hospitality.

For more photos of Hornsund Fjord

http://picasaweb.google.com/krystinascheller/HornsundFjord#

North Across the Barents Sea

At the last minute, three new friends that we met in Tromso decided to join us for the trip up to Longyearbyen. After doing the required extra provisioning that comes with having additional hungry bodies on board, we spent three days getting our new friends used to Snow Dragon and Angela, our beloved autopilot before venturing out on the open ocean.

From the moment we left Tromso, the wind was on the nose with the only redeeming quality being that it was strong and consistent enough to maintain a good tack angle. Once on the ocean, the sailing conditions deteriorated and the wind become completely erratic. Snow Dragon went from one intense hail and snow squall to the next followed by gaps of complete calm before getting slammed with another squall, making the crossing one of the more active for her crew. Trying to outwit the wind become our focus as we clawed our way north.

In an effort to get a handle on what the wind gods were planning to do, we sailed close to Bjornoya (Bear Island) and radioed the station there to see if they had a more dependable weather report. Though their report did not tell us anything new or even remotely accurate, the slight detour was well worth it, as we got a clear view of the normally cloud shrouded island basking in blue skies.

At the southern tip of Spitsbergan, we where greeted with our first batch of sea ice which had blown down from the east side of the island. With thirty miles still to go, we decided to go along the edge of the ice instead of picking our way through, watching schools of Harp seals hunt for food as we made our way along to Hornsund Fjord.

Five and a half days after leaving mainland Norway, we dropped anchor in Gashamna Bay and briefly took in our new surroundings before catching up on some much needed rest.

Heading North

Cruising, adventure sailing and expedition travel are a few of the terms that have been used to generalize what we do. Yes, it is true that Snow Dragon is a comfortable, well equipped boat that is designed to go anywhere in the world and we do take her to some pretty cool places. However, Snow Dragon is more complicated than just a method of travel, she is our home, way of life and at times our most demanding team member. Together we have crossed oceans, survived our share of disappointments and have made amazing friends along the way. After spending the past year and a half making our way from Alaska to Europe, Snow Dragon is now ready for the far north and will be spending the next 2-3 months exploring the arctic wilderness of Svalbard.

Svalbard, located just below the North Pole, is heavily regulated and anyone who wishes to go out of the Longyearbyen vicinity, also known as Area 10, without being part of an organized tour must obtain permission from the Sysselmannen (District Governor) before they can proceed. We found the application process to be fairly straight forward but it did take awhile for the Governor's office to respond. All expeditions must be entirely self-sufficient and once the Governor approved our request to explore the area in depth he set a bond of 200,000 NOK ($31,841) to cover potential search and rescue expenses (SAR). We decided to purchase SAR insurance instead of providing a bank guarantee and have spent much of the last week in Tromso organizing the insurance which turned out to be a nonstandard item.

Our plan is to arrive in Svalbard by the second week of June and explore the west coast while we wait for the ice to clear before going around to the east.