Farewell Fair Weather

By the time we got to Danskoya we were well adjusted to life with 24 hour sunlight and needing sunglasses at 3am. The weather report showed no radical changes and we looked forward to exploring Danskeneset, our anchorage on the southeast tip of the island, which was covered in blue sky. 

After waiting for the strong north wind to die down, we took off for our hike at 10pm. The terrain was steep and rocky but considering the mud only went up to our ankles, Krystina felt the hike deserved four stars. From the top of the peak we got a good view of the island which was basking in a spectacular yellow light. 

Once back on Snow Dragon, the fog rolled in and it began to rain. The following day we decided to head around to Vigohmma, on the north side of Danskoya. Low visibility made getting into the intricate entrance of the bay challenging. We could not see the islands that we were meant to use as range markers and came to the conclusion that following the beach was our safest bet. It did get quite shallow but we made it in without hitting bottom. 

Vigohamma is where Salmon August Andree set off on his fatal attempt to reach the North Pole by hydrogen-filled balloon in 1897. The site is considered to be a "holy grail" among those interested in polar exploration and special permission is needed from the Sysellmenen to land there. We were expecting to find a fairly flat area but instead found steep mountains. 

As we were getting ready to go ashore, Frances looked out of the pilothouse window and saw a polar bear taking a stroll along the beach that we were planning to land on. Though the bear was clearly leaving the vicinity, we still chose to forgo our shore visit. Once the bear was out of sight, we set off for the north cost of Spitsbergen in search of better weather.

For more photos of Danskoya please click on Daskoya Album.

New Friends, Memorable Places

Snow Dragon has a way of making herself memorable. While walking back to our dinghy at Trinityhamma, the crew of the Polish yacht Whisper 2, came up to us and asked, "where you in the Azores last summer?” It turned out that we had shared an anchorage with them on Pico, one of our favorite stops during our transatlantic crossing. Though we had not met at the time, they remembered Snow Dragon.

Not wanting to miss another chance to get to know Whisper, we invited them over for coffee and dessert. Over bread pudding we exchanged stories of how we ended up in the Azores and then Svalbard. The crew of Whisper are four friends who recently graduated from university. Piotreu and Magdalena purchased Whisper, a Cal 29 in Michigan and sailed to Poland via the Caribbean before heading to Svalbard. With various friends joining them along the way.

Though Snow Dragon and Whisper could not have been more different, both are well set up for offshore sailing and challenging anchoring conditions. This reflects our shared philosophy that the world needs to be explored beyond the mainstream tourist destinations and one must be self sufficient while doing so. A common sense approach that is unfortunately followed by very few.

It was a memorable evening and we look forward to sharing another anchorage with Whisper 2.

The Harsh But Fragile Arctic

Magdalene's deep water, spectacular glaciers and steep peeks make it one of Svalbard's most famous fjords. With Trinityhamna, a 17th Century whaler burial ground being a popular shore stop. Over the years, thousands of tourists have walked among the graves without regard for the soft soil and fragile vegetation beneath their feet.

The devastation to both the vegetation and the grave site prompted the Sysellmennen to take the unusual action of surrounding the graveyard with a fence. While we were there, none of the cruise ships that came into the fjord disembarked but even so there was evidence of heavy foot traffic.

The Arctic terns provide their own security. When we tried to walk along the beach they immediately attempted to attack us. This was the first time that we found terns in Svalbard to be aggressive and they were clearly tired of being disturbed, even though we were a respectful distance from their nests.

It was quite sad seeing the fence, which looked completely out of place in a fjord that is known for its natural beauty. With care, the vegetation will return but some estimate that it could take up to 200 years. Time will tell but it is a clear reminder that Svalbard is still struggling to find the right balance between tourism and conservation.

For more photos of Magdalene please click on Magdalenefjord Album. 

Last Stop

Ny Alesund, our last stop in “civilization” is owned and operated by Kings Bay which successfully turned the settlement into a scientific research base, after coal mining became unprofitable.  Several countries have permanent stations there including Norway, Holland, China and India, making it an international community.  

When we brought Snow Dragon in to refuel, the harbormaster told us that the pub would be open that night. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to experience the “local color” we decided to check it out. The closest we got to locals was a newly arrived group from California. They were part of a NASA team testing an unmanned research plane that they hoped to fly over the sea ice.

Before we left the pub, word got around that Saturday was dance night and we were told it was an event not to be missed. Our plan had been to only spend two days in Ny Alesund but we decided to stick around. The extra time in town also gave us the opportunity to repair Angela who ended up needing her motor replaced, luckily we had a spare on board.

Just as the repair was completed, a few members of the NASA team stopped by to see our “battle ship”. They were impressed by her construction and kept comparing her to a plane. Though they understood a lot of the systems and navigational equipment, they were not sure how long they would last at sea. Maybe one day some of them will join us and find out.

To escape the cruise ships that come into Ny Alesund, we took a day to explore the nearby island of Blomstrand which had good hiking and a friendly young reindeer who followed us around. After spending time in an idyllic anchorage, we headed back to town. Though the dance was not the most happening event, we enjoyed spending more time with our new friends.

Before we left the following morning, they took us out to see the plane in action. It was fascinating watching the teamwork involved in getting the plane ready, every member was highly skilled and it showed. Their precision was a reminder that in aviation everything has to be just right before the aircraft leaves the ground.

We kept in contact with the team and though they were plagued by they same bad weather we were, they still managed to fly 2,923 km over the sea ice. For more information on the project please go to http://www.espo.nasa.gov/casie/

For more photos of Ny Alesund and NASA please click on Ny Alesund Album and NASA Album. 

Whiteout

By the time we left Engelskbukta a wall of fog had already begun to creep into the bay. There was just enough wind to sail which gave us the added insurance of being able to hear another vessel approaching. With our radar running and foghorn on standby, we kept a vigilant watch. 

The visibility did not improve and we went into the anchorage at Blomstrandhamma completely blind, relying on the depth sounder and radar. At one point the fog shifted slightly and we briefly saw the edge of the snow covered shore. Once Snow Dragon was snuggly anchored we waited patiently for the fog to give us another glimpse of shore. When it did, we realized that it was a large ice berg, not shore that we had seen.

When the fog finally cleared, we took in our new surroundings which resembled a construction sight. The retreating glacier had left behind mounds of rubble. Amongst the “debris” several flowers were flourishing under the harsh conditions including polar willow (salix polaris) and mountain avens (dryas octopetala).         

Once back aboard Snow Dragon, the wind picked up and every piece of ice that had carved from the glacier including the large ice berg started to move our way. Not wanting a repeat of Pyramiden, we motored across to Ny Alesund, a muddy but ice free anchorage.      

For more photos of Blomstrandhamma please click on Blomstrandhamma Album. 

Unusual Events

Good sailing conditions are hard to come by in Svalbard and we were thrilled when we left Prins Karls Forland to have a downwind spinnaker run to Engleskbukta. It was the first time since May that “Spinny,” our blue and white spinnaker had been out. With the warm weather we were able to sit out in the cockpit without having to be bundled in multiple layers.

Engleskbukta offered a lot of good hiking opportunities and there was one peak in particular that Frances had her sights on. With our goal in mind we set off for shore where a curious harbor seal watched us haul the dinghy out of the water with an amused look on its face. Krystina grabbed the camera but by the time she had the lens cap off the seal had disappeared.

Initially our progress was slow, as it was the first mountain we had tackled since leaving Norway. Eventually our legs got used to the idea of going uphill as we carefully picked our way through the soggy terrain. The snow ended up being too rotten to reach the submit but we were able to get most of the way up and get some spectacular views of the bay before the fog set in. On our decent we were able to use the snow to our advantage and slide down with ease.

Once back in the dinghy the harbor seal reappeared, this time with a friend. They were very inquisitive and one came right up to us. It was a magical moment and a rare sight as there is only one small colony of harbor seals in Svalbard.