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.