The tidal current was against us when we entered Freemansund late in the evening. Instead of fighting it, we anchored on the northeast side of the passage and took the opportunity to explore the island of Barentsoya while we waited for the tide to turn. Before going to bed we made a quick shore trip and were surprised by the lush vegetation.
On the way back to the dinghy we discovered a polar bear skull and spine. The light was not great and we returned to shore the following morning to photograph the vegetation and polar bear remains in better light. An injured reindeer on the hill above got up briefly to check us out but soon returned to its resting position. The limp in his hind leg looked serious and it appeared unlikely that he would make it through the winter.
Back on the boat we sat down to have lunch. As we were looking out of the pilothouse window enjoying the view, a large male polar bear walked across the area where we had been photographing an hour before. To our surprise he walked right past the injured reindeer, obviously more interested in where he was going than finding food. Though his pace was casual, he covered ground quickly with his long stride.
That evening we transited Freemansund with a favorable tidal current and anchored in Sundbukta on the southeast side of Barentsoya. Submerged rocks and surge made getting to shore the following morning difficult but we eventually found a protected beach to land on. The hilly terrain provided poor creature visibility and we kept to the shore, minimizing our chances of surprising a polar bear. Neither of us had any desire to get a closer look at the sizable bear that we had seen the previous day.
The ground was scattered with whale bones that had washed ashore from whaling stations in the vicinity. Their bleached white color and size made them easy to spot amongst the green and gold vegetation. Slabs of brown rock, kept us out of the mud and made for easy movement while we walked amongst the remains.
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