One Town, Two Countries

We had a beautiful moonlit sail and arrived in Kirkenes at first light, after a wind shift made our original anchorage unsafe. The granite rock and fall leaves glowing in the morning light, were a picturesque introduction to the area. The silver birch covered hills were an exciting sight, they were the first trees that we had seen since leaving Norway in early June. After a short nap to recover from our impromptu night sail, we walked around the town before going for a hike.

Kirkenes is a border town and its strong ties with Russia can be felt throughout the community. Besides frequent buses to Murmansk and street signs being in Russian and Norwegian. Most of the vessels that filled the harbor were Russian ships in port for a refit.

Russian fishing vessels

While hiking we saw several people picking mushrooms and inquired which ones were safe to eat. With our new local knowledge we picked a few for dinner. They were delicious but Frances had a bad reaction to them and spent the following day feeling miserable. Wild mushrooms continued to be a source of temptation on our hikes but a quick reminder of the side effects have prevented Frances from giving them another try.

When time permits, we like to land travel around areas that we find particularly special and Kirkenes was one of them. There was no real savings by taking the bus so we opted for the freedom of a rental car. We drove to the Sami museum at the head of the fjord. The museum was well put together and we were surprised how similar the Sami artifacts were to the Viking’s.

Before returning to Snow Dragon we drove to a lush farming area beside the Pasvik river whose deepest point marks the Russian-Norwegian border. Norwegian boats that cross the poorly marked line, face either a reprimand from the Russians or a fine from the Norwegians. On the Norwegian side there were tidy farms while the Russian was woodland and industrial buildings. The area near the river was rich with bird life including a flock of cranes, that stopped for a short rest in one of the fields before continuing their migration.

Looking across the Pasvik river into Russia

Getting Snow Dragon out of Kirkenes took a lot of patience and muscle power. As Krystina cranked the winch to bring the anchor up, she realized that the chain had wrapped itself around something. After motoring around in circles to untangle the chain, we discovered that the anchor was snagged. A local diver offered to help but we assured him that that we would be able to get it up. With an image of a sunken Russian war ship playing through our mind, we were surprised when the anchor came up with only a heavy mooring chain attached. The diver returned to check on us just as we were about to remove the chain and was impressed that we were able to resolve the problem ourselves. 

For more photos please click on Kirkenes Album. 

Visiting The Border

Full moon coming into Ytre Smastraumen

We arrived at our anchorage, Ytre Smastraumen, just after sunset. The bay turned out to be deeper than specified on our chart and after exploring every inch, we decided that anchoring deep was our only option. A full moon and clear skies made it possible for us to take our time while we looked for a good spot.

The landscape had changed since leaving Vardo. The hills were bubblier and more complex. Our hike on the hospitable granite hills made our trip east well worth the effort. Aside from the pleasant terrain, there was a high density of cranberries, blueberries and nagoons, which we stopped and picked in the rain.

After our nice hike we returned to find our dinghy floating eighty feet from shore. When the tide came up, the log that she had been tied to floated away. Luckily we had used a stern anchor and there was no danger of loosing her. Since Frances had made the decision to tie to the log, she felt obligated to brave the cold water and fetch our only way back to Snow Dragon. 

Snow Dragon sailing toward the Russian border

Before moving on to Kirkenes, Snow Dragon had to have a closer look at Russia, four miles to the east. We knew intellectually that the border would not be dramatic but it still was surprising to see the same gentle, bubbly hills continue. The only indication that we did not want to cross without proper paper work were the Norwegian and Russian guard stations on opposing sides.

A gentler reminder was the 19^th century stone church which the Norwegians erected to mark their territory. The only surprise was the nice sandy beach beside the church. Thirty knots of cold wind prevented any thought of sunbathing on the white sand and we turned around after coming within a half mile of the sea border.  

19th century church

For more photos of Ytre Smastraumen and the Russian Border please click on Border Album.

Short Stay, Warm Welcome

Hills behind Indre Haven

Our delayed arrival in Kongsfjord meant that we had no time to explore the area. The sun was setting behind small, shapely hills as we dropped anchor north of Indre Haven. The brief calm conditions forecast for the following day meant we needed to keep moving which meant leaving the anchorage early. As we left for Vardo we consoled ourselves with the thought of stopping at Indre Haven on our way back. 

The calm conditions ended up being more suitable for motoring than sailing. We were able to make good time and arrived in Vardo in the early afternoon. The town turned out to be a delight, the fishermen welcomed us to their dock and Snow Dragon felt at home alongside the local fishing fleet.

Snow Dragon at the dock in Vardo

Snow Dragon’s charm paid off and our freezer was quickly filled with king crab and haddock. With just the two of us on board it took awhile to get through our new stock and a few recipes were created along the way. Our favorite is crab and fennel in cheese sauce but crab cakes are a close second.

King crab is not native to Norway, as it is in Alaska. They were introduced by the Russians from Kamchatka and the crabs have been slowly making their way down the Norwegian coast. This unintentional “gift” from Russia has been viewed as a curse. As with any unnatural introduction, the crabs have been a source of negative impact on the environment, eating everything they can find. The king crab populations has grown rapidly and eradicating them is not an easy or viable solution. So the Norwegians will have to live with their new friends and make what profit they can off of them. 

Frances with king crab legs

For more photos of Indre Haven and Vardo please click on 

Vardo Album.

Nordkin Stops

Mehamn, a small fishing town located midway down the Nordkin Peninsula, was our first town stop once we returned to Norway. The people went out of their way to make us feel welcome. They were excited to see Snow Dragon in their harbor and invited us to stay as long as we would like.

The harbor was well protected and we found a nice shallow, out of the way anchor spot. With our anchor windlass out of action, it was even more attractive to find reasonable depth.   

Snow Dragon was still well stocked with food even though we had not been near a grocery store in over two months. It was nice not feeling the need to find the nearest store. We took out time wondering around town and picked blueberries before even thinking about buying groceries.

We only spent one night in Mehamn on our way east. Our aim was to explore the area near the Russian border and get back to Tromso before winter set in. The distances weren’t great but contrary winds and rough sea slowed our progress.

Our intention on leaving Mehamn had been to make it to Kongsfjord on the next peninsula. Wind on the nose and vicious sea made us rethink things. We ended up seeking protection in a small pool at the head of Risfjorden. The area was surrounded by a handful of holiday cabins, the remnants of an old fishing community.

While waiting for more favorable conditions we ventured ashore. The hills were full of wonderful vegetation, small ponds and a few reindeer. There were also the remains of the power polls that used to provide electricity to the community. Only one of the cabins was inhabited during our stay. With no road access and no electricity, it felt very remote.  

For more photos of Mehamn and Risfjorden please click on 

Mehamn Risfjorden Album. 

Svalbard Route

To give you a better idea of where our Svalbard posts took place we have included a hand drawn map with our route below. Along with a map key that  shows the corresponding posts.  

1. Hornsundfjord: Getting Acquainted With the Arctic

2. Barentsburg: Welcome to the USSR. I am Where?

2-3. Barentsburg-Longyearbyen: Pretty in Orange

3. Longyearbyen: The Big City

4. Pyramiden: Ice, Ice and More Ice, Perfect Town 

& Revenge of The Sea Ice

5-7. Scansbukta & Trighamma: No Post

8. Prince Karls Forland: Nap Time

9. Engelsbukta: Unusual Events

9-10. Engelsbukta-Blomstrandhamma: Whiteout

11. Ny Alesund: Last Stop

12. Magdalenefjord: The Harsh But Fragile Arctic 

& New Friends, Memorable Places

13-14. Danskoya: Farewell Fair Weather

15. Liefdefjord: A Taste Of Winter

16. Woodfjord: Cold Disappointment, Interesting Location

17. Mushamna: Remote Anchorage Complete With Company 

18. Moffin: No Post 

19. Sorgfjord: Turning Point

20. Murchisonfjord: Surprising Vardes

21-24. Hinlopen Strait: Final Attempt & Unexpected Overtime

24-25. Barentsoya: Bones and Flowers

26. Edgeoya: Beautiful Island, Strong Wind 

Four additional Svalbard posts not included above are Heading North (getting ready for Svalbard), North Across the Barents Sea (Norway-Svalbard), Sailing Across the Barents (Svalbard-Norway), Beyond the Photos (Svalbard Paintings)

Beyond The Photos

Frances painting at sea off Bjornoya

Besides photographs, watercolor paintings are another way that Snow Dragon’s travels are recorded. Frances endeavors to paint in every anchorage and in Svalbard she came close to meeting her goal.

Engelsbukta

To view more of Frances' paintings please click on Svalbard Paintings Album or check out her website francesbrann.com to view paintings from previous trips.

Sailing Across The Barents

The gentle bobbing off the southern tip of Spitsbergen turned into violent slamming when the wind and sea picked up, before returning to gentle bobbing. Eventually the wind stabilized and Snow Dragon settled into comfortable sailing but not before needing her engine to motor out of the strong current off of Bjornoya that was pushing us backwards.

Conditions in the Barents are always changing and thanks to a very good friend, we had daily Norwegian weather reports emailed to us that detailed wind strength and direction. As well as being able to pull in regular weather faxes on the SSB radio, that show the big picture. Knowing what winds were forecast helped us plan our course.

Our night watch schedule is generally informal. We aim to do three hour watches but often do longer ones depending on conditions and how we’re feeling. When watches are not active with sail and course changes or traffic, our time is spent reading in between regular checks for other vessels. What we read depends on the conditions. If it is rough, it needs to be something light.

The pilothouse is the most stable part of Snow Dragon and our favorite place to stand watch, hangout or sleep when underway. There are sleeping options on both sides so even when the boat is heeled there is usually a comfortable place to sleep.

Food is very important on a passage. We will usually make a meal in advance to get us through the first day while we adjust to being at sea. Some of our favorite underway meals are cauliflower cheese and leek and potato soup. By the third day we are usually eating normally and during our Barent’s crossing enjoyed sausage with red cabbage and mashed potatoes.

Our calorie needs vary radically during ocean crossings and we like to keep energy bars on hand for when conditions are demanding and we need to refuel quickly. Hydration is essential and we always have bottles of water with electrolyte within reach. Though our favorite form of hydration is tea and we are always coming up with inventive ways to keep the teapot from taking flight while underway.

As we headed south, wildlife was more pronounced than it had been during our trip up to Svalbard. Before loosing sight of Spitsbergen, a humpback whale appeared briefly and fluked. We found whales to be a rare sight in Svalbard and cherished this distant encounter.

Just south of Bjornoya, white beaked dolphins made a midnight appearance. And later that morning we saw our fist sunrise since May, brighten the horizon. Followed by an impressive sunset later that evening. After three months of twenty-four hour sun we were now being gently reintroduced to night.

During our last full day at sea, a migrating sandpiper hitched a brief ride. He appeared to be foraging for food and Krystina put some sesame cracker crumbs out on deck for him to snack on. Adjusting sails without disturbing the sandpiper was tricky but he did not seem to mind the brief interruption.

Six days after leaving Edgeoya, we made landfall at Oksefjord, on Norway’s Nordkinn peninsula. Fall was evident and we returned from shore with wild flowers and blueberries. Unfortunately, the fjord funneled the wind and chop directly into our anchorage, making us eager to move on after spending a couple days recovering from the passage.

For more photos of the passage please click on Passage Album. 

Blog Notice

Photos have been added to Farewell Fair Weather, Last Stop, New Friends, Memorable Places and Harsh But Fragile Arctic. A missing post, Whiteout, has also been added.