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.