SKYE MARR-WHELAN GRAHAM MORGAN GRAHAM MORGAN
Across the North East Passage 10 August – 4 September 2011 Akademik Shokalskiy
Dear fellow North East Passagers, Wow! Thanks to your efforts, notes scrawled on pieces of paper, hours at the laptop in the bar, paragraphs dictated to Skye, photos downloaded and shared, here is an extraordinary record of our historic voyage. Over 26 days, we followed in the wake of great Arctic explorers, who searched for a trade route from Europe to China. Departing Murmansk, we crossed the Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi and Bering seas, forging a route destined to be followed by many in the future. Arriving in Anadyr, we could barely recall where we’d been at the start. That’s the beauty of this wonderful log. I hope it brings back as many memories for you as it has for me. Enjoy! May we share another voyage soon, Howard Whelan Expedition Leader Inaugural Northeast Passage Voyage 2011
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
Day 1
Murmansk Position 2100 hours
Lat. 69° 29’N, Long. 33° 56’E
Course
48°
Speed
10.8 knots
Barometer
1008 hPa and steady
Wind
5 knots NNW
Air temperature
10°C
Sea temperature
8°C
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
Akademik Shokalskiy at the dock
Within an hour of everyone making their way up the gangway and settling in, the introductory briefing had begun, the ship unexpectedly pulled away, and in a rush we swept outside to experience the historic departure of Aurora Expedition’s inaugural North East Passage voyage. Rain, wind and lowering clouds did little to dent the enthusiasm as many
gathered on the bow and along deck 4 to enjoy Murmansk, with its towering Soviet apartment blocks, lively waterfront and busy harbor – all under the watchful gaze of Aliosha, towering defender of the Russian Arctic. As we made our way north to the Barents Sea, we passed a vast drilling platform and a virtual tour of Russia’s icebreaker fleet, from the first-ever icebreaker Lenin, to Kapitan Dranitsyn, Arktika, and the pride of the nuclear icebreaker fleet. For those who’ve travelled on Marina Svetaeva, her sistership, Anna Akhmatova was an interesting sight. Soon our introductory briefing was resumed, with a safety talk given by Second Mate Anton, before we loaded into lifeboats as part of our abandon-ship drill. A delicious dinner by Joss and Dima was
consumed as we sailed out into an open sea, shared by fishing boats and seabirds. The voyage that has kept us waiting for so long had truly begun.
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Rain sprinkled the dust, dockside dogs stood up in the railroad tracks as the coach eased through the boom gates of Murmansk Port, past dilapidated warehouses and pulled to a stop beneath a row of praying-mantis cranes. Akademik Shokalskiy stood proud and freshly painted on the wharves of Kola Bay, and much laughter bounced around as old friends were reunited and new friends made.
Lifeboat drill
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
By Skye Marr-Whelan
Murmansk waterfront
3
Day 2
Crossing the Barents Sea Thursday, 11 August 2011 Lat. 72° 30’N, Long. 44° 19’E
Course
49°
Speed
10.8 knots
Barometer
1011 hPa and steady
Wind
Light & variable
Air temperature
10°C
Sea temperature
7°C
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
Position 2100 hours
Crossing Barents Sea
— John Steinbeck
By Lesley Gordon Having been rocked to sleep on our first night aboard our trusty ship, I was awake early and joined a small group drinking tea in the port dining room. It is a great way to start out on our adventures across the north coast of Russia and to get to know my fellow travellers. One thing about these trips is that there is always lots of wonderful food to be had several times a day, so the next event was to enjoy the first feast of the day. The next thing was the gumboot parade in the lecture room, where we battled to find that pair of boots that, hopefully, will keep our feet dry for the following weeks.
take their mug of wine to the dinner table, a great way to keep one’s drinking habit quiet!! With lunch out of the way we made our way to the lecture room again to listen to Alan talk about the birds of the region. As we are all new to this part of the world, it will be interesting to see what other birds appear. The records on the bridge will show the range at the end of the trip. By 6.30 p.m. we were once again eating, this time at the captain’s welcome drinks and a lavish spread of eats and strong punch, which was followed by dinner. Those who still had the energy were able to view the BBC documentary Russia – a journey with Jonathon Dimbleby Part 1. All the while our ship was travelling towards our first destination through calm seas.
Howard introducing Captain Oleg
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
There was no time to get bored as we began the season of lectures with Vladimir’s introduction to the Arctic and notes about his previous trips with interesting photos. It seemed as though we had just finished morning tea, and it was lunchtime. Joss and Dima do a wonderful job of keeping us so well fed, even those of us who have special needs, producing tasty meals and lots of cakes and biscuits oh so difficult to refuse. A new idea from Aurora is the mug, which can be taken most places on board the ship without fear of broken cups or glasses. Some even
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
A journey is a person in itself, no two are alike, and all plans, safeguards, policies and coercion are fruitless. We find that after years of struggle, that we do not take a trip – a trip takes us.
Captain’s welcome drinks
4
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
Day 3
Crossing the Barents Sea Position 2110 hours
Lat. 75° 37’N, Long. 56° 47’E
Course
47°
Speed
11.8 knots
Barometer
1015 hPa
Wind
Light & variable
Air temperature
10.5°C
Sea temperature
6°C
ROSIE APPLETON
Friday, 12 August 2011
Northern fulmar
Our second full day at sea didn’t seem to have anything to distinguish it from the day before – calm seas, fog early, but that lifted – except land was sighted at 1315 hours and we were 48 nautical miles away! We cruised along the coast of Novaya Zemlya on the Barents Sea for the rest of the day, watching birds and the occasional harp seal. Safety briefings from Howard and Alan were on the agenda for the morning as we ‘enjoyed’ the hot confines of the lecture room, and Dr Jaye filled us in on the history of Willem Barents.
ROSIE APPLETON
By Rosie and Peter Appleton
Kayakers briefing
The brave kayakers donned their gear and headed out to the back deck for their dry run with Judd, full of expectations of what would unfold for the trip.
Beautiful sunset
SHYE MARR-WHELAN
Terry’s first cocktail of the cruise, Land A-Hoy, Vlad’s funny stories and a beautiful sunset put us all in the right mind to go to bed dreaming of our first landings tomorrow and the excitement of what is to come.
ROSIE APPLETON
Everyone was still full of expectations and the wish list was long … puffins, polar bears on ice, flora of the Arctic, pod of narwals, fossils, Wrangel Island – the list goes on.
First sighting of Novaya Zemlya
5
Day 4
Bukhta Legzdin; Bukhta Maka; Inostrantsev Gulf Position 2030 hours
Lat. 76° 43’N, Long. 65° 50’E
Course
29°
Speed
11.3 knots
Barometer
1018 hPa
Wind
0
Air temperature
10°C
Sea temperature
6°C
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
Saturday, 13 August 2011
Cruising in the Zodiac
Every person who ventures across oceans to distant lands is a potential explorer; in his or her breast burns the same fire that urged adventurers of old to set forth in their sailing ships for foreign lands. —Jean Batten, Alone in the Sky (1979)
By Frank Berger Motto: Warum wählte man denn nicht lieber die reichhaltige Mannigfaltigkeit des bevorzugten Südens zum Ziele, warum gerade den öden Norden, dort wo jegliches Leben erstarrt und die Natur sich unter dem Blicke des Forschers unter ewig-eisiger Decke entzog?. (Why didn`t we choose as our destination the rich diversity of the privileged south, why the waste and deserted north, where every life is frozen and where the nature hides itself from the inspection of the explorer under the cover of eternal ice?) —Aleksandr Fyodorovich von Middendorf, Sibirische Reise, St. Petersburg 1847.
We had to breathe the disgusting smell of thousands of guillemots and kittiwakes at some cliffs. Only two or three polar bears crossed in our way. The first of them accompanied us early in the morning for half an hour on the top of the coastline in an awful backlight. A second one was thinking that we would feed him with our beloved spouses in the ice-cold water. We watched only one lazy bearded seal lying on the ice and, later on, a female walrus that fled when we approached. We have been driven out on high mountains, reaching the end of our certificated fitness, and driven into deep and dangerous swamps where we sunk in. We were not offered a good nap this day; twice Howard called us out into this uncomfortable fresh air and these stormy Zodiacs. Can I recommend others to suffer these extensive undertakings voluntarily? Yes, I can!
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
This first Saturday on board was one of the worst days, if not the worst day of the entire expedition. It was mainly badly managed by the expedition leader, Howard. Starting with the reasons for complaints: no clouds were in the sky, no Arctic climate at all, too warm (finally some of us nearly
got sunburnt), no wind, no heavy waves, as we were promised. No reindeer (only their footsteps), no musk oxen, no polar foxes, no walruses.
Ship cruising in Bukhta Maka
6
Terry’s Zodiac cruising amongst the guillemots, Bukhta Legzdin
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
Day 5
Ostrova Oranskie; Mys Zhelaniya Sunday, 14 August 2011 Lat. 77° 12’N, Long. 74° 53’E
Course
79°
Speed
10.6 knots
Barometer
1012 hPa
Wind
11 knots N
Air temperature
6°C
Sea temperature
6°C
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
Position 2200 hours
Sea stack at Ostrava Oranskie
Nature is an infinite sphere of which the center is everywhere, and the circumference nowhere —Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
By Heather and Vic Douglas-Make Early (4:45 a.m.) on a foggy, in fact, a very foggy morning we were aroused from our slumber to find almost a white-out as we made our foray onto the Zodiacs for a pre-breakfast cruise around Orange Islands. Howard had completed a reconnaissance on the lookout for the white predator; the kayakers were away, and five Zodiacs, dependent on GPS for direction, were soon to follow.
designed craft meant no one received a wet tail. Damage was inspected when Skye brought the craft onto the beach. We had a close look at the nesting guillemots and kittiwakes, still with fat youngsters to fledge, made a second landing and had a quiet walk to study more closely the beached walruses, then went back home for a welcome breakfast with lots of tales to tell.
Deflated Expectations by Norman Vaughton There once was a walrus called Jacey, Who fell deeply in love with our Tracy. The tusker had pluck, our Tracy screamed “F...” Your approach is just far, far too hasty!”
From Terry in the bar Zodiac Love Bite
2x gin, 1x Blue Curacao and 1x lemon juice (shaken vigorously) Strain into a well-chilled glass. Embellish with a maraschino cherry piercing a lemon wedge.
VIC DOUGLAS-MAKE
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
Appearing like a huge, Australian termite nest, as if from outer space, was a very tall, white structure. An Iceberg? A rock covered with ice? No, a sea stack, part of many of the Orange Islands appearing ghostlike in the fog. The crystal-clear water off Western Island made for a sparkling backdrop to the tall rocks.
“Walrus!” was the call, as the first of nearly two hundred beautiful creatures that we were to encounter this morning surfaced close to the Zodiacs. Curious juveniles, elder, scarred, tuskless adults wallowed in the shallows or lazed on the fine pebbly beach until the sea around us unfolded a cauldron of pods of walruses. Motors checked, the Zodiacs stayed close together, drifting among the diving animals as they came very close to the photographers. Slava and Yelana monitored the sleeping polar bears from a distance. Playful pod members nudging the Zodiac sides became too exuberant, and Tracy was surprised by air departing with a whoosh from her seat on the boat; one rear pontoon compartment of the Zodiac burst after being punctured in two places by the over-zealous ivory tusks of one playful, very strong, young walrus. Thank heavens the eight compartments of this brilliantly
She’s mine. No, she’s mine!
Passengers getting a lift up the hill
Back into our excursion gear, taking only four Zodiacs we had a short ride to a new location, Mys Zhelaniya, site of a Russian scientific base during the seventies and now the Russian Arctic National Park. A small bus/ van/amphibian-come transport vehicle with eight wheels (Mad Max came to mind) was there to transport some expeditioners up the hill. Much debris, rusted drums, vans, trucks, tractors, wooden planks, logs and abandoned 7
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
Zodiac cruising with walruses
huts surrounded the area. Two resident polar bears, one a most forlorn, elderly creature, moved only to stand, turn and lie down, while the second covered the front porch of a tiny hut – a naturally heated, live, floor rug! Both were supervised by rangers with a firearm apiece to protect us as we explored ‘staying close’. Alex, deputy director of the Park, welcomed us to the newly commissioned park (2010, the first rangers starting work in July 2011). The scientific research began in 1932 for metrological studies. During World War II scientists relayed information regarding shipping lanes and metrological forecasting. Remains of submarine fortification could be seen. In 1942 German guns fired from submarines on the base. From 1946, the station was used only as a runway. In 1956 construction commenced on a research station. Most of the construction dates from that era. Since 1996, with installation of solar panels, manpower was no longer needed as information could be electronically relayed. The base remained unmanned until the 2009. Willem Barents was known to have stayed in a cave, but he was ill at the time. Alex accepted some fresh goodies from the ship on behalf of the men staffing the park from 13 July through to early September. 8
After visiting the wooden lighthouse (climbed by a few), then the large cairn supporting an Orthodox cross, we were able to stand at the top of sheer cliffs where we could look down on the birds nesting. We ‘kept close together’ and passed once more our elderly (tame?) polar bear. Birders were delighted to spy tiny, purple sandpipers, busily darting and feeding, pristine among the rusted drums and metal littering the water’s edge. Zodiacs loaded, ship’s company on board, tags turned, anchors raised, dining rooms full and we steamed away. Afternoon naps were the general occupation on board in a cooler atmosphere, after leaving the Gulf Stream. Passenger Frank Berger, Curator of the Historic Museum of Frankfurt, Germany, enthralled us with his hobby – Arctic history. Frank related the opportunity he had to delve into his passion when material concerning Augustus Pitermann was made available to him. Frank showed us early maps of the polar region with many empty spaces. We learnt of Emperor Franz Josef and his support for an Open Polar Sea; the warm Gulf Stream could leave partly-open seaways, and the potential for a passage became apparent. Austrian naval officers Karl Weyrrecht and Augustus Pitermann, backed by the Emperor, convinced the Austrian public to fund expeditions to investi-
gate their hypothesis. A war between Austria and Italy followed, in which Austria was victorious. Next year, in 1871, a sailing vessel named Polar Bear was built as a pre-expedition ship. This being successful, a new, combined steam-sail ship was built, with a 60 horsepower engine (same as one of our Zodiacs) and two masts; it came complete with three small rowing boats. One year, passports were issued. Ships were supplied for three years’ wintering on ice. The frustrated adventurers, after two years stranded in the pack ice, loaded the small boats onto sleds and travelled south. The moving pack ice meant very few kilometres were traversed. The ship was eventually engulfed by ice and disappeared complete with supplies and equipment. The explorers eventually triumphed and returned home to a tumultuous welcome, having discovered, charted and named Franz Josef Land. Weyrrecht and Pitermann were true heroes. Expedition Leader Karl Weyrrecht was presented with the gold medal from the Royal Geographic Society, London, after results from the expedition were presented to the Society. Some facts of the expedition: 22 men in the party 3 dogs of mixed breed, to ward off polar bears 55 polar bears were killed and eaten No scurvy. Canned lemon juice on board Passport destination – North Pole One death from tuberculosis After the success of the expedition the a Polar Year was named. Polar years to date: either 25 or 50 years apart: 1881–82 1932–33 1957–58 2009–10
– – – –
1st Polar Year; 2nd Polar Year; 3rd Polar Year; 4th Polar Year
Frank’s co-author cited his difficulty translating many of the entries in the notebook as the language was 125-year-old Norwegian/Dutch. Frank donated a copy of The Diary of Elling Carlsen to the ship. The Diary of Elling Carlsen – Accounting Records of the Austro-Hungarian Polar Expedition 1872-1874, Berger, Frank, and Stangeland, Hallvard, Books on Demand Gmb (2010)
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
Day 6
Yedineniya Island Monday, 15 August 2011 Lat. 76° 41’N, Long. 88°51’E
Course
126°
Speed
10.7 knots
Barometer
1020 hPa
Wind
0
Air temperature
4°C
Sea temperature
8°C
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
Position 2100 hours
Briefing on Yedineniya Island
By Cliff Lyon After putting the clock forward an hour the previous night, we sighted Yedineniya Island (the lonely island) as a low-lying outline in the morning foggy mist. As Howard later reminded us, we were fortunate that the fog held off early and enabled a landing to be made, as the group was probably the first Australians, including other nationalities aboard, to be on the island. The ship was forced to anchor more than a mile offshore in about 10 metres, so it was a longish trip in the five Zodiacs. Our scouts had reported a polar bear near where we intended to land, and we went down the coast for a couple of kilometers to try and find a channel to the lagoon, without success. As the bear had moved off, we landed in the originally chosen spot and walked up the sandy slope (starting, at least, as a tightknit group) to the top of the rise from where we were able to see the abandoned meteorological station, a flock
We were able to see close up, under Alan’s tuition, a number of Arctic plants, including Arctic poppy, mountain sorrel – able to be used to prevent scurvy – purple and tufted saxifrage and numerous different mosses. Moving down the side of the plateau to the lagoon edge in the hope of adding to our bird sightings, we found that the birds were not in an obliging mood, but there were some interesting small rocks on the shore and what looked like fractured pieces of coal. A proposed run in the Zodiacs down the other way towards the deserted station to see what we could see had to be abandoned as the fog had really become very dense, and in the end the Zodiacs had to find the Akademic Shokalskiy offshore with the aid of hand-held GPS. The Shokalskiy then departed across the Kara Sea towards the Nordenskjold Archipelago and in the early afternoon passed a number of small icebergs, which were examined closely from the bridge for possible bears and seals. In the evening a very interesting lecture on aspects of the Arctic ecosystem was given by Alan. This dealt with the permafrost, plant life and various birds and animals, including the importance of the lemming as
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
—Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
of Brent geese and the polar bear in the distance.
Rock fossil
the start of the food chain for such predators as the ermine, Arctic fox, gyrfalcon and snowy owl. Dinner was a special occasion with all passengers and crew gathering to wish Heather a very happy significant birthday, topped off with a very delicious chocolate cake creatively iced and delivered by our chefs.
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
The great hurrah about wild animals is that they exist at all, and the greater hurrah is the actual moment of seeing them. Because they have a nice dignity, and prefer to have nothing to do with me, not even as the simple objects of my vision. They show me by their wariness what a prize it is simply to open my eyes and behold.
Heather’s birthday on board
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Day 7
Pakhtusova Island, Nordenskjold Archipelago Tuesday, 16 August 2011 Lat. 77° 50’N, Long. 98° 39’E
Course
46°
Speed
9.3 knots
Barometer
1022 hPa
Wind
18 knots E
Air temperature
4°C
Sea temperature
7°C
JULIE PARKER
Position 2110 hours
Rock affected by ice
Even in our day, science suspects beyond the Polar seas, at the very circle of the Arctic Pole, the existence of a sea which never freezes and a continent which is ever green. —Alexander Alexeyev
By Julie Parker Another overcast day didn’t deter as ‘Relentless Tours’ had us in the ‘Zods’ and kayaks to explore the Nordenskjold Archipelago. These were named after Baron A.E. Nordenskjold, the first to finally succeed in voyaging through the North East Passage in 1878.
Then Vlad spotted six beluga whales but, unfortunately, all that most of us saw were some arched, white backs breaking through the waves before they headed away from us. Next we shot over to Pakhtusova Island and spent an hour or so exploring. It was a Gulliver’s world of minutia. If we had been miniature humans we would have been in a willow forest with a mountain to climb. Close inspection revealed dozens of lichens, mosses, flowering plants, grasses, sedges and even several species of fungi all thriving in their preferred habitats, water, bogs, mud and rocks. The polygons that Alan had described
in yesterday’s briefing and the power of ice to refashion the rocks were fascinatingly evident. Some of my fellow travellers insist I mention the magic mushies and the psychedelic reindeer that headed for the hills when we landed, leaving behind scats and an antler! After lunch enthusiastic shoppers had the opportunity to satisfy their addiction under the watchful eye of ‘Mrs Slocomb, are you being served?’. Next on the agenda Dr Vlad let us into the world of the walrus, and after more delicious food we rounded off a busy day with a viewing of the beautiful film The White Planet.
Driftwood, Pakhtusova Island
10
JULIE PARKER
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
Heading for a rocky outlier, we had our first sightings of sanderlings, a Sabine’s gull and red phalaropes. Some of the latter were feeding on the
water, others flying, elegantly displaying their pretty wing patterns.
Judd in the ship’s shop
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
Day 8
Tel’mana Fjord,Bol’shevik I.; October Revolution Island Wednesday, 17 August 2011 Lat. 79° 24’N, Long. 100° 21’E
Course
9°
Speed
8.4 knots
Barometer
1029 hPa
Wind
19 knots NNE
Air temperature
0° C
Sea temperature
6°C
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
Position 2110 hours
Shokalskiy in Tel’mana Fjord
By Wendy Addis (Low Roader) assisted by Tracy Connor (High Roader). Today at 4.00 a.m., thick fog! At 6.00 a.m., brilliant sunshine followed by a very strong wind that later deterred some from going ashore. We were at anchor near Bolshevik Island, and after a 7.00-a.m. breakfast five Zodiacs went ashore to a shingle beach on a barren island. From here, about 40 of us walked along a wet, ‘shingly’ valley, which was originally all part of the large glacier that lay ahead of us. But now many little plants have taken root, e.g. lemoncoloured poppies, yellow saxifrage, plus others in cornflower blue, pink and red. Our first stop was at a small rise below the glacier. Here we divided into two groups. Howard’s larger group took the ‘high road’ and Alan’s group returned along the ‘low road’. I was in the latter group. Another antler was found plus a piece of reindeer skin still covered in hairs that were coarse and very brittle. Fortunately, the strong wind had dropped, and we took a cruise through the grounded icebergs of numerous shapes (including a ‘bridge’) and very white or ‘bluish’ in colour.
Later in the day, five Zodiacs left the ship to land on October Revolution Island, and two of these then cruised around the icebergs, which included a huge tabular berg, quite an impressive sight. Again the high-roaders climbed to a point where they could see a fjord and a glacier and the big berg. Finds included a lemming’s nest, and interesting rocks. After dinner the third episode of Jonathon Dimbleby’s Russia was screened, and afterwards many of us visited the bridge to be awed by the sun’s rays on nearby glaciers
and mountains. Blues and yellows, a truly glorious sight. Nature was kind to us as fog threatened on our starboard side. At 1.00 a.m. (ship’s time) Yelena gave three blasts on the horn, and champers was enjoyed as we reached 80° N! Another wonderful day as we venture eastwards on Akademik Shokalskiy.
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
—Alexander Pushkin, The Bronze Horseman
The high-roaders returned soon after midday, having walked across a willow forest, icy ridges and climbed to a height of 200+ feet. Our heroic mountaineers! It proved too much for one (used to being in a kayak), who lay in the sun and had a snooze!
Abandonned lemming’s nest
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On a shore by the desolate waves He stood, with lofty thoughts, And gazed into the distance…
On the way down to the ship at Tel’mana fjord
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Day 9
Mys Peschanyy; Basovaya River; Oleniy Peninsula; Bol’shevik Island Position 2100 hours
Lat. 78° 51’N, Long. 105° 42’E
Course
142°
Speed
10.1 knots
Barometer
1028 hPa
Wind
10 knots NE
Air temperature
2°C
Sea temperature
5°C
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
Thursday, 18 August 2011
Cape Peschanyy. Oleniy Peninsula
I don’t like leaving the road, my sense of vulnerability deepens, a sort of primal nervousness descends. But this is also one of the most compelling elements in travel, the feeling of dread underneath anything, it makes sensations heightened and acute, the world is charged with a power it doesn’t have in ordinary life. —Damon Galgut (In a Strange Room)
By Denis and Helen Weily
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
There was movement at Aurora as word had passed around The first voyage to Russia’s ‘Bering Strait’ was on its way And had chartered the Akademik Shokalskiy, it was the best icebreaker around, And all true adventurers have gathered to the fray!
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
Basovaya River
1.00 a.m. Message from Howard on the bridge; 80 degrees north, amazing, a first for most of us, 10 degrees short of the North Pole; what an opportunity Aurora Expeditions has presented us all. Terry, in fine style, had celebratory drinks, and about 10 people emerged from their cabins to join in the champagne celebration. We awoke later to the sight of a thin thread of land overcast and a gleam of light on the horizon – Prima Station. Due to the high swell, negotiating the gangway was tricky, but with careful guidance from the team and strong steady arms, we were able to ‘plonk’ into sitting positions on the Zodiac, gripping the safety ropes around the side. We arrived onto the spit of land to stretch our legs briefly, as a bear had been sighted by Slava. He fired some shots to arouse the bear, but he remained elusive and did not wish to face the paparazzi. We found calmer waters behind the spit and enjoyed the company of Sabine’s gulls, Arctic terns, ivory and glaucous gulls, plus Arctic and pomarine skuas and purple sandpipers. A lovely, welcome lunch back onboard, warm drinks enjoyed by all. Later, a few of us braved the cold to view the Basovaya River and enjoyed a short walk on the Oleniy Peninsula. The view over the fjord (after a short walk) was breathtaking. An ideal photo opportunity and a comfortable walk back. We returned briskly to the ship, as it was positively freezing. Our recap took place in the bar before dinner, and many wonderful and amusing stories of the trip so far made us laugh and kept us entertained over a glass of wine and a Guinness or two. How fortunate are we to be aboard, enjoying this wonderful event. Lovely dinner of Thai green curry followed by mango mousse – a gastronomic delight, thank you Joss and Dima! Several people went to see the movie Lantana in Cinema 1, which caused much discussion. High seas expected overnight, so we battened down the hatches. What a collection of fellow travellers, many of whom have experienced quite a number of Aurora Expeditions voyages, with fascinating stories to tell.
Alan doing our first recap
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Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
Day 10
Kleshnya Island, Taimyr Peninsula Friday, 19 August 2011 Position 2100 hours
Lat. 76° 21’N, Long. 114° 31’E
Course
130°
Speed
11.6 knots
Barometer
1020 hPa
Wind
16 knots E
Air temperature
5°
Sea temperature
5°
Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their own customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking ...
Ice chart 18 August 2011
—Leo Tolstoy
By Ron Murray
Strong north-east winds moving the East Siberian Sea pack ice towards the mainland forced a shortcut dash across the Laptev Sea from Bol’shevik Island towards the Taimyr Peninsula. Not to be cheated, a heavy swell off the port quarter and a 40° roll were guilty contributors to the overnight re-arrangement of some cabins and stomach contents. Revival was evident at Dr. Jaye’s interesting talk on early North East Passage attempts, from Pytheas in 325 BC, St. Brendan, the Vikings, Cabot, the Muscovy Company, Barents, and Hudson in 1607–08. There followed a restorative lunch of spaghetti bolognaise and fruit. Alan lectured on bird migrations from the tundra, with its abundant feeding and breeding, to temperate overwintering sites. The impressive bar-tailed godwit’s non-stop, 11,700-kilometre, eight days from Alaska to New Zealand easily outclassed at 61 kph the 63 kph horseracing record at Randwick over a mere 1200 meters. Migrations could cost half of a bird’s body weight and severe shrinkage of temporarily non-useful digestive and reproductive organs. Alan also gave thoughts on navigational aids – celestial, magnetic, olfactory and memory. Possible landings at Kleshnya Island (76° 28’N, 112° 57’E) became Zodiac cruises due to one, then two, then three, with a fourth swimming polar bear encounter. While our safe distance from them was 200 meters, their own from each other was thrice that. The observed major exer-
cise seemed to be a short walk to a new napping position whilst awaiting return of their sea ice banquet. Observed also were walruses and bird life including perhaps puzzled young Arctic terns swooping over the Zodiacs with their strange, colourful contents. We were welcomed back to Akademik Shokalskiy after a three-mile trip with the hottest of potato-topped fish pies plus vegetables followed by pineapple and chocolate ice cream. Then another DVD episode of Jonathon Dimbleby’s Russia, which was of particular interest as it covered Siberia, our next destination. 2100: 76 °21’N, 114° 31’E, course 130° at 11.6 knots, air temperature +5°C. As we wander, some of us wonder if, far to the south, the ‘real’ world still exists, with its days even having nights!
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
0718: 77° 31’N, 110° 20’E, course 153° at 9.7 knots, air temperature +2.2°C.
Polar bear strolling on the ice at Kleshnya Island
13
Day 11
Laptev Sea Position 2100 hours
Lat. 74° 58’N, Long. 125° 15’E
Course
85°
Speed
5.6 knots
Barometer
1010 hPa
Wind
25 knots E
Air temperature
4°C
Sea temperature
6°C
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
Saturday, 20 August 2011
Rough weather crossing the Laptev Sea
For some time our conversation lingers upon that major predator. Until we have spotted him, his name is taboo, deep respect for the mystery and power of the animal. —Stevan Lundgren and Olle Carlsson, The Land Beyond The Northcape
By Ingrid Magryn Energy levels were clearly up this morning. A calmer night plus a lovely sleep-in had worked their magic, and the ship was a much livelier place.
In amongst the waves one lone walrus was spotted, much to the concern of some. These are supposed to be gregarious creatures, so where were all its mates? Was it lost, had it been banished from the colony, would it find its way back to safety, or would, in years to come, a poor dead walrus be found on one of the many bleak and lonely islands we have seen. While there was nothing that could be done, at least for one walrus, concern over its fate will continue to live on in a more southerly and much warmer land for years to come.
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
With the weather and sea not on our side today, it came as no surprise when Howard called off the proposed visit to the Lena River delta and we headed for the New Siberian Islands some 24 hours’ sailing away. Instead, we enjoyed watching an episode of the Planet Earth series and listening to more of Vlad’s funny stories of his experiences with animals, this time the Arctic fox. Others chimed in with their own stories and the time passed quickly.
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
After Vlad’s talk on seals, however, it was clear that the Laptev Sea was becoming cranky again, combining with rain and a stronger wind to throw us around some more. This led to an influx of cameras onto the bridge and the formation of the ‘Wave Riders Club’, which has the sole aim of getting that perfect shot of the ‘big one’ breaking over the bow. Demonstrating patience, perseverance and very focused attention, the club members fall into two distinct groups. The wavarazzi line the front windows with cameras aimed at the bow and fingers at the ready for a rapid-fire shot. Alongside them stand their advisers – highly skilled technicians who size up wave height, angle of approach and speed, plus the depth of bow dip and call out “Now … I think” or “This one … no, the next one”,
assisting the wavarazzi to get that perfect shot. And how many times did we hear the cheers as the big one crashed over the bridge windows followed by the cry “My camera was off”, “My camera moved” or the waverazzi special, “The big ones always come just after I leave the bridge”.
Vlad telling funny stories in the bar
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Our chefs, Joss and Dima
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
Day 12
Laptev Sea Position 2020 hours
Lat. 75° 15’N, Long. 135° 24’E
Course
79°
Speed
11.1 knots
Barometer
1020 hPa
Wind
15° knots E
Air temperature
4°C
Sea temperature
6°C
ROSIE APPLETON
Sunday, 21 August 2011
Big wave picture winner
The strongest of all warriors are these two – time and patience — Leo Tolstoy (War and Peace)
By Norman and Keith Vaughton
At 5.15 a.m. Norman was woken by lights going on and Keith disappearing into the shower room, announcing it was 7.15 and time to get up. Only when fully dressed did Norman look at his watch and realise that Keith was two hours out in his time-keeping! Keith returned to bed and Norman went up to the bridge! (Were they on speaking terms?) At 5.30 a.m. we were making only five to six knots into a 42-knot wind of (gale) force 8–9. There was a chaotic sea overlying a heavy swell from the east. The ship forged her way resolutely through the wild seas of driven foam and spray-crested waves. It seemed the best place to be was bed. Breakfast at 8.30 was notable by the number of absentees. The day’s program had to be altered because of the storm. The scheduled tours of the engine room were postponed because of the dangerous lurches of the ship. For the same reason (and wet and treacherous decks) we were incarcerated below decks and not allowed out for some 48 hours. One can only assume that our regular deck pacers, Edith and Ingrid, must be champing at the bit and finding this frustrating. In place of the planned program, Cinema One has been a hive of cultural and educational activities. Initially we had the screening of the final episode of the Jonathan Dimbleby’s excellent and insightful travel log, Russia – Far
MARGARET WILLARD
Second day at sea. We had to abort our planned landing on the delta of the Lena River because the wind and waves would have made a Zodiac journey too treacherous. Once we had done this, the movement of the ship became more comfortable, as we were able to head directly into the wind instead of the sea buffeting our port bow sending us screwing and yawing in sickening spirals.
The ‘waverazzi’ lining the front windows
From Moscow. This dealt with the Russian Far East from Lake Baikal to the home port of the Akademic Shokalskiy, Vladivostok. Before lunch there was a showing of the nostalgic film of the last sledging journey and final removal of the dogs from the Mawson Base in Antarctica called Last Husky, a moving tribute to these wonderful animals and the great part they have played in polar exploration. At the end of the film we were treated to reminiscences and experiences of Ron Murray working with dogs in Antarctica in the sixties. We were all touched by the emotional impact on him of these reminiscences and his obvious affection for the dogs. Keith found this particularly interesting, having enjoyed sledging with a team of dogs through Svalbard a few years ago. By this time we were all becoming accustomed to seeing each other tottering and lurching drunkenly about the ship as she pitched and heaved her way through the storm. Credit must be given to our galley staff, chefs and stewardesses for keeping us so well looked after and fed with excellent fare under what can only be described as very difficult conditions. 15
Much time has been spent by photographers on the bridge in attempts to catch the perfect wave breaking over the bow. Skye announced The Big Wave Competition for the best wave picture of the day. There has been little other than waves to watch, one kittiwake and one ringed seal being the only records on the log.
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
After lunch Alan gave an excellent talk on ‘The Impact of Climate Change on the Arctic’, which provoked some interesting questions and lively debate. Was world population growth involved with John reminding us that in 1900 the world’s population was 1.6 billion and is now over six billion and rising. What is the answer?
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
Third Mate Vladimir checking the charts
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
Old hut at Nerpichiya Bay
Midnight cruise to Nerpichiya Bay
16
Throughout the day the wind steadily dropped and the sea settled, allowing the ship’s speed to increase. When the wind speed had decreased to 18 knots, the ship’s speed had increased to 12.3 knots. In the evening we were treated to a viewing of the now historic film, Nanook of the North. At about 11.00 p.m. we were called and given a choice: the sane went to bed; the hardy, or were they insane, boarded the Zodiacs. We headed ashore for Kiyeng Urasa, yet another deserted soviet station. We made our way into a lagoon where small flocks of grey phalaropes fed on the water. We landed and noted tundra with a more prolific flora punctuated with great frost-heave mounds. The polar bears, if they were present, remained comfortably inside the deserted buildings. More active were the lemming colonies, with numerous burrows, tunnels and roadways. If one waited quietly one was rewarded by seeing lemmings out feeding and attending to their business. It proved a delightful and enjoyable landing with a return at about 2.00 a.m., when everyone was ready for bed.
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
Day 13
Kotelny Island; Proliv Sannikova Polar Station; Little Lyakhovskiy, Novosibirskie Islands Monday, 22 August 2011 Lat. 73° 55’N, Long. 139° 28’E
Course
213°
Speed
11.7 knots
Barometer
1022 hPa
Wind
0
Air temperature
3°C
Sea temperature
5°C
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
Position 2145 hours
Boardwalking at Proliv Sannikova polar station
—Vladimir Nobokov
By Rosie and Peter Appleton The day started with the end of a latenight cruise and landing to Nerpichiya Bay on Kotelny Island, where we battled sandbars just to find some land to stand on after so many days at sea and where we saw our first lemmings of the trip as well as flocks of red phalaropes! Some hearty explorers headed to the bar for a nightcap on return before hitting the sack around 2.00 a.m. We landed again after breakfast (after our Zodiac drivers skillfully negotiated stubborn sea ice along the shore) at the Proliv Sannikova polar station, on the same island, and were greeted by Vitaly, Olga and Vladimir and their dogs. We were allowed to have free roam of the area and it was amazing … a 10,000-year-old mammoth tusk and tooth, old fishing nets and boats, a little church, lemmings, a fantastic array of buildings, amazing vistas … the list goes on. The kayakers got out for a paddle, too, and, after coming ashore with us all to have a look around, they went off to play in the sea ice.
and some even thought it was warm enough for shorts! Unfortunately, the closer we got, the cloud came up, and the light for our final landing of the day was fading fast. The river we had hoped to explore was inaccessible for the Zodiacs but not Judd and his gang. They just carried their kayaks over the gravel and continued paddling along. Giant isopods and a snowy owl were the highlight of the landing (although probably not in that order), but the number of trees washed up on the shore was astounding considering the tree line was some several 100 kilometres to the south!! Tides doing what tides do meant the Zodies had to be pushed a fair way out to
get enough water under to run the engines, and Terry (not being a fan of waders) ended up with water in his boots … a great cocktail name there, somewhere, and it was … ‘Maliy Woda’ in my boots – little water in my boots!!
ROSIE APPLETON
The breaking of a wave cannot explain the whole sea.
Isopod
ROSIE APPLETON
The afternoon at sea was stunning – not a breath of wind, and the sun shone brightly as we made our way towards Little Lyakhovskiy Island, Station buildings
17
ROSIE APPLETON
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
Fish nets
ROSIE APPLETON
ROSIE APPLETON
Cottongrass at Little Lyakhovskiy Island
Peter Kayaking through ice at Prolif Sanikova
ROSIE APPLETON
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
Kayakers paddling up river at Little Lyakhovskiy Island
Old boat
18
Proliv Sannikova polar station church
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
Day 14
Crossing the East Siberian Sea Position 2115 hours
Lat. 72° 31’N, Long. 150° 15’E
Course
121°
Speed
10 knots
Barometer
1015 hPa
Wind
0
Air temperature
1°C
Sea temperature
5°C
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Evgenii proudly showing us the guts of the engine room
—Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Crime and Punishment)
By Tracy Connor What a glorious morning. Shower day (my contribution to water conservation), a cuppa, bikkie then sunshine on the bridge at 0545 hours; could have got a nice suntan if bridge protocol had allowed. Calm but shallow seas, two birds, cloudbank over the island to port and the rhythmic sound of our ship chugging along. As the cloud slowly blocked the sun, occasional beams of light shimmered ahead, but we could never quite reach the spot; it was like looking for the pot at the end of the rainbow – almost there and it disappears. This time in the bridge is relaxing and good for contemplation, with the quiet conversation of the crew for company. Oddly, while deep in thought, I heard Doris Day singing Que Sera Sera (Russian radio) and took her advice. Snowicus owlus aka Bubo scandiacus came to mind. One hope for this voyage was to see a snowy owl, and thanks to Alan’s keen eye, this was fulfilled last evening. Though only a distant white mark below the horizon, it was possible to appreciate the beauty of such a magnificent bird (second only to the majestic albatross). Vladimir’s talk on whales, particularly belugas, reminded us of our encounter back in the Nordenskjold Archipelago, and his film of minke whales and humpbacks around the Commander Islands make this a voyage to add to my ‘to do’ list. For those interested he will make a copy of this filming and monies will aid research projects on the Commander Islands.
tioning any names). Others, who thought they were blissfully asleep, provided entertainment for some insomniacs with the clanger of the day being ‘apparantly I was in bed entertaining others’. Jaye’s talk on the exploration of the North East passage helps one understand the hardship and endurance of early explorers, some of whom were not credited with their discoveries. We make this voyage with relative ease due to lack of ice and despite shallow seas and a persistent storm. The absolute calm of today’s sail makes it difficult to truly understand the perils of early exploration. It seems incongruous to have a Best Bow Wave competition on a sea that seems so benign – we await the results. After many voyages with Aurora Expeditions, I decided to finally visit the engine room. Chief Engineer Evgenii Uss and Third Engineer Vasiliy Sokolov proudly showed us the guts of the Shokalskiy – without them we go nowhere. I know nothing of engines but could see a compact, well groomed work area; perhaps a window here and there would brighten things up!!! Thanks to all the engineers for their hard work and expertise and allowing us to invade their workspace. The evening closed with a glass of red, Sean and his lovely castle in Scotland; the rest of the movie (Entrapment) was O.K. We are now halfway through our expedition.
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken.
It seems, despite the early and late landings yesterday, that the bar was alive and kicking to the wee small hours with some people not rising until mid-morning (not menIn the dining room
19
Day 15
Indigirka River Wednesday, 24 August 2011 Lat. 71° 31’N, Long. 156° 37’E
Course
86°
Speed
10.4 knots
Barometer
1018 hPa
Wind
5 knots E
Air temperature
5°C
Sea temperature
6°C
NIGEL PRICE
Position 2025 hours
Howard towing the Zodiac near the Indigirka River
Nature is an infinite sphere of which the center is everywhere, and the circumference nowhere —Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
By Carol and Nigel Price
Warned of a long outing, there was a rush on the eggs at breakfast as we all built up our reserves for the day, and off we headed into a lumpy sea aggravated by the strengthening wind. It was a miserable run, cold, wet and bone-shaking, relieved only when Howard was seen stoically towing his Zodiac in barely knee deep water towards the distant shoreline. Other drivers followed suit for a while, except Skye. She chose to swim, testing her inflatable vest in the process. The plan was finally abandoned, and all the craft rafted up for an impromptu and hilarious picnic replete with hot chocolate and rocket fuel of various hues generously donated by members of the crew. Various passengers thoughtfully attempted to raise the sea level by their own efforts but without any obvious effect, so we turned for the mother ship and another punishing ride culminating in several novel acrobatic demonstrations at the gangplank. The ship’s plumbing system was sorely tested before we rushed the dining room again and were treated this time to a most delicious soup and sandwich lunch with yummy pickles.
NIGEL PRICE
A quick look at the chart before we launched the Zodiacs revealed 0.10 – 0.25 metres of water around our destination, the delta of the Indigirka River, and for a mile or two seaward. Alarmed, I checked the ship’s sounder to see 2.4 metres under the keel. My respect for our skipper grows every day.
Judd sharing the rocket fuel with passengers
Later in the afternoon we were spellbound watching Graham’s images of the trip so far. At the conclusion of the session some amongst us were inspired to improve our skills, some were convinced they needed bigger and better equipment whilst the others just wanted to throw their cameras over the side in a collective splash. Finally, before retiring to our cabins for the night, we negotiated rows of dripping gear hanging from the rails in the corridors to enjoy a re-run of episode 1 of the Russia documentary reminding us of the start of our adventure in Murmansk. Thoughts for the day: n
Refrain from drinking three cups of coffee before long Zodiac rides; n It gets wet on both sides of the Zodiac; n There is always a bigger and better lens; n The eye behind the camera matters.
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
In more comfortable circumstances we settled down for a fascinating, illustrated talk by Vlad on the historical village of Russkoye Ustnye and its inhabitants, the Ukageer people. This community of Russian and indigenous people who live together on the banks of the Indigirka River is considered the heart of the Russian Arctic. They care for the oldest Russian Orthodox Church in the Arctic. Viktoriia and Olga
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Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
Day 16
Krestovskiy I.; Pushkaryov I.; Chetyryokhstolbovy I. Thursday, 25 August 2011 Lat. 70° 34’N, Long. 162° 26’E
Course
8.6 knots
Speed
106°
Barometer
1020 hPa
Wind
0
Air temperature
3°C
Sea temperature
6°
OLIVER RAYMOND
Position 2030 hours
Polar bear on shore, Krestovskiiy Island
We took risks, we knew we took risks. Things have turned out against us, therefore we have no cause for regret. —Robert Falcon Scott, last diary entry
By Oliver and Helen Raymond Oh frabjous day! Calloo, callay! He chortled in his joy —Lewis Carroll It was an early rise to a beautiful day. At 4.40 a.m. the weather was calm, the sky partly cloudy, partly sunny; this would make for excellent photography during the day. The temperature had soared to a balmy 7°C. There was the occasional flurry of snow, but that soon vanished. This was to be a special day of three landings in glorious weather.
Our second anchorage was at the north-eastern corner of Pushkaryov Island, at 70° 55’N, 161° 32’E. While we waited on deck at about 10.45 a.m. a bear was seen on the shore, but it soon ambled off over the hill, not to be seen again. From the Zodiacs we espied at least ten bear dens on the slopes above the shore. We landed and walked up a hill where Alex found an unwary lemming that was promptly put in Alan’s care. We have seldom seen the like of
OLIVER RAYMOND
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
We anchored at 4.55 a.m. at 70° 54’N, 160° 24’E, off Antipovskiy Point at the north-west tip of Krestovskiy Island. Bob making this his first landing of the voyage, we landed on a
and (the writers are told) a red-breasted merganser. Back to the ship for a welcome 8.30 a.m. breakfast.
Lemming at Krestovskiy Island
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
beach south of the point and walked up to the top of Mt Shapka (a grand name for a modest hill?). There was plenty of flora to admire including our first sighting of a dandelion! We spent some time in the sunshine enjoying the beautiful views against a striking backdrop of clouds. There was the first sign of winter, perhaps – a fair amount of snow on the broad, low hill in the distance across the bay. There were large flocks of long-tailed ducks forming fascinating patterns on the water below. During the subsequent Zodiac cruise along the shore (prompted by Judd’s report of a bear in the water) no swimming bear was found. Helen found a bear emerging from a den in the snow and Terry’s Zodiac passengers watched it slide down the snow to the shore. Others gathered and we enjoyed following the bear while it ambled along the shore. Sightings included seals, herring gulls
Slava proudly holding the bear skull
Beautiful beach at Pushkaryov Island
21
OLIVER RAYMOND
observant Alan) preening itself on a rock at some distance on the opposite hillside. We took a closer (if still distant) look from the Zodiacs on the way back to the ship. By 1.30 p.m. we were back on board for a tasty lunch of bacon-and-egg pie and coleslaw.
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
Rock spires at Chetyryokhstolbovy Island
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
Abandonned polar station building at Chetyryokhstolbovy Island
Polar bear footprints at Pushkaryov Island
22
the milling throng of paparazzi that assembled; it, as well as the lemming, became the subject of many photographs. We went on to enjoy walking on lush grass, among ponds and many flowers. The continuing sunshine made the conditions excellent for the group photo, taken when we were assembled on one of the many large, frost-created mounds. A herd of reindeer was observed on the distant skyline. Soon afterwards, Graham came upon the remains of human habitation, a tiny semi-underground dwelling. Here were found some bear bones (yes, indeed, bare bones) and much of the skull of a small bear. As we returned to the Zodiacs a snowy owl was seen (thanks to the ever-
Anchorage No.3 for the day was at the south of Chetyryokhstolbovy Island, at 70° 55’N, 161° 32’E. We landed at another derelict, dilapidated meteorological station (how many rusty drums at this one!! – could equip a large number of steel drum orchestras). We set out on a walk (round-trip distance about five kilometres or so) to a group of a few astonishing rock spires at the top of the nearby hill to the east, the major feature of them perhaps suggesting a human couple. Could remarkable natural features like these have inspired Russians to create giant hilltop stone monuments such as the soldier in Murmansk and the enormous Aleksandr Nevsky memorial in Nizhniy Novgorod. Surrounding these remarkable rocks was a large field of boulders that increased in size with decreasing distance from the centre. Along the way a snow bunting and some wrens were seen. Flora included mountain arnica and hairy lousewort. Some turned back at the edge of the boulder field, but others pressed on to the hilltop. Photographers were busy in the fading light of the evening, with a beautiful, red sunset background. From the hilltop we could see, at the eastern tip of the island, a mother bear with two cubs at another abandoned station. We returned to the Zodiacs just before dark, re-boarding the ship at about 7.45 p.m., soon afterwards enjoying a dinner of chicken roulade, mashed potato, lentils, cabbage and carrots. Three very enjoyable landings made a full day (indeed, a beauty) so no further activities were scheduled for the evening.
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
Day 17
Ayon Island Position 2125 hours
Lat. 70° 46’N, Long. 170° 46’E
Course
51°
Speed
10 knots
Barometer
1018 hPa
Wind
15 knots E
Air temperature
4°C
Sea temperature
6°C
JULIE PARKER
Friday, 26 August 2011
Ayon people dance performance
A Collection
By Annie Crowe Ayon Island and the Chukchi People “The moon is putting on its furs”, Chukchi tribesman murmur as they watch the moon haze over in the bitter Siberian night. Numbering a mere 13,000 they are dispersed among shoreline villages and in the tundra. On their reindeer farms Chukchis tend 10,000–20,000 head. Chukchi herdsmen count their antlered charges in groups of 20 – the total of a man’s fingers and toes. Their word for man also means ‘20’. —Supplement to National Geographic, Feb 1976, Vol 149 No 2, ‘Peoples of the Soviet Union’.
“Noelle was taking photos of them and showing the kids, but they weren’t that interested in seeing themselves on the camera, but the minute she turned her back, they whipped out a camera and started taking photos of her retreating arse!!” —Judd. “The Chukchi people overwhelmed us with their hospitality. One extended family opened their home to a group of us. We were entertained by the patriarch, who had many stories to ‘mime’ (he had no English). Marcel Marceau, eat your heart out! First, here was the story of him being attacked by a polar bear the previous day! He ‘told’ of the claws clamping his leg, the dance of the bear and his amazing escape. Nothing was left to the imagination. Then, there were the walrus and whale stories and how he had hunted to feed his people. An open book on the table depicting hunting scenes assisted to visualise the drama.
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
SKYE MARR-WHELAN
“A young girl beckoned me to come to her house. She led me up a narrow staircase to a small, neat flat and her older sister and her parents were there. This was a humble dwelling. They asked me to sit down and offered me tea, which I had. They wanted to know where I came from, and I said ‘Australia’. The father went and got a bible, and in the front of the bible was a map, but it was only of Russia, so I was unable to show him where Australia was. They took pictures of me, and I took pictures of them. The young girl was about 10 years old; she offered me a lolly,
which I accepted. I offered her the coloured scarf that I was wearing. She smiled and said ‘spasiba’ and put it around her neck. I get a warm feeling every time I think of that young girl wearing the scarf I gave her in that remote place.” —Annie
Fern with locals at the Ayon village
Local dog, Ayon village
23
Kindly, a cup of tea was offered. I was handed a beautiful pair of sealskin boots, handmade by the grandmother, to try on. One of the teenage girls was so amused that she whipped out her pocket camera and in a reversal of roles snapped the moment. Not to be out done I shot back!” —Noelle
SJYE MAAR-WHELAN
Fern with local woman
FERN LEE
Daisies in tyre, pot plant at Ayon village
FERN LEE
Sergey in local’s house
Fish drying in village house
24
“Regarding the school; there were three teachers. The English teacher, Mikhail, a Ukranian gentleman who married a local, had been there over 10 years. He had a sign up ‘Let’s Learn English’. There were two dormitories with six beds in each, and they were for the children of the reindeer herders. As they live way out on the tundra, I asked what they needed for the school, and he said money for computers. I didn’t see any world map – a globe might be good for them. One of the teachers showed me a display of threads they used to use for sewing up the parkas. All the kids had western-style parkas, not parkas made of skin. The school was well equipped and very clean. The kids stay there until year 10, then, if they want to continue, they must go to the mainland.” —Heather
FERN LEE
FERN LEE’S CAMERA
“I was photographing the kids sticking their heads out from the windows, and this guy came out and gave me this artifact. I offered money but he said ‘No, no money’.” —Rosie
Sheds, Ayon village
“Downstairs there was a museum that was put together by the children of the school. It displayed mammoth tusks, stuffed birds, a snowy owl in one corner, various ducks and waders. They were easier to photograph in the museum than in the wild. Some Paleo Eskimo artifacts, like seal blubber lamps, were very interesting. The guy who let us into his house was describing how he had fallen asleep in the snow and his face had frozen and swollen up. He was evacuated to Moscow and spent four months there having surgical treatment. He put down his survival to his belief in God. The room had Russian orthodox icons and a bible. And he kept crossing himself, thanking God for his survival. Obviously he had a strong belief, and he was obviously Chukchi, and part of their orthodoxy as well. Christianity must have been bought to them – it would not have been their indigenous belief.” —Keith. “Today I saw a very nice man who was head of the Russian polar station on Ayon Island. I asked him why it was called a polar station. He said it was a meterological station. Before, there were 24 staff, now, only 12, but they like it there because it is better than some of the other places like Medvezie Island which we
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
JULIE PARKER
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
Howard with villagers, Ayon
Child in kitchen, Ayon village
went to. The guy graduated 30 years ago from Lenningrad Arctic Institute. Many people are proud that he has graduated from this place, as he is a local. He had been there 20 years but was originally from Lenningrad. He showed us the improvements to the station – Finnish equipment that allows you not to have to go out into the severe winter but collects data automatically. However, transmitting information is a problem – they still do it with a radio transmitter. He showed us a transmitter with Morse code from 50 years ago, which is not used any more. I shot a million good pictures, mainly the colours of the hats which I really liked.” —Alex Drozdkov “Ruth met Nina, a Chukchi woman, and the connection between them was very apparent. They spent over half an hour sitting on a fence communicating. I couldn’t understand her, but I enjoyed listening to her. We just got very close, and we were holding hands and touching, and our eye contact was very intense. A policeman with handcuffs in hand came by, and Nina looked at me and muttered ‘cop’. Nina took me by the hand and, escorted by Vlad, she led us to her house and showed us around.” —Ruth
Peeping boy, Ayon village
“I was looking for the clinic. Instead I turned up at the post office. There was a dingy entrance area with a gorgeous husky there and one bloke inside, running the place. I talked to the dog, really, and then the dog had a pee – cocked his leg up against the door jam – just right there.” —Jaye. “We traded 10 kilos of fresh produce and cheese for 15 kilos of fish. (John thought it was more like 30 kilos). When we drew up to the island my expectations were low, and the reality was so different – we were welcomed with warmth and incredible hospitality. We were only the second group of foreign visitors who had ever been there. It was so special to meet the teachers of the school. They were so keen to teach the younger generation English. They had a map of Australia there. Yesterday on the mainland only two miles from this place, three polar bears killed a man and tore him to pieces. I found this place to be like a typical Alaskan village only much more welcoming. The ship sent oranges. Vlad was like Father Christmas, pulling them out from his pack and giving them to the children. We have exchanged email addresses and next time Aurora will bring in picture books, pencils and basic supplies.” —Howard
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Day 18
Pack ice – E. Siberian Sea Position 2000 hours
Lat. 72° 00’N, Long. 176° 12’E
Course
147°
Speed
10.2 knots
Barometer
1018 hPa
Wind
5 knots E
Air temperature
1°C
Sea temperature
5°C
SKY MAAR-WHELAN
Saturday, 27 August 2011
Ribbon seal, East Siberian Sea
For a person who has had the experience of living in Russia, who has experienced the metaphysical Russian roller coaster, any landscape, including an other-worldly one, seems ordinary. — Joseph Brodsky, Footnote to a poem Less than One.
By Petra Cleven
The discovery of Wrangel Island was a breath-taking voyage. Ferdinand von Wrangel, the Russian naval lieutenant, on his expedition in the Chukchi peninsula, did valuable research into glaciology, geomagnetics and climatology and also collected data on natural resources, the native population of remote areas, and the existence of land in the north. After noticing swarms of birds flying north and questioning the natives, he determined that there must be an undiscovered island in the Arctic Ocean and started, in 1820, a four-year expedition to search for it. In his lifetime, he couldn’t go ashore on the island in
PETRA CLEVEN
For more than 300 years there was a competition between the first trade communities and the brave seafarers from the whole world to reach China and Japan on a north-east route. Thanks to Adolf Erik Nordensjköld, the first explorer, who completed a successful crossing of the North East Passage in 1878-79, it was the solution of a geographical question: the circumnavigation of the old world. For thousands of years this had been the one goal of all geographers.
Now we tourists are following the North East Passage route; on August 27th, 2011, our destination being the famous Wrangel Island.
Voyage routes of early North East Passage explorers compared with that of Shokalskiy indicate the greater challenges that pack ice posed back then.
26
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
question; it later was named Wrangel Island to honour him and his endeavour. In August 1855 Commander J. Rodgers was sailing the US vessel Vincennes through the Bering Strait, north to 175°W longitude, 72°N latitude, back to south until 69° 30’N and afterwards in the direction west to 177°E longitude, 71° 20’N latitude. He saw pack ice in the north but again no land. Captain Long was the first who saw land in August 1867 cruising on the American bark Nile along the East Siberian Sea towards Cap Schelagskoj.
eagerly looking for the pack ice – what nonsense! The Jeannette-Expedition 1879– 1881 crossed the De Long Strait at the eastern side from Wrangel Island and was stuck in an ice drift and did two over-winterings. Their vessel was destroyed by pack ice after the second long ice night in June 1881, and they continued their journey by carrying their boats on sledges; only 13 members of the 33 man crew survived. We fell into an aimless drift, catching ice and several Arctic celebrities with our cameras: hundreds of boring walruses flattening the ice floes, polar bears (six before lunch,
And now we, the Aurora tourists, are crossing the feared De Long Strait,
seven after lunch, in my counting) and the ribbon seal looking up to our ship with beautiful rings around its eyes. To keep the polar experiences alive, we celebrated a pack ice barbeque on the Zodiac deck. After that fantastic feast, we were dancing like stuffed polar bears, continuing the party in the bar with Heather and her Russian dance group. Far after midnight we finished the day, our minds full of our escape from the eternal ice and personal discoveries as well. Now we were hoping to reach Wrangel Island at least once in our life.
Franz Joseph passport
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Polar bear on ice floes
Margaret W at the barbecue
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Setsue and Graham
The barbecue spread
Bob and Edgar
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Day 19
Wrangel Island Sunday, 28 August 2011 Lat. 70° 47’N, Long. 178° 32’E
Course
356°
Speed
11 knots
Barometer
1012 hPa
Wind
10 knots E
Air temperature
5°C
Sea temperature
7°C
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
Position 2130 hours
Flowers on Wrangel Island
The ice was here, the ice was there, The ice was all around; It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, Like noises in a swound! —Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Rime of the Ancient Mariner
By Subba and Bho Singh We arrived at Wrangel Island, which is 130 kilometres from the Russian coastline at latitude 71° 25’N, longitude 179° 29’W. It is a UNESCOlisted World Heritage Site, has the world’s largest number of polar bear dens, was only partly affected by the last ice age and was the last place to lose its woolly mammoth herd.
A short Zodiac ride across calm waters and we were there. We were greeted by Anatoly, one of the park inspectors. He then introduced us to Lucas, who works as a support officer (logistics and administration) with a research team based there. He provided a glimpse into some research activities going on at the island. Also, a BBC film crew was preparing a documentary on paleontology. It appeared to me that it was a highpriority project. Lucas also informed us that the special window grills with sharp spikes were designed to keep bears out of their head office, as some years ago a polar bear had
helped itself to food supplies stored within. Bho and her group found Lucas very informative. The woolly mammoth project is a big initiative on Wrangel Island. Alan had spotted a snowy owl sitting on a disused shed, and Anatoly agreed to let us get closer. It was our first close-up encounter with one of these lovely creatures, and our camera shutters went wild, forcing the owl to fly off. Whilst the diet of the snowy owl is mainly rodents (lemmings preferred), they will take fish and hare. It can locate and catch rodents hiding up to 30 centimetres below the snow. Whilst incubating, the female is fed by the male. The female is known to feed dead chicks (3–14 may hatch) to her other live chicks – recycling
SUBBA & BHO SINGH
Our hopes were high, as this has been described as the treasure trove of wildlife and plants. The
island looked fairly mountainous with stretches of low-lying land most of which would be tundra.
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SUBBA & BHO SINGH
Snowy owl, Wrangel Island
Wolverine
28
Polar bear deterrent on inspector’s house
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
On the return Zodiac trip some grey whales were sighted by some fellow expeditioners. In the afternoon a second Zodiac landing was made at Devil’s Gulch. Anatoly showed us an archeological
Later that night we were given a talk by Anatoly on his experiences on Wrangel Island. He had pictures of polar bears and musk oxen invading the village. The closest we came to seeing a musk ox was seeing a strip of its hair on the tundra at Devil’s Gulch, and to many of us this was an utter disappointment!!
NOELLE MORGAN
A third landing for the day drew a smaller number (12) of extremely keen fellow expeditioners, and two Zodiacs only were deployed to visit the memorial that is dedicated to those men who died on Vilhajlmur Stefansson’s expedition between 1921 and 1923 and to all Russians who have died whilst exploring Wrangel Island. Those who went to visit the site described seeing a huge Russian cross and an old boat.
Anatoly at archaelogical dig, Devil’s Gulch
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There were many varieties of plants growing on the tundra as we walked towards the old airstrip and the now abandoned buildings. Anatoly had told us of the possibility of seeing a wolverine in one of the buildings, and, sure enough, it was found running towards its home. There were bones scattered in one corner of the building. We were warned to be extremely cautious, as wolverines are extremely savage animals. What we saw was a pretty animal with short legs and small ears, and from its behavior of advancing, retreating then advancing, it was highly likely, as Alan explained, it had young which it was intent on protecting. Despite its reputation for greed and cruelty and ruthless killing (sadly to earn it the name of ‘glutton in Europe’ and the biological name of Gulo gulo) it is mainly a scavenger, but can take down reindeer and small sheep and is known to store surplus meat in caches. They are extremely territorial, using scratches and scent from anal scent glands to warn other wolverines.
dig of a Paleo-Chukchi habitation, at an uphill location. Reportedly this could be 2500 years old. Alan made further spottings of snowy owls and Arctic foxes, but far off, and few could see, though he had more luck in showing us an endemic lemming, which proved to be extremely camerashy (unlike the one he had resting on his palms some days earlier!). By now angry clouds were gathering, and we decided to make a retreat to our ship on what proved to be a very bumpy Zodiac ride.
Stefansson’s memorial cross
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and survival at work here in a harsh unforgiving environment.
Ship at anchor, Ptichiy Bazar
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Day 20
Nanuna Bay; Ptichiy Bazar Pt., Wrangel I. Monday, 29 August 2011 Lat. 70° 31’N, Long. 179° 14’W
Course
156°
Speed
10 knots
Barometer
1015 hPa
Wind
5 knots S
Air temperature
6°C
Sea temperature
7°C
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Position 2130 hours
Wrangel Island rocks
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
By Muru and Val Murugesan
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It was our second and final day in Wrangel Island, which is the world’s most northern World Heritage Site. The morning was heralded in by the sun with beautiful scenes of the hills and streaks of snow patches. Some parts of the landscape reflected a variety of hues. The morning appeared tranquil and scenic. However, the weather pattern, as has been the
Kayakers and kittiwakes at Ptichiy Bazar
30
case most days in the Arctic region, changed later. Three landings were planned for the day. Unfortunately the third one in the afternoon had to be cancelled due to some problems with landing approval. Thus we had encountered some wrangling in Wrangel Island. Our first Zodiac loading for landing commenced at 5.00 a.m. Howard had a great plan for a long walk around part of the island hoping to see plenty of wildlife including musk oxen. But the plan was derailed by the appearance of at least four polar bears (one with a cub on the slopes of the hill) in different spots within a few minutes of starting the walk in the boggy tundra. The walk was severely pruned and we returned to the boat, after seeing some birds, Arctic flora, and a sculpture garden of rock slabs of natural phenomenon. Needless to say, we missed seeing musk oxen. Our second outing, a Zodiac cruise mid-morning, more than adequately compensated for the curtailed first landing. We were entertained and enthralled by a bazaar of a variety of huge numbers of birds resting on the cliffs and flying in flocks in unison. Birds were everywhere! These were mainly black-legged kittiwakes, Brunnich’s guillemots, glaucous gulls, peppered with some horned puffins. For most of us, it was the
first time seeing puffins and certainly was a special and memorable occasion. There were also other birds such as pelagic cormorants. The awesome sight of the birds was transposed against the foreground of Akademic Shokalskiy, so that it appeared as though the birds were hovering around the ship. Whilst we were admiring the bird cliffs we were surprised by a lonely polar bear wandering down the hill, later demonstrating its skills in climbing down the rocks to the beach. As weather conditions started to change, Captain Oleg made a call for us to return to the ship. Otherwise we would have continued to enjoy the sounds and sights of the wonderful bird life, even though it was drizzling intermittently. In the afternoon our boat headed down towards our next destination. All in all we had a fantastic day.
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You have to choose small details in describing nature, grouping them in such a way that if you close your eyes after reading it you can picture the whole thing.
Val’s birthday on board
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
Day 21
Vankarem Village, Mainland Chukotka Position 2100 hours
Lat. 67° 51’N, Long. 175° 52’W
Course
at anchor
Speed
0
Barometer
1015 hPa
Wind
0
Air temperature
8°C
Sea temperature
7°C
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
Tuesday, 30 August 2011
Humpback whale with thousands of short-tailed shearwaters
In foreign lands all goes to a plan, Words are weighed, steps measured. But among us Russians there is fiery life, Our speech is thunder and sparks fly. —Neizdannye stikhi, N.A. Lvova, from Rihla Journey
By Ron Morris When I found that we were to leave Wrangel Island early and we would be at sea, I thought this would be a very short story; ‘At sea all day nothing exciting happened’; how wrong was I. The day commenced with a presentation by Alan about the doomed voyage of the Karluk and the involvement of Vilhjalmur Stefansson in this disaster and his subsequent involvement with Wrangel Island. This is the third, similar but different, version of this history, but history depends to some extent in the interpretation of the information available to those writing it down. The version as in The Russian Far East a History by John J. Stephen, which is a compilation drawn from many document sources from around the world, tells that Stefansson first became interested in Wrangel Island as a possible refuelling stop for trans-polar flights. This island had been claimed by Canada, USA and Russia at various times, but Canada (under prime minister Arthur Meigher) landed four Canadians and one Eskimo woman in the autumn of 1921. However, when moves were made to pick these people up two years later, only the Eskimo woman was still alive. After this fiasco Canada dropped all claims to the island, but Stefansson somehow sold the island to a merchant in Nome who planned to raise reindeer. Russia, alerted to the encroachment of the feared capitalists, sent a gunboat with Red Army troops, who stormed ashore much to the surprise and confusion of four Eskimos found there. This event was noted with the production of a bronze medal with the inscription ‘For the liberation of Wrangel Island’ (from four Eskimos?). This event firmly established the Russian claim. It is amazing the response to the announcement
“Whales on the starboard side!”. Every observation point became crowded, while the captain immediately went into whale-chasing mode, weaving all over the place to give the best view possible. It is amazing how difficult it is to get the perfect shot of the trip, with many pictures of where the whale was, or part of the whale was, as it disappeared beneath the water. Then, of course, the experience of the day with the thousands of muttonbirds and humpback and grey whales feeding that went on and on with the ship slowly moving back and forth. Later in the day, a visit to the community at Cape Vankarem, a community of 200 persons hunting and fishing, as evidenced by the fishing nets along the shore and the butchering of the walrus captured earlier that day. The community was apparently doing better than some others seen to date, with many reasonably new buildings evident and the area reasonably tidy. The day finished with a briefing by Sergey, a village representative, about the involvement with the walruses and polar bears, explaining how they are being managed and how our group will be able to observe a large number hauled out on the beach tomorrow. Now for something not mentioned, but it should be of interest to Australians, is the third voyage of Captain Cook on the Resolution in 1778, when he was in this area. I am able to determine that he was as near as 158°W and 70° 44’N, when, on the 29th August 1778, he was turned back by the ice coming from the north. He travelled back through the Bering Strait, not as originally planned, to winter in East Russia, then returned to the Sandwich Islands (now named Hawaii), where he met his death. How different would the history have been if the original plan were followed. Now this, my sixth, trip to the Arctic is coming to an end, but who knows where I may go next?! However, the fact that friends and relatives back home assume I have lost the plot when I persist on going to places not on the popular tourist destination list, will not stop me looking for more exciting and interesting destinations. 31
Day 22
Cape Vankarem; Koluchin I. Position 2100 hours
Lat. 67° 07’N, Long. 172° 39’W
Course
114°
Speed
10 knots
Barometer
1011 hPa
Wind
5 knots N
Air temperature
8°C
Sea temperature
10°C
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
View from cape of Vankarem village
A man comes from the dust and in the dust he will end – and in the meantime, it is good to drink a sip of vodka. —Old Russian Proverb
A 5.00 a.m. start had us on a misty beach in front of Vankarem Village. Sergey, the WWF Director, led our sightseers uphill through now familiar tundra country (boggy) to a rise, where we halted and split into groups that singly approached the walrus nursery. A surprise was that, instead of being on a beach, the colony was up on a stony hillside. Noise and smells were apparent before we sighted each other and, as the wind was behind us, they were aware of our approach and were already nervous, so we kept our distance. Photos were taken, although the angle and distance was a bit disappointing, and even though 3000 animals were predicted, only a small percentage were visible. Luckily our presence did not cause a stampede.
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By Alex Theakston
Bird cliffs Koluchin Island
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A later Zodiac trip around Koluchin Island offered birdinfested cliffs and a white bear swimming under them.
Walrus rookery at Cape Vankarem
32
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On the way back to the village I spoke again to Tania, the kindergarten teacher who was a local that had gone to that very kindergarten, then eventually to St. Petersburg to train seven years for a teaching diploma and had come back to teach in Vankarem Village. Leaving Koluchin Island at sunset
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
Day 23
Cape Dezhnev Position 2100 hours
Lat. 65° 36’N, Long. 170° 26’W
Course
219°
Speed
10.5 knots
Barometer
1116 hPa
Wind
5 knots N
Air temperature
7°C
Sea temperature
9°C
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Thursday, 1 September 2011
Monument and abandonned building, Cape Dezhnev
When seen at a distance, the front part of the head of the young walrus, without tusks, is not unlike the human face. As this animal is in the habit of rearing its head above water, to look at ships, it is not at all improbable but that it may have afforded foundation for some of the stories of mermaids. — William Scoresby, An Account of the Arctic Regions (1826)
By Gordon Ramsay The first day of spring back home in Australia, and the first day of autumn up north, started with a bang for the bunch of us up on the bridge as we approached Uelin Village. I got there about 0645 to be told by our top lookout person, Mike, that he could see two boats. These turned out to be a motor-whaler and a tinny with an outboard motor, both crewed by men with harpoons and buoys, which they dropped in the water to hold the animal. Then we saw the whales near the boats, whereupon I’m sure most of us thought, “Oh no, surely we aren’t going to see a whale killed”, as they appeared to buzz around where the whales were spouting, maybe three humpbacks, including a youngster. Then two more boats joined the hunters and we realized that they weren’t after whales but walruses, and before long they were whizzing around close to our ship shooting at the walruses, as they surfaced, with their harpoons. Then they towed their kills back to the beach, which was transformed into a huge butcher shop, as masses of villagers, men, women, children – and dogs – assembled on the beach an cut up the animals, most efficiently I believe. Vladimir told us that the village is permitted to kill 100 walruses each year.
given by the village children on the first day of the school year, which is known as Knowledge Day in Russia and is a holiday for the children. We went to lunch at 1300, past a sign on the whiteboard from Howard, “YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.” But still no news. Finally the all clear came through and a most relieved Captain and Yelena returned on board. We sailed at 1400. In no time we were off Cape Dezhnev, the most easterly point on the Asian continent. The longitude was 169° 36’ East of Greenwich. Murmansk is about 35° East, so we had traversed across (roughly) 155° of longitude, which is a little over 9 time zones, at 17° an hour. The Zodiacs were in the water in twinkling off Cape Dezhnev, and the squadron of five headed for the towering cliffs that stretched to the south. And what a treat we were in for as we cruised for several hours past majestic cliffs teaming with seabirds, mainly puffins, kittiwakes and guillemots. After an hour or so we saw a grey whale close by and then, to our delight, a grey whale hurled itself into the air doing a barrel roll. We all agreed this had truly been a wow experience as we passed many of nature’s art galleries in their superb colours and rock formations. What’s more, we had been very lucky with the weather, as Vladimir told us that he has been past Cape Dezhnev several times over the past 10 years but has never been able to launch the Zodiacs, due to rough weather. We had completed the North East Passage. Whacko!
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All this, I have to add, was witnessed through binoculars, as we were stuck on board when the Captain, Yelena and Howard went through a most trying process ashore while the Russian authorities, customs, immigration, and the military, refused to allow the ship to proceed until lengthy checks had been completed. Howard kept us informed of what was going on regularly, saying that “He still had no news from ashore”. The hours ticked by while we were meant to be ashore attending a concert Kittiwakes at Cape Dezhnev
33
Day 24
Ittygran Island Friday, 2 September 2011 Lat. 64° 26’N, Long. 172°10’W
Course
162°
Speed
9.8 knots
Barometer
1021 hPa
Wind
5 knots N
Air temperature
8°C
Sea temperature
9°C
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
Position 2030 hours
Lassooing display at Yanrakinnot
Life is the essence of a neverending adventure, Exciting, never boring, Otherwise there is no life. —Anon.
By Gordon Condon
Anchored in Pintegney Bay, from the deck of the ship we were treated to various shades of greens, browns and greys, a contrast to our previous fare of grey. Instead of flat distant shores there were mountains with snow on their peaks. Below the caps there were narrow rivers of snow down the sides and pockmarks of snow elsewhere. In the front, lower down
a layer of cloud cut across the slopes about halfway down the mountains. The water was still and almost glassy. Zodiacs went along the north side of the bay. Kayaks paddled along the southern side. People saw birds and mountain hares. The water was clear and we could see life under the water, such as algae, some weed and jelly fish. Back to the ship across the still waters, to a clean, blue ship. Now, that breakfast we had been longing for. The ship raised the anchor and sauntered to the next rendezvous. Alan put out a call to show us a dead horned puffin he picked up.
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This was the day of Pintegney Bay, the whale boneyard, Yanrakinnot Village and Ittygran Island and sunshine. On Thursday night we were warned of an early start, but there were those who partied! At the 0457 call, the day was bright in spite of the overcast sky. Howard gave a stirring introduction to the day to encourage us out of our comfortable beds dreaming of
breaching grey whales, bulky bears, wallowing walruses, pretty puffins and other Arctic delights. The bad news was that the Zodiacs were loading at 0530. Then three hours to breakfast.
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Local children in Zodiac Yanrakinnot village
Locals rowing, Yanrakinnot village
34
Whale bone graveyard
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
The ship anchored around 0935, and soon afterwards we skimming our way ashore over flat waters to a beach near Yanrakinnot Village marked by whale jawbones standing up like tombstones. There we saw the bones of many, many dead whales. Then a short skim along the shoreline and up a river to Yanrakinnot Village. After some time for contemplation there, we were taken across the lagoon to the sportsground, followed by the swimming dog. We milled around in a semi-circular arrangement of whale bones and were told about the life and times of the Chukchi people. Then we were shown skills such as lassoing reindeer (and errant children that look like reindeer), sled hopping, two-man tug-of-war and wrestling. Brave souls from the ship tried most of the activities. In the background and foreground, everyone, including the dogs, grazed on the waterberries. Then we were taken back across the lagoon to the town and, after a suitable amount of time for reflection on the hill, we were shown the town. About this time some people
were almost fainting. The sky was completely blue and the sun was shining on everything. The tour was a large procession of crew, staff, expeditioners, moderately interested locals and excited children. Back to the ship under a warm sun to another filling lunch. Everyone disappeared to review their photographs or nap before a landing at Ittygran Island. There we saw the whale bones and stonework called Аллея Китовая (Alley of Whales). It is a UNESCO-rated religious site, estimated to be 4,500 years old. Here we start to see the Arctic tundra plants that are common in the Kamchatka area. Some of the people walked to the lake and others climbed the ridge for some excellent views of the island and bay in the gradually setting sun. The paddlers went to the west and found a headless walrus and more birds on more cliff-faces. Back to the ship for those numerous souls to do their Arctic plunge. After that it was downhill through dinner, a photo-slide show by Rosie and to bed to dream of whales, bears, walruses ...
Alex
Annie
Anton
Tracy
Terry
Howard
Norman
Skye
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ALL PHOTOS BY JAYE MARTIN UNLESS MARKED OTHERWISE
Alan
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Kostia & Yelena
Yelena & Kostia brave the high jump
Polar plungers
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Day 25
Preobrazhnaya Bay Saturday, 3 September 2011 Lat. 64° 37’N, Long. 178° 29’E
Course
263°
Speed
10.4 knots
Barometer
1005 hPa
Wind
15 knots N
Air temperature
9°C
Sea temperature
10°C
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Position 2030 hours
Zodiac-cruising at Preobrazhnaya Bay
Russia is contained in the rural depths Where eternal silence reigns. — Nikolay Alexeyevich Neskrasov, Silence
By Robin Bradshaw Let us probe the silent places, let us seek what luck betide us. Let us journey to a lonely land I know. There’s a whisper on the night wind, there’s a star agleam to guide us, And the wind is calling, calling – let us go.
—Robert Service.
award our outing his highest praise as having been ‘spectacular’. Actually, this did not happen; Howard was no doubt unusually busy! Once I had unfrozen my hands so I could again write, I reflected back on my highlights of our great journey. Twelve highlights: l l
Today saw our last outing on our journey, a Zodiac cruise under some cliffs at Preobrazhnaya Bay and then into a lagoon. We saw a great display of puffins, especially tufted puffins, of which I saw 15 in a row. They were whizzing around overhead. We also saw a couple of peregrine falcons, the main predators of the puffins. They come swooping down at up to 120 mph and take the puffins on the wing. What amazing wings to be able to come out of the dive intact. We also saw our first rough-legged buzzard, which had Alan fairly dancing with delight.
l
By now a light drizzle had turned to persistent rain. That, however, did not deflect our birders’ zeal (note I did NOT say fanaticism!) in the slightest. Having been urged out in the first place by Howard’s call to “Give our all to our last outing”, there was nothing to do but hang in there, knowing that eventually I would be returned to the ship feeling like a drowned rat and fully expecting Howard to
l
l l l l l l l
l
Novaya Zemlya; a beautiful bay and our first polar bear. Cape Zhelaniya; sea stack through the mist, our first walrus. Learning about Barents, Nansen, Albanov, Nanook, Cook and Bering. Whales; beluga, grey and humpback. Birds migrating; Arctic terns, eider ducks, godwits, plus ivory gulls, puffins etc. Learning about gulags; Solovki, Norilsk, Kolyna. Indigirka Delta; the arrival that never was and the epic return after. Medvezie Islands; the longest undivided group walk of them all. Pack Ice; a polar bear eating a seal and the Ribbon Seal. Chukchi Sea; approx. 100,000 short-tailed shearwater plus eight whales. Cape Vankarem; many, many walruses, but very difficult to see. The Chukchi people, especially the children.
To the entire crew, both Russian and Aurora, congratulations on a great journey of 4411 miles!
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Very many thanks.
Last day’s outing
36
John and Jaye at the captain’s drinks
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
Day 26
Anadyr Sunday, 4 Septmeber 2011 Lat. 64° 45’N, Long. 177° 30’E
Course
at anchor
Speed
0
Barometer
1005 hPa
Wind
0
Air temperature
13°C
Sea temperature
10°C
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
Position 1030 hours
Anadyr
—Igor Stravinsky
By Margaret Willard The seas were calm as we sailed the last few miles into Anadyr after an epic voyage from Murmansk of 4,411 nautical miles. The pilot came on board at 6.00 a.m., and the bridge was closed to us for the last time. The fog came in and at 8.15 a.m.; we anchored but were unable to see the shore. After breakfast we gathered on the flybridge for our group photo. A few early arrivals saw a beluga, and as the fog cleared we could see the colourful buildings of Anadyr, which Gordon referred to as ‘Legoland’. As we left our ship, we had time to reflect on our journey and our sights and encounters. I’m sure we all have our favourite memories, so here are just a few in no particular order;
Distance travelled: 4,411 nautical miles
The waterfront leaving Murmansk Sighting of our first polar bear on the ridge Cruising glacier fronts and icebergs LFIs (low flat islands) The rock stacks of Oranskie Islands Great bird and walrus encounters (too numerous to name) Lectures, films and slide shows Terry’s cocktails – appropriately named for the day Howard’s hikes Russian bureacracy Villages and Chukchi children’s smiles Arctic tundra and driftwood The ribbon seal Cruising the pack ice that we thought we would never see Polar bear eating a seal BBQ on deck Raft of shearwaters and the whales Puffins and lemmings Zodiac rides (especially the cliffs of Cape Dezhnev) Walrus hunters Joss and Dima’s great food Waves crashing on the bow in the rough seas Gazing at the scenery from the bridge Polar plungers Shallow waters of the delta and the hot chocolate at sea Captain Oleg’s enthusiasm both on and off the ship The great granite tors on the hill (some called the ‘kissing cousins’ and ‘Aloisha’) l Kayaking for the first time in the Russian Arctic
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
The smell of the Russian earth is different, and such things are impossible to forget.
l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l
The group
37
North East Passage. 2011 By Edith Crowne Good-bye, Murmansk, our ship awaits Our hearts and hopes are high. We move quietly down the harbour Rain falling gently from the sky.
A day of rest, and then a chance To test our sailing skills. But lack of sea depth put an end To much awaited thrills.
We greet old friends and make some new Howard tells us what we all must do. We cram into the rescue boat In case Shokalskiy can’t stay afloat.
With Zodiacs tied together This wet but happy crew Enjoyed hot chocolate with whipped cream, A nice hot shower was just a dream.
Two days across the Barents Sea With lectures, books and meals. We watched the birds and saw some seals And drank some nice hot tea.
We’ve seen bears dens high on a hill, Alex caught a lemming, what a thrill. An old Inuit dwelling with bear bones and skull, Life with Aurora is never dull!!
First outing in the Zodiacs A polar bear was spied High on a cliff, alone and proud, He didn’t need to eat this crowd.
Like aliens from a planet, we landed on the shore. The village folk rushed down to see and opened wide the door To school room, and the local shop Their joy, and ours, no-one could stop.
At five o’clock on Sunday morn We left our beds, so snug and warm To wallow with the walrus herds And see on cliffs, high nesting birds.
A detour north to find the ice Was worth the extra miles. Fat polar bears stared back at us Surprised at all our smiles.
Can 50 pairs of gumboots On pebbles large and loose Quietly approach the walrus bunch? I think not, Alan … crunch, crunch, crunch.
Anatoly guided us round lonely Wrangle Isle, The flowers and snowy owl made us linger for a while. The wily wolverine led us a merry dance And then the cross reminded us Of life, we have one chance.
Day after day we travelled east, Often landing on sandy beach. Our leaders armed with guns and flares In case we met unfriendly bears. Day 10 was spent within the ship The sea so rough we dare not slip. We held the rails with all our might, Some stayed in bed, all tucked up tight. On day 13 at last we’re free, We squeeze past ice to land. Our hosts were quite surprised to see This unexpected band.
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
The woolly mammoth left his tusk For us to see and hold. If only tales of bygone years To us could now be told.
Walrus haulout, East Siberian Sea
38
Whales … then birds plus whales Their feeding, humps and tails, Oh bliss, oh joy, oh rapture The perfect shot to capture. We visited Valkarem where the Chukchi live with pride. We crept up on the walrus herd, lying side by side. At Uelin we were not welcomed, but we saw a walrus kill, We’ve done the North East Passage, and we’ve done it with much skill. So, Shokalskiy, good-bye, Dear friends, fare ye well, If our paths should ever meet again What stories we shall tell.
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
Zodiac-cruising, Pintegney Bay
Results of the Survey for a Russian Resort at Cape Peschanyy (Day 9) An abandoned research station came under the scrutiny of Tourism Russia as a place that might be suitable for a stop-off point for excursions to the North Pole, whether by ship, helicopter or balloon. The term ‘resort’ was mentioned. Experienced Russian seamen and pleasure seekers, forty tourists from far away Down Under (Australia and New Zealand), Englishmen, Americans, Germans, a Norwegian, a Canadian and a Singaporean visited the area and stated why they thought the proposed resort venture failed. From the survey came the following selected statements: l l l l l l l l l l l l l l
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
SKYE MAAR-WHELAN
l
People found it unbearable Inability of life guards to move the sleeping bears from the deck chairs Too hot! Sandbars interfered with water-skiing operations Annual iceberg races were cancelled and competitors refused to attend The bears took all the best places out of the wind Paw response to the on-site assessment Not enough firewood No girls No ‘REAL’ boys Bering couldn’t find it Curries were not hot enough Erratic internet reception from igloogle.com.ru Permission could not be obtained to dig for mammoth remains The resort didn’t fail – it is a resort for bears
Kayakers at Ittygran
Peeping children, Ayon village
39
40
13 Aug
13 Aug
13 Aug
14 Aug
14 Aug
15 Aug
16 Aug
17 Aug
17 Aug
17 Aug
18 Aug
18 Aug
19 Aug
20 Aug
21 Aug
22 Aug
22 Aug
24Aug
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
Date
1.
No.
Indigirka River
Little Lyakhovskiy Island
Proliv Sannikova Station, Kolelny
Nerpichiya Bay, Kolelny Island
Lena River delta
Kleshnya Island
Bosovaya River, Bol’shevik I.
Mys Peschanyy, Bol’shevik I.
Furthesl North
October Revolution I.
Tel’mana Fjord, Bol’shevik I.
Pakhlusova Island
Yedineniya Island
Mys Zhelaniya
Oslrova Oranskie
Inoslranlsev Gulf
Bukhta Maka ship cruise
Bukhta Legzdin
Location
1
2 4 5 6
Mainland Asia (Z)
Novosibirskiye Islands (LK)
Novosibirskiye Islands (LK)
Novosibirskiye Islands
Mainland Asia
Severnya Zemlya (Z)
Severnya Zemlya (L)
Severnya Zemlya (ZLK)
80 North
o
Severnya Zemlya (LK)
Severnya Zemlya (L)
Nordenskjold Archipelag (ZLK)
Yedineniya Island (L)
Novaya Zemlya (L)
(Orange Islands) (ZLK)
Novaya Zemlya (LK)
Novaya Zemlya ship
Novaya Zemlya (ZLK)
Area
3
7
8
9
10
11 12 13
36.
35.
34.
33.
32.
31.
30.
29.
28.
27.
26.
25.
24.
23.
22.
21.
20.
19.
No.
03 Sep
02 Sep
02 Sep
02 Sep
0l Sep
31 Aug
31 Aug
30 Aug
29 Aug
29 Aug
28 Aug
28 Aug
28 Aug
27 Aug
26 Aug
25 Aug
25 Aug
25 Aug
Date
14
17
18
19 20
Preobrazhnaya Bay/Lagoon
Ittygran Island
Yanrakinnol Village
Pinlegney Bay
Cape Dezhnev
Kolyuchin Island
Cape Vankarem walrus haulout
Vankarem Village
Plichiy Bazar Point, seabird cliffs
Nanuna Bay
Memorial cross (Slefansson, etc.)
Devil’s Gulch
Somnilel’naya, Ranger’s Station
Pack-ice
Chukchi village on Ayon Island
Chetyryokhslolbovy (4 Pillars) Island
Pushkaryov Island
Kreslovskiy Island
Location
15
16 21
24 28 25 27 26 29 30
Chukolka Peninsula (ZK)
Arakamchechen Archipelago (LK)
Chukolka Peninsula
Chukolka Peninsula
Chukolka Peninsula (ZK)
Kolyuchin Island (ZK)
Cape Vankarem
Cape Vankarem (LK)
Wrangel Island (LK)
Wrangel Island
Wrangel Island
Wrangel Island (L)
Wrangel Island (L)
NW of Wrangel Island (ship)
Ayon Island (L)
Medvezhi (Bear) Islands
Medvezhi (Bear) Islands (ZLK)
Medvezhi (Bear) Islands (ZLK)
Area
22
23
36
31
35
33
34
32
Russian Arctic – Across the North East Passage Murmansk to Anadyr, 10 Aug. – 4 Sep. 2011 Landings and Zodiac Cruises (Z = Zodiac cruise; L = landing; K = kayaking)
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
Bird Sightings ‘Akademik Shokalskiy’ 10 Aug. – 4 Sep. 2011 Sep
Aug
Bird Species
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Red-throated Loon (Diver)
1
2
3
X
X
Loon/Diver sp.
X
X
X
X
X
4 1
X
X X
X
Pelagic Cormorant
X
Brent Goose (Brant)
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Gr. White-fronted Goose
X
1 X
X
3 X
Long-tailed Duck
X
X
1
X
1 X
Red-breasted Merganser
X
X
2 X
Gyrfalcon
X
2 X
Snowy Owl
X
Sanderling
X
X
X
1
X
4
X
2
Pectoral Sandpiper
X
1
X
1
Grey (Red) Phalarope
X X
Arctic Skua
X X
X X
Long-tailed Skua
X
X
X
X
Sabine's Gull X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X X
Lesser Black-backed Gull
X
Black-legged Kittiwake
X
Common (Mew) Gull
X
X
X
7
X
X
X
X
X
X
11
X
8
X
4 X
3
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
2
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Arctic Tern
X X
X
X
X
Brunnich's Guillemot (Thick-billed Murre)
X
X
X
Black Guillemot
X
X
X
5 X
X X
X X
X
X
X
X X
8
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Little Auk
X
X
X
X
10 9
X
7
Pigeon Guillemot
X
3
X
4
Least Auklet
X
Crested Auklet
X
1 X
2
Whiskered Auklet
X X
1
X
2
Horned Puffin
X
Tufted Puffin
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Arctic Warbler
5 5 X
X X
Snow Bunting 5
10
X
X
12
12
X 8
9
7
11
7
3
X
X
7
9
2
3
10
1
X
X 6
6
3
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
8
10
15
12
17
13
3 12
21
5
OLIVER RAYMOND
White Wagtail
11
23 1
X
Atlantic Puffin
18 3
X X
3 14
X
X
Ivory Gull
X
X
X X
Glaucous Gull Great Black-backed Gull
X
X
Vega Herring Gull
Number of Bird Species Each Day:
1
X
Peregrine Falcon
Common Raven
2
X
Rough-legged Buzzard (Hawk)
Common Guillemot (Murre)
3
X
Harlequin Duck
Herring Gull
1
X
Spectacled Eider
Pomarine Skua
8 5
X
Northern Pintail duck
Red-necked Phalarope
7 X
1
Lesser Snow Goose
White-winged Scoter
8
X
X
seen 1
X
X
Short-tailed Shearwater
Common Eider
4
X
Arctic Loon (Black-throated Diver)
Northern Fulmar
31
Days
Long-tailed ducks
41
Mammal Sightings ‘Akademik Shokalskiy’ 10 Aug. – 4 Sep. 2011 SHIP LOCATION
SPECIES
EST.
OF MAMMAL
#
SEA
ICE(tenths)
Harbour Porpoise
1
3
0
Off Murmansk
34º 13.1' E
Harbour Porpoise
2
3
0
Off Murmansk
~41º E
Harbour Porpoise
1
2
0
Barent's Sea
73º 40' N
48º 45' E
Harbour Porpoise
8-10
4
0
Barent's Sea
7:40
73 53
49 35 E
White-beaked Dolphin
6-8
4
0
Barent's Sea (breaching)
12-Aug
17:00
75 06.1
54 35.2 E
Harp Seal
1
2
0
Barent's Sea
7
12-Aug
16:00
74 56
53 54 E
Minke Whale
2
3
0
Barent's Sea
8
12-Aug
18:30
75 16.2
55 18.4 E
Harp Seal
1
2
0
Off Novya Zemlya
9
13-Aug
2:00
76 19
60 31 E
Harp Seal
2
2
0
Off Novya Zemlya
10
13-Aug
5:00
76 24
61 59 E
Walrus
3
-
0
Off Novya Zemlya
DATE
TIME
N. LAT.
LONG.
1
10-Aug
21:30
69º 33.1' N
34º 08.4' E
2
10-Aug
21:43
69º 34.5' N
3
11-Aug
12:30
~71º
4
12-Aug
5:54
5
12-Aug
6
CONDITIONS COMMENTS
11
13-Aug
8:40
76 20.2
64 12.0 E
Polar Bear
1
-
-
Legzdina Bay - at seabird cliffs
12
13-Aug
11:00
76 20.1
64 11.5 E
Bearded Seal
1
0
2
Legzdina Bay - at glacier
13
13-Aug
12:20
76 23
64 26 E
Walrus
1
0
1
On ice near Legzdina Bay
14
13-Aug
13:10
76 23
64 39 E
Bearded Seal
1
0
2
On ice - Makta Bay ship's cruise
15
13-Aug
17:30
76 33
65 50 E
Polar Bear
2
-
-
Inostrandseva - on land and at sea
16
14-Aug
4:30
77 02.1
67 45.6 E
Polar Bear
17
14-Aug
4:30
77 02.1
67 45.6 E
Walrus
18
14-Aug
11:00
76 55
68 44 E
Polar Bear
2
-
-
Prospelov Bay (Russian Base)
19
15-Aug
9:00
77 28.8
82 21.4 E
Polar Bear
1
-
-
Yedineniya Island
82 20 E
4
-
-
Ostrova Oranskie (Orange Is) - on shore
300+
0
1
Ostrova Oranskie - on shore & at sea
20
15-Aug
9:10
77 27
Bearded Seal
1
2
0
Yedineniya Island
21
16-Aug
10:00
76 43.8
95 44.1 ER Beluga Whale
6
2
0
Pakhtusova Is (Nordenskjold archipelago)
22
17-Aug
14:10
78 56.5
100 25.9 E Beluga Whale
1
6
0
Shokalskiy Strait
23
17-Aug
16:30
79 15
Bearded Seal
1
3
1
Medvezhya Bay (Octobert Island)
24
18-Aug
10:00
79 26.2
102 23.5 E Bearded Seal
3
3
0
Cape Polustrov
25
18-Aug
10:00
79 26.2
102 23.5 E Polar Bear
1
-
-
Cape Polustrov
99 37 E
26
18-Aug
12:00
79 18.4
103 19.6 E Bearded Seal
2
5
1
Mokryy Point, Poluostrov Peninsula
27
18-Aug
15:30
79 06.8
102 51.2 E Ringed Seal
1
3
0
Bosovaya River (offshore)
28
19-Aug
12:30
76 43.5
112 08.8 E Walrus
3
3
0
Off Taimyr Peninsula
29
19-Aug
15:00
76 28
20
4
0
Shallow seas off Kleshnya Island
30
19-Aug
17:20
76 27.8
4
-
-
Kleshnya Island (Severnya Zemlya)
31
20-Aug
11:05
74 22
120 14 E
Walrus
1
-
-
32
21-Aug
14:00
75 03
131 40 E
Ringed Seal
1
1
1
33
22-Aug
9:30
74 37
138 48 E
Bearded Seal
1
1
1
Proliv Sannikova Polar Station
34
22-Aug
12:30
74 37
138 48 E
Ringed Seal
1
1
0
Proliv Sannikova Polar Station
112 56 E
Walrus
113 06.1 E Polar Bear
35
25-Aug
7:00
70 54
160 25 E
Bearded Seal
2
-
-
Medvezhy Islands (Krestovskiy I.)
36
25-Aug
7:30
70 54
160 25 E
Polar Bear
2
-
-
Medvezhy Islands (Krestovskiy I.)
37
25-Aug
10:30
70 54
161 31 E
Polar Bear
38
25-Aug
12:30
70 54
161 31 E
Reindeer
1
-
-
Medvezhy Islands (Pushkaryov I.)
35
-
-
Medvezhy Islands (Pushkaryov I.)
39
25-Aug
12:30
70 55
161 32 E
Ringed Seal
2
0
0
Medvezhy Islands (Pushkaryov I.)
40
25-Aug
17:00
70 37
162 23 E
Reindeer
3
-
-
Chetyrokhstolbovvy Island
41
25-Aug
17:00
70 37
162 23 E
Polar Bear
3
-
-
Chetyrokhstolbovvy Island (female,2 cubs)
42
26-Aug
12:30
69 57
167 57 E
Ringed Seal
3
3
0
Ayon Island (village site)
43
26-Aug
12:30
69 57
167 57 E
Arctic Ground Squirrel
1
-
-
Ayon Island (village site)
44
27-Aug
10:30
72 07
175 27 E
Polar Bear
1
1
2
In pack-ice NW of Wrangel Island
45
27-Aug
10:40
72 08
175 28 E
Walrus
242
1
2
In pack-ice NW of Wrangel Island
46
27-Aug
to
to
to
Polar Bear
5
1
2
In pack-ice NW of Wrangel Island
47
27-Aug
12:30
72 09
175 32 E
Ringed Seal
8
1
2
In pack-ice NW of Wrangel Island
48
27-Aug
13:30
72 10
175 33 E
Polar Bear
6
1
2
In pack-ice NW of Wrangel Island
49
27-Aug
to
to
to
340
1
2
In pack-ice NW of Wrangel Island
KEITH VAUGHTON
Walrus
Lemming popping out of its burrow
42 42
Across the the North North East East Passage, Passage, 10 10 August August –– 44 September September 2011 2011 Across
Flower List ‘Akademik Shokalskiy’ 10 Aug. – 4 Sep. 2011 The list covers only the High Arctic portion of the voyage - plant diversity was too high in the Chukotka area. This is only a partial list of the species encountered - those that were still flowering or could be easily identified. AUGUST AUGUST 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Polar Willow Salix polaris x x x x Arctic Willow S. arctica x Netted Willow S. reticulata Mountain Sorrel Oxyria digyna Knotweed/Bistort Polygonum viviparum Alpine Sandwort Fringed Sandwort
x
x
Arctic Lychnis (Campion) Bladder Campion Melandrium apetallatum Moss Campion Lapland Buttercup Arctic Buttercup Snow Buttercup Ranunculus nivale Sulphur-Coloured Buttercup Pigmy Buttercup Lobed Buttercup Unidentified buttercup Ranunculus sp. Arctic Poppy Papaver arctica Polar Cress Scurvygrass/Spoonwort Purplish Braya Arctic Whitlow-Grass Yellow Arctic Whitlow-Grass Lapland Whitlow-Grass
Purple Saxifrage Saxifraga oppositifolia Hawkweed-Leaved Saxifrage Alpine Saxifrage Yellow Mountain Saxifrage Yellow Bog Saxifrage Drooping Saxifrage Brook Saxifrage Tufted Saxifrage Spider Plant (Trailing Saxifrage)
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x x
Tufted Cinquefoil Bluff Cinquefoil Arctic Cinquefoil Unidentified Cinquefoil Potentilla sp. Mountain Avens
x
x
x
25 x x
AUGUST 26 27 x x
28 x x x
29 x x x
x x
x x
x x x
x x x x
x x
x
x
x x
x
x
x x
x x x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x x x x
x
x
x
x x
x x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x x x x x x
x x
x
x x
x x
x
x
x
x x
x x
x
x
x
x
x
x x x
Arctic Bell-Heather Boreal Jacob's-Ladder Oysterleaf Woolly Lousewort Hairy Lousewort
x
x
x x x
x
x
x
x x
x
x
x
x
x
x x
x x
x x
x x
x
x
x
x
x x
x x
x x
x
x x
x
x
x x
x x
x x
x x
x
x
x x x
x x x
x x
x x
x
Alpine Forget-me-not Myosotis asiatica Capitate Valerian/Heliotrope Valeriana capitata Wrangel Vetch Oxytropis wrangeli Arctic Cottongrass Eriophorum scheuchzeri Grasses & sedges (multiple species) Mushrooms
x x
x x
x
Elegant Paintbrush Castillega elegans Bear Flower Boykinia richardsonii Arctic Harebell Blue-bell Campanula sp. Arctic Fleabane Erigeron purpuratus Lapland Butterbur Alpine Arnica Arctic Dandelion Polar Dandelion Taraxacum brachycerus Unidentified dandelion Taraxacum spp. Glacier Geum Geum glaciale
24
x x
Rose-root Sedum roseum Unidentified Chickweed Cerastium spp. Large Chickweed Cerastium maximum Arctic Chickweed Mouse-Ear Chickweed Cerastium arvense
23
x x
43 43
Expeditioners Wendy Addis Peter Appleton Rosie Appleton Frank Berger Mike Berry Sergey Bocharov Robin Bradshaw Graham Brown Kath Burt Petra Cleven Gordon Condon Tracy Connor Annie Crowe Edith Crowne Heather Douglas-Make Vic Douglas-Make Alex Drozdkov Roy Evans Lesley Gordon Edgar Hamilton Bob Hamilton Margaret Hunt Fern Lee Cliff Lyon Ingrid Magryn Carolyn Morgan Graham Morgan Noelle Morgan Ron Morris Ron Murray Muru Murugesan Val Murugesan Ruth Norris Julie Parker Carol Price Nigel Price Gordon Ramsay Helen Raymond Oliver Raymond Bho Singh Subba Singh Setsue Sugita Alex Theakston Keith Vaughton Norman Vaughton Barb Walker Denis Weily Helen Weily Margaret Willard
44 44
Expedition Staff Expedition Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Howard Whelan Assistant Expedition Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Skye Marr-Whelan Naturalist & Lecturer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alan Burger Russian Guest Lecturer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vladimir Sevostianov Doctor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jaye Martin Kayaking Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Judd Hill Zodiac Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Palmer Chef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joss Wilson Second Chef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dima Volnov Hotel Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Hart
Akademik Shokalskiy Crew Captain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oleg Klaptenko Chief Mate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maksim Serkalev 2nd Mate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anton Ralitnyy 3rd Mate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vladimir Kolesnikov Radio Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yury Kudrin Chief Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evgenii Uss 2nd Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oleksandr Vakulik 3rd Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vasilii Sokolov Electrical Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mikhail Kucherov Boatswain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sergey Tolstikov AB Sailors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dmitry Laushkin, Yevgen Sychov . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexey Sukhorukov, Konstantin Sholokh Motormen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yevgen Pyetukhov, Vasilii Kuguk Stewardesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Viktoriia Kozachuk, Olga Sychova . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Al’bina Colis, Tatiana Minina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Svetlana Sushilnikova Russian Cook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Igor Inozemtsev
Ship’s log compiled by: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Skye Marr-Whelan Edited by: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aurora Expeditions Log production and design: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carrots & David Colfelt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Windward Publications Pty Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Berry, New South Wales 2535, Australia
NEP01
Across the North East Passage, 10 August – 4 September 2011
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