SVAL28 by Emma Savage

Spitsbergen Odyssey 21â&#x20AC;&#x201C;31 July 2011

JAN THOMPSON

Polar Pioneer

Cruising to the heart of nature

Day 1

Longyearbyen Position 2220 hours

Lat. 78° 09'N; Long. 12° 12'E

Course

265°

Speed

11.1 knots

Barometer

1005 hPa & steady

Wind

2 knots from the W

Air temperature

6°C

Sea temperature

3°C

DAVID CAMPBELL

Thursday, 21 July 2011

Polar Pioneer

By Sue Werner My goodness, it’s a long way to Longyearbyen! The excitement itched at our inner emotions as we flew over Svalbard, looking down upon rivers of ice and endless mountain peaks entangled in white, pillowy clouds. The last plane eventually put everyone in town. What surprises will this Arctic frontier hold for us?

We lifted the lines and eased away from the wharf into Adventfjorden and then turned left into the beautiful Isfjorden. Soon after, Henrik and the gang started the ball rolling by giving us all a warm welcome in the bar. Al gave his kayakers a briefing, fitting them all out in their waterproof attire. In a flurry of activity the lifeboat drill was on; orange life jackets clutched by all; into the lifeboat’s we went; ”What an experiences it was”! Dinner was a fine feast from our wonderful chefs Gray and Tim, served by our lovely Russian steward-

esses, Lena and Natasha. After dinner Henrik called us to the outer decks and bridge to see the amazing light on the horizon with patches of ice that had come from the south. The great gumboot affair took place in the lecture room as we tried and tested the requisite high-fashion garments we will be using each day from now on! The evening was majestically beautiful as we cruised down Isfjorden, eventually turning northwards along the western flank of Prins Karls Forland escorted by gliding fulmars. We have now entered the land of the midnight sun; no more darkness for quite some time!

JANE BURREN

The Polar Pioneer peacefully sat alongside the wharf as we anxiously waited to come on board. It was the start of our expedition. Sue greeted us at the gangway welcoming us to our new home for the next 10 days. Everyone quickly settled into cabins, stowing clothing, navigating through the convoluted stairways, finding their

way to the bar, dining rooms, and preparing for the adventure ahead.

Longyearbyen

Spitsbergen Odyssey, 21–31 July 2011

Day 2

Lilliehöökbreen; Signehamna Position 2115 hours

Lat. 79° 23'N; Long. 10° 35'E

Course

345°

Speed

10.8 knots

Barometer

1006 hPa & steady

Wind

10 knots from the S

Air temperature

5°C

Sea temperature

5°C

INSHA SUBAIAH

Friday, 22 July 2011

Signehamna

By Jan Thompson ///TRANSMISSION BEGINS/// Star Date: Two Two Zero Seven Two Zero One One The Log of a Novice Expeditioner Yesterday presented many opportunities for learning about the ship’s layout and how everything works. Today our adventure begins in earnest! Henrik made an announcement at 6.40 a.m. to rouse the sleepyheads from their beds. Those of you who had joined me on the bow for a spritely aerobics session and a swim of five laps around the ship did not need this reminder! After a hearty breakfast to fuel our adventuring bodies we attended the University of Polar Pioneering. The compulsory subjects were: 1. Introduction to Arctic Flora and Fauna 2. Zodiac Etiquette for Beginners 3. How to Avoid Being Eaten by a Polar Bear 101 All students passed the course with flying colours. We anchored in Krossfjorden in front of Lilliehöökbreen. Who would have thought that it would take so long to get dressed! Lessons learned from our Zodiac briefing were put into practice and soon we were underway. We admired the majestic ice cliffs of the glacier – but how frustrating that the sounds of glacial calving arrive so much after the fact! We viewed a bearded seal out on the ice and cruised around looking at bergy bits. The sighting of an ivory gull made it a wonderful morning, but wait: there was more! Beguiling Enchanting Lithe Unforgettable Glorious Amazing Splendid

How very excited and privileged we felt to be able to watch their progress. During lunch the Polar Pioneer repositioned to Signehamna, where we split into two groups. The first, more energetic, group (i.e. those who had not exercised before breakfast) walked around Lake Hajeren whilst the second group investigated a WW2 German weather station. The sights included polygons, wild flowers and historical junk. A red-throated diver was spotted as well as Arctic terns and barnacle geese. Back on board, we sailed to a puffin nesting site. The puffins lay their eggs on ledges here, rather than digging burrows, to protect them from predators. Surprisingly, we were able to approach quite close to the swimming puffins. We were fascinated by these unusual birds and many photographs were taken. Suddenly this interlude was interrupted by information from the ship that belugas were approaching us. Engines were cut and the puffins ignored. How incredible to sight the elusive beluga whales twice in one day! They passed the Zodiacs within metres, with two animals raising their heads to look at us. I think we were all awestruck with the magic of the moment! The following poem was written by Gareth to commemorate the moment: Roses are red; Belugas are white; And more belugas are also white. To round off a perfect day, captain’s drinks and canapés were served in the bar. Dinner followed and conversation flowed as we compared notes of our experiences. Personally, I did not want the day to end, so I joined a few others on the bridge just looking out over the ocean. It is quite mesmerising and beautiful. We have had a wonderful start to our holiday and if the following days are half as good I will be a very happy adventurer.

///TRANSMISSION ENDS/// 3

Day 3

Lernerøyane; Monacobreen; Texas Bar Position 2120 hours

Lat. 80° 00'N; Long. 14° 26'E

Course

11°

Speed

2 knots

Barometer

1005 hPa & steady

Wind

10 knots from the SE

Air temperature

6°C

Sea temperature

4.8°C

PHIL & LESLEY GRETTON

Saturday, 23 July 2011

Mother bear

TIM GRAY

Last night at captain’s drinks the captain said we would see polar bears, in fact, a mother and two cubs. It seemed a rash promise, but enthused by this we were up early on polar bear lookout. None was seen before breakfast although two minke whales did put in an appearance. After breakfast we continued to scan Reindeer Flats, and the announcement came that a bear had been spotted (bottle of champagne to Al), and the Zodiacs were launched. We sped over to the island with great anticipation and excitement, but the bears, a mother and two cubs, were nowhere to be seen. The island provided plenty of hiding spots.

Blue ice

After a fruitless circumnavigation of the island with some asides for eider ducks and long-tailed ducks, someone on the ship spotted them, so it was a race up to the other end of the island where we saw the mother and the two cubs. The mother left her two cubs on top of a ridge and came closer, sniffing the air and putting out her tongue, which was blue and very long. The cubs sat at the top looking extremely cute until called down by mum. They were all really relaxed and moved around to a beach where the cubs were eating something; views in our Zodiac differed as to whether it was a dead fish or bird. We were able to get very close to the bears; it was a privilege to be so near to the largest landed-based carnivore and watch them go about normal family life oblivious of us. As they moved off the mother bear looked spectacular against the backdrop of a glacier glistening in the sun – what a perfect morning. Of course lots of photographs were taken, viewed and talked about back on the ship. The ship then went to the end of Woodfjorden to give us a spectacular view of the Monacobreen. It was difficult to grasp the scale of the brilliant blue glacier until you saw kittiwakes and gulls flying past. Perhaps as amazing as the glacier itself were the

PHIL & LESLEY GRETTON

By Lesley and Phil Gretton

One of the cubs

thousands of sea birds feeding at the base of the glacier face. In the afternoon a landing was planned, but due to the wind we had to land in a different area; as Henrik would say, this is expedition travelling, so things change, and the group divided into those going on a exploratory walk and those looking at a flower meadow. Phil and I stayed to photograph the flowers, so we went from the large and impressive to the small and beautiful. Walking up the barren scree slope gave no indication of the lush meadow above which was covered in lots of different flowers, so long lenses were swapped for macros, and a good hour was spent enjoying and photographing the mountain avens, hairy lousewort and other flowers, which would be identified on our return to the ship. When we did put our heads up we could see the other group spread out along a ridge above us. Our group then left the flowers and the

Spitsbergen Odyssey, 21–31 July 2011

PHIL & LESLEY GRETTON

still hadn’t ended; after dinner we headed north and passed 80oN just before approaching Moffen Island, where about 70 walruses were hauled out. We could only approach to within 300 metres, but it was close enough to see the walruses and their tusks glistening in the sun, which came out just at the right moment. It was also close enough for us to smell them. We wondered, if we could smell them at 300 metres, how far away could a polar bear smell them?

Hairy lousewort

ANDREW OSBORN

birds (some of the group had wandered off to look for waders along the shoreline) to go to Texas Bar, a hut owned by a Norwegian hunter, Hilmar Nois, so named because he had pictures of John Wayne, as well as pin up-girls, on the walls. The hut had been restored, without the pictures, and it looked very cosy and with a view many people would pay a fortune for. If this was not enough, the day

A polar bear goes into a bar in Longyearbyen. Polar bear: Can I have a pint of lager please Bartender: Certainly but why the big pause? Polar bear: Well, they come in really useful to catch seals! We thank you!

PHIL & LESLEY GRETTON

Arctic lychnis

Days don’t get much better than this – to start with polar bears and end with walruses. As we are not good at poetry or drawings, we have decided to celebrate this wonderful day with a really bad polar bear joke:

Walkers on the ridge line

Day 4

In the Ice Position 2030 hours

Lat. 80° 34'N; Long. 19° 09'E

Course:

233°

Speed

9.8 knots

Barometer

1007 hPa & rising

Wind

19 knots from the W

Air temperature

3°C

Sea temperature

2.9°C

GARETH THOMPSON

Sunday, 24 July 2011

Our furthest north

By Dave Burkitt

By breakfasttime we were in a position to the east of Sjuøyane (Seven Islands), the most northerly group of islands in the Svalbard archipelago. There was a fresh breeze, but the sea state was dampened by several expanses of tight, polar packice, which the ship easily maneuvered through – these were the conditions for which she was built. Cruising along the edge of the ice we encountered a number of harp seals playing in the water, some seabirds too, mostly fulmars but also a great skua. As the pack got heavier the ship stopped, and it was decided to sit it out for a while in the hope of a polar bear sighting. This was our most northerly position at latitude 80o 50’N, longitude 21o 12’E. We waited patiently, viewing and photographing the Arctic vista; an overcast sky with light drizzle and a breeze, if anything, added to the reality of where we were. There were a couple of false alarms, but no bears were sighted, and at 11.30 we all descended to the lecture room for ‘The Bear Facts’, a talk by Henrik beautifully illustrated with his own pictures taken over a number of years on his many Arctic voyages. 6

After lunch it was time to head south once more. The morning’s wait was soon rewarded with not just one but two bears. One of them was finishing off the remains of a large seal carcass, the other just a hundred metres distant. Polar Pioneer turned slowly towards them, but they were well aware of our presence and decided to walk away from the large, looming object. Once again we were rewarded with a beautiful display of these magnificent animals very much at home in their natural world. They were most probably mother and her not-so-young offspring playfully showing off their

affection by standing on hind legs, rolling and wrestling together on the ice. It was a real privilege to watch. Once more heading south, and by popular request, John gave a talk on the birds of Svalbard, some of which we have already seen; others we will hopefully encounter over the next few days. Our chefs did us proud in the evening with a fantastic Sunday dinner of roast beef and Yorkshire pud. This was followed by evening entertainment down in Cinema 1, a documentary about that little known Australian explorer, Hubert Wilkins, and his voyage under the ice in the submarine Nautilus.

BRENT MCCOMBS

Overnight, Polar Pioneer steamed steadily north-eastwards from Moffen Island. There was a long, easy swell, and it was good to sleep soundly after an eventful day.

Playtime

Spitsbergen Odyssey, 21–31 July 2011

Day 5

Faksevågen; Alkefjellet; Wahlbergøya Monday, 25 July 2011 Lat. 79° 34'N; Long. 19° 32'E

Course

185°

Speed

11 knots

Barometer

1014 hPa & rising

Wind

nil

Air temperature

5°C

Sea temperature

1.8°C

JOHN TERRY

Position 2040 hours

A minute before midnight

By Sue and John Terry Reindeer, a million guillemots, the midnight sun … and even walruses as well. Wow, what amazing variety in this wonderland!

birds … it became a case of ‘who’s looking at whom?’. Memories of Antarctica came flooding back … these birds looked so uncannily like Adélie penguins, watching us from the ice floes. We could hardly believe the number of nesting birds crowded onto the huge dolerite towers and marvelled at their ability to avoid mid-air collisions, all without any air traffic control! A magically calm, sunny and windless evening in the ice was about to conclude when walruses were

A glorious afternoon was spent in Zodiacs on glassily calm and windless seas, with at least a million Brünnich’s guillemots over, around and even under us. Such inquisitive

SUE TERRY

BRENT MCCOMBS

We toiled up the hill at the heels of Henrik over colourful tundra to be rewarded with stunning views of the Gullfakse Glacier. On our way down, sharp-eyed people spotted reindeer. A single deer was cautiously feeding in the distance. During our return stroll we were rewarded with a group of three reindeer ambling along; Henrik lead us in a compact, quiet group to slowly approach to about 120 metres.

Collectively, about 20 metres aggregate length of telephoto lenses went to work, and we were then rewarded with the group strolling closer to about 65 meters from us as they fearlessly grazed on the sparse tundra vegetation. They gave the appearance of being on a summer vacation binge. Well it was 25 July … just five months to the busy Christmas season!

Brünnich’s guillemots on ice

Alkefjellet

spotted on a nearby beach. Zodiacs were again launched quickly by our wonderful crew, and we had the joy of watching these immense creatures jostle for resting space and shared with them our first crystal-clear evening sky and bright sunny ‘midnight sun”; more happy snaps! At around 12.30 a.m. and still bathed in bright sunshine, we cruised gently ‘home’ to Polar Pioneer, quietly savouring the magic. The time has come, the walrus said my dear, to go to bed. For if we don’t then I do fear “Good People” we’ll not hear. KERRIE PAIN

(with apologies to Edward Lear).

Polar Pioneer in the midnight sun

INSHA SUBAIAH

What big teeth you have!

JOHN TERRY

DAVID BURREN

Tufted Saxifrage

Watching walruses

Spitsbergen Odyssey, 21–31 July 2011

Day 6

Vibabukta; Torellneset

188°

Speed

9.4 knots

Barometer

1018 hPa & steady

Wind

27 knots form the S

Air temperature

4°C

Sea temperature

0.4°C

THE MIDNIGHT PADDLERS by Jillian Wilson Midnight paddling? Broad, bright sunshine, not a breath of wind and a glassy sea, and we’d just come from visiting some walruses! This wasn’t the sort of paddling that Kerrie and I were used to back home in Canada and New Zealand. We drove our double up onto the ice floe, whooping with glee as it sank beneath us, and then sliding off backwards again. Looking around there were many surreally shaped, blue icebergs, long, low mountains with a stretched-out ice cap, wide plunging glaciers, with everything being mirrored in the calm water – all a wonderful setting for paddling around the eastern side of Svalbard.

Polar bear with seal kill

JILLIAN WILSON

Course

Svalbard poppy

The 24 hours following our midnight paddle were jampacked with activities. The morning landing at the polar desert of Vibabukta was a place of wonder – just about every stone evidenced the distant past with the imprint of corals, snails and other wee critters. Low-growing Svalbard poppies and tiny mounds of pink and white saxifrages delighted the photographers, and I was very taken with a wild, sleek and low-slung modernistic-looking mountain range. I’m hoping the photo I eventually made will be good enough to frame! Fingers crossed. The afternoon saw us visiting some more walruses at

Who’s watching whom?

Trying to get out of pack ice

JO BULL

Lat. 79° 09'N; Long. 20° 00'E

JILLIAN WILSON

Position 2125 hours

JILLIAN WILSON

Tuesday, 26 July 2011

JILLIAN WILSON

Is this my good side?

Mark

Torellneset, this time a pulsing and heaving mound of about 40 huge mammals in various states of rest and irritation, wriggling and scratching, heaving and sighing and settling back down to sleep again. It was like a huge, undulating, collective sleepover. Some five more-wakeful walruses were in the water, obviously an easier environment for their huge bodies. We watched entranced as they wallowed and scratched and then abruptly sat up to investigate the row of expeditioners sitting waiting for the next walrus exploit. I wondered how many photos had been taken in all. Meanwhile the pack ice had drifted into the bay where the Zodiacs and kayaks landed, making retrieval and retreat very difficult for the Zodiac drivers and paddlers alike.

BRENT MCCOMBS

The 24 hours wasn’t over yet! The ship’s captain and crew took Polar Pioneer through the narrow Bjørnsundet Channel between the mainland and Wilhelmøya Island, trying the avoid the thick pack ice that had forced them to retreat on the previous voyage. Many of us sat and watched intrigued as they found a way through the ice, with the ship ‘graunching’ and pounding its way ahead. It mightn’t be an icebreaker, but it was certainly a match for those conditions. Plan ‘A’ was to make our way through to Freemansundet by the morning, and with skill and determination this was achieved. It’s looking as though we should complete the circumnavigation of some of the islands of Svalbard this voyage.

BRYCE THOMPSON

CLARE CANNON

Sun dog

Lichens

Oh, this feels good!

Spitsbergen Odyssey, 21–31 July 2011

Day 7

Sundneset; Russebukta Position 2100 hours

Lat. 77° 36'N; Long. 20° 56'E

Course

at anchor

Speed

0 knots

Barometer

1021 hPa & steady

Wind

6 knots from the S

Air temperature

4°C

Sea temperature

3°C Arctic flora

PIP MCLACHLAN

Wednesday, 27 July 2011

By Bryce Thompson and Ren Das Many of us awoke during the night to the lurching of Polar Pioneer and the loud crunching of ice as the Russian crew navigated a safe passage through the heavy pack ice on our journey south towards Freemansundet. The rest of us slept peacefully in our lamb-and-mushroom-pie-induced food comas, courtesy of Gray and Tim. Slept peacefully, that was, until ...

The group was split into two parties, and we explored Sundneset at our own pace. There were flora and ornithology aplenty, with a number of new species of flowers and birds spotted; however, mammals were in short supply. When the kayakers landed they saw our first Arctic fox sniffing around the Zodiacs, but it was quick to disappear up the hill amongst the rocks.

“Good morning, good people ...” Ah yes, good morning, Henrik, good to hear from you again.

Twenty minutes after lunch we passed the spectacular Doleriteneset on Edgeøya. Unfortunately, thick fog had completely obscured the view, and we couldn’t see anything off the port side of the ship. The decision was made to keep sailing south, trying to find a place to land. Little did we know how fortuitous that decision would prove to be ...

When we finally motored toward shore in the Zodiacs, a glance back towards Polar Pioneer revealed nothing more than an eerie outline in the mist. Initially, we wandered up to have a look at an old German scientific hut – complete with a Norwegian flag, sandwich wrap and Twinning’s Earl Grey tea bags! Just before we started our walk, eagle-eye Al spotted another polar bear sleeping, about three kilometers around the harbour from the group. Henrik seemed unfased as he trudged up a ridgeline.

During the afternoon, Dave provided a lecture on the first two hundred years of human history on Spitsbergen, a sad tale given the modern-day state of Arctic whale populations. The weather gradually cleared, and by 5.00 p.m. Henrik announced that we were trying to find an anchorage point at Russebukta – apparently unexplored territory for this ship and its crew. Five minutes later, Henrik’s voice was back, “We’ve just spotted what we think is a polar bear; we won’t be landing, but bring your long lenses”. We powered off in Henrik’s Zodiac towards the first suspected polar bear.

Trappers hut

DAVID CAMPBELL

After a hearty breakfast, Henrik informed us that the dreaded Svalbard fog had just rolled in over the hills and engulfed the shoreline at Sundneset. For about an hour we remained on the ship, waiting for the visibility to improve. It’s a little dangerous to go walking in the mist when there could be polar bears around any corner!

Some voyagers (who shall remain nameless) suspected it might just be a couple of lumps of snow in the rocks, but soon Henrik’s experience showed through as the afternoon’s first bear lifted its head and stood up. As more Zodiacs approached, the bear retreated back over the hill and then continued to withdraw as we rounded the point and spotted him on the tundra – everyone got some wonderful photos of the polar bear’s read end.

BRYCE THOMPSON

Sleepy bear

Amongst the excitement of seeing a one-tusked walrus playing in the next bay, we quickly spotted that afternoon’s second bear, asleep on a green hill in the distance. He acknowledged our presence with a wave of two massive hind paws before rolling over and continuing to sleep. As we sped around the islands a third polar bear was spotted, and before long John had spotted a fourth and the photographers thought they had a fifth! This place should be renamed Bear Sundet or Bear Bukta – or perhaps Bear Mecca would be more appropriate! The third bear was more than happy to pose for photos and even rewarded us with an occasional yawn. We sped back to Polar Pioneer in the Zodiacs, cold but happy.

BRENT MCCOMBS

Our dinner of ‘Chef’s Surprise’ turned out to be an Arctic BBQ on the stern deck, complete with silly costumes, although Henrik’s pirate’s costume – seen on previous voyages – seemed to have mysteriously disappeared. Some pioneers made the most of the mild-Arctic weather and continued to revel well past the midnight sun.

BRENT MCCOMBS

Yawning bear

Spitsbergen Odyssey, 21–31 July 2011

The Barbecue

Anna, Gray and Tim

Brent and David

Clare and Mark

Dr John and Subin

Hausjörg, Klaus, John and Monika

JJ, Jo and Claire

Jillian, Bryce and Ren

Kerrie, Daisy, Sue and Jan

Lesley, Phil and Sue

Natalie, Geoff and Liz

Natasha and Lena

ALL BY SUE WERNER

Andrew and Sarah

Pip and Colin

Rea, Mike, Linda, Sarah, Jan and Tim

Will

Day 8

Bölscheøya; Ekongen Position 1900 hours

Lat. 77°03'N; Long. 20°15'E

Course

225°

Speed

9.3 knots

Barometer

1032 hPa & steady

Wind

12 knots from the SE

Air temperature

5°C

Sea temperature

3.1°C

MIKE PERRETT

Thursday, 28 July 2011

Arctic terns

We awoke after the BBQ and subsequent drinkies to Henrik’s cheery ‘Good morning, good people’ and a special birthday wish for Sue. Henrik also gave us the news that we would be landing on the small island of Bölscheoya soon after breakfast, fog and bears permitting. Well, neither the fog nor the bears permitted, as we saw a bear patrolling the island shortly before the whole scene was blanketed in thick fog. No worries: Al and our Zodiac drivers grabbed some GPS units and we headed off into the fog to see what we could find. First up we found were each other – which was reassuring given that we could only see a few dozen metres. Then some very large, primeval-looking heads emerged from the water and snorted like whales. Yes folks, more walruses.

Eider in the mist

ers, the walruses!) before we cruised around looking for birds. Bölscheøya proved to be an ornithological treasure trove, with nesting snow buntings, little auks and puffins (pooffins to you, Phil); eider ducks and Brent geese with their chicks; Arctic skuas, Arctic terns and great skuas circling overhead, and the usual array of guillemots and gulls adding to the fray. Andrew and Bryce photographed an

unusual duck, which turned out to be a male eider duck in non-breeding plumage – probably a juvenile. In the afternoon, the kayakers paddled around Ekongen Island while the rest of us landed and tromped off for a wee bit of exploration. Dr John marched bravely forward as bear-bait, while the local Arctic skuas and terns announced their displeasure with raucous cries. No bears this time, so

MONIKA REUSCHLING & HAUSJÖRG SCHLEGEL

The Zodiacs proceeded around the island in a clockwise direction, while the kayaks went around anticlockwise. We spent some time in the company of our corpulent, grunting friends (no, not the Zodiac driv-

TIM GRAY

By John Kirkwood

From the bridge

Spitsbergen Odyssey, 21–31 July 2011

DAVID BURREN

Dr John lives to fight another day. We came across a bowhead whale skeleton that had been reconstructed in 1995 and 1997, when Aurora founder, Greg Mortimer, joined in. The whales that made up this composite skeleton would have been slaughtered in the heyday of Svalbard whaling between 1600 and 1800. The longest-lived of all mammals, bowhead whales normally live for up to 200 years, but they were all but wiped out by the whalers. The Svalbard population is still close to extinction and may never recover, so we will be fortunate indeed to see of one these enormous and graceful whales.

Puffins

Life goes on elsewhere at Ekongen, with breeding redthroated divers (loons), grey phalaropes, skuas, terns and black guillemots (one with fish in bill) all thriving. The tundra itself was verdant with diverse range of mosses, lichens and plants, and the marine environment was rich with algae and encrusting invertebrates on the seabed and small crustaceans and fish (and even a dead stingray) in the shallows.

CLARE CANNON

We planned to end the day by celebrating the trip and Sue’s birthday with some pre-dinner cocktails, but a sighting of fin whales put an end to indoor activities. Chief Mate Bogdan slowed the ship right down and we cruised by a small pod of immense fin whales. These whales were taking several breaths then disappearing from the surface, probably diving down to feed on krill and/or fish. We cruised southwards through Storfjorden in the company of whales, with numerous pods of adult fin whales and their calves blowing and surfacing throughout the evening, and several humpback whales also joining the show for good measure.

HENRIK LØVENDAHL

Whale bones on Ekongen

Walruses at Bölschøya

Day 9

Samarinbreen; Gnålberget Position 2100 hours

Lat. 77°03'N; Long. 14°23'E

Course

307°

Speed

10 knot

Barometer

1019 hPa & steady

Wind

12 knots from the S

Air temperature

5°C

Sea temperature

1.9°C

DAVID BURREN

Friday, 29 July 2011

Young foxes frolicking

By Will Hart and Clare Cannon

Moments later, the peace was more than disturbed; it was shattered as a long front of the glacier progressively sheared away and thundered into the water close to where we had been eating. Tall towers of ice broke free and descended majestically into the cold waters before rising again like Atlantis from the deeps. Had the belugas drawn us away from the cliffs deliberately, we asked? Once again, peace descended on Samarinbreen, and the Zodiacs gently scraped through the brash ice, watching sunlight make glittering shapes in the icebergs freed by the calving glacier. Returning to the ship with broad smiles and enthusiastic swagger, we descended into its warm belly and filled our own with another tasty meal. 16

Polar Pioneer moved nearby to Gnålberget – a tall series of peaks that were home to huge colonies of kittiwakes and guillemots. Once again the contrast of the Arctic came to the fore. As we stood on the shore looking up, we could see life teeming from the cliff face, birds circling and diving, and a grassy slope leading up steeply to the base of the cliffs dotted with flowers and mosses. However, we only had to turn around and look across the fjord to see the towering grey-brown peaks, nearly bare of life, with icy glaciers stretching up through the valleys they had carved.

Sharp-eyed Sue spotted some Arctic foxes playing on the hills, and as the photographers pulled out their biggest lenses and tripods, many of us scrambled forward over the steep terrain to get a closer look. Before too long we could make out a mother and her six kits, and we watched happily as the cubs played and ate near their den and their mother hunted. The foxes were in their summer coats, so were grey and brown – perfect camouflage for the cliffs and rocks, rather then their winter white pelt. Suddenly a call came over the radio from Dr John. “There has been

WILL HART

I have this theory that the Arctic is all about contrast – of quiet and noise, light and dark, barren land and seething nesting areas. In the morning at Samarinbreen, floating along in the Zodiacs with tall rocky mountains spearing upwards from the glacier, it was blissfully quiet. Some of the Zodiacs broke out jellies and chocolates and ate basking in warm sun. The peace was disturbed, however, by the kayakers sighting some belugas, and the Zodiacs raced across the waters of the fjord, engines roaring, only to find that the belugas had disappeared.

Samarinbreen

DAVID BURREN

Spitsbergen Odyssey, 21–31 July 2011

DAVID CAMPBELL

BRENT MCCOMBS

In the mist

Photo bums

David

DAVID BURREN

“What, of a bear?” asked our fearless leader Henrik, who then began to march down the hill towards where Dr John was perched on lookout duty. Soon we could all see the bear as it wandered, following its nose past a small trappers hut near the shore. The rest of the staff sprung into action, and within moments had us gathered together on the slope, surrounded by guides with rifles and Sue toting her flare gun like it was the wild west. Henrik had no choice but to fire off a flare. The huge double bang of the flare gun frightened the bear away, and within moments it was swimming out to sea. It also set all the birds above us soaring into the air in a thick cloud of feathers.

BRENT MCCOMBS

a sighting.” We all pricked our ears up.

David – issues of exposure

DAVID BURREN

We scampered back down to the boats, loaded up in no time and were safely away – relieving the nervous tension by chattering excitedly amongst ourselves. All in all, well handled by the guides, and everyone returned to the ship safe! However, the day was not yet done, and the Polar Plunge, renamed in honour of our curious friend as the Polar Bear Plunge took place back on the Polar Pioneer. Several hardy volunteers stepped up, and almost all remarked that in contrast to the water, the afternoon air was almost pleasant! David Burren volunteered as official photographer and did remark that there were some issues with ‘exposure’ for a number of the photographs and plungers. The night finished with a birthday celebration for Tim Gray, and a group singing of the Sound of Music led by Natasha, one of our Russian Stewardesses.

DAVID CAMBPELL

Clare

The Polar Plungers

Day 10

Gjertsenodden; Ankerfjella Saturday, 30 July 2011 Lat. 78° 09'N; Long. 13° 50'E

Course

117°

Speed

8.9 knots

Barometer

1020 hPa

Wind

nil

Air temperature

5°C

Sea temperature

0.5°C

LESLEY GRETTON

Position 2040 hours

Svalbard poppy

By Dave Burkitt

Meanwhile Sue’s group had meandered lower down. Amongst the usual vegetation we were now familiar with, they found some crowberries and small ferns. Back at the ship the paddlers played around doing capsize drill, re-entering their boats and gener18

The afternoon’s landing was just a few kilometers to the west, still in St Jonsfjorden. Appropriately, at the end of our circumnavigation of Spitsbergen, it was in true expedition style, that is, exploring a new area. The site was lush with vegetation, well fertilised from the many birds nesting on the steep cliffs above. We ventured uphill where a few reindeer were grazing; they didn’t appear too concerned about our presence. Henrik and a group of mountain goats ventured higher, right beneath the kittiwake nesting cliffs, where they witnessed a fox getting its lunch – a kittiwake chick had fallen from its nest.

PHIL GRETTON

We landed on the beach at the lovely-named Gjertsenodden, where there was an old trappers hut complete with a loo with a view of the bay. Splitting into two groups, Henrik’s team walked over to an old lateral moraine then continued on and up the skyline to where it joined the steep mountainside. There we had a fine vantage point overlooking the bay and glacier snout. We could see the kayakers below, which really gave us an appreciation of the scale of the place. Several minutes of silence were observed – and it was silent except for the distant outflow of the glacial river. It really was a treat to simply listen to the silent sounds of nature, something seldom experienced in our modern, rushing world. We then returned to the boats via the hut.

ally having a final fun session in the Arctic waters.

Northern fulmar

And so it was time to return from our final outing back to Polar Pioneer. Time to think about packing and returning home, but not before farewell drinks with the captain, a hearty Polar Pioneer dinner and a first-class slide show of our voyage put together by David and his photographic team. If you have any queries about the images used in the slide show, you can contact the relevant photographers directly, or via david@luminodyssey.com The music tracks we played during the slideshow for the Spitsbergen voyage: Pictures of You - by The Cure Learning to Fly - by Pink Floyd Kodachrome - by Paul Simon Time of Your Life - by Green Day

DAVID CAMPBELL

After yesterday’s activities in Hornsund the ship motored slowly northwards and entered Forlandsundet. Packice had been anticipated, but what little there was failed to hinder our good vessel, and we turned into St Jonsfjorden and anchored for the mornings venture.

Our last landing

Spitsbergen Odyssey, 21–31 July 2011

Day 11

Longyearbyen Position 0800 hours

Lat. 78° 14'N; Long. 15° 36'E

Course

alongside pier

Speed

0 knots

Barometer

1018 hPa & steady

Wind

10 knots from the SW

Air temperature

5°C

Sea temperature

2°C

BRENT MCCOMBS

Sunday, 31 July 2011

Twins

By Sue Werner Our journey has drawn to its end now, as we lay alongside the pier at Lonyearbyen.

memories close to our hearts. We’d like to say a very special ‘thank you’ to you all and our excellent crew for an absolutely wonderful voyage.

DAVID BURREN

We have travelled 1183.5 nautical miles and have seen 14 polar bears.

We all came together from near and far and have banded together, so now leave as one. We have all enjoyed amazing experiences in so many different ways, and will hold all the

The group

BRUCE PROPERT

Sea Kayaking Summary by Al Bakker

Kayaks on ice

Day 1 No landings

Day 2 – 8.4 km Morning: Lilliehöökbreen. Glassy conditions, blue sky day. Beautiful paddle along ice front. Very active. Saw a bearded seal and then treated to a close-up viewing of about 10 beluga whales. Afternoon: Signehamna. Flat calm. Paddled along cliffs, walked up hillside for views and climbed on ice floe. Glacier ice quite slippery. Evening: Finished with short Zodiac cruise to puffin cliffs. While there, another six belugas swam by only five metres away. Excellent views and great end to the day.

Day 3 – 4.5 km

AL BAKKER

Day 2 – 2.6 km

Bruce, Kerrie, Jenny and Mark

Entrance to Woodfjorden – No bears on entrance but eventually spotted a mother and 2 cubs in islands on the south side of the fjord. Same bears as previous cruise. Fantastic close-up views. No paddle. Then a ship cruise at Monaco Glacier. Afternoon: Texas Bar. >15-knot winds but headed out and into bay. Quite hard paddling. Walked up for views of terminal lake and a cup of tea. Easy paddle back to the ship. Morning: Ice Explore. No paddle due to wind and few open leads. Bears spotted in ice. Afternoon: No paddle. Wonderful viewing of mom and large cub or perhaps siblings. Both in good shape and playing together and eating remains of bearded seal.

Day 5 – 27.9 km

HENRIK LØVENDAHL

Day 4

A fun morning at Lilliehöökbreen

KERRIE BAIN

Morning: Faksevågen. Slight wind, but headed south-east and east across the mouth of the bay and then across Lomfjorden to small islands. Wonderfully glassy coastline paddle. Then headed north along shoreline; spotted reindeer and old hut. Tea on the beach. 16.8 km. Afternoon: Alkefjellet. Stunning glass conditions as we paddled along the cliffs. Shady in close to the cliffs but fantastic light away from shore with many rafts of guillemots. 7.3 km. Evening: Wahlbergøya. 10.00 p.m. with walruses on shore, so we headed in for a look. Scattered pack ice around in totally still flat conditions. A nice viewing of the walrus and beautiful paddle around the ice. Water very cold but air temperatures quite warm. 3.8 km. Kayak snack

21–31 July 2011 Spitsbergen Odyssey, 11–21

JILLIAN WILSON

Sea Kayaking Summary by Al Bakker

Kerrie

Day 6 – 3.5 km Morning: Vibabukta. Short visit ashore. Weather extremely mild with no wind. No paddle. Afternoon: Torellneset. Lots of pack ice and broken fastice around shore, so with wind and current made for a fun ice paddle. Then headed to shore for walrus-viewing. Very entertaining, with three very curious fellows for a close-up encounter. Zodiacs had to be moved along with ship, so kayaking was short but fun.

AL BAKKER

Day 7 – 17.7

Mark at Alkefjellet

Morning: Sundneset, Freemansundet. Foggy with some wind but had a pleasant paddle along the shoreline to cliffs. Pulled out on bluff by river for morning tea with great views. Ten reindeer in the distance. 7.1 km. Late afternoon: Russebukta. Very interesting shoreline geologically and with beaches, scenic headlands, basalt cliffs and many bears. Four bears along coast. Several islands off to the west made for good cruising. A shore outing here would be of great interest as well as a paddle. 10.6 km.

Day 8 – 15.1

KERRIE PAIN

Morning: Bölscheøya. Started with fog and couldn’t see the shore. Paddled anti-clockwise around the island with good bird-viewing. At one end, sun broke out; good puffins and sizable number of walruses hauled out and in the water. Cut paddle a bit short and returned to the ship after circumnavigating. 7.8 km. Afternoon: Ekongen. A beautiful sunny afternoon. Circumnavigated clockwise around the island with a leisurely afternoon tea at the whale bones. Great bird life. Then headed back to the ship. 7.3 km.

Day 9 – 26.5 km Man overboard!

Hornsund – All day. Started in Samarinbreen and cruised the glacial face. Three belugas about three metres away. Then along the shoreline to Hornsund proper. After waiting for a large cruise liner, we crossed Hornsund and had lunch. Then two more belugas literally touched one of the kayaks. Fantastic. Very calm conditions as we eased along the bay before finally crossing to the bird cliffs. 26.5 km.

Day 10 – 8.1 km Morning: Store Jonsfjorden. Calm conditions with fog and wind out to sea. Paddled to hut and along into glacier. Noisy fractures inside ice cave. Nice, easy last paddle with accompanying ring seal. Walked up to glacier for short stroll. Zodiacs did short outing but no kayaking. Cleaned gear.

BRUCE PROPERT

Total of 13 paddles for 114.3 km

Bruce

30o E

20o E

10o E

ARCTIC

OCEAN 9

Sjuøyane Kvitøya

Lagøya o

80 N

Storøya

rde dfjo

nlo

NORDAUSTLANDET Hi

Wo o

Vijdefjorden

Moffen 8

2 4

PRIN

ra 15 ta t

ndet

R S FO

ndsu

Fordla

RL S KA

Ny Alasund

S P I T S B E RGEN 24 25

LAND

26 1 Longyearbyen

EDGE ø n jorde Storf

77 N

Sørkappdya

Total Distance = 1183.5 nautical miles Total polar bear count = 14

SVALBARD 22

100 km

ord

fj juv

19 20

22 21

Hornsund

Abeløya Kongsøya

Bellsund

Svanskøya

ntfjord

ije Van M

LAN

BARENTS ø YA

rde

jo Isf

G IN

S RL

Spitsbergen Odyssey 21–31 July 2011 Sites Visited 1. Longyearbyen YA 2. Lilliehöökbreen (ZC, beluga) 3. Signehamna (walk) 4. Puffin cliffs (ZC, beluga) 5. Lernerøyane (3 polar bear & cubs) 6. Monacobreen (ship cruise) 7. Texas Bar (walk) 8. Moffen (walruses) 9. Furthest north 80° 50’N 10. In the ice (2 polar bears) 11. Faksevågen (walk) 12. Alkefjellet (ship cruise) 13. Wahlbergøya (walruses) 14. Vibebukta (fossils) 15. Torellneset (walruses) 16. Hinlopen Stretet (1 polar bear) 17. Sundneset (1 polar bear) 18. Russebukta (5 polar bears) 19. Bölscheøya (1 polar bear, little auks, walruses) 20. Ekongen (walk) 21. Storfjorden (fin & humpback whales) 22. Samarinbreen (ZC, beluga) 23. Gnålodden (fox family, 1 polar bear) 24. Gjertsenodden (walk) 25. Ankerfjella (reindeer, Arctic fox) 26. Longyearbyen

Spitsbergen Odyssey, Odyssey, 21–31 21–31 July July 2011 2011 Spitsbergen

Bird Sightings ‘Polar Pioneer’ 21–31 July 2011 Bird Sightings ‘Polar Pioneer’ July

Number of Bird Species Each Day:

1 1

1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1

1 1

1 7

1 9

1 7

2 11 1 6 1 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 6 0 3 1 0 11 0 1 11 0 3 10 0 9 9 0 5 5 0 0 0 6

CLARE CANNON

(ib)=irregular breeder Red-throated Diver Northern Fulmar Pink-footed Goose Barnacle Goose Brent Goose Common Eider King Eider Long-tailed Duck (Oldsquaw) Svalbard Ptarmigan Ringed Plover Dotterel (ib) Golden Plover (ib) Sanderling Dunlin Purple Sandpiper Ruddy Turnstone Red-necked Phalarope Grey (Red) Phalarope Pomarine Skua (ib) Arctic Skua Long-tailed Skua (ib) Great Skua Sabine's Gull Herring Gull Glaucous Gull Iceland Gull Great Black-backed Gull Kittiwake Ross's Gull (ib) Ivory Gull Arctic Tern Common Guillemot Brunich's Guillemot Black Guillemot Razorbill (ib) Little Auk Atlantic Puffin Wheatear (ib) Redwing (ib) Starling (ib) Snow Bunting

days this sp. seen

Huffin’ puffin

Mammal Sightings ‘Polar Pioneer’ 21–31 July 2011 DATE 22.07.11 22.07.11 22.07.11 22.07.11 23.07.11 23.07.11 23.07.11 23.07.11 23.07.11 24.07.11 24.07.11 24.07.11 24.07.11 24.07.11 24.07.11 24.07.11 25.07.11 25.07.11 25.07.11 25.07.11 26.07.11 26.07.11 26.07.11 26.07.11 26.07.11 26.07.11 27.07.11 27.07.11 28.07.11 28.07.11 28.07.11 28.07.11 28.07.11 28.07.11 28.07.11 29.07.11 29.07.11 29.07.11

1 2 3 4 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37

SHIP LOCATION N. LAT. E. LONG. 79o20’ 11o42’ 79o20’ 11o42’ o o 79 20’ 11 42’ 79o26’ 11o36’ 79o47’ 14o00’ 79o44’ 13o54’ o 79 42’ 13o48’ 79o35’ 12o46’ o o 80 00’ 14 32’ 80o41’ 21o45’ o 80o42’ 21 44’ 80o50’ 21o16’ 80o50’ 21o16’ 80o49’ 21o14’ 80o48’ 21o14’ o 80 46’ 21o14’ 79o33’ 18o40’ o o 79 30’ 19 32’ 79o30’ 19o32’ 79o20’ 19o33’ 79o18’ 22o00’ o 79 18’ 22o00’ 79o18’ 21o48’ o 79 18’ 21o48’ 79o22’ 21o46’ o 79 10’ 20o11’ 77o36’ 20o56’ 77o36’ 20o56’ 77o13’ 22o02’ 77o13’ 22o02’ 77o01’ 20o04’ 76o50’ 19o04’ o 77 19o 76o47’ 18o49’ 76o45’ 18o43’ 76o56’ 16o19’ o 77 00’ 15o31’ 77o00’ 15o31’ Arctic fox Bearded seal Beluga Fin whale Harbour seal Harp seal Humpback Minke whale Polar bear Reindeer Ringed seal Walrus

SPECIES OF MAMMAL Bearded seal Ringed seal Beluga Beluga Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Polar bear Walrus Harp seal Harp seal Harp seal Harp seal Bearded seal Harp seal Polar bear Reindeer Minke whale Bearded seal Walrus Walrus Walrus Walrus Walrus Walrus Polar bear Polar bear Walrus Polar bear Walrus Fin whale Fin whale Fin whale Humpback whale Humpback whale Beluga Arctic fox Polar bear

EST. # 1 1 12 12 2 1 1 3 200 15 10 12 8 1 10 2 3 1 1 7 2 1 3 10 40 1 4 1 2 30 2 4 20 2 1 3 7 1

CONDITIONS SEA ICE(tenths) 0 2 0 3 0 3 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 na na na na 2 5 2 5 1 9 1 7 0 7 0 7 1 10 na na 1 0 0 3 na na 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 3 0 4 na na 1 0 na na 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 3 na na 0 0

7 3 15 26 57 3 5 13 3 1 294

BRUCE PROPERT

SUMMARY:

TIME 10:00 10:40 12:00 17:30 6:45 8:30 9:30 11:30 21:00 8:42 8:49 11:55 12:20 13:40 13:45 14:25 10:00 14:30 21:45 23:00 12:18 12:19 12:30 12:31 15:00 19:25 18:00 18:00 8:30 8:30 19:20 21:14 22:00 21:38 21:49 10:15 15:00 16:45

Beluga whale

COMMENTS on ice near glacier in water near glacier swam along glacier front Puffin cliffs - same pod as in a.m. off Reindyrsflya off Reindyrsflya off Reindyrsflya mother & two cubs on island Moffen Island at ice edge at ice edge in pack ice lead in pack ice lead in pack ice lead in pack ice lead mum & cub, eating seal kill on ice near Faksebukta on ice on beach, by midnight sun on ice on ice on ice on ice Torellnesset on beach & in water on ice eating seal kill Russebukta on land, different places near shore - one tusk only Bolcsheoya Bolcsheoya - in water & on beach adults - different places 2 adults, 2 calves - different places from 19:00 - 22:00, dispersed

Samarinfjorden vixen & 6 kits, playing, feeding bear scare - approached hut, bit Zodiac, deterred by flare

Spitsbergen Odyssey, 21–31 July 2011

Flowers Flower sighted List ‘Polar ‘Polar Pioneer’ Pioneer’ 21–31 21–31 JulyJuly 2011 2011 JULY:2121 2222 2323 2424 2525 2626 2727 2828 2929 3030 3131 JULY: FLOWERNAMES: NAMES: FLOWER Polar Willow Polar Willow ArcticWillow Willow Arctic MountainSorrel Sorrel Mountain Knotweed Knotweed AlpineSandwort Sandwort Alpine FringedSandwort Sandwort Fringed Chickweed Chickweed ArcticChickweed Chickweed Arctic Arctic Mouse-EarChickweed Chickweed Arctic Mouse-Ear NoddingLychnis Lychnis Nodding ArcticLychnis Lychnis Arctic MossCampion Campion Moss LaplandButtercup Buttercup Lapland ArcticButtercup Buttercup Arctic SnowButtercup Buttercup Snow Sulpher-ColouredButtercup Buttercup Sulpher-Coloured PigmyButtercup Buttercup Pigmy LobedButtercup Buttercup Lobed SvalbardPoppy Poppy Svalbard PolarCress Cress Polar Scurvy-Grass Scurvy-Grass PurplishBraya Braya Purplish ArcticWhitlow-Grass Whitlow-Grass Arctic YellowArctic ArcticWhitlow-Grass Whitlow-Grass Yellow LaplandWhitlow-Grass Whitlow-Grass Lapland PurpleSaxifrage Saxifrage Purple Hawkweed-LeavedSaxifrage Saxifrage Hawkweed-Leaved AlpineSaxifrage Saxifrage Alpine YellowMountain MountainSaxifrage Saxifrage Yellow BogSaxifrage Saxifrage Bog DroopingSaxifrage Saxifrage Drooping BrookSaxifrage Saxifrage Brook TuftedSaxifrage Saxifrage Tufted SpiderPlant Plant Spider Tufted Cinquefoil Tufted Cinquefoil BluffCinquefoil Cinquefoil Bluff ArcticCinquefoil Cinquefoil Arctic MountainAvens Avens Mountain ArcticBell-Heather Bell-Heather Arctic BorealJacob's-Ladder Jacob's-Ladder Boreal Oysterleaf Oysterleaf WoollyLousewort Lousewort Woolly HairyLousewort Lousewort Hairy ArcticHarebell Harebell Arctic BlackFleabane Fleabane Black LaplandButterbur Butterbur Lapland AlpineArnica Arnica Alpine ArcticDandelion Dandelion Arctic PolarDandelion Dandelion Polar ArcticCotton CottonGrass Grass Arctic AlpineMeadow-Grass Meadow-Grass Alpine Mushrooms Mushrooms Firclubmoss clubmoss Fir Crowberry berry Crow FragileFern Fern Fragile

1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 11 6 19 0 19 4 22 5 12 19 11 11 6 19 0 19 4 22 5 12 19 11

8 1 8 7 0 2 3 1 8 2 2 3 0 0 1 1 1 1 6 1 5 0 3 4 1 7 0 2 1 2 4 1 6 2 2 0 0 5 2 2 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 8 8 1 1 1 0

Longyearbyen Longyearbyen

St Johnsfjorden St Johnsfjorden

Samarinbreen/Burgebukta Samarinbreen/Burgebukta

Bolscheoya/Ekongen Island Bolscheoya/Ekongen Island

Sundneset/Russebukta Sundneset/Russebukta

Vibabukta/Torellneset Vibabukta/Torellneset

Faksevagen/Alkefjellet Faksevagen/Alkefjellet

pack ice north of Svalbard pack ice north of Svalbard

Leifdefjorden - Lernoyane/Monacobreen Leifdefjorden - Lernoyane/Monacobreen

Longyearbyen Longyearbyen

Lilliehookbreen/Signehamna Lilliehookbreen/Signehamna

# Days This Species Seen # Days This Species Seen

Totalspeices speices Total

25 25

Expeditioners Jan Biermann Jo Bull David Burren Jane Burren David Campbell Clare Cannon Claire Carroll Jenny Chan Ren Das Liz Duck Chris Gleeson Tim Gray Lesley Gretton Phil Gretton Will Hart Daisy Irani Rae Joyce Brent McCombs Colin McLachlan Pip McLachlan Klaus Neumann Christiane Neumann Mark Oldroyd Andrew Osborn Sarah Osborn Kerrie Pain Mike Perrett Bruce Propert Dorelle Propert Monika Reuschling Geoff Ryan Natalie Ryan Hausjörg Schlegel J.J Subaiah Insha Subaiah Subin Subaiah John Terry Sue Terry Bryce Thompson Gareth Thompson Jan Thompson Linda Thompson Dave Tompkins Sue Tompkins Jillian Wilson Phil Young

Expedition Staff Expedition Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Henrik Løvendahl Assistant Expedition Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sue Werner Naturalist & Lecturer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Kirkwood Historian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dave Burkitt Kayak Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Al Bakker Doctor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Reekie Chef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gray Kirkpatrick Second Chef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tim Moore Hotel Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anna Taylor

Polar Pioneer Crew Captain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yury Gorodnik Chief Mate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bogdan Shmalko 2nd Mate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Denis Abramovskiy 3rd Mate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roman Aleksakhin Radio Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Valery Artemenkov Boatswain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sergey Andronov AB Sailors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oleg Kaberegin, Artem Svetlichnyy, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nikolay Vechkanov Chief Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Petr Shpakovskiy 2nd Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexey Petrov 3rd Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrey Letov Electrical Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sergey Dubinkin Motormen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vladimir Zhukov, Yuriy Horobets, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrey Komissarov Head Stewardess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elena Belozertseva Stewardesses . . . . . . . . . . . Elvira Zolotareva, Anastasia Veselova Waitresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elena Aleksakhina, Natalia Alexeeva Russian Cook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liubov Andronova

Ship’s log compiled by: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sue Werner Log production and design: . . . . . . . . . . . Carrots & David Colfelt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Windward Publications Pty Ltd, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Berry, New South Wales, 2535 Australia

SVAL28