Every time we have been to Svalbard, we have wanted to explore the areas on the north side of the islands. This is our fourth visit, but so far the weather, ice conditions or lack of time have prevented us from travelling further north than Kinnvika on Nordaustlandet.

However, the ice conditions are now better than they have been for a long time, and we have spent little time travelling north so far, so everything should now be in place for us to head north towards Sjuøyane.

The skipper raises a toast to the two who ended their days in Kobbebukta, and after our little ceremony, we set course out of the bay and northwards on the outside of Danskøya.

The weather was coming in from the south, so we decided to anchor for the night in Virgohamna. No sooner had we rounded Kobbebukta than we spotted a polar bear trotting steadily along the shore. We had never seen a bear move at such a pace before, so it was obvious that something was up.

Not long after, a second bear appeared. It turned out to be a cub, chasing what appeared to be the mother bear. We would soon find out what had caused them to be in such a hurry.

Between some large rocks down on the shore, they pulled out a piece of something that looked like part of a whale's skin. The wind was blowing in such a way that they could obviously smell the goodies. Both were clearly hungry, as they eagerly devoured what looked like the blubber side of the skin.

The cub tore and pulled at the tough skin to get hold of what was left of the blubber. The magpie on the side was probably hoping for some leftovers after the bears had finished.

The mother bear also ate well, but she was panting heavily and was clearly very warm after her "run", so we withdrew so as not to stress her unnecessarily. As long as we could see her, she was restless and often disappeared onto a knoll nearby, sniffing the air towards the south wind, as if she sensed competitors nearby. A couple of times she also went down to the water to cool off.

We have found Virgohamna to be unpleasant when the wind is blowing from the south, and this was also the case this time. The surrounding mountains cause strong gusts and very rough conditions, but in the morning the wind calmed down and when we weighed anchor and set course northwards towards Norskøyane, the sea was flat and the world was beautiful. Last year, at the same place, there was thick fog and lots of drift ice, while now there were only a few chunks of ice lazily bobbing in the morning sun.

With Holmiabreen in the background, the skipper enjoys a spell of good weather. Not long afterwards, thick fog surrounded us, and on the trip past Reinsdyrflya towards Woodfjorden and Mushamna, it rained steadily the whole time.

We experienced more weather on this trip than we have before. Fewer days of good weather, more rain and lots of wind. The area is described as an "Arctic desert", but there was little evidence of that while we were here. At times, it poured with rain.

One of our favourite places is Mushamna. Here there are safe and good anchoring conditions, great hiking terrain and good fishing. We have the boat full of all kinds of home-dried food, so we are not suffering any hardship, but we are not going to pass up the opportunity to fish for char.

We spend a couple of days in Mushamna relaxing and eating, while we plan the rest of our journey. Now everything is in place for us to reach the north side of Nordaustlandet. We have plenty of time, and reports from other boats in the area indicate that the area is free of drift ice.

The Polar Institute is waiting to put its new vessel, the "FF Kronprins Haakon", into service, so "Lance" still had to do the job. We met them just outside Matillasodden as we turned into Woodfjorden from Mushamna.

The area north of 80 degrees north is not covered by C-Map or Navionics charts, so we have to resort to the analogue solution of paper charts. The skipper excels at making warm socks for the captain, while she guides us safely north through the shallow area past Perryflaket towards Sjuøyane.

The weather on this day changes quickly. As we entered Hinlopenrenna, a gale blew in from the south and we rushed northwards. A little later in the day, the balloon punctured and the wind died down completely, and as if by magic, the sea calmed down. In the distance, we saw Sjuøyane rising out of the sea and the fine weather gave us hope for the experience of a lifetime.

Rossøya is the northernmost island in this archipelago and the northernmost point of the Kingdom of Norway.

We had planned to round it last year during our "Furthest North-South in One Year" project, but never made it north of Woodfjorden due to drift ice. Now the conditions were perfect, and we could just about make out the top of Vesle Tavleøya, which is located right next to the lower Rossøya.

As we got closer, we could also see something else approaching from the opposite side. That's when it happened... The fog was moving south from the northeast, gradually spreading over Vesle Tavleøya. Rounding Rossøya and only seeing it on radar was not quite what we had imagined this experience would be like.

We are just over 5 nautical miles south of Vesle Tavleøya, which was completely shrouded in fog for a while, but once again the weather is changing and slowly but surely the fog is lifting, and we can just about make out Rossøya as a small dark shadow down towards the sea surface north of Vesle Tavleøya. It looks like we might succeed after all...

Talk about luck :-) As we enter the north side of Rossøya, the fog lifts completely and we can happily confirm that the northernmost record has been duly set.

New whisky is being sought from the depths of the "lady". It was acquired in Grytviken on South Georgia for our "Longest North-South in One Year" project when we visited the island aboard the MS FRAM during Christmas 2016. It was then brought via the Lemaire Channel at 65 degrees south in Antarctica. There, two small sharp pieces were reverently removed, before the rest of the contents were brought to 80 degrees 49 minutes north. Once again, two small pieces had to be removed to mark our new northernmost record.

The weather gods were also on our side, so with steadily clearing skies and good winds, we set sail and headed south to Phipsøya, where we anchored for the night.

Safe and sound, the skipper launched a surprise celebration of the captain's 60th birthday. With champagne and a surprise gift, the day became unforgettable.

The day dawned with bright sunshine and no wind. We wanted to climb Trygve Granfjellet (465 metres above sea level) on Phippsøya, and everything was in place for a great summit hike. However, the weather forecast we downloaded in the morning showed that strong winds and rain from the south were expected in the afternoon, and that this would continue for the next 3-4 days.

We weren't particularly keen on staying here for days on end, so after a brief discussion, we decided to set course for Nordporten in Hinlopen and then seek shelter in Murchinsonfjorden.

We left Phippsøya with mixed feelings, as the weather was so good at the moment, but it would turn out to be a vice move.

The next day, the cruise ship "Bremen" arrived, and as they were about to disembark guides and polar bear guards before bringing the guests ashore, one of the polar bear guards was directly attacked by a polar bear. The bear did not retreat despite attempts by the others to scare it away, either by firing warning shots into the ground or directly at it with a signal pistol. Therefore, the others had no choice but to shoot it. Had we gone ashore the day before, it is very likely that we would have encountered the same bear at some point.

If you plan to sail here, be aware of the shoal located approximately 180 metres west of the opening. At low tide, the depth here is no more than 1 metre.

The weather forcast was right in his predictions. We encountered strong winds from the south in Nordporten, and Hinlopen lived up to its reputation as a treacherous place when the wind is against the tidal current. We spent several hours crossing in strong headwinds and rough seas before we could finally turn into Claravågsundet, the narrow opening to Claravågen. The wind was just as strong here, but once inside the opening, you are sheltered from the waves. Claravågen appeared to be uniformly deep, and we had 15-20 metres on the echo sounder all the way to the anchorage in the bay south of Engstrømodden.

Tired after the brisk sailing, it was wonderful to feel that the anchor was secure so we could pull in the sails and light the oil stove. With dinner eaten, the evening calm descended. So did our French friend Frederic with his boat "Eliot". He was also on a trip around Svalbard and was about to round Verlegenhuken when he saw us on the AIS, and now he had anchored next to us in Claravågen. Since the stove was still warm, and we realised that they had many hours of sailing behind them, we invited them over for dinner. Frederic brought wine from his home region in France, and we dug out some beer we had stockpiled from the brewery in Longyearbyen. It was a pleasant evening that lasted well into the small hours. Outside, the rain lashed down and the wind howled in the rigging.

It was very nice to have a visit from "Eliot" with our good friend Frederic, whom we first met at Svartisen in 2016.

Frederic lives on board his boat all year round and thinks the Norwegian coast is fantastic. He usually sails alone, but thought it would be nice to have company on such a long trip, so he brought French sailor Bèrènice Tilhou along with him.

The entrance to Claravågen is narrow and has a strong tidal current in places, so it is important to time your entry correctly to avoid encountering too strong a current. Here we are on our way out the next day, in glorious sunshine and light winds. About 180 metres outside the entrance is a treacherous 1-metre shoal that you have to watch out for, so we turned south as soon as we were clear of the entrance. In the middle of the entrance, the depth was at least 4 metres.