PRINS KARLS FORLAND and SMEERENBURGFJORDEN

This time, Forlandsundet showed itself from its very best side. Sunshine and calm waters after we left Isfjorden and rounded north from Daumannsodden. It was late in the evening when we reached Farmhamna, where we anchored for the night. Or night, as the photo above was taken at 1 a.m. after a delicious dinner. The midnight sun, or the 24-hour sun as we call it, warms and lights up the summer night. A photo can in no way do justice to the experience...

Such moments make up for the foggy and windy days.

It is equally fascinating every time one encounters these colossal creatures. The largest weigh approximately 1,500 kg.

Last year, we spent a few days in Ny-Ålesund, and this time we decided to just stop by and fill up our tanks with diesel and water. We actually have plenty on board, especially diesel, but we think it's good to have a little extra. We might meet someone who has miscalculated and needs a few litres. As we arrive in Ny-Ålesund, the cruise ship Antigua also docks. We encounter it regularly throughout much of the trip.

Once we were back in Ny-Ålesund, we decided to take a trip across Kongsfjorden to Peirsonhamna. On the south side of the Blomstrandhalvøya lies the unique cultural environment of London, popularly known as Ny-London. These are the remains of a mining facility established in 1911 by the English company Northern Exploration Company Ltd. with Ernest Mansfield as its leader. The mineral to be extracted was marble. The marble proved to be useless, and the blocks crumbled as a result of frost damage. The facility was abandoned, and by 1933 London was already considered a ghost town. By then, much of the equipment and building materials had been removed and put to use elsewhere. As late as the 1950s, most of the residential buildings were moved to Ny-Ålesund. What remains are the ruins of what was once believed to be the world's finest marble quarry.

Memories of an optimistic era. Today, London is still the industrial site that has preserved the most technical equipment from before the First World War.

As we approached, we found that a cruise ship had disembarked its guests, and we were not tempted to join the queue, so we turned off and set course for Kongsfjorden.

Foto: L´Embellie

The journey from Ny-Ålesund and northwards follows a long and inhospitable coastline with glacier after glacier ending at the sea. The lack of places to shelter from the weather along the coast to the north makes it a challenge when the weather turns rough. There are so many glaciers here that they gave up trying to name them. So, after we rounded Cape Mitra and set course northwards towards Sjubrebanken, the glaciers appear in order: First Glacier, Second Glacier, Third Glacier, etc. to Sjubreen.

The weather gradually cleared up, and the wind steadily increased. It was a brisk sail, and we got a real kick when we rounded the corner of Magdalenehuken on our way into Magdalenefjorden and Trinityhamna. We experienced the same thing last year, so, having learned our lesson, we kept well clear of land this time, but it didn't help. We got a real beating when the wind suddenly picked up to 40 knots and we struggled to reduce the sail area. Pouring rain combined with fog reduced visibility to zero, so we had to rely on the radar to navigate safely. Eventually, we found shelter behind Gravnesodden and were able to drop anchor. It is on days like this that you feel truly alive. We lit the stove and ate dinner after the boat was safely anchored.

Eventually, L'Embellie also came in and moored. The wind was strong here too, so they kept a permanent anchor watch throughout the night, while we were out checking during the worst gusts. It is very reassuring to have proper equipment for anchoring, but even though we are more careful than many others when we anchor, you can never be completely sure that you won't drift. Especially if there is a strong change in the wind.

Since there are only the two of us, it would be too tiring to have someone on anchor watch all the time. We have two GPS devices on board that have an anchor watch function, and these beep and buzz if the boat moves outside the boundaries we have set. One of them has a plotter function that charts the boat's movements at all times. Here you can see how the boat is actually turning around the anchor all the time, but it is clear that the wind direction has mainly been north-easterly.

We have an anchor (55kg SPADE) that is designed to quickly dig back down if it is pulled out of position. This plotter image is clear evidence that this is an important feature for a good anchor.

Early in the morning, we were awakened by a scraping sound on the side of the boat, and a quick check revealed that it was ice from the glaciers at the innermost part of the fjord that had blown out and was rubbing against the side of the boat. Not that it posed any threat, but the sound was not particularly pleasant. We had sturdy ice stakes that Per Tore Fredriksen had made for us at home in the harbour, and now they came in handy.

The biggest threat posed by the ice here in the relatively shallow part of the fjord is that a large chunk of ice can settle on top of the anchor at high tide. If you are unlucky, it can then be a challenge to get loose again later, when the water level is lower and perhaps a tonne of ice has settled on the anchor.

We stayed put the next day. The wind changed direction and calmed down inside the fjord, but it was still blowing hard on the outer side. We heard on the VHF that boats that had braved the weather were having a rough time. There were two smaller charter boats in particular, heading south, which were struggling with heavy seas and strong winds. They had to deliver guests at an agreed time and were in a hurry. We spoke briefly with one of them, "Artica I", and they told us that they had been stuck in the ice for a week off Nordaustlandet. We understood that there was a lot of ice there, and realised that our plan to visit the north side of Nordaustlandet and Rossøya (Norway's northernmost mainland point) would probably not be possible.

We enjoyed the warmth indoors and indulged in good food and simply relaxed. Occasionally, we went outside to check the conditions and watch the weather passing by on the outer side. The weather reports we downloaded showed that the front was about to pass and that better weather was on the way.

Quite right. The next day, the sun shone more and more as the day went on. A large cruise ship was moored at the innermost part of the fjord, and the Scottish boat "Arctic Lady" had anchored during the night.

Foto: L´Embellie

We have just raised the anchor and are now cleaning it. It often gets covered in seaweed and other marine plants, as well as sand, clay and mud. We have a knife that we attach to one of the boat hooks and use to cut away anything that can be cut before it reaches the anchor winch. We also have a powerful sea water pump with a hose outlet in the bow compartment, which allows us to hose down the chain and anchor as they come up out of the sea. This saves us a lot of work cleaning the chain, which is important both to ensure that it runs smoothly in and out of the cable reel on the anchor winch, but also to reduce wear and tear on the entire system.

We sailed calmly up the fjord to Wagonwaybreen and enjoyed the fine weather. Not many years ago, this glacier had two distinct gravel channels that looked like a cart track (hence the name), but these have now disappeared as the glacier has receded significantly in recent years.

The lack of accurate and up-to-date maps is becoming apparent. According to the plotter, we are now well into the area that was previously covered by the glacier. This is clear evidence of how rapidly the glaciers are retreating.

We hoisted the sails and set out from Magdalenefjorden, rounded Knattodden before passing the abandoned trapping station at Bjørnhamna. There we needed the help of both diesel engines to get through Sørgattet against the tidal current, which was coming in at 4-5 knots, before we finally turned north into Smeerenburgfjorden.

Just inside Sørgattet, Smeerenburgfjorden and Bjørnfjorden meet, and we were able to enjoy this fantastic area in glorious sunshine. We had the whole area to ourselves, along with the French boat and a research vessel from the Norwegian Polar Institute, which was anchored at the bottom of Bjørnfjorden. Gliding silently forward under full sail, surrounded by such beautiful nature, is an experience that simply must be had.

L'Embellie was ahead of us on the route to Virgohamna. We sailed towards the eastern side of the fjord and regularly scanned the coastline with our binoculars. It is not unusual to see polar bears here. As we reached Sverdruppynten, in the middle of the fjord, L'Embellie called us on VHF. They had spotted a bear at the water's edge near the entrance to Virgohamna.

The bear had clearly intended to cross the fjord, but seemed to get in the way, so instead it pretended to be very busy with something at the water's edge. It stood on its head in the water and apparently made a lot of noise. When we turned away, it immediately started swimming. It was very surprising to see how fast it swam. It moved at a steady pace across the fjord, and on board we both agreed that from this day on, we would no longer row the dinghy, except for very short distances.

After it had got off to a good start with its swimming, we turned towards it in the hope of getting some nice pictures, but it quickly became clear that it was stressed by us approaching from behind, so we turned away and kept a good distance. It was heading steadily towards land on the east side of the fjord, and we eventually turned away from the wind and set course for Nordvestøyane.

On the north side of Spitsbergen. We headed east towards Woodfjorden, where we passed the entrance to Raudfjorden. Here you can clearly see the inland ice spreading between the jagged mountains towards Alberdt I Land. We had good conditions for full sails, the ship sailed like a dream, and once again we could just let our minds wander and enjoy the brutally beautiful Arctic nature. We pass Reinsdyflya and turn into Woodfjorden. Here we have the wind directly against us and have to wake up the diesel engine to reach the special and safe Mushamna.

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