North side

On our journey north from Ny-Ålesund, we encountered rough weather. As we rounded the corner of Magdalenehuken, we were hit by strong winds. However, we weathered the storm, and a little further into Magdalenefjorden, we found shelter. Svalbard clearly has many glaciers. On the trip north between Kap Mitra and Hamburgebukta, we passed seven glaciers that are numbered: Førstebreen, Andrebreen, Tredje, Fjerde, Femte, Sjette, and finally, Sjetrebreen.

Further into Magdalenefjorden lies Daumannsodden, where many hunters have been laid to rest. Life for hunters on board the old whaling boats or on land was probably very tough, and quite a few people died during the years when whaling was practised. This is one of the few places slightly above the waterline with fine sand. Here, it was easy to bury the dead in graves.

This is Trinity Harbour, with Daumannsodden in the background on the left. This is where the field inspectors from the Governor of Svalbard are based. Daumannsodden had to be fenced off due to heavy wear and tear caused by unrestrained cruise ship tourists trampling around the old graves.

The permafrost has caused many of the graves to surface, so bone remains may be visible.

This is a popular harbour thanks to the favourable anchoring conditions in the sand. In the low-lying area, the remains of a blubber oven are protected by a fence. We only stayed here for one night before heading north into Smeerenburgfjorden.

Before entering Smeerenburgfjorden, we had to pass through the narrow strait at the southern end of Sørgattet. The current was strong and we had to start both diesel engines to make it through. After passing through and rounding Danskeneset, we encountered the venerable Swedish cruise ship Origo.

Shortly after passing Origo, we arrived at Virgohamna, the base of the Swedish balloonist Salomon August Andrée, who was preparing for his balloon trip to the North Pole to the North Pole. As Virgohamna opens to the west and there was a wall of rain and sleet, we quickly decided not to visit.

We would have to save it for another time. Instead, we continued north, passing Smeerenburg (the blubber town), before turning east at Fuglepynten.

headed towards Sallyhamna. It should have been possible to anchor in the narrow bay outside the trapper's hut here, but before we got that far, something else caught our interest.

Finally, a polar bear! Wow! It was thrilling to watch the animal tear at what we later discovered were the remains of a whale carcass that had drifted in there two years earlier. It couldn't have been very tasty, but I suppose it would do if you're hungry. We were in Kvitsundet, close to Holmiabukta, and the wind was blowing hard and from an unfavourable direction. This made it difficult to manoeuvre the boat close enough to the shore to take good pictures of the bear. Eventually, we decided to circle around the point and drop anchor in Holmiabukta. As soon as the anchor was set, we put on our survival suits, boarded the dinghy and headed for the bear, "Gunnar" and camera at the ready.

It was now time to take photos, but we were running late. The bear had disappeared. There was no sign of it. The sea was too rough for the dinghy due to the wind, and although we were fine in our wetsuits, not all of our equipment was as fond of seawater. We would just have to leave the bear behind. We turned with the wind and crossed the sound to Sallyhamna, where we took a closer look at the area and the trapper hut.

It turned out to be a good idea to make a small turn in the bay in front of the cabin to see where it would be best to go ashore. As we turned towards our landing spot, the captain spotted something moving behind a nearby rock. Another bear! Or could the first bear have swum across the sound and come ashore right where we were? Judging by the brown patch of dirt on its rear end, it was clearly the same bear.

Oops! The engine spluttered a bit... It was new and hadn't been properly run in yet. The wind was blowing quite strongly from us towards the bear. If the engine stops now, we'll be blown ashore right in front of the bear before we can say 'teddy bear'. All we could do was get to a safe distance quickly. The bear calmly walked past Sallyhamna and further out along the coast line, disappearing from view again. 'Phew,' said the skipper, swallowing hard, while the captain quietly thanked the Suzuki engineers for their good work.

In Holmiabukta, there were still some gnawed remains of the whale skeleton. The field inspectors we met later said that you could see three or four bears at a time as they fed on the carcass. They believed that the bears were lingering here out of old habit.

Here in Holmiabukta, we were sheltered from the wind, allowing us to simply enjoy the surroundings. It's not often that you anchor in such a place.

Now, all we could do was hope that the glacier would not calve during the night, because if it did, it would be difficult to escape the ice quickly. Fortunately for us, that did not happen. The next morning, the captain went outside for a quick check and stretch before breakfast...

Suddenly a bear was spotted walking slowly towards the water right by where we was at anchor. All breakfast preparations stoped and we both enjoyed the view of the presence of the arctic king (or queen). Before reaching the water it turned towards the east and after a couple of hundred meter entered the water and swam off heading for the other side of the bay. 

The captain found it wise to give the rifle a thorough check and a drop of oil, just in case..

We were moving on and were now close to the north-western corner of Spitsbergen. We sailed through the Swedish Strait with favourable currents and passed

Indre and Ytre Norskøyane. Only Kobbeskjera remained between us and the North Pole. We turned east and sailed past the

long Reinsdyflya, located at the northernmost point of Spitsbergen. We were north of Svalbard! Close to 80 degrees north. Conditions improved, so we maintained a good eastward speed. The distance from the North Pole was now no longer as the distance between Trondheim and our home town Bardufoss — just over 100 miles.

On our way to Woodfjorden. While the captain is at the helm, the skipper is taking care of producing warm mittens.

Now, we really felt that we were in the middle of nowhere. If in need of help, it would be a long way to get it, since there weren't any boats around. We didn't see a single boat or person all day. After passing Velkomstodden at the tip of Reinsdyrflya, we turned south into Woodfjorden which opens up into a large area divided into several smaller fjords.

Here you will find places such as Mushamna, Texas Bar and Monacobreen. We first set course for Mushamna. Nearby, on Mattilasodden, there is a well preserved trapping hut.

Mushamna is a large lagoon from which the station takes its name. It has a narrow but deep entrance, and provides a very good, sheltered anchorage.

Once we were ashore in the lagoon, we were greeted by a lunar landscape of almost nothing but rock and gravel, but walking here was easy and pleasant. On a small hill, we spotted what we thought was a burial ground. A few hundred metres further away we saw the hut.

Until a couple of years ago, Mushamna could be rented for winter stays, and people used to live here in style. The cabin has been extended several times, but when having a closer look the entire complex shows signs of wear and tear. The crew aboard the Gyda briefly fantasized about staying here for a winter or two, but unfortunately it is no longer possible to rent the cabin. In order to do so, you must be engaged in hunting, but since the area has become a national park, hunting is no longer permitted.

The population of foxes, which were the main prey, has also declined dramatically in this area. According to a field inspector we met later, reindeer are also few and far between on Reinsdyrflya, so it was difficult to obtain food here during winter.

Now, only the Governor's people use the cabin. Permanent residents of Svalbard can apply to borrow the cabin from the Governor for short trips.

The Governor has established numerous fuel depots around Svalbard to ensure that helicopters have access to fuel in the event of an emergency or similar situation.

These depots are transported by boat and kept under regular supervision. One such depot is located right next to the houses in Mushamna.

Here at Mushamna, a large expanse opens up, with several fjords branching inland. We set course for Hornbækpollen, which is located in Liefdefjorden close to Texas Bar and Monacobreen. The "bar" was open, but the "restaurant" was closed.

Many of the old trapper huts on Svalbard are maintained by the Governor and used by his field inspectors. However, they also serve as emergency shelters for people like us who use the area for recreation. If something goes wrong, we can get in and find shelter here.

Hornbækpollen is a beautiful lagoon with a narrow but deep entrance. You are very well protected here, but we did experience some ice drifting in.

The photo below shows the lagoon's opening, also known as a pollen. Late on the evening, we suddenly heard violent rumblings and crashes, and realised that something intense was happening near the glaciers. We therefore decided to go there the next day.

We woke up to a fantastic day. After spending a lovely morning on deck, we boarded the dinghy and headed into the fjord towards the Monacobreen glacier. It was another wonderful day of unparalleled nature and wilderness, all to ourselves. There wasn't a boat in sight. Magical!

Liefdefjorden

We had a wonderful time here, pottering around in the dinghy, stopping wherever we thought it looked nice, and spent many hours between Lernerøyane, Monacobreen and Idabukta. The absolute highlight of the trip!

Idabukta, with Idabreen in the background. We sat by the water for a while and enjoyed the view of the mountains, the fjord, the glacier and the ice. There is so much to see and the landscape is very different from what we are used to. Although the mountains are not that high, they tower impressively, rising almost straight up from the sea.

While we were sitting there, we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of an Arctic tern and even take a photo of it. This bird is quite rare and is on the red list of endangered species in the Arctic.

Old trappers called it 'the polar bear's companion' because it would often follow polar bears and feed on their leftovers.

We were blissfully unaware of this when the photo was taken, and we never saw any bears nearby.

At first, nature may seem barren and lifeless, but if you take the time to look closely, you will find evidence of life and colour all around you. We suddenly came across an eider duck sitting on her nest of eggs. She was startled by us — we only saw her when we almost stepped on her — but we quickly moved away and, not long after, saw that she had returned to her spot. The fact that she was sitting on eggs so late in the summer probably indicates that she was in the process of laying a second clutch, which they can do if the first clutch is destroyed.

Arctic foxes and polar bears are experts at sniffing out eider duck nests and stealing the eggs. Even if she manages to hatch chicks from these eggs, their future is probably bleak. They are born too late in the summer to be strong enough to follow the migration south in autumn.

The red-billed terns were at least as aggressive here as further south. The shot-gun is not for shooting the terns, but prevent them for pick me in the head since they attack whatever the highest point on you.   

We stayed in Hornbækpollen for four days and simply enjoyed the beautiful surroundings and the nice weather.

After spending a week in Woodfjorden, we were faced with a dilemma. Although we had no fixed plans before we left, we had assumed that this would be as far as we would realistically get on this trip.

However, the prospect of continuing east to Hinlopenstredet and then heading south was now very tempting, given how close we were. We had plenty of time and supplies, so in that respect it would be fine. But then there was the question of the weather. Easterly winds were forecast to reach gale force.

We knew that a large area of drift ice lay off Kvitøya, which would be blown directly into the southern end of Hindlopenstredet when the wind picked up. Drift ice and gales are not a good combination. Hindlopen is less well charted than the areas we have sailed in so far and there is a long way between safe anchorages.

After some consideration, we decided not to set sail eastbound. The weather forecasts were deteriorating and we didn't think we had enough time to wait here for up to a week for the weather to improve. We therefore decided to turn around and sail back along the west coast. 

We enjoyed our last evening in Hornbækpollen with a whisky with ice from Monacobreen and a hearty bacalao dinner of homemade clipped cod from Senja.