I forgot to mention in yesterday’s entry the first animal sighting we had on this trip which according to the naturalists was an important one. After dinner because it was still so light out many people wandered up to the bow of the ship and the bridge area to see what they could see. We had entered a spur of the fjord near Longyearbyen and were approaching the end where sea ice met a glacier. Suddenly the staff announced that a grouping of beluga whales had been sighted. These are the small white/ yellowish whales that like to congregate near the edge of ice. The staff seemed surprised to see so many; they estimated there were at least 20, maybe more frolicking and obviously feeding. Beluga whales can be up to 18 feet long and weigh up to 3,500 pounds. It has a “stocky” body  and a funny shaped head which gives rise to name they sometimes are called “melon head”.  They also do not have a dorsal fin (like other whales) which allows them to swim under the ice.They are very slow swimmers but can dive to depths of 2,300 feet. The ship stayed stationary for at least 30 minutes while we all peered through binoculars and took way to many pictures that occasionally did show the presence of whales as their backs broke the surface of the water. People were happy; some were even ecstatic  The trip was off to a good start.

Back to today:

We slept like babies, lulled by the rhythm of the engines of the ship. I had set the alarm for 6:15 but we were up by 5AM, fully rested and excited to start our day of exploration. At 7AM Peter Wilson,  the expedition leader, came on the public address system to wake those who might not have yet awaken and to brief us on the activities of the day. The buffet breakfast was served from 7-8:30 and at 9AM there was a mandatory meeting to explain how excursions off the ship are handled. We were told how to act once on land and what to do/not do if we encountered a bear. The guides are all armed with flare guns and high-powered rifles on the outside chance we did have an unexpected bear encounter. National Geographic is obviously super cautious when on land. I am certain the odds of an up close and personal encounter would be extremely unlikely. In fact before we are allowed on shore a scouting party is sent to explore the landing area and surroundings to assure them that an encounter would NOT happen when we are on shore.

We are headed south along the west coast of Spitsbergen to an area called Hornsund, a fjord. Once there we will look for wildlife and eventually make a landing, conditions permitting, to explore the area.

The rest of the morning was spent relaxing or joining the staff in the lounge for lectures. If there were any sightings an announcement would be broadcast on the PA system and people would inevitably run to viewing sites to see what they could see. We were a good distance off shore and no sightings were reported this morning.

After the off-ship briefing one of the staff photographers gave a 40 minute lecture on photography and how to take better pictures. He gave us some good pointers and showed some great nature pictures he personally has taken.

About half of the ship’s passengers on this voyage are 87 young adults from 28 nations who are part of a group called “Climateforce 2041”, which is an environmental group aimed at educating young people to the necessity of addressing the impacts of global warming. It was started by an English gentlemen named Robert Swan who was on board with us. At 11:30 he gave a one hour lecture explaining what he did as a young man that ended up with him starting and leading this endeavor.  He is the first person to ever walk to both the South and North Poles! He is quite an accomplished lecturer and his talk was fascinating as he showed slides of his efforts to reach the poles and resultant activities of Climateforce 2041 since that time. By the way the 2041 is the year that the original treaty protecting the sovereignty of Antarctica expires and would need to be renewed.

Suddenly it was 12:30 and lunch time! All this salt air makes one hungry, or so that is our excuse to eat once again.  Lunches are buffets with soup, salads, make your own sandwiches, and some hot dishes. Steve and I knew of the option to sit up in the observation lounge area next to the library where a limited menu option was offered and we all opted to go there. It is a marvelous lounging area with panoramic viewing windows and tables where one can play one of the many board games located there.

Our ship was already in the Hornsund bay and the captain simply let the ship slowly rotate so we could enjoy the surrounding mountains. There were a few remnants of icebergs floating around (we named them “ice cubes”). We were the only ones there. Although the morning had been cloudy the sun began to emerge and the rest of the afternoon we had blue skies. Surprisingly the temperature was around 45 degrees; I had expected colder temperatures this far north.  It was a spectacular setting.

We could see the Zodiacs being offloaded and the staff “scouting” crew went off to survey the proposed landing area to make sure it would be safe to explore. At 2:30 the “all clear” was given and we were directed to proceed with our gear and life vests to the lower “mud room” for disembarkation. It was suggested that we wear layers of clothing and to assume we might get some sea spray so rain gear might be appropriate. The landing would be a “wet” landing, meaning we would need to step into some water as we exited the Zodiacs, so boots were suggested. We had brought our “Bogs” boots so that should not be a problem. We donned rain pants, our down coats and rain jackets and ending up looking a bit like the Michelin tire man as we boarded the short ride to the shore. We had been instructed on how to properly enter and exit the Zodiacs and there were multiple staff people on either end to assist us I doing so. The water depth at the landing point was only about 8 inches.

We had the option of taking a series of walks: a medium one of about 1 mile, a shorter one, or a photography one. Our group chose the medium walk which turned out to be more like a 0.5 mile or less walk but no one complained. Once on shore We were met by one of the naturalists, Karen, who was our walk leader. She had the prerequisite rifle, flare gun and radio as part of her gear. Hmm, they really do take this seriously. We stopped at a nearby rustic trappers cabin that dates back to the 1920s that is still in use today. We learned of its history and had a chance to actually go through it; not my idea of a place to spend a weekend in! The guide told us the story of a famous lady trapper who hunted here for many years, surviving any issue with polar bears, only to be killed by a truck when she returned to the mainland; another example of when it is your time….

We “hiked” up the slope a bit, saw and heard about the tens of thousands of nesting birds on the cliffs above us, crossed a remaining snow field to a beautiful viewing point overlooking the sound, our ship and the mountains. Our walk took us through an area of permafrost mosses that were amazingly soft and spongy. Tiny purple and white flowers were in bloom. We even saw a couple of yellow buttercups starting to bloom.  What we thought would be a hike was really a leisurely walk but we had no complaints. It turns out we were way overdressed for today’s conditions and gradually stripped off clothing as we did our walk.

About an hour later we were back at the beach and reluctantly headed back to the mother ship. Then it was nap time to rest up for the rest of the evening. 6:30 PM was the Captain’s reception where hot hors d’oeuvre and drinks were served while our captain (Aaron Wood- who once was captain on the QEII) introduced his senior staff, part of the 100 staff members on the ship. Ella, the English naturalist with an expertise on whales (she calls herself the Princess of Whales) gave a short presentation on the whales in this region of the world. This is a ritual every evening: cocktails and a recap of the day before dinner.

Dinner was at 7:30 and from now on it is menu driven with several starter and main course options. Needless to say the dishes were beautifully presented and tasted great. The wines offered with the meal focus on wine from Chile and Argentina.  I did learn there were about 40-50 optional bottles that you could have at no additional cost. If you did not finish them at the meal they will simply store it until the next meal. Nice!

We retired to the upper lounge area where we finished the family card game (Phase 10) that we had started before dinner. It was near 10PM and the sun was still high in the sky.

Our first day at sea was complete. It had gone by quickly. What was surprising to me was how warm it was and how little snow or ice was present where we were. At the cocktail reception one of the naturalists who has been coming to this area for 30 plus years told us of the weather condition changes he has seen over that time frame. Where we were today would have been frozen ice at this time of the year with polar bears evident. Today the ice and bears are gone. People who do not believe global warming is occurring (whether man-made or otherwise) have their heads in the sand!