Northeast Passage expedition

I woke this morning to a completely calm languid sea, really glassy in parts, and the sight of minke whales around the boat. Fantastic! There seemed to be many young, very small whales together with the older ones. Occasionally a larger animal would come quite close to us apparently out of curiousity. Lots of white beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirotris) had followed the boat during the dawn hours and also surface around us. It makes you realise that this is home to many, many animals despite seeming empty to us.

It’s 2.18am local time and I’m on my first watch after leaving Murmansk. Latitude 69 degrees 28.6 north, longitude 34 degrees 16 east. Air temperature is about 10 degrees, water temperature is 9 degrees. Sea is slight, wind about 5 metres per second. A few Russian trawlers show up on the radar and occasionally emerge from the fog which casts a gray haze over our progress. We have just turned to head east, with a straight run now for about 500 nautical miles to the entry to the Kara sea at the southern tip of Novaya Zemlya. That’s about 3 days sailing. 6 more watches for me before we see land again.

Finally, after days of waiting, filling in forms, shopping for everything we could think of, and being the beneficiaries of seemingly endless Russian hospitality, we are away! A final press conference aboard the old ice breaker ‘Lenin’ revealed the challenge we face in turning around climate change, with several of the captains of the Russian ice breaker fleet expressing opinions that the Earth is in fact cooling. Nobody mentioned that we have loss almost half the area of summer sea ice since the 1980s, or that this voyage is only remotely possible due to the changes now conclusively the result of human action.

This summer, WWF is helping support two expeditions that will take on some of the world’s most difficult waters, to see first-hand the effects of Arctic climate change. One expedition is sailing across the top of Russia, a journey of 6000 nautical miles through the Northeast Passage, while another is attempting a west to east […]

Finally, after all the preparations, we are away. We had a very quick final meal of take away pizza and left Kirkenes at 2020 on the 31st July, heading north out of the fjord into the Barents Sea. Everything worked perfectly. I did the first 4 hour watch with Niklas, then went to bed after handing over to the captain, Anders just before we entered Russian waters. The weather was foggy, the sea warm (13 degrees!) and calm. And completely empty. I’m not why this surprised me, but we didn’t see a single vessel on our radar or GPS navigation systems until we had almost reached Murmansk.

Last night was special: the farewell dinner, with the wives and families of some of the crew. Foie gras for entree (a gift from a friend), Norwegian pork fillet in cream and pink pepper sauce, served with rice coloured with 3 kinds of red peppers, finished up with (wait for it) ready made caramel pudding out of a box. Champagne, Valpolicella, and some chateau cardboard kept the conversation flowing until well after midnight. The occasion was as intellectual as it was spiritual, the final sign to ourselves that we are actually going to do this expedition.

The adventure has begun!

Inauspiciously……..

Late night, Alkehornet, Spitsbergen, Svalbard. The bright green grass below the classic ”bird cliff” is a byproduct of fish and small crustaceans! There is a continuous commuting from the rich sea to the breeding sites, when parents bring food to the newborn chicks. The droppings are full of nutrients which fall down from the cliffs to the ground 100 metres below – that is why it is so green and full of flowers beside huge colonies of kittiwakes and little auks.

We managed through the storm and found a safe harbour. At most it was blowing 26 m/s which is full storm, and the sea water temperature was minus one. We lingered around the coast of Edgeöya and finally anchored at Disco, a bird colony of kittiwakes.

After another beautiful night with the midnight sun, I get a few hours sleep before it is time for breakfast. BUT what a breakfast! While having muesli I see two different polar bears – that is luxury above all means. One of them, is like frozen to the ground, not moving a single bit, just beside a breathing hole for a seal. The white bear is hunting ringed seals. I see the seal coming up in an alternative breathing hole 15 metres from the large predator. But the polar does not move. After 15 minutes, the bear gives up and linger off. Not bad for breakfast time.