Liefdefjorden
We spent the morning cruising around the northwestern tip of Spitsbergen. By early afternoon we entered a scenic fjord known as Liefdefjorden, which joins Woodfjorden along the northern coast of the island. By late morning the sun had come out, and we were able to enjoy a glorious afternoon exploring this region rimmed with glaciers and jagged peaks. On the way into the fjord several polar bears were sighted, but all of them were a mile or more away from the ship and unapproachable due to the shallow and scantly charted waters that fringe this fjord. One bear was found swimming out in the middle of the fjord, forcing us to deviate our course so as not to disturb it in an environment where it can not easily leave if it desires. These polar bear sightings are our first tantalizing glimpses of the creature known to science as Ursus maritimus; the bear of the sea.
Eventually we dropped anchor near the end of the fjord with a commanding view of Monaco Glacier. Here we headed out in kayaks (pictured) and Zodiacs to explore and enjoy the brilliant afternoon sun glinting off of the glacier and the innumerable surrounding icebergs and crackling brash ice. There were many birds actively feeding in the waters along the face of the glacier; kittiwakes, arctic terns, black guillemots, fulmars, glaucous gulls, and at least one Sabine’s gull. This latter species nests only in the high arctic, and spends the rest of its life out at sea. Thus, it is always a treat to be able to find one.
As cocktails and dinner got underway, so too did the ship, plying north back out of the fjord before heading eastward toward Hinlopen Strait. Here in the high arctic, the low sun draws a lazy circle around the horizon all day and all night.
We spent the morning cruising around the northwestern tip of Spitsbergen. By early afternoon we entered a scenic fjord known as Liefdefjorden, which joins Woodfjorden along the northern coast of the island. By late morning the sun had come out, and we were able to enjoy a glorious afternoon exploring this region rimmed with glaciers and jagged peaks. On the way into the fjord several polar bears were sighted, but all of them were a mile or more away from the ship and unapproachable due to the shallow and scantly charted waters that fringe this fjord. One bear was found swimming out in the middle of the fjord, forcing us to deviate our course so as not to disturb it in an environment where it can not easily leave if it desires. These polar bear sightings are our first tantalizing glimpses of the creature known to science as Ursus maritimus; the bear of the sea.
Eventually we dropped anchor near the end of the fjord with a commanding view of Monaco Glacier. Here we headed out in kayaks (pictured) and Zodiacs to explore and enjoy the brilliant afternoon sun glinting off of the glacier and the innumerable surrounding icebergs and crackling brash ice. There were many birds actively feeding in the waters along the face of the glacier; kittiwakes, arctic terns, black guillemots, fulmars, glaucous gulls, and at least one Sabine’s gull. This latter species nests only in the high arctic, and spends the rest of its life out at sea. Thus, it is always a treat to be able to find one.
As cocktails and dinner got underway, so too did the ship, plying north back out of the fjord before heading eastward toward Hinlopen Strait. Here in the high arctic, the low sun draws a lazy circle around the horizon all day and all night.
