South of Kvitøya
Endeavour is an expedition ship. Here in Svalbard, she is governed not by the schedule of seaports, or by tour buses waiting on docks, rather her timings depend on the weather and wildlife. Each day I wake up wondering, “what will I see today, and where will we be?”
This morning Endeavour entered into multi-year pack ice to see what might be hiding in the gullies, hills, and rivers of ice. We ground our way through, pushing the ice out of the way, and making a new path through the sea. All morning the kittiwakes, Arctic skuas, and fulmars circled our ship, waiting to see what we would stir up for their breakfast. A lone Ivory Gull made arcs around us, showing how majestic they can be in flight, and how frustrating they can be to photograph. Many guests and naturalists are on the search for Ross’s Gull, a pink Gull with a black necklace, which breeds not far from here on Victoria island, but often remains elusive to those looking for it.
Of course, the ever-present hunt for those large white fellows continues. Any eyes are welcome to search the expanse of pack ice for the polar bear. The more eyes the better. Often the bridge has twenty people searching the ice for bears which may suddenly “pop up,” perhaps from a nap, or from watching a seal’s breathing hole in the ice. Spotting scopes and binoculars are the key to finding them, and allowing us to approach them in a careful manner, so we do not scare them off.
Often when sailing we come upon the unexpected. This afternoon we started to travel west, heading back to Spitsbergen. It was quite foggy out as we made our way cautiously through the ice, when there before us appeared several groups of walrus, lying on the ice. There were adult males and females, and even some mothers nursing their young.
Each day of this trip continues to be different, and no one quite knows what to expect. It is one of the beauties of expedition travel, waiting to see what might be around the corner, and the ability to round that corner whenever the moment is right.
Endeavour is an expedition ship. Here in Svalbard, she is governed not by the schedule of seaports, or by tour buses waiting on docks, rather her timings depend on the weather and wildlife. Each day I wake up wondering, “what will I see today, and where will we be?”
This morning Endeavour entered into multi-year pack ice to see what might be hiding in the gullies, hills, and rivers of ice. We ground our way through, pushing the ice out of the way, and making a new path through the sea. All morning the kittiwakes, Arctic skuas, and fulmars circled our ship, waiting to see what we would stir up for their breakfast. A lone Ivory Gull made arcs around us, showing how majestic they can be in flight, and how frustrating they can be to photograph. Many guests and naturalists are on the search for Ross’s Gull, a pink Gull with a black necklace, which breeds not far from here on Victoria island, but often remains elusive to those looking for it.
Of course, the ever-present hunt for those large white fellows continues. Any eyes are welcome to search the expanse of pack ice for the polar bear. The more eyes the better. Often the bridge has twenty people searching the ice for bears which may suddenly “pop up,” perhaps from a nap, or from watching a seal’s breathing hole in the ice. Spotting scopes and binoculars are the key to finding them, and allowing us to approach them in a careful manner, so we do not scare them off.
Often when sailing we come upon the unexpected. This afternoon we started to travel west, heading back to Spitsbergen. It was quite foggy out as we made our way cautiously through the ice, when there before us appeared several groups of walrus, lying on the ice. There were adult males and females, and even some mothers nursing their young.
Each day of this trip continues to be different, and no one quite knows what to expect. It is one of the beauties of expedition travel, waiting to see what might be around the corner, and the ability to round that corner whenever the moment is right.
