Cape Fanshawe, Torellneset and Brasvellbreen Glacier
Last evening the captain navigated National Geographic Explorer into some fast ice (ice that is attached to shore and unbroken), where we spent the night in a peaceful and serene state. We had just a short distance to cover the next morning to get to our first destination, the bird cliffs near Cape Fanshawe. This is a spectacular spot, with hundreds of thousands of birds nesting during the short Arctic summer at 80 degrees north latitude. There is usually a constant flurry of activity at a nesting site this size. We were not disappointed, finding flocks of birds coming and going from every direction, a truly spectacular sight to enjoy while drinking your morning cup of coffee or tea! Dennis, our underwater specialist, went for a dive at the base of the cliffs, and we got to see his video at the evening recap, always a treat!
As breakfast was finishing, we started cruising to look for more wildlife along the north end of Spitzbergen, the largest island in the Svalbard group. There were some seals, and the usual birds flying around the ship, but no bears this morning. I gave a lecture on Polar bears while the naturalists and bridge crew scanned for those “big-furry- whites.”
After lunch we arrived at an area called Torellneset, on the southwest coast of Nordaustlandet, the second largest of the island group. Bud, our expedition leader, decided that we should land to stretch our legs, so we headed to shore and broke up into different hiking groups for our afternoon adventure. Perhaps the highlight was a small walrus haul-out near the landing sight.
We got back to the ship just in time for “Tea”, and started moving further east along the southern coast of Nordaustlandet, toward a massive glacier fed by the third largest ice cap on the planet, Austfonna. The Captain took National Geographic Explorer in for a great view of Brasvelbreen glacier which stretches for many miles along the north side of Hinlopen Strait. The sun was shining brightly as we slowly drifted and cruised along this spectacular wall of ice, the face of this giant “tidewater” glacier. Just as the ship was leaving and we were gathering in the lounge for our evening recap, a group of walrus appeared on some pack-ice right in front of the ship – a spectacular farewell as we reversed course and headed back through Hinlopen toward our next morning’s activities. Another brilliant day in Svalbard!
