Sofia Sund … and a Landing Scrapped for a Bear

Sunday, 15 September (Part II)
Aboard M/V Sea Spirit — Kong Oscar Fjord
Position @ 1445: 72°53’ North / 25°06’ West

Our warm-up break in the Club Lounge following the ship’s cruise through Antarctic Sund (post here) was brief.  Before long, Dutch was on the P/A system to tell us that we were approaching Sofia Sund, a partially uncharted marine channel that Captain Peter would be entering carefully for our second ship’s cruise of the morning.

To encourage everyone to be outside, Dutch tacked on an incentive at the end of his announcement — come and add to the eyes already keeping watch on the bridge and the outer decks.  For what?  Polar bears!  Alrighty then!

Jimmy sets up the scope to help look for polar bears.

Considering the distance we were from shore, picking out a small speck of white — especially a stationary one — we knew had a small chance of success.  Besides, if a bear alert was sent out, we’d hear about it soon enough.  So, we opted to enjoy most of the ship’s cruise through Sofia Sund from our veranda, where we had the “good light” for photography for when we were moved to document the scenery with more than our eyes alone.

This was another mostly ice-free cruise.  The landscape was considerably different from Antarctic Sund, with more red rocks on the sides of mountains that were frosted with a fresh cover of snow.  Somehow, these mountains looked softer to us than the ones we saw this morning.

With an afternoon landing on the agenda, Sea Spirit went only partway into Sofia Sund before re-tracing its way out again.  No bear sightings along the way.  We were out of the sound by 11:30p — just in time for a pre-landing briefing for Ella Ø [island].

Ella was was one of the islands discovered, and named for family members, by Sweedish explorer Nathorst when he visited the area twice to look for traces of the tragic Andrée hot air balloon expedition of 1897.

Nathorst named Ella Ø for his wife, and Maria Ø and Ruth Ø for his daughters.  Aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife landed on Ella Ø during their flight across Greenland in 1933.  A weather station that had been built on the island two years previously kept the Lindberghs apprised of weather conditions during the series of flights they took in the North Atlantic over a period of six months.

The island is currently home to the Sirius Sledge Patrol, which was established here in the early 1950s.  As mentioned in a previous post, this patrol is a long-range reconnaissance force that enforces Danish sovereignty in the Arctic wilderness of north and East Greenland, an area that includes the largest national park in the world.

The cross on the island bears the name of Axel Søht and the dates 1880-1937.

Our destination this afternoon was the patrol’s support camp.  The plan was for the expedition team to establish a perimeter within which we would be free to wander at our leisure.  That’s not quite how things turned out!

Can you see why our plans for landing on Ella Ø were scrapped?

No sooner was the expedition team on land that the call came back that there was a polar bear on the island.  Dutch and Alex had both mentioned earlier that they’d seen a bear here before, so I think they were expecting hoping for a repeat appearance today.

What do do?  We couldn’t land, of course, but the zodiacs were launched immediately and those who wished to check out the bear from a closer vantage point were invited to take a ride.  The zodiacs formed a daisy chain of sorts, operating like a conveyor belt that carried us across what would have been our landing beach if not for the bear.  It was a great way to give everyone equal opportunity to see and photograph the animal.

See the zodiac behind this one?  We’re on that one with Alex at the helm; there were
only two other passengers and Dr Chris on the boat with us.  How lucky is that!

I can’t say that this was our best polar bear sighting.  Having spent a week in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada — the polar bear capital of the world — we are admittedly spoiled when it comes to these bears.  That adventure brought us face to face, nose to nose, and breath to breath with polar bears, and is one of those experiences that will be hard to top (post here).

Getting up from where it was resting on the ground next to the outhouse named ‘Niagara’,
the bear deigns to give us a good look at him.

That said, we would never sit back and not go out to see one of these wonderful creatures of Mother Nature when the opportunity presents in the wild.  Despite having to squint to see the backlit bear; despite the horrible light for photography … we joined the exodus to see the world’s largest, living land predator.  That we lucked out with only five people on a boat driven by Alex was a real bonus.  As we circled around on the zodiac conveyor belt, he kept up a quiet narrative filled with all kinds of interesting polar bear facts that added hugely to the experience.

The bear showed not the slightest interest in us — at least not enough to come down to the beach to give us a better view.  He got up a few times to switch sides next to the outhouse and watch us surreptitiously; stood up a couple of times to see what all those yellow parkas on the water were up to … that’s it.  Still, there’s something about seeing a bear in the wild that sends tingles up one’s spine; a most worthy experience.

A big male polar bear like this one would need about 35 seals to survive the winter.

We were out on the water for about two hours, though it didn’t really seem that long at all.  The sunshine and calm conditions kept us comfortable as we slowly drove by the beach, taking turns watching the bear.

Back on the ship, we had a time to rest before heading to the Oceanus Lounge for the afternoon recap/briefing.

We will remain in Kong Oscar Fjord for most of the day tomorrow.  The plan is to then leave the fjord, go out into the Greenland Sea around 5:00p, and transit south to the protected waters of Scoresbysund.  Thus, we have one more day to explore the Northeast Greenland National Park tomorrow.

Shame to see graffiti on the cliffs at Ella Ø.

Jimmy followed Dutch’s presentation.  His topic was the Arctic animals, and their adaptations to survive the cold — shorter extremities; changing color to blend in better with the summer colors in these latitudes being just a couple of them.  He also told us a bit about the qiviut — the undercoat — musk ox shed as they wander the tundra in the warm (?) summer months.  I’ve mentioned before that qiviut — warmer than wool and finer than cashmere — is quite prized.  Each animal sheds about 6½ pounds (3 kg) of this very fine hair annually — worth about $8,000.  You can be sure that we take good care of the qiviut products we purchased from the musk ox coop in Alaska!

Dinner was the usual affair, although we had both new and old companions at our table, so the conversation and camaraderie dynamics were different.  Later, Alex invited everyone to the Oceanus Lounge for a screening of the Village at the End of the World.  The movie features the story of the only teenager living in a hunting community that has a population of only 59 and the adversities faced in a town that lacks job opportunities.  Having seen it before, I opted to return to the cabin for an early night.  After all, the aurora forecast was good and the skies were clear, so the chances of being woken up to dancing lights and losing some sleep were quite good.  You catch your zzzzz’s when you can!

Fugløya: Mountaineering Bear

Sunday, 10 July (Part II)

Following our landing at Smeerenburg (post here), we had free time aboard the ship while the remaining two groups were out exploring.  We used the time to check out the bridge.

In our typical roles: Mui, the driver ...

... Erin, the navigator.

The day’s plan called for exploring nearby Raudfjorden after lunch.  Those plans went out the window when a polar bear was spotted on Fugløya (Bird Island).  How ironic!  Earlier in the voyage, we visited Bjørnøya (Bear Island) to see birds; today an island named for birds gave us a bear sighting!

While the ship positioned into Fuglesongenfjorden (Bird Season Fjord), we enjoyed a leisurely lunch.  By the time the noon meal was over, Silver Explorer was at anchor.  Since we’d gone out first for the morning landing, we had time to kill on board before it was our turn to take to the zodiacs.  We hoped that the weather would change for the better while we waited; but no, the fog and rain stayed put, and the damp weather increased the chill factor.  All of which made for a particularly uncomfortable zodiac ride since the captain — once again — anchored a considerable distance off shore.  (We’ve heard from a reliable source that the ship is operating without a bow thruster during this voyage.  That said, not sure how that’s a problem in deep water with no ice anywhere in sight.)

Traveling through the light fog, the zodiacs disappear around the headland to the right.

The first two groups had a great sighting of a polar bear snacking on some meat near the shoreline.  It turns out, the meat had been left there by the passengers of a small boat to lure the bear to where they had set up photographic equipment.  We saw none of that — no close bear sighting; no cameras; no boat nearby.

This is the scene the first group saw.
(image sent to me by my Silversea cruise specialist.)

Note how pristine the snow is in the above image.  And so is the bear.  Not a drop of blood anywhere.  I’ve seen video footage and still shots of a polar bear kill.  They are not fastidious eaters.  Were this a “natural” kill, the snow and the bear would have been stained crimson with blood and gore, and I’m sure there would have been more of the prey’s carcass lying about as well.

You want to know what we saw?  We saw a creamy dot in the high reaches of the steep, rocky slope behind the shoreline.  Thanks to my long lens, I was able to get some reasonable shots of the bear, but to the naked eye, it looked more like a patch of snow than a bear.  Here’s what’s ironic about seeing what we termed “mountaineering bear.”  While we were waiting our turn to go out in the zodiac, Robin said that if the bear decided to move on, the steep cliff would force it to follow the coastline since it had nowhere else to go.  Hah!

Polar bear in search of small auks nesting amongst the rocks.

An explanation or two about the collage.  Note the glacier’s edge in the top right photo.  On our way to the sighting, Uli stopped the boat here briefly so that Karolina, our bear guard, could point out the bear’s footprints where it crossed the glacier and then belly-slid down the left side (hard to see; so I marked the bear’s path with a dotted line).  The bottom right picture is a shot of what’s left of the lure used to draw the bear to this spot.  Again; incredibly pristine, so no chance this was a natural kill IMHO.

With the bear so far up the slope, we asked Uli to drive us over to Svitjodbreen for a closer look at the glacier instead.  He did so, but it was raining hard and I decided not to risk getting the camera wet, so no photos.  By the time we returned to the ship, we were chilled to the bone, but still dry under our rain gear.  A cup of thick and creamy hot chocolate in the Panorama Lounge sure hit the spot.

The art of herding a bergy-bit with a zodiac.

The two afternoon briefings had a common theme — currents: air and sea.  It was during this session that we learned how driftwood, which originates in Siberia, ends up in Svalbard, located well above the tree line.  Then, Robin outlined plans for tomorrow.  We’re going to be continuing south along the coast of Spitsbergen.  To be expected since we have two days left before our voyage comes to an end.  If the weather cooperates, tomorrow we’ll be going for a glacier hike and visiting a site of considerable historic significance.

Tonight was our farewell cocktail and dinner.  It was scheduled a day earlier than usual, because the original itinerary called for a long day and a late landing tomorrow.  We were invited to dine with Martin Blanar, the Silver Explorer Hotel Manager, and the Rafaelis, a couple from Israel.  Martin was a charming host and we had a very pleasant evening discussing topics of interest to one and all.  I ordered a selection of dishes from the intermezzo section of the menu — mushroom soup, salad garnished with fried zucchini, and spinach cannelloni.  All were excellent.  With lobster on the menu, there was no doubt what Mui would be having as his main course.  Dessert for me was vanilla ice cream, lightly drizzled with chocolate sauce; Mui pronounced the chocolate crème brûlée yummmmmy.

The sun has broken through the clouds; the blog post is completed.  I’m going to bundle up and go out for a walk around Deck 6.  A bit of fresh air will do me good.  Besides, after all the socializing I’ve been doing today, an introvert like me needs some quiet-time.  I’m sure to find it on the outside decks — after all, it’s almost midnight.

Liefdefjorden: Party Crasher

Friday, 8 July (Part V)

Bundled up in our layers, we accepted Robin’s invitation to attend the impromptu al fresco cocktail party laid out on Deck 6 aft. Even though the sun was playing an aggressive game of hide and seek, it was nice to be outside to enjoy the Arctic scenery as Silver Explorer made its way back through the patches of ice covering the water between Liefdefjorden and Woodfjorden.

Can you guess the uniform of the day?

My perch on Deck 7 provides a bird’s eye view of the scenery and the goings on below me.

I was wandering around with my camera, taking photographs, when I saw Akademik Sergey Vavilov, an expedition ship operated by Quark, nosed into the ice. On the bow were yellow-jacketed passengers looking out into the distance. Hmmm — a sure sign of a sighting, but what?

So what’s captured the attention of the other ship?

No sooner did I signal Mui to get his camera and follow me to the bow that Robin came on the P/A system to announce that there were three or four bears on the ice. They were off in the distance, however, so it didn’t look like we were going to stop. Good thing we didn’t. There was something better just ahead. Not far off the edge of the ice was another bear waiting for us. What a great sighting — the one that I had been waiting for — the one of the great isbjørn (ice bear) surveying his domain from the sea ice.

The ship slowed down considerably as passengers rushed to rim the starboard railings like a long, red banner. With shallow water on one side, and ice on the other, the Captain had no choice but to stay on course, taking us right by the polar bear. The bear didn’t seem bothered by the proximity of the ship and stayed put to give us an excellent sighting. Then, bored with us, he sat up, sniffed around, got on his feet, and waddled away, giving us a perfect “the end” shot! (And yes, though the reflections weren’t perfect, I did get to double my pleasure.)

With the bear moving in one direction, and the ship in another direction, it wasn’t long before the bear was a small, creamy-white dot on the horizon. On that note, the bow area emptied just as quickly as it had filled up. Mui and I stayed put until the ship picked up speed. With that speed came a wind-chill that was more than we could bear — that’s what I call a pun :-))).

Ice-free water is just ahead.

Glaucous gulls mirrored on still waters.

A great cocktail party was followed by a great dinner, during which a good deal of the conversation centered around the party crasher. We shared our table with Drs. Christina and Bob, and a couple hailing from Aberdeen, Scotland. An excellent French onion soup, followed by penne with pesto and grilled red snapper, served me quite well. The more adventurous Mui started off with fried frog legs, and continued with a small green salad and chateaubriand cooked to perfection. We’re still debating whose dessert was better: my multi-berry sorbet or his chocolate marquise. I think we’d better call it a tie or neither of us is going to get any sleep.

Since we did not have a recap and briefing, we’re not sure what’s planned for tomorrow. Whatever it is, I’m sure we’ll enjoy it.

P.S. Tonight we REACHED 80°03’53” NORTH, putting us within 10 degrees of the North Pole. At least that’s the latitude I noted on the navigation channel when we returned to the cabin. There were no announcements to mark the occasion. Seeing as how we now seem to be headed south into a straight that separates Spitsbergen from Nordaustlandet, the second largest island in the Svalbard archipelago, that may well end up being our furthest north for this voyage.

Woodfjorden: There Be Bears on the Ice

Friday, 8 July (Part II)

After Silver Explorer arrived at its anchorage in Woodfjorden, the call went out for a zodiac cruise — there were bears on the ice … not one, not two, but three that we could count. Tiny, cream colored dots roaming about the ice. That was around 9:00a, but we had to patiently wait for our turn and it was about two hours later that we found ourselves in a zodiac.

In the meantime, we watched another expedition ship (later identified as the Quest), cruising along the shoreline, taking a close look at one of the many glaciers flowing down to the edge of the water. Why we were sitting so far out, and they were so far in was a hotly debated mystery amongst the passengers who were on the outside decks. My guess is that site limitations required that we keep our distance until that ship left the area.

We had an absolutely gorgeous day for our zodiac outing, with blue skies and sunshine replacing the usual overcast. It was nice seeing the beauty around us in a different light. Once in the zodiac, we zipped around to the far side of the ice and nosed into the edge of the fast ice to give our viewing and photography platforms a bit of stability.

The red coats scour the area for the ice master.

The bears, though at a distance, were a bit closer than the first bear we saw on our voyage. And they were on the move. My guess is they were on the hunt, sniffing around breathing holes for seals, but their prey obviously managed to give them the slip as we didn’t actually see them catch their lunch.

Can you see the creamy bear dots in this icescape?
(hint: look where the mountains and the ice meet in the center of the image.)

Bears on the move … with the help of my long lens and a bit of cropping.

I wonder how high I can jump?

While we were in the zodiacs, those on the ship were having their own bear sighting. For a moment, we thought the bear was going to go right up to the Silver Explorer. In the end, though, it veered off in its quest for capturing a seal instead.

Will the bear go up to the ship? Or not?

OK, so this was a much better encounter with polar bears in their icy world. But once again, for me, the magnificent scenery around us and being up close and personal with the ice were the winning aspects of our zodiac cruise.

Glaucous Gull

Breathtakingly Beautiful.

You think I've got enough equipment around my neck? There's still one camera in
my dry bag, but I thought that would be overkill!

Mui was on the zodiac cruise, too. And he looks like he’s enjoying himself.

The image was naturally monochromatic, so I took away what little color there was
to create a B&W photograph.

Black-Legged Kittiwake

Our hour-long cruise had to end eventually. That’s OK; there was something really fun waiting for us back aboard Silver Explorer. But that’s for another post …

Waiting our turn to disembark the zodiac, we keep a watch out for bears on the ice.