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SVALBARD High Arctic Wilderness Tour JUNE 14-24, 2018, on BOARD R/V KINFISH TOUR REPORT PARTICIPANTS

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SVALBARD High Arctic Wilderness Tour JUNE 14-24, 2018, on BOARD R/V KINFISH TOUR REPORT PARTICIPANTS SVALBARD High Arctic Wilderness Tour JUNE 14-24, 2018, ON BOARD R/V KINFISH TOUR REPORT PARTICIPANTS Guests: Crew: Guides & Charterers: Agnes Chean-Shing, Malaysia Jenny Dennis, Australia Fredrik Göthberg, Captain Morten Jørgensen Barry Dennis, Australia Kathleen Aycock, USA Robin Dahlberg, First Mate Nozomi Takeyabu Catherine Lartigot, France Liew Chuw-Yee, Malaysia Marcelo Cogonon, Engineer & AB Gloria Hoban, USA Sean O’Laoire, Ireland Harold Padawan, AB Jack Hoban, USA Tim Law, Australia Christer Jansson, Chef Jean Smith, Australia Tolitha Lewis, USA Adrian Östlund, Messman SUMMARY What with the most delightful guests, crew and vessel, we could not have wished for a better voyage. And when the weather plays along, and the wildlife in addition allows such wonderful encoun- ters, a Svalbard voyage such as this becomes the most memora- ble of times. The ice conditions in June this year were such that it was evident that it would be worthwhile getting through the Hinlopen Strait from the north. Whether a full circumnavigation or a return the same way would be the better option was open, but in the end coming back the same way but with different stops proved the solution. Some of the most iconic of the Arctic mammal species gave us superb sightings. We had no less than three observations of belu- ga whales on this voyage, and we had awesome opportunities to enjoy walrus, bearded seal and common/harbour seal alike. The contenders for the first prize when it comes to encounters were however the polar bears. One adult female with two COYs as well as one young male each entertained for hours. Additionally, we had very good birds, including spectacular guillemots, beautiful king eiders and showy kittiwakes. The weather also allowed us to enjoy Svalbard landscapes at their best, both on still sunny days and on the more grey ones. We observed a total of 24 bird spe- cies and 8 species of mammal. Thank you to everyone for making this voyage such a pleasure. DIARY WITH ITINERARY AND WEATHER June 14: Longyearbyen - Isfjorden - Forlandsundet Part overcast with blue patches, f1-2 S, 3-5°C/37-41°F, clear. Just before 4.00 pm, everyone gathered by the floating dock of Longyearbyen, and soon we were on board R/V Kinfish. We had an hour to settle into our cabins and have a first look around the vessel. Come 4.45 pm, we pulled away from the pier, and at 5.00 pm, Captain Fredrik introduced himself and the crew, after which Robin introduced us to the routines of the ship, as well as to the safety equipment and procedures. This import- ant session was followed by a round of introductions, where we all told each other a bit about who we are, and Nozomi and Morten added some notes about the plans for the upcoming voyage. All of the above brought us up to dinner time, duly introduced by Chef Christer and served together with Messman Adrian. Oven-baked cod with asparagus and potatoes, very nice and Swedish. The conditions outside were mild, the gentle role was the least we could expect, but of course it takes a little while for everyone to get their sea-legs. It was a quiet first night, almost all retired early, as we prepared ourselves for our first activi- ties in Kongsfjorden tomorrow. June 15: Ossian Sars Fjellet & Kongsvegen, Kongsfjorden Overcast until 10.00 am, then sunny and blue skies until 5:00 pm, then overcast again, almost still but for local winds midday, 6-11°C/43-52°F clear. It was a fairly quiet night, without too much motion, never-the-less several of us were up at various times. At about 5.00 am, we anchored off Ossian Sars Fjellet in Kongsfjorden. It was overcast with just a hint of blue during breakfast, but by the time we had had our briefings and were ready to go ashore, the sun was already shining and the last clouds were disintegrating. We ended up having a full morning of entirely blue skies and sunshine, with low winds, and thus the ambient was set for a thoroughly pleasant first excursion. We landed, we walked the beach for an hour or so, enjoying blocks of glacier ice thrown up at high tide, flocks of black-legged kittiwakes bathing, and brief glimpses of an Arctic fox, running about in search of a meal. Underneath the high water mark, we saw large prints from an adult bear, and we could deduce that it had passed there not more than at most about five hours earlier. We then proceeded to walk inland, into the valley, and up the slopes, and most of us ended up right on top of the bird cliff, with all the kittiwakes and Brünnich’s guillemots (in the USA known as thick-billed murres) underneath us. The scenery was awesome, and we simply enjoyed spectacular views all around. On the way up, we photographed a Svalbard reindeer resting on a snow patch, and enjoyed seeing a pair of rock ptarmigan as well. The few who stayed a bit lower had the pleasure of seeing a male northern wheatear, a fairly rare Svalbard bird. It was an enjoyable morning in all ways, and we only returned to Kinfish at 2.00 pm for a late lunch, a delicious spinach soup. After a siesta, we set off in the two boats at 4.00 pm, still under a blue sky and with no winds, and went exploring along the coast. During our two hours out, we experienced another Svalbard phenomenon – a quick change of weather. By the time we were back, it was entirely overcast and there was a fresh breeze blowing off the glaciers nearby. We cruised the shoreline, enjoying more reindeer, kittiwakes, many common eiders, some geese, and nice rock and ice formations too. It was a timely return, just before we got too cold. After dinner, we took the Kinfish closer to the large glacier front of Kongsvegen. It was a chilly but almost still evening, now all grey but clear. The crew fished a huge piece of ice out of the water, and we enjoyed the many northern fulmars and a few other birds. Those who stayed on deck until rather late saw us circumnavigate a couple of quite blue icebergs. June 16: Danskøya - Fuglefjorden - Hamiltonbukta Overcast and sunny conditions alternating several times, almost still all day, 3-5°C/37-41°F, clear. A calm night was followed by a calm morning. We had breakfast after a good night’s sleep, and then took time to catch up with our species check list. At low tide, just before 10.00 am, we went out in our two boats and into a tiny cove up against the northern shore of Danskøya, where we spent the next couple of hours quietly enjoying the approximately 20 harbour/common seals that were there. Mostly, they were hauled out on rocks, and they allowed us to approach very close indeed. The air was full of the calls of excited Arctic terns, probably all about to lay eggs and begin incubation. We drifted by the seals again and again, and then we headed back to Kinfish. As we departed our anchorage, and carefully navigated the shallow waters, the sun broke free and provided magnificent views of the fjord to the south, Smeerenburgfjorden. The views were spectacular. It was lunchtime, and during lunch and for a while after, it all clouded over again, providing us with another version of the peaks and glaciers. We turned into a little fjord, Fuglefjorden, with a beautiful glacier, and just in time for our arrival near the glacier front, the sun again shone from a blue sky. After a while, we continued the zig-zag course between the islets and rocks, shallows and fjord arms, and the sky clouded over again. At 5.00 pm, we were anchored in Hamiltonbukta, at the northern tip of Raud- fjorden, and we embarked once again into the Zodiacs for another scenic cruise. We slowly made our way among many common eiders, and quite many black guillemots too – and as we entered into one branch of the bay where there was still some fast-ice – and the remains of a polar bear kill on the ice – the sun once again scattered the clouds and allowed us to enjoy another couple of hours of majestic scenery with beautiful reflections and wonderful colours. It was a tired bunch who sat down for a late dinner at 8.00 pm, and soon after dinner, while we lifted anchor and began our voyage further east, most of us had already gone to bed. June 17: Hinlopen Strait - Alkefjellet - Palanderbukta - Wahlenbergfjorden - Hinlopen - Bjørnsundet Partially overcast, F5 SE easing through the day to long periods of still, 0-1°C/32-34°F, misty early morning soon clearing, mostly good visibility and late evening utterly clear and still. For most of us, the night was interrupted, not least when we rounded the north corner of Spitsbergen and headed into Hinlopen Strait. Others slept through it all. After breakfast, we were at Alkefjellet, the wondrous landscape of vertical cliffs inhabited by hundreds of thousands of birds. The winds had died down a lot, and we drifted north along the cliffs, marvelling at the busy site. All around us were uncountable Brünnich’s guillemots (thick- billed murres) and also many black-legged kittwakes, as well as some glaucous gulls and great skuas. Towards the northern end of the cliffs, we spot- ted no fewer than four Arctic foxes, running about on the snow-covered slopes.
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