Far North, yacht and arctic ice

Firebird in northern latitudes

As we anchored at Tinarebukta on Isfjorden, a lone walrus raised its frost-covered head to look at our yacht, the Firebird. The rugged mountains were surrounded by a glacier that opened onto the sea ice that filled the bay.

This was the team's first stop since leaving Longyearbyen. By the way, this city has the status of the northernmost city in the world. In the evening we lay down on our beds and closed the blinds tightly. And it was not in vain that they closed it - so far north in July, the daylight hours last 24 hours.

The next morning we gathered extra clothes, skis, boots, ice axes, shovels, probes. With all this stuff, our team uploaded the Zodiac tender. We lowered the tender to the black sand beach. Before us appeared the Great North in all its wild beauty. 

Having climbed to the top of the snowy “beach”, we got on our skis and admired the beauty of this “white world” a little. There were many birds around, circling above the team, as if escorting us on our way. Among them were geese and guillemots. We were on our way to the top of Sten de Geerfjellet.

I looked back. Our “firebird” was standing near the shore. Firebird is a custom Oyster 885 that has spent three seasons exploring the Norwegian coast far above the Arctic Circle. Usually the crew spends the winter-spring season in Norway, and returns to the Adriatic for the summer. However, going further north to the ice-covered cliffs of Svalbard was a dream of the yacht owner and his family from the very beginning, and this expedition has been planned for years.

Great ship - deep waters

At the first stage of preparation for the trip, our skipper visited Svalbard. He wanted to know as much as possible about what this odyssey would be like. The collection and processing of information took a lot of time, but the efforts and labor were generously rewarded. The skipper was aware of all the dangers of the route, as they say, first hand. The assistants were local sailors and scientists.

For such an expedition, careful preparation is necessary not only for the crew, but also for the yacht. In parallel, work was underway to modernize the vessel for the expedition. They lasted for eight weeks. Work began in Palma but was then moved to a home base in Hamble, England. Special modifications included electric ski boot dryers in the infirmary and a large insulated canopy in the cockpit. Also, additional sets of batteries and heaters were installed on the boat.

Firebird is constantly in operation - part of the year the owner and his family go on it, part of the year it is used in charter. In order not to violate the plan drawn up in advance, the journey to the far north was divided into several stages. In the beginning, the team with the owner had to leave Svalbard and travel almost 600 miles across the Atlantic. The end point of this part of the route was the archipelago to the north. In the archipelago, an excursion was provided for me and the owner's family. 

After the excursion would have been completed, the yacht would begin its charter part of the route. We are lucky that the guides from the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA), with whom we cooperate, have a wealth of experience on the islands. In turn, Peter, our skipper, was also well prepared for the trip. With such a strong and reliable team, we could expect a first class cruise.

Summer at 78°N

Bear Island, or Bjornoyja, located at 74° 29' north latitude, has been used as a navigational sign since the days of the first whalers. There is an interesting local belief that a sailor who swims near the island in icy water will return home safely from the Arctic. 

Alas, we would not have been able to bring this to life with all our desire. Two weeks before our trip, the winds began to move the ice to the west. Just past Bear Island! Because of this, we had to go around the island for 50 miles - all for the sake of safety. 

At some point, a breeze reigned over the sea. In addition, the sun briefly disappeared behind small rare clouds. The next 40-50 miles we walked in relative calm and observed the beauty of the northern ice.

The closer we got to the shore, the more Arctic terns and skuas appeared. I thought I was well aware of the variety of marine life, but I could not even imagine the variety of bird species that clung to the ship. 

We instantly felt like we were in a wild place. From the very beginning, I could not let go of the camera. It seemed that everything here was created for pictures. My eyes were wide open, I can’t figure out what to shoot before – the weather, wildlife and landscape were constantly changing. 

Uncharted gave

Each place was even more interesting than the last. The farther we moved, the poorer our maps became. Having spent several seasons in the Arctic Circle, the crew of the Firebird was well trained in landing. However, each time it was different. And it wasn't always easy. Especially if you constantly follow the polar bears, carefree walking around.

No less interesting was the search for anchorages. For safety, we often launched a tender and, armed with a hand-held echo sounder, determined the depth. The fact is that on the maps the anchorages were without indicating the depth. Only the presence of parking lots was displayed. Because of this, it was necessary to do manipulations with the echo sounder. At the same time, it was often necessary to evade large pieces of ice!

Another unique experience of the cruise was the "ice watch". Back then, the team was on duty at night (often in the glorious midnight sun) with a long steel-tipped carbon pole. With the help of this pole, we drove away large pieces of ice from the yacht. This was especially necessary on nights when we were anchored near large glaciers. Smaller pieces of ice often broke off from them and were nailed to the yacht by the current.

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21.05.2022