Spitsbergen Odyssey. 28 July 7 August 2016 Polar Pioneer

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1 Spitsbergen Odyssey 28 July 7 August 2016 Polar Pioneer

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3 ABOUT US Aurora Expeditions embodies the spirit of adventure, travelling to some of the most wild and remote places on our planet. With over 20 years experience, our small group voyages allow for a truly intimate experience with nature. Our expeditions push the boundaries with flexible and innovative itineraries, exciting wildlife experiences and fascinating lectures. You ll share your adventure with a group of like-minded souls in a relaxed, casual atmosphere while making the most of every opportunity for adventure and discovery. Our highly experienced expedition team of naturalists, historians and destination specialists are passionate and knowledgeable they are the secret to a fulfilling and successful voyage. Whilst we are dedicated to providing a trip of a lifetime, we are also deeply committed to education and preservation of the environment. Our aim is to travel respectfully, creating lifelong ambassadors for the protection of our destinations. Waterproof Expeditions creates life-enhancing travel experiences which exhilarate and fascinate. We believe that the best experiences have never been based purely on cost. With over 50 years combined experiential travelling in (underwater) cinematography, yacht and cruise expeditions and exploring and diving in remote and extreme places we speak from experience. We like to share this passion with you and feed the mind. By educating and inspiring. By breathless moments, and sometimes by extending your personal boundaries. With scheduled departures or tailor made private expeditions, designed around the element of water. Above and beyond the Ocean s surface. From diving and snorkelling in Antarctica s polar waters, true ice diving in the White Sea and swimming with sea lions in Galapagos. But also our unique deep ocean expeditions with personal submarines Tell us about your ultimate itinerary and we make your dream trip come true!

4 DAY 1 Thursday, 28 July 2016 LONGYEArBYEN, SvALBArd Position: 20:40 hours Course: 262 Wind Speed: 12 knots Barometer: 1018 hpa & steady Latitude: N Speed: 11.9 knots Wind Direction: SW Air Temp: 11 C Longitude: E Sea Temp: 7 C Travelling from near and far, we arrived in Longyearbyen, an old mining town in the heart of Spitsbergen for our much anticipated adventure to the high Arctic. Some of us had a few days to conquer the jet lag and explore the colour co-ordinated town, joining the others for a short town tour of Longyearbyen. We explored the valley surrounded by the remains of coal mine operations high on the hillsides and were introduced to some of the working dog teams. We were also able to photograph many a picturesque landscape including the surreal (but important) street warning sign depicting a polar bear! Our group is comprised of 52 expeditioners and 12 staff, representing the nations of Australia, Germany, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the USA. Looking after us are our capable crew of 23 Russian men and women. station on Deck 4, before climbing into the orange boats for the lifeboat drill. Imagine what it would be like with another Russian crew in there with us! Around 18:30 the lines were untied and we eased away from Longyearbyen, and cruised down Isfjorden. Dinnertime was not far away and all enjoyed the delicious warming meal prepared by our chefs Allan and Herbert with fresh fish caught yesterday by our crew. We then headed down to the lecture room to search for the perfect fit in the Great Gumboot Giveaway. Many of us ventured on deck to watch the stark scenery drift by as flocks of Little Auks fluttered by, while kittiwakes and fulmars wheeled about the air around the ship We soon caught sight of the Polar Pioneer securely fastened to the pier our floating home for the next 11 days. We were met by our friendly staff, and were photographed before we climbed the gangway to our warm dry cabins and our delivered luggage. We took the opportunity to settle in, unpack or grab a hot cup of tea or coffee from the dining rooms. The main challenge of course was navigating through the endless corridors, and up and down the steep narrow stairwells, as we slowly found our way around. Many of us who had travelled on the ship before quickly refreshed our memory and settled into the bar lounge. Gary welcomed us in the bar, introducing the Aurora team, who we will no doubt get to know a little better over the course of our trip as they educate and guide us around these most northerly parts of the world. Next came the very important lifeboat briefing. Then the seven short and one long blast from the ship s horn told us it was time to gather at the muster

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6 DAY 2 Friday, 29 July 2016 MAGDALENEFJOrDEN-ALKEKONGEN & FUGLEFJOrDEN Position: Latitude: Longitude: 19:30 hours N E Course: 041 Speed: 12.2 knots Wind Speed: Wind Direction: 15 knots NW Barometer: 1016 hpa & steady Air Temp: 7 C Sea Temp: 7 C All through the night the good ship Polar Pioneer made her way north along the west coast of Spitsbergen, the main island in the Svalbard archipelago. By breakfast time the anchor was down in Magdalenefjorden near the northwest corner of the island. Waggonwaybreen (glacier) made its way to the sea from the heights of Albert I Land off the ships starboard bow and lines of mist and dramatic light outlined the surrounding mountains. With a hearty breakfast we were ready to head out on our first adventure, but first we needed to hear briefings by our expedition leader, Gary and assistant leader, Stephen. How to dress for Arctic weather, sailor s grip, no souvenir taking and most important: polar bear safety. We are now ready for action! We headed off in Zodiacs and kayaks for our first outing in Magdalenefjorden. We went ashore to visit Alkekongen, a mountainside with scree slopes filled with thousands of nesting little auks. The volume of these birds hidden among the rock spaces was apparent with the sounds emanating from the hill. Several mountain goats among us wandered into the boulders for a closer look at the birds as they perched on rocks near their nest entrances. Patrolling predatory glaucous gulls would often startle the auks into flight in dense dreads with curious laughing calls. The ground under foot was sometimes tricky with rocks and boulders but often very springy and soft with lush mosses and tundra flowers. This hillside is well fertilized with the constant droppings of the myriad of little auks. There was constant motion as the dreads of birds flew to and from the sea where they feed on plankton, mainly crustaceans that they hold in their throat pouches to carry back to the nest. From Magdalenefjorden Polar Pioneer again headed further north, around the west coast of Danskøya and Amsterdamøya and into Smeerenbergfjorden. The ship sailed close to the shore of Amsterdamøya, which was the site of a shore based whaling town in the 1600 s. Many were poised on the bridge searching the shoreline of this bleak, flat point of land for any sign of walruses, which haul out here from time to time. Today in the light rain that was falling these large blubbery beasts were at sea feeding somewhere. So we carried on to anchor at the mouth of nearby Fuglefjorden, in search of an adventure. With a bit of swell at the gangway, boarding the Zodiacs was more exciting this time but we were not deterred and headed deep into the fjord to find the Svitjordbreen glacier. On our way we found several interesting seabirds; an Arctic skua haranguing an Arctic tern, great skuas hiding among rocks and the beautiful pure white ivory gull made several appearances. The cliffs of ice and beautiful bergs had us mesmerized but the real thrill came when a large piece of ice calved off the face of the glacier sending a large wave into the fjord. Several woops and cheers could be heard from the Zodiacs as we watched! We met together in bar at the end of our first day of expedition to have a cocktail and toast our Russian captain Aleksandr Evgenov.

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8 DAY 3 Saturday, 30 July 2016 Ice,ICE, ice, exploring the pack Position: Latitude: Longitude: 21:30 hours N E Course: 11 Speed: 7.6 knots Wind Speed: Wind Direction: 10 knots N Barometer: 1007 hpa & steady Air Temp: 6 C Sea Temp: 4 C Around 6:00 this morning, thumping on the bow of our ship indicated that we had arrived at our destination, the pack ice of 81 N. The slightly late-hour breakfast of 8:00 was then followed by a daylong observation by staff, crew, and guests alike up on the viewing decks in the search for the Lord of the Arctic, the mighty polar bear. When no bears had been seen after two hours of dedicated search, we decided to apply a modified form of the old principle that if you want to find something that is lost, stop looking for it and then you will find it. Remembering that we have often had to interrupt lectures due to wildlife sightings happening while they are on, our senior naturalist Heidi went down to the lecture room to educate us about Arctic birds. And guess what! A bear was spotted around ¾ into her lecture! And not one but two! These turned out to be a mother and her yearling cub, of which the mother was in fact so young that the cub was about her size, leading our expedition leader Gary to consider if they might be siblings that have just left their mother. Following some moderate interest in the ship from a distance, while the cub displayed all the more carefree attitude towards life than its mother, the delightful duo went off and so did we in search of others of their kind. The naturalist Heidi then got to finish her lecture and we even had time for her Glaciologist Heidi to deliver a lecture on sea ice. We learnt how sea ice forms, its movements and the effects of climate change. interesting to see was the small bear that approached us on the ice from the other side. We did not get to view this animal well though, for as soon as he either caught sight or smell of the larger bear, off he went like a rocket! No more bears were seen but three different species of seal were, plus the normal array of kittiwakes and northern fulmars. An exciting sighting (unless you are a kittiwake that has just caught some fish) was two pomarine skuas. They were indeed harassing the kittiwakes, displaying their kleptoparasitic behaviour just as Heidi had described in her presentation. The rest of the afternoon saw us attending a lecture by Gary on polar bears, reindeer, and foxes and then looking out for more wildlife on the ice. Mist and snow flurries frequently passed occasionally offering us a smaller view of this sea ice setting and challenging our excellent bridge officers navigating in restricted visibility. Our furthest north today was N. That means we are only 956km from the North Pole. It was late evening by the time we left the pack ice and headed south for Svalbard s remote northeastern islands. Though no bears interrupted either one of them, not long after, we spotted a large fellow dozing off by the ice edge. In very good condition he was, but not quite so interested in us, even if he stopped a few times and observed us from a distance. But what was even more

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12 DAY 4 Sunday, 31 July 2016 Karl Xll-øYA; ISFLAKBUKTA & PHIPPSOYA Position: Latitude: Longitude: 20:45 hours N E Course: 234 Speed: 7.6 knots Wind Speed: Wind Direction: 5 knots NW Barometer: 1009 hpa & steady Air Temp: 4 C Sea Temp: 3 C We had left the pack ice during the night; that true epitome of the Arctic. Travelling southeast across unnaturally open, uncluttered seas to reach Karl XII-øya. Our way was open where more often than not in the past an impenetrable wall of sea ice would have blocked it. Another stark reminder of changes wrought by human activity changes happening too rapidly. A swell was up making Zodiac loading a little precarious, but all were able to disembark without mishap. Karl XII-øya sits on the far North East of the Svalbard archipelago. It is a small island with a steep rock tower at its northern tip and a gravel ridge stretching to the south. The rock here is basement; its tortured metamorphosis is clearly visible in the rock veins. A small colony of kittiwakes has made this ancient tower its home. There high pitch chatter can be heard over the more baritone rumblings of the surging seas. As always by bird colonies skuas and glaucous gulls circle gracefully yet menacingly looking for opportunity or weakness. Phippsøya lifted her cloak and we are greeted by calm seas and improving light. Gliding across the bay the crystal clear water abounded with jelly fish, a myriad of sizes and colours. A reminder that there is indeed another world a three dimensional tapestry filled with its own actors and dramas just below the surface. A few of us plunged into this world while others paddle above. On shore a group of walrus was hauled out and forever jostling. This elusive near mythical beast with almost magical properties is a paradox to the foul melody and repugnant odour that greeted us. Yet it was hard to turn away. Some of our party went on an extended hike while others are content to while away the afternoon in the company of the walrus herd. As we were due to depart it was quite fitting that the veil of fog descended and a door was shut. It is as it should be, for we are mere spectators here in the high Arctic. Two polar bears were spotted walking across the small belt of tundra that fringes the southern aspect of the rock tower; a mother and a 2 nd year cub. As we circumnavigated Karl XII-øya a further two bears (this time a mother with a first year cub) were seen scaling the steep rock tower with surprising agility. These bears have been marooned here by the retreating ice and will undoubtedly have a rough time of it over the coming months waiting for the ice and with it a bridge to food supplies to return. Driftwood and unsightly plastic waste strewn the rocky shore, the former began its journey with the aid of a lumberjacks saw in the forests of Siberia. The early afternoon was spent motoring east towards Sjuøyane the Seven Islands. The clouds lifted to the south and we were viewed the glistening snow caped peaks of Nordaustlandet. A small pod of belugas were glimpsed in the distance but all too quickly slipped from view.

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14 DAY 5 Monday, 1 August 2016 RijpfjorDEN & BENGTSENBUKTA Position: 20:05 hours Location: Bengtsenbukta Wind Speed: 5 knots Barometer: 1012 hpa & steady Latitude: N Speed: at anchor Wind Direction: N Air Temp: 4 C Longitude: E Sea Temp: 5 C We woke up to a misty morning, deep in the fjords of Nordaustlandet. The bay of Bengtsenbukta was slowly revealing itself, while the Zodiacs were being lowered into the water. We embarked on a magical Zodiac cruise that would take us through a myriad of colours, and through the ages. The strikingly black rocks of the West side of the bay form the basement of Svalbard s geology, also called the Heckla Hoek. These are the oldest rocks in the archipelago, and were formed 600 to 400 million years ago. Svalbard has migrated from the southern hemisphere to its current polar latitude. The red rocks deposited on top of the basement are the last remaining evidence of a desert-like climate that engulfed the archipelago between 400 and 290 million years ago. The distinctive call of the kittiwakes brought us back to our present times. Hundreds of pairs could be seen taking off from and landing at their nests, right above our heads. Colonies of kittiwakes must have occupied these cliffs for hundreds of years as thick green vegetation was covering the steep granitic slopes below. Glaucous gulls were, as usual, happy to disturb the elegant ballet of the kittiwakes, while a polar fox, in its sleek summer coat was not too far off, trotting at the base of the cliff. We then left the birds to their busy lives and returned to our study of glaciology. Seated on our brave rubber icebreakers we ploughed through the sikkusak (or ice melange) and zigzagged between huge frozen cathedrals created by the glaciers coming down from Vestfonna ice cap. The blue of the ice is reflected at its maximum under this special Arctic summer light. Glaciated fjords are surprisingly among some of the loudest marine environments on earth, with billions of air bubbles being released from the ice into the water, creating this distinctive rice crispies sound, the melody of our Zodiac cruise. The afternoon took us to another planet. A first group strolled on the beach, while two other groups continued walking further up the mountains. Glaciers have only recently uncovered these coastal mountains, leaving this bare environment free to be recolonised by vegetation. And those who dared going on their hands and knees witnessed an exceptional explosion of colours! Svalbard poppy, mountain avens, nodding Lychnis, all these mighty plants no matter how small they look showed us how strong life is in these Arctic polar desert conditions. Although very sparse, this vegetation seems enough for reindeers to graze on, as we finally observed our first rather startled specimens, which came running towards us. The views at the top of the mountains were breath-taking as we were overlooking the two glaciers we approached this morning, and the large fjord of Rijpbreen towards the East.

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16 DAY 6 Tuesday, 2 August 2016 Ice, ice, ice, exploring the pack Position: Latitude: Longitude: 18:45 hours N E Course: 165 Speed: 5.3 knots Wind Speed: Wind Direction: 10 knots W Barometer: 1009 hpa & steady Air Temp: 5 C Sea Temp: 3 C Clearing skies and denser ice flow concentrations greeted the early risers. The viewing platforms filled quickly after breakfast with all eyes on the lookout for wildlife. Just before Heidi s lecture was due to start a large brown lump was seen at a distance. Too big for a bearded seal it turned out to be a walrus and a polar bear was spotted nearby. Thanks to Captain Sasha and his team on the bridge we had an amazing look at the walrus. They expertly manoeuvred the ship amongst the pack ice without disturbing the animal. Although walruses are generally found hauled out together closer to shallow water feeding grounds, you do occasionally get loners. Possibly these are the few that prefer a seal diet to bivalves (clams and mussels). The bear gave us the slip, disappearing like a shadow in amongst pressure ridges and other ice floes. Leaving the walrus as we found him we continued our quest to be rewarded with another bear, or possibly the one that escaped us earlier as we saw it exit the water after a long swim. Showing little interest in us it wandered off across an expansive ice floe. With the sun now shining intensely, the melt water pools scattered like patchwork across the flows reflected beautiful shades of blue in stark contrast to the glaring white ice. With the floes so large, many seals were hauled out well inside them using holes in the ice to access the water. During winter the seals keep these holes open by scratching with their teeth or claws on the ends of their flippers. In summer the melt water pools may melt all the way through giving them easy access. swimming beneath the ice to close in and line up its prey. A final underwater swim of 30 odd metres before exploding out of the water was a special treat to see. But alas, the seal had a second escape route to the water and slipped out of danger. Needing approximately one seal a week to keep them healthy we did not think he looked too disappointed as he sauntered over to the ship after his near miss. He eventually wandered off and we continued our search. So warm was it today out of the breeze that the phrase basking on the bow like midges in a Svalbard poppy was used. Our luck continued with yet another bear, we interrupted his afternoon siesta, but only enough for him to get up to have a look at us and return to his snoozing in glistening sun. Finding some open water and smaller floes we took to walking on water (frozen) and were deposited on the sea ice at N E, to experience this alien environment bears call home. A strange feeling for most of us to realize only two feet of ice lay between us and the bottom over 1000m down. Others kayaked and some took to the water in drysuits to snorkel the ice edge and view its underside. On return to the ship, 18 brave soles took the challenge of the Polar Plunge leaping from the gangway into definitely frigid waters and entertaining the rest of us. It was using these holes that our next bear attempted to hunt a bearded seal. The suspense was intense as we watched the bear approach slowly, peering out behind pressure ridges and

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18 Sketch by Ewoud van der Koogh

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20 DAY 7 Wednesday, 3 August 2016 ALKEFJELLET; WAHLBErgøYA Position: Latitude: Longitude: 20:50 hours N E Course: 170 Speed: 11.3 knots Wind Speed: Wind Direction: 5 knots SW Barometer: 1007 hpa & steady Air Temp: 3 C Sea Temp: 5 C During the night we were rocked and rolled to sleep as the Polar Pioneer made her way south from the pack ice and encountered some rougher open water. After the night time excitement however we woke to a crystal clear blue-sky day with barely a ripple on the smooth sea. We had entered Hinlopenstretet, the body of water which separates the two largest islands: Spitsbergen from Nordauslandet. We could see the large flat ice caps on both islands and lines of guillemots flying past the ship in both directions. We were soon to find out why there was so much bird activity in the area when we headed out to explore the cliffs of Alkefjellet by Zodiac and kayak. Alkefjellet means auk fjord in Norwegian and the Brünnich s guillemots were nesting so densely on the tiny ledges that the rocks seemed to be made of birds. These volcanic black rocks were dolerite which had intruded between the visible layers of limestone on top and bottom. At least they were black to start but many had been white washed from millennia of bird droppings. While we were still visiting the suburbs near the edge of the colony where many kittiwakes were also flying, we saw three Arctic foxes scampering along the scree slopes and over grassy knolls. One fox was seen caching away a guillemot for the lean times of winter ahead before greeting another fox with a waving tail. Then as we moved into downtown where the guillemots live in higher density we were overwhelmed with the sights, sounds and smells of the thousands upon thousands of birds coming and going from their nests. A few of the season s first chicks to descend to sea level were seen on the water, still in their downy feathers with dad guarding close by. These birds have a partial fledging whereby the chick leaves the cliff before independence and gets fed by the adult male which has undergone a flight feather molt at the same time. Off to sea they will go with only their little feet to paddle them. At the end of our cruise we had an encounter with a bearded seal, who watched the boats as we in the boats watched the seal with its luxurious face of whiskers. Further south we headed through Hinlopen Strait, with the sun on our backs and the sea like glass. Two humpback whales were spotted close to the ship and a minke also made a brief appearance. Our plans for the afternoon had changed as we heard a report of a female polar bear and cub sleeping near a haul-out of walruses along our route at Torellneset. As we approached this southwest point of Nordauslandet a bank of fog approached from seaward and before the anchor was even on the bottom the visibility had reduced to zero. With bears known to be in the area and no visibility it was unsafe to make a landing. We gathered in the lecture room for Heidi s third attempt at her presentation on seals and walrus in the hope that it would lift the clouds and we would be called away to see the sights and bears. Fog however prevailed, so we moved on and later enjoyed a recap in the bar of our last few days events.

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22 DAY 8 Thursday, 4 August 2016 SUNDNESET; DOLErITTNESET-KAPP Lee Position: Latitude: Longitude: 20:20 hours N E Course: 193 Speed: 12.6 knots Wind: calm Barometer: 1005 hpa & steady Air Temp: 10 C Sea Temp: 5 C We had planned to visit Sundneset on the south eastern corner of Barentsoya as our first landing of the day. However, the promise of polar bear diverts us eastwards. The sun is shining, the air is crisp and clear as eagerly the Zodiacs are boarded. White coloured boulders fool young players as the slopes are scanned. A barnacle goose perched on a rock ledge, provides a momentary distraction and target for the camera lens. But it is only a short time until the quarry is located. Ramparts of diabase intrusions serve as perches for a mother bear and her cub and a lone adult bear, on an otherwise gravel slope. A large male is seen midway down. The remarkable quickly becomes the ridiculous as five other bear are spotted in short succession a mother with two second year cubs, and then two lone adult bears. Zodiacs and kayaks bustle around the shore, jostling for position: beckoning, pleading, teasing the bears to come closer, but to no avail. A cacophony of shutter clicks. Reindeer on the horizon. common eider huddle just offshore. A near constant barrage of fulmars glide past. After taking our fill of polar bears, we head back west but are thwarted by yet another polar bear who appears over the ridge and we are unable to resist the temptation to escort his wanderings. Eventually, however, we reach Sundneset and a landing is made to visit Wurtzburger Hutte a cabin built in 1959 for the geo-scientific expedition led by the German geographer Julius Budel. The landing is curtailed and nervous sentries are posted as a further two polar bears are spotted in the near vicinity of the hut. thick with distorted skeletal remains, which can only hint of the brutality and suffering of the past, when first the whalers, then the Pomors, followed by the Norwegian trappers pillaged its shores. With protection the walrus is starting to return and a small group huddled on the beach. We creep forward in a shuttling motion akin to the childhood game of What s the time mister wolf?. An octagonal cabin built in 1904 from prefabricated materials called the Karosaelan (the Carousal) and used by Norwegian hunters/trappers is entered. We then embark on a walk on the elevated land behind the beach. Edgeøya is a venerable oasis compared to much of eastern Svalbard. Vegetation abounds. Mossy bogs entrap a few of the overladen or less cautious. We amble amongst forests of polar-willow (already in its autumn orange hue) and dwarf willow. Wildflowers abound nodding lychnis, snow buttercups, moss campion, saxifrage (purple, yellow, alpine, drooping and bog), and Arctic cottongrass to name just a few. Reindeer feed contently on this rich palpate and are little bothered by our approach. One of which has a particularly magnificent set of antlers. The long walkers strike out to reach the top of a small ridge and are afforded a magnificent view down the coast and across Storfjorden to the snow covered backbone of Spitsbergen. Reluctantly we make up way back to the now homely Polar Pioneer after one final glimpse of the walrus from above and are soon tucking in to our rib eye steaks. Our afternoon landing is at Kapp Lee on Edgeøya. Kapp Lee holds the distinction as Svalbard s largest remaining historical slaughtering place for walrus. Behind the beach the ground is

23 Sketch by Ewoud van der Koogh

24 DAY 9 Friday, 5 August 2016 HorNSUND; SAMArINBrEEN & Gnållodden Position: 18:45 hours Course: 100 Wind Speed: 10 knots Barometer: 1004 hpa & rising Latitude: N Speed: 10.4 knots Wind Direction: W Air Temp: 8 C Longitude: E Sea Temp: 5 C During the night Polar Pioneer sailed around the southern cape of Svalbard to return to the western shores of the archipelago, bathed in the magical midnight Arctic light. We dropped anchor in the misty fjord of Hornsund, the largest fjord of south-western Spitsbergen. Luckily the clouds rapidly dissipated to reveal majestic peaks and dramatic glaciers. Hornsund gets its name from an expedition led by Jonas Pool in From their ship Amitie, they sent a party onshore to explore this uncharted territory. As they returned with reindeer antlers, Pool decided that these horns would give the fjord its current name. This morning, Hornsundtind (1431m) the third tallest mountain of Svalbard, could be seen in its entirety, which is a rare event in these misty polar fjords. This glorious morning was a perfect occasion for a Zodiac cruise along the front of Samarinbreen, an 11km long calving glacier. Hats and gloves were coming off as the sun was shining and the wind was completely absent. The huge icy cliff surrounding us rumbled and calved a few times, while the animated bird life close to the glacier kept us entertained for hours. A little ring seal even came over to say hello. Our intrepid kayakers left their usual marine environment to climb onto the northern side of the glacier. trapping on the archipelago. Despite her small figure, she proved to be one of the most courageous and skilled trappers in the history of Svalbard. Many other huts pepper the fjord of Hornsund, which indeed has a long history of trapping. The fjord is a natural path of migration for polar bears between the west and the east coasts, as they follow the seasonal growth and retreat pattern of sea ice. After visiting Wanny s cosy hut, we wandered along the gorgeous shoreline of Burgerbukta. Barnacle geese kept circling around us, while glaucous gulls did not hesitate to remind us of the presence of their nearby nests. The most daring of us hiked the grassy slopes of Fuglefjell to meet the nesting kittiwakes. Such a wonderful day could only be completed by a mouth-watering barbecue in Brepollen,a clover shaved bay surrounded by glaciers. Thanks to our amazing chefs Allan, Herbert and their team. Then came time to put our dancing shoes on and celebrate yet another perfect day in the Arctic! In the afternoon we landed at Gnålodden. There, nested against the imposing grey wall of Fuglefjell, is one of the satellite trapping stations used in the 1930s by Wanny Woldstad, the first female trapper in Svalbard. Woldstad, a 40-year-old widow, mother of two and originally taxi-driver in Tromsø, grew fond of stories told by trappers coming back from Svalbard. She eventually joined an expedition to Svalbard in 1932, and spent several years hunting and

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26 DAY 10 Saturday, 6 August 2016 BELLSUND; RecherCHEFJOrDEN & VårSOLBUKTA Position: Latitude: Longitude: 20:00 hours N E Course: 62 Speed: 12.5 knots Wind Speed: Wind Direction: 5 knots S Barometer: 1001 hpa & falling Air Temp: 8 C Sea Temp: 6 C In the early hours this morning the Polar Pioneer headed further north along the west coast of Spitsbergen Island and entered Bellsund. We dropped anchor in the quiet waters of Recherchefjord, the most southerly branch of this large fjord system. This fjord is named after the French ship Le Recherche which came here in 1838 on one of the very first scientific expeditions to Svalbard. Here we took to the Zodiacs on our own expedition of discovery. We found numerous kittiwakes sitting on beautiful icebergs and common eiders guarding a flotilla of young ducklings. The Zodiac drivers had to power up to get into a large lagoon while the tide was rushing out the small channel. During its retreat, the Recherche glacier has left a terminal moraine to create this large lagoon. One cautious but curious harbor seal watched our progress along the front of the glacier as we made our way to the far side of the lagoon. Here we went ashore for a short landing where we had the unique experience of walking on top of the glacier! We ascended the weathered side of the glacier careful to avoid the sinking quagmire that the floury fine silt creates that can trap the unwary. Once on top it was like a different universe with melt channels snaking their way across the icy landscape and often disappearing into mysterious Moulins the tunnels that allow the melt water to descend below the ice. Dark sediment peppered the white ice creating interesting abstract designs. Once back at the boats we tried to rinse off the silty mud but more scrubbing would be needed to remove this souvenir of our walk. During lunch Polar Pioneer made her way to the north side of Bellsund to Vårsolbukta, where we could see from the ship a lush tundra fertilized by bird cliffs above and a few mysterious cabins to the west. We went ashore for our last landing where we could explore the tundra on our own or take a walk to the west and look at the cabins. Along the way many pairs of binoculars scanned the green hillside and a minimum of 84 reindeer were counted grazing their way across the landscape. The plants were thick and plentiful no doubt fertilized by many little auks and kittiwakes nesting in the rocks above. Though the kittiwakes were making themselves heard on the cliffs the little auk colony seemed eerily quiet compared to our visit to a colony earlier in the trip. It was a wonderful opportunity to sit and absorb the silence of the Arctic wilderness one last time. Back on board Polar Pioneer we gathered in the bar for a last hurrah to toast our lucky voyage together around Svalbard. Captain Sasha joined us for the revelry and we felt truly fortunate to have encountered such a plethora of wildlife and viewed such beautiful landscapes over the last ten days.

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28 DAY 11 Sunday, 7 August 2016 LONGYEArBYEN Position: Latitude: Longitude: 07:00 hours N E Location: Speed: Port Longyearbyen at anchor Wind: calm Barometer: 1007 hpa & falling Air Temp: 8 C Sea Temp: 7 C And so our Spitsbergen Odyssey voyage draws to a close. Overnight we wended our way north from Bellsund to the colourful town of Longyearbyen. The immediate vista of colourful buildings came as a stark contrast to the Arctic deserts and pack ice we have been exploring during our voyage. Our expedition has been full of diversity; even our 2 nd day went from massive glacier calving s to the smallest of the auks chirping. We spent time roaming the expansive pack ice far to the north of Svalbard and were rewarded in our efforts with several close encounters with majestic polar bears in their icy abode. On a remote island to the NE of Nordaustlandet we found two sets of mother and cubs waiting until the ice returns. In Bengtsenukta we cruised beneath kittiwake cliffs where foxes scampered; and Zodiacs pushed through brash ice fronting the glacier. Stretching our legs across open tundra, we appreciated the lovely variety of plants that survive in this harsh environment. The views overlooking the glaciers we had cruised passed earlier in the day remains as etched in our memory as the cool breeze we walked against. Returning to the pack ice in bright sunshine provided more close encounters with bears and a walrus on ice. We even had a chance to step off the Zodiacs on to this floating world or snorkel and paddle around it. Azure shades in melt water pools and a myriad of birdlife following the ship was all part of our visit to this icy realm. With flat calm seas we spent hours in sensory overload beneath the bird cliffs of Alkefjellet watching 60,000 plus pairs of guillemot s go about their chick rearing duties. A few playful foxes added to our enjoyment. In southern Hinlopenstretet we were enveloped by thick fog so being flexible we moved on and escaped zero visibility by the next morning. Just in time for an extravaganza of 10 bears spread over the hillsides of Freemansund. Kapp Lee provided more diversity in richer tundra than we d seen at other sites along with panoramic views of glacially covered Spitsbergen. Rounding Svalbard s southern most point brought us into Hornsund with its adjacent peaks soaring to over 1400metres with glaciers dripping from every valley. Time to roam at Wanny Wolstads hunting cabin beneath the cacophony of kittiwake noise allowed us quiet time to absorb this foreign environ. A first for many was hiking on a glacier flowing into a fascinating lagoon area that created an iceberg graveyard. In contrast our final landing returned us to lush tundra and herds of reindeer. We disembarked Polar Pioneer for the pier, but the roll of the ocean lingered in our sway, as if reluctant to surrender the wealth of experiences over the last 11 days. Aurora Expeditions thanks you for joining us aboard MV Polar Pioneer; we hope to see you on the high seas again some day. We close this voyage log with Ralph Waldo Emerson s sage words: Be content with a little light, So be it your own. Explore and explore.

29 10ºE 20ºE 30ºE Spitsbergen Odyssey 28 July 7 August 2016 ARCTIC 4 9 OCEAN Sjuøyane 6 5 Kvitøya Lagøya 80ºN Moffen 7 Storøya 2 3 Woodfjorden Wijdefjorden 10 NORDAUSTLANDET Hinlopenstretet 8 Forlandsundet Ny Ålesund 11 SPITSBERGEN 12 Erik Eriksenstretet KONG KARLS LAND Kongsøya Svenskøya Abeløya Isfjorden BARENTSØYA Barents Sea 77ºN 19 Bellsund 18 Hornsund 1 Longyearbyen 20 Van Mijenfjorden Sørkapp Storfjorden EDGEØYA Tjuvfjorden Sites visited: 1. Longyearbyen 2. Alkekongen (littleauks, glacier) 3. Fuglefjorden (glacier, auks) 4. Sea ice (polar bears) 5. Karl Xll-øya (polar bears) 6. Phippsøya (walrus, trappers hut) 7. Bengtsenbukta (kittiwakes, fox, glacier) 8. Bengtsenbukta (tundra walk) 9. Sea ice (polar bears) 10. Alkefjellet (bird cliffs; Arctic fox) 11. Hinlopenstretet (whales) 12. Torellneset (foggy walrus) 13. Sundneset (bears X 10,trappers hut) 14. Dolerittneset-Kapp Lee (walrus, tundra) 15. Samarinbreen (glacier) Hopen 16. Gnålloden (scenery, hut, kittiwakes) 17. Brepollen (glacier BBQ) 18. Recherchefjorden (glacier walk, ice) 19. Vårsolbukta (rich tundra, reindeer) 20. Longyearbyen Total Distance Travelled: 1373 nm Furthest North: 81o30 N SVALBARD km

30 KAYAKING LOG BY Judd Hill KAYAKING GUIDE: Judd Hill KAYAKERS: Laura Lacey Ewoud van der Koogh Désiré de Vries Kurt Menning Ness Goodwin Albert Olle Callau Mark Wharton Day 2: MAGDALENEFJOrDEN Distance: 7.9 km Conditions were overcast with up to 10 knots of wind at times. We paddled to the northern shoreline then followed it down as far as the glacier at the head of the fjord passing some nice icebergs on the way. A good size carving was seen when we paddled the glacier front and groups of barnacle geese accompanied us along the southern coast as we headed back towards the ship via some more small icebergs. Phippsoya Distance: 11.6 km The weather had moderated and it was flat calm with some fog. We paddled first to the walrus haul out passing some in the water. We then headed back around the southern point of Phippsoya and across to Parryoya to some nice cliffs before returning to the ship. Three puffins right next to the kayaks was another highlight. Day 5: BENGTSENBUKTA Distance: 13.9 km Moderate winds with some ground swell were the conditions we were dropped of in but the weather improved dramatically the further we got into the fjord. We paddled first to the bird cliffs on the eastern side of the bay and saw a Arctic fox going about its business there. We then headed into further into the fjord through some brash ice and beautiful blue icebergs to the eastern glacier before paddling to the small bird cliffs at the head of the fjord. A quick look at the larger western glacier then it was time to rendezvous with the ship for a well earned hot drink. Day 6: PACK ICE at N Distance: 5.6 km Sunny in the pack with a little breeze made for an awesome paddle. We just paddled around some ice floes and then landed the kayaks on one for a quick walk before returning to the ship. Day 7: ALKEFJELLET Distance: 11.7 km Wow! Conditions were glassy calm and sunny with a slight current running north to south. We paddled from the ship to the small glacier at the northern end of the bird cliffs then headed south passing 2 Arctic foxes, a load of guillemots and many waterfalls. Some nice rock arches and rock spires beckoned as we weaved our way along the cliffs then returned to the ship via some huge rafts of guillemots feeding and playing on the water.

31 Day 8: SUNDNESET Distance: 10.1 km It was sunny with light winds but as there was 2-3 knots an anchorage we took the kayaks to the coast and started from there. We paddled east along the shoreline past the headland with some small cliffs to look at some polar bears that were spotted from the ship. We saw 9 by the end of the paddle including one that was under 100m away walking along the shoreline. Awesome!!! Once we turned west the current helped us back down to the Zodiac landing site where we had a stop and transferred the kayaks and kayakers back to the ship via Zodiac. Day 9: SAMArINBrEEN Distance: 9.8 km Conditions were glassy calm and sunny showing some wicked reflections of the mountains and glaciers off the water. We paddled to the western side of the glacier and followed it, through loads of brash ice at the start, to the eastern end. Some medium sized carvings kept us on our toes as we headed to a small beach and made a landing for a short stroll up onto the glacier. We then returned to the ship across the fjord. Day 10: RecherCHEFJOrDEN Distance: 11.6 km Overcast with sunny patches was the order of the day with a little wind to keep things a bit cool. We paddled into a strong current to get inside the lagoon left by the retreating glacier and what a wonderland. Grounded icebergs made for a great iceberg maze to paddle through then we headed along the glacier before stopping on a small island for a break. We then continued along the glacier before turning and paddling back to the ship which was perfectly framed by a rainbow. 6 Kayakers. DISTANCE PADDLED: 90.6 KILOMETRES IN 9 PADDLES GnåLLODEN Distance: 9.3 km A slight breeze was around this afternoon with sunny patches. We paddled around the point and up into Burgerbukta following the western shoreline up as far as a small waterfall. We then headed offshore a bit and followed the icebergs back to Gnålloden where we made a short stop to walk up the hill and see the nesting kittiwakes. We the returned to the ship via a nice blue iceberg.

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34 DivE & SNORKEL LOG BY PIOTr SZYSZKA Dive GUIDE: Piotr Szyszka DIVERS: Maria Bauer Claudia Kukraschewski We started off with a big group booking but this dwindled down to only two divers. Not wanting to disappoint, we went ahead with the diving activities. In total we completed seven dives and two snorkelling sessions. On some of these expedition staff and Russian crew members joined in. Unlike our operations in the Antarctic, the Arctic, is ruled by the mighty polar bear. Its presence, although welcome, mandates no diving in its immediate vicinity. Since part of the objective for this trip for our divers was to see the king of the north we didn t mind the bear interruptions and we also spent a couple of days in the pack ice looking for them. We were very handsomely rewarded with over twenty individuals sighted during our voyage. All of the dives where undertaken off the back of our Zodiac where the divemaster and the bear lookout kept a watchful eye over all the activities. Our two divers were very experienced in cold water and very comfortable in dry suit diving, having already dived in Antarctica, so getting them ready was a breeze. The average length of the dive was about 35 minutes and we reached a maximum depth of 19.5 meters. The critters our divers encountered underwater where: anemones, sun stars, Arctic cod, nudibranches, sea urchins, clams, tunicates, sea cucumbers and many crabs. Above the waves, swimming on the surface, we saw: walruses, ringed seals & bearded seals. All in all we had a fantastic time, good weather, excellent animal encounters & great company.

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36 Gnallodden Purple Saxifrage Doleriteneset Drooping Saxifrage Doleriteneset Bog Saxifrage Gnallodden Tufted Saxifrage

37 Dolerittneset Polar Willow Svalbard Poppy Bengtssenbukta Doleriteneset Knotweed Alpine Saxifrage Bengtssenbukta Gnallodden Arctic Mouse-ear Chickweed Gnallodden Bog Saxifrage Chickweed Magdalenefjord

38 Bird species log Bird Species JUly AUGUST Northern Fulmar X X X X X X X X X X Pink-footed Goose X Barnacle Goose X X X X Brent Goose X Common Eider X X X X X X X Long-tailed Duck (Oldsquaw) X Purple Sandpiper X X X X Pomarine Skua (ib) X X X X Arctic Skua X X X X X Northern Fulmar Brünnich s Guillemot Great Skua X Glaucous Gull X X X X X X X X X X Kittiwake X X X X X X X X X X Ivory Gull X X X X X Arctic Tern X X X X X X X Common Guillemot X Brünnich's Guillemot X X X X X X X X Black Guillemot X X X X X X X X Little Auk X X X X X X X X Atlantic Puffin X X X X X Snow Bunting X X X X X Purple Sandpiper Kittiwakes Little Auks

39 Brünnich s Guillemot Little Auk Kittiwake chick and parent Brünnich s Guillemot Pomarine Skua Glaucous Gull

40 MAMMAL species log MAMMAL Species JUly AUGUST Arctic Fox X X Reindeer X X Polar Bear x x x x Ringed Seal X X X Bearded Seal X X X X Harp Seal X Walrus X X X X Harbour Seal X X Reindeer Minke Whale X X Humpback Whales X Beluga X X Walruses Reindeer Walrus

41 Arctic Fox Walruses Bearded Seal Polar Bear Walrus

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44 Expeditioners Pam Arnold Lynne Boon Anne Greenwood Yee Hui Liew Carole O Neill Linda Sanders Mark Wharton John Arnold Bill Boon Stuart Greenwood Yee Vun Liew Albert Olle Callau Dirk Selderyk Tracey Withers Aw Aw David Dale Richard Hungerford Nyuk Choi Liew Sharon Paull Michelle Senn Rob Wyatt Galvin Bartlett Diana Dale Stefan Kardos Helen Macindoe Penny Pearce Cath Shannon Kim Wyatt Suzanne Bartlett Désiré de Vries Claudia Kukraschewski Rob Macindoe Brian Pearce Robyn Stitt Maria Bauer Christine Ertinger Laura Lacey Kurt Menning Alison Poole Poh Choo Ting Nicola Beams Lenka Gondova Judy Lewis Ed Menning Cathie Pratt Ewoud van der Koogh Shane Beams Ness Goodwin Yili Liew Peter O Brien John Quinlivan Nigel Waller

45 Expedition Team POLAr PIONEEr Crew PHOTO CREditS Expedition Leader: Gary Miller Captain: Aleksandr Evgenov Motorman: Valerii Snigur Stephen Anstee Diana Dale Assistant Expedition Leader: Stephen Anstee Chief mate: Bogdan Shmalko Stewardesses: Irina Iurkina Gary Miller Anne Greenwood Naturalist: Heidi Krajewsky 2nd Mate: Sergei Abramov Irina Minurova Heidi Krajewsky Stuart Greenwood Glaciologist: Heidi Sevestre 3rd Mate: Alexey Sedov Kristina Afanaseva Judd Hill Richard Hungerford Expedition Guide: Baldur Thorvaldsson Radio Operator: Maxim Chilikin Natalia Pustovalova Baldur Thorvaldsson Stefan Kardos Doctor: John Barry Chief Engineer: Sergei Vorobev Olga Markhilenok Piortr Szyszka Judy Lewis Hotel Manager: Tamryn Baker Chief Engineer: Vladimir Kukhtalev Margarita Nikitenko Alexey Sedov Peter Obrien Assistant Hotel Manager: Kendyl Garky Second Engineer: Denis Strelkov Russian Cook: Dmitry Savelyev Suzanne Bartlett Albert Olle Callau Head Chef: Allan Pascual Estoque Third Engineer: Artur Ropotov Galvin Bartlett Carole O Neill Second Chef: Herbert Buhay Cruz Fourth Engineer: Yurii Horobets Nicola Beams Dirk Selderyk Kayak Guide: Judd Hill Electrician Engineer: viacheslav Deviatkin Bill Boon Michelle Senn Dive Guide: Piotr Szyszka Boatswain: Serghei Hincu David Dale Mark Wharton A.B. Seamen: Aleksei Orlov Aleksandr Agafonov Ship s log compiled by Stephen Anstee Aleksandr Kiselev Paper made from 100% recycled material.

46 Adventure with us Antarctica & South Georgia Alaska s Inside Passage Ecuador & Galapagos Kimberley Coast Intimate, educational, small group voyages to some of the world s wildest and most remote destinations, aboard quality expedition vessels. Protected waterways beneath spectacular, glacier-draped mountains, penguins, seals, whales, historic sites and scientific stations. Wildlife-rich fjords, calving glaciers, harbour seals and humpback playgrounds. Traditional Native American culture and heritage. Amazon s rainforest tribes and sacred cultures, Andean volcanoes and shorelines of marine iguanas, giant tortoises and sea lions. Australia s wildest frontier boasts terracotta cliffs and ancient rock paintings. Island hop in search of turtles, crocodiles and whales. Our other destinations include: Scotland, Patagonia, Russian Coast and Papua New Guinea.