Tag Archives: Northeast Passage expedition

Northeast Passage: Whale ho!

General,

This summer, WWF is helping support two expeditions that will take on some of the world’s most difficult waters, to see first-hand the effects of Arctic climate change. One expedition is sailing across the top of Russia, a journey of 6000 nautical miles through the Northeast Passage, while another is attempting a west to east transit of the Northwest Passage, also by sailing boat, a journey of about 7,000 nautical miles.
Tom Arnbom of Sweden was on the ‘Explorer of Sweden’ though the Northeast Passage, as was WWF Arctic Programme Director Neil Hamilton for much of the trip, replaced near the end by WWF polar bear coordinator Geoff York. On the ‘Silent Sound’ Cameron Dueck of the Open Passage Expedition is filing regular stories from the Northwest passage. Come back for photos and stories throughout the summer, and follow the progress of the boats as they follow in the wake of some of history’s most intrepid explorers.
By Neil Hamilton

Minke whale. Photo: WWF-Canon

Minke whale. Photo: WWF-Canon


Lat 69 42′, Long 38 7′
I woke this morning to a completely calm languid sea, really glassy in parts, and the sight of minke whales around the boat. Fantastic! There seemed to be many young, very small whales together with the older ones. Occasionally a larger animal would come quite close to us apparently out of curiousity. Lots of white beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirotris) had followed the boat during the dawn hours and also surface around us. It makes you realise that this is home to many, many animals despite seeming empty to us.
Together with the whales are birds, mainly northern fulmars (Fulmaris glacialis), but also gulls and occasionally a pair of guillemots (both black and Bruennich’s), and ducks. The fulmar population has grown enormously, and they are one of the most common birds here because of their ability to utilise the refuse of the huge fishing industry, which in turn is dependent on the phenomenal productivity of this marine ecosystem.
As the day passes the weather remains totally calm, the sea almost oily, and we are forced to motor onwards. We are passing the entrance to the White Sea lying to our south. I am reminded that the south eastern part of the Barents Sea is a massively prospective gas field, with oil as well, and that in coming years the development pressure will be extremely high. The enormous Stockman field has already entered the first stages of development several hundred kilometres to our north. The beauty of this remote and unspoiled sea however gives me hope that we will be able to manage these developments effectively.

Northeast Passage: On the watch

General,

This summer, WWF is helping support two expeditions that will take on some of the world’s most difficult waters, to see first-hand the effects of Arctic climate change. One expedition is sailing across the top of Russia, a journey of 6000 nautical miles through the Northeast Passage, while another is attempting a west to east transit of the Northwest Passage, also by sailing boat, a journey of about 7,000 nautical miles.
Tom Arnbom of Sweden was on the ‘Explorer of Sweden’ though the Northeast Passage, as was WWF Arctic Programme Director Neil Hamilton for much of the trip, replaced near the end by WWF polar bear coordinator Geoff York. On the ‘Silent Sound’ Cameron Dueck of the Open Passage Expedition is filing regular stories from the Northwest passage. Come back for photos and stories throughout the summer, and follow the progress of the boats as they follow in the wake of some of history’s most intrepid explorers.
By Neil Hamilton
It’s 2.18am local time and I’m on my first watch after leaving Murmansk. Latitude 69 degrees 28.6 north, longitude 34 degrees 16 east.   Air temperature is about 10 degrees, water temperature is 9 degrees.  Sea is slight, wind about 5 metres per second.   A few Russian trawlers show up on the radar and occasionally emerge from the fog which casts a gray haze over our progress.  We have just turned to head east, with a straight run now for about 500 nautical miles to the entry to the Kara sea at the southern tip of Novaya Zemlya.  That’s about 3 days sailing. 6 more watches for me before we see land again.
I share my watch with Anders, the captain, which is fantastic because there is so much to learn and he has so much experience.  We do the midnight to 4am and noon to 4pm watches, using Moscow time as the ‘ship time’. The night watch is great because everybody is sleeping and it is quiet, one of the few such occasions on ‘small’ boat like Explorer. The disadvantage is that you miss the dawns and most of the morning as you are sleeping.  As we go east, the difference between ship time and the sun’s time will change dramatically:  the far east of Russia is 10 hours ahead of GMT, so my midnight shift will be an after lunch one according to the sun!
It never really gets dark up here.  The midnight sun ended a few weeks ago but the best night we will see on this trip is a few hours of semi-darkness after midnight towards the end of the journey.  At the moment I have turned down my laptop screen brightness, but I can still see the seabirds flying past, the waves, and the other boats.  It’s sort of like a gray and rainy day in ‘normal’ parts of the world.  The long long days play a hugely important role in arctic ecology, providing a massive burst of growth to all the creatures that live here, and a shot of energy to the physical and ecological processes like ocean circulation, plant photosynthesis and so on.
It’s my turn at the wheel now, so I’ll stop here.  More soon from the eastern Barents Sea!

Northeast Passage: Leaving Murmansk

General,

This summer, WWF is helping support two expeditions that will take on some of the world’s most difficult waters, to see first-hand the effects of Arctic climate change. One expedition is sailing across the top of Russia, a journey of 6000 nautical miles through the Northeast Passage, while another is attempting a west to east transit of the Northwest Passage, also by sailing boat, a journey of about 7,000 nautical miles.
Tom Arnbom of Sweden was on the ‘Explorer of Sweden’ though the Northeast Passage, as was WWF Arctic Programme Director Neil Hamilton for much of the trip, replaced near the end by WWF polar bear coordinator Geoff York. On the ‘Silent Sound’ Cameron Dueck of the Open Passage Expedition is filing regular stories from the Northwest passage. Come back for photos and stories throughout the summer, and follow the progress of the boats as they follow in the wake of some of history’s most intrepid explorers.
By Neil Hamilton

Casting off from Kirkenes on the Explorer of Sweden

Casting off from Kirkenes on the Explorer of Sweden


Finally, after days of waiting, filling in forms, shopping for everything we could think of, and being the beneficiaries of seemingly endless Russian hospitality, we are away!  A final press conference aboard the old ice breaker ‘Lenin’ revealed the challenge we face in turning around climate change, with several of the captains of the Russian ice breaker fleet expressing opinions that the earth is in fact cooling.  Nobody mentioned that we have lost almost half the area of summer sea ice since the 1980s, or that this voyage is only remotely possible due to the changes now conclusively the result of human action.
We left the dock just after 2030 on the 5th August, and sailed towards the Barents Sea some 40km north of Murmansk.  There is a huge air of anticipation now, a sense that the adventure has really only just begun.  As we passed the ice breaker 50th Anniversary of the Revolution she let out a huge long blast on her fog horn in our honour, which we returned with a (much smaller!) one on ours.
The icebreaker known as 'The 50th Anniversary of the Revolution' docked near Murmansk

The icebreaker known as 'The 50th Anniversary of the Revolution' docked near Murmansk


In my previous blog I introduced you to some, but not all of the crew of ‘Explorer’.  The last three, Per Magnus, Hannibal, and Frederik deserve a minute of fame as well!
Per Magnus is one of the pioneers of arctic expedition cruise tourism, being the owner of Polar Quest (owner of the expeditions sponsors) and a highly experienced traveller in northern regions.  He is currently chairman of AECO, the association of expedition cruise operators.
Hannibal has played a leading role in may of Ola’s expeditions, from the crossing of Greenland to the South Pole.  Highly experienced in mountain and wilderness education, Hannibal spends in excess of 200 days a year ‘on snow’.  He is an extremely competant sailor, diver, and probably many other things I have yet to discover.
Frederik is the expedition photographer and film maker.  He has travelled with Ola on many occasions and has also undertaken numerous trips of his own.  The pictures and clips on Ola’s website are largely from Frederik.  He is also a Land Rover freak and knows almost everything about anything mechanical.
So that’s it: eight guys (average age about 40), a huge range of skills and experience in the Arctic, sailing across an ocean that is changing almost as we look at it.  From now on we head ‘back to nature’ into some of the most unknown parts of the Arctic.  More soon!

Northeast Passage video blog: Kirkenes to Murmansk

General,

This summer, WWF is helping support two expeditions that will take on some of the world’s most difficult waters, to see first-hand the effects of Arctic climate change. One expedition is sailing across the top of Russia, a journey of 6000 nautical miles through the Northeast Passage, while another is attempting a west to east transit of the Northwest Passage, also by sailing boat, a journey of about 7,000 nautical miles.
Tom Arnbom of Sweden was on the ‘Explorer of Sweden’ though the Northeast Passage, as was WWF Arctic Programme Director Neil Hamilton for much of the trip, replaced near the end by WWF polar bear coordinator Geoff York. On the ‘Silent Sound’ Cameron Dueck of the Open Passage Expedition is filing regular stories from the Northwest passage. Come back for photos and stories throughout the summer, and follow the progress of the boats as they follow in the wake of some of history’s most intrepid explorers.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZtxEa1wNf8

Northeast Passage: We’re away!

General,

This summer, WWF is helping support two expeditions that will take on some of the world’s most difficult waters, to see first-hand the effects of Arctic climate change. One expedition is sailing across the top of Russia, a journey of 6000 nautical miles through the Northeast Passage, while another is attempting a west to east transit of the Northwest Passage, also by sailing boat, a journey of about 7,000 nautical miles.
Tom Arnbom of Sweden was on the ‘Explorer of Sweden’ though the Northeast Passage, as was WWF Arctic Programme Director Neil Hamilton for much of the trip, replaced near the end by WWF polar bear coordinator Geoff York. On the ‘Silent Sound’ Cameron Dueck of the Open Passage Expedition is filing regular stories from the Northwest passage. Come back for photos and stories throughout the summer, and follow the progress of the boats as they follow in the wake of some of history’s most intrepid explorers.

Aboard the Explorer of Sweden

Aboard the Explorer of Sweden



By Neil Hamilton
Finally, after all the preparations, we are away. We had a very quick final meal of take away pizza and left Kirkenes at 2020 on the 31st July, heading north out of the fjord into the Barents Sea. Everything worked perfectly. I did the first 4 hour watch with Niklas, then went to bed after handing over to the captain, Anders just before we entered Russian waters. The weather was foggy, the sea warm (13 degrees!) and calm. And completely empty. I’m not why this surprised me, but we didn’t see a single vessel on our radar or GPS navigation systems until we had almost reached Murmansk.
After 12 hours we had almost reached our next destination, Murmansk. Entering into the port of Murmansk is reasonably complicated as it is at the south end of a 40km long and narrow fjord with shipping lanes, many different types of anchorage, towns, shipyards, and a major naval base. The fog cleared, the sun came out, the weather was warm enough for short sleeves and we were able to see the wonderful landscape around us, very similar to northern Norway or even (according to some of the crew) parts of coastal Sweden.
View of Murmansk

View of Murmansk


We picked up a pilot (the first time he had ever been in a sailing yacht!) who guided us past the huge numbers of shipyards, dry docks, and anchored ships of every possible description. The scale of everything is fantastic. The entire Russian ice breaker fleet is berthed here so we saw many vessels we are familiar with from our work in the Arctic, including the huge ‘Arctica’ class nuclear powered vessels, and an old favourite of Per Magnus’, the Kaptain Dranitsyn. Enormous oil tankers guided by tugs, container ships, and coal transporters passed us going out of the port as we became more and more fascinated by the approaching city.
One of the enormous vessels in Murmansk

One of the enormous vessels in Murmansk


Explorer of Sweden’s first contact with the Russian coast took place at Dock 12 of the Murmansk commercial harbour, in the centre of the incredibly busy coal loading terminal. Customs and Immigration officals were waiting for us and performed a thorough and professional check of our documents and the ship. It seems that only one or two other prviate yachts have ever entered the port before so the process is almost as much of a novelty for the officials as it is for us. Fortunately our agent had ensured that all our papers were prepared in advance but Ola’s little photocopier was working overtime for a while, issuing all the necessary copies.A few questions, and fFinally everything was stamped. We are now legally in Russia.
The Explorer of Sweden in the dock at Murmansk

The Explorer of Sweden in the dock at Murmansk


Then another pilot, and a short trip to another wharf close to the centre of town. We seem to have minor celebrity status here as we have been given a berth right next to the most famous Russian ice breaker of all, the Lenin, which was launched almost exactly 50 years ago. Waiting for us were old friends including Mikhail, the captain of the Barneo floating ice base which I visited earlier this year. Welcomes and formalities over, we discovered a very convenient (and much needed!) shower and sauna nearby.
We have several days in Murmansk to obtain the final approvals from a variety of authorities to continue with the expedition. This is the last place we will visit for the next two months with more than a few hundred people, and with shops, so our time here will be precious.

Northeast Passage: Waiting in the sun

General,

This summer, WWF is helping support two expeditions that will take on some of the world’s most difficult waters, to see first-hand the effects of Arctic climate change. One expedition is sailing across the top of Russia, a journey of 6000 nautical miles through the Northeast Passage, while another is attempting a west to east transit of the Northwest Passage, also by sailing boat, a journey of about 7,000 nautical miles.
Tom Arnbom of Sweden was on the ‘Explorer of Sweden’ though the Northeast Passage, as was WWF Arctic Programme Director Neil Hamilton for much of the trip, replaced near the end by WWF polar bear coordinator Geoff York. On the ‘Silent Sound’ Cameron Dueck of the Open Passage Expedition is filing regular stories from the Northwest passage. Come back for photos and stories throughout the summer, and follow the progress of the boats as they follow in the wake of some of history’s most intrepid explorers.
By Neil Hamilton
Last night was special: the farewell dinner, with the wives and families of some of the crew.  Foie gras for entree (a gift from a friend), Norwegian pork fillet in cream and pink pepper sauce, served with rice coloured with 3 kinds of red peppers, finished up with (wait for it) ready made caramel pudding out of a box.  Champagne, Valpolicella, and some chateau cardboard kept the conversation flowing until well after midnight.  The occasion was as intellectual as it was spiritual, the final sign to ourselves that we are actually going to do this expedition.
Having spent the past grey and rainy day in Kirkenes trying to get all our approvals and the necessary forms for our entry into the Port of Murmansk, today has been quite a contrast.  Ola Skinnarmo showed why he is leading this expedition, ordering, prioritising, and making sure that everything was done to his satisfaction. I ended up cleaning the toilet, bailing out the last of the bilge water, wrapping the ice axes, changing an oil filter, washing up, vacuuming the floor, and a few other things.
The sheer number of activities that have to be completed before leaving on the expedition later today boggles the mind:
– stock up on all the last minutes supplies and equipment we need
– check all the sailing gear, accessories, safety and rescue equipment
– test the communications gear
– wash and dry all the clothes (the rails, halyards and every available piece of deck was covered!)
– change the oil and filters in the outboards, and the main boat engine
– wash the boat from top to bottom
– clean the inside of the boat (which looked like 8 guys had lived in it for two months, something close to the truth)
– tidy up everything into its proper place so that you can find it at 4am in a storm
– and of course, fill in more forms, talk to our agent in Murmnansk, and read the pilot book for this stretch of coast.
And then spend the last few hours alone.  For the next couple of months we will be unable to get more than a few metres from each other so just wandering around Kirkenes by ourselves is a luxury we all need.  Somebody even tried to get a haircut.
Being alone was also a way of lessening the tension which had been growing by the minute all day.  We are all aching just to get out to sea, to begin this voyage of discovery.  Even the short 150 nautical mile trip to Murmansk is an adventure: we literally don’t know how easy or hard it is going to be to negotiate the authorities, despite being well prepared.  And we are all waiting to see exactly what the ice conditions will be like.  Watching the daily images on the internet doesn’t tell you enough to be able to predict whether we will have an easy sail through an ice free Arctic Ocean (heaven forbid) or an intense experience, having to watch every minute of every day to avoid hitting floating fragments.
So at 2000 tonight local time (1800 UTC) we will cast off and head out of the port of Kirkenes into the Barents Sea. The wind is gentle (hopefully we can sail instead of motoring) and the weather is fine.  There is no one here to see us go, quite a contrast to Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Oslo earlier on the trip.  After that, everything is uncertain, depending on the weather, the Russian authorities, and us. It’s 4 hours to the Russian ‘border’, then several more sailing southeast before we reach the pilot point.  And then more hours before we finish our first day, in the Port of Murmansk.

Northeast Passage: First report from Neil Hamilton

General,

This summer, WWF is helping support two expeditions that will take on some of the world’s most difficult waters, to see first-hand the effects of Arctic climate change. One expedition is sailing across the top of Russia, a journey of 6000 nautical miles through the Northeast Passage, while another is attempting a west to east transit of the Northwest Passage, also by sailing boat, a journey of about 7,000 nautical miles.
Tom Arnbom of Sweden was on the ‘Explorer of Sweden’ though the Northeast Passage, as was WWF Arctic Programme Director Neil Hamilton for much of the trip, replaced near the end by WWF polar bear coordinator Geoff York. On the ‘Silent Sound’ Cameron Dueck of the Open Passage Expedition is filing regular stories from the Northwest passage. Come back for photos and stories throughout the summer, and follow the progress of the boats as they follow in the wake of some of history’s most intrepid explorers.

By Neil Hamilton

The adventure has begun!

Inauspiciously……..

My flight from Oslo was cancelled, but eventually I arrived in Kirkenes, one of the biggest fishing ports in the Barents Sea.  Perhaps 40 Russian trawlers were tied up at the wharf, together with the Nordlys, the famous Hurtigruten ship that travels along the coast of Norway.  The weather is warm (about 15 oC), grey and overcast with rain showers.

It is wonderful to meet up with Ola, Anders and Hannibal again after a couple of months since our shakedown cruise to St Petersburg. Explorer of Sweden is berthed alongside a fishing boat in a quiet part of the harbour, the crew having a well earned rest after sailing from Sweden via Olso and then circumnavigating Svalbard. Ola and Hannibal’s families have come to spent a few days with them before we leave on the expedition.  Minor repairs and adjustments have been made, and lots and lots of shopping: 3 months worth of food, water, and  other supplies are now on board.  The boat is pretty crowded!

In preparation for the expedition I have been watching the ice charts every day for the North East Passage for the past couple of months and we are now pretty sure that this year is going to be almost as bad, or perhaps even worse, than 2007, the year all the records were broken.  The Kara Sea is already clear of ice, as is much of the Laptev Sea.  The two ‘pinch points’, the Kara Gate south of Novaya Zemlya and Cape Chelyuskin north of the Taimyr peninsula, are almost free – and it is still July.   This makes me feel torn between the tragedy of the loss of the ice and all that this implies, and the anticipation of being able to ‘do the impossible’: sail through the legendary North East Passage.

So now it’s just a matter of settling in to my (very narrow) bunk, unpack my gear, and work out how to get all the communications and film gear working. We hope to be able to send regular updates (blogs, pictures, and video), plus keeping the Twitter channel buzzing with news throughout the voyage.

Tom Arnbom, Northeast Passage day 10: Richness and diversity

General, ,

This summer, WWF is helping support two expeditions that will take on some of the world’s most difficult waters, to see first-hand the effects of Arctic climate change. One expedition is sailing across the top of Russia, a journey of 6000 nautical miles through the Northeast Passage, while another is attempting a west to east transit of the Northwest Passage, also by sailing boat, a journey of about 7,000 nautical miles.
Tom Arnbom of Sweden was on the ‘Explorer of Sweden’ though the Northeast Passage, as was WWF Arctic Programme Director Neil Hamilton for much of the trip, replaced near the end by WWF polar bear coordinator Geoff York. On the ‘Silent Sound’ Cameron Dueck of the Open Passage Expedition is filing regular stories from the Northwest passage. Come back for photos and stories throughout the summer, and follow the progress of the boats as they follow in the wake of some of history’s most intrepid explorers.
By Tom Arnbom
Day 10
Late night, Alkehornet, Spitsbergen, Svalbard. The bright green grass below the classic ”bird cliff” is a byproduct of fish and small crustaceans! There is a continuous commuting from the rich sea to the breeding sites, when parents bring food to the newborn chicks. The droppings are full of nutrients which fall down from the cliffs to the ground 100 metres below – that is why it is so green and full of flowers beside huge colonies of kittiwakes and little auks. Here on Svalbard, you also often find an arctic fox family living off eggs, chicks and injured birds close to bird colonies. At Alkehornet too, reindeer can be found in large numbers. The driving force is the rich sea.

Reindeer grazing at Alkehornet on Spitsbergen, Svalbard.

Reindeer grazing at Alkehornet on Spitsbergen, Svalbard. Photo by Tom Arnbom


Several of the richest fishing waters in the world can be found in the Arctic. In America, Alaskan pollock is one of the largest American fisheries species and in Europe the Barents Sea is the source for an enormous amount of fish. It is very important to manage these populations well and not overfish them, like many other fisheries around the world which have totally collapsed.
However, another threat is the climate change which will increase the sea water temperature in the Arctic – which will then cause fish populations to move further north to colder water. In Alaska, if the pollock population moves north into Russian territory, America might lose a very valuable fishery. A similar problem could occur if the cod in the Barents Sea moves into Russian waters. There is a lot of money involved and political conflicts may arise from this.
In Alaska, the fishermen have decided not to fish in the areas which are now opening up in the Arctic as the summer sea ice melts away. The fishermen first want to know what fishing quotas are sustainable to fish, before a commercial fishery opens. Otherwise, the normal practice would be to start fishing as soon as possible – before any restictions are in place.

Tom Arnbom, Northeast Passage day 8: Fantastic Mr Arctic fox!

General,

This summer, WWF is helping support two expeditions that will take on some of the world’s most difficult waters, to see first-hand the effects of Arctic climate change. One expedition is sailing across the top of Russia, a journey of 6000 nautical miles through the Northeast Passage, while another is attempting a west to east transit of the Northwest Passage, also by sailing boat, a journey of about 7,000 nautical miles.
Tom Arnbom of Sweden was on the ‘Explorer of Sweden’ though the Northeast Passage, as was WWF Arctic Programme Director Neil Hamilton for much of the trip, replaced near the end by WWF polar bear coordinator Geoff York. On the ‘Silent Sound’ Cameron Dueck of the Open Passage Expedition is filing regular stories from the Northwest passage. Come back for photos and stories throughout the summer, and follow the progress of the boats as they follow in the wake of some of history’s most intrepid explorers.
By Tom Arnbom

Voyaging around Svalbard. Photo by Tom Arnbom.

Voyaging around Svalbard. Photo by Tom Arnbom


DAY 8

We managed through the storm and found a safe harbour. At most it was blowing 26 m/s which is full storm, and the sea water temperature was minus one. We lingered around the coast of Edgeöya and finally anchored at Disco, a bird colony of kittiwakes.
The gulls are breeding in a canyon and the noise and foul smell is part of the local flavour. A curious arctic fox checks us out before heading to the colony to find some eggs or injured birds. The fox’s fur is brown – this is its summer fur. In winter the arctic fox is pure white. Here on Svalbard the Arctic fox is doing fine, while in Scandinavia the population is very low – on the brink of becoming extinct – although last summer was a relatively good one for the Scandinavian population.
An arctic fox with its brown summer coat.

An arctic fox with its brown summer coat. Photo by Tom Arnbom


After intensive hunting of artic foxes for their fur in Sweden, Finland and Norway, the population was very low – in addition the lemming and vole populations was severely reduced for almost twenty years so the arctic fox also almost became extinct in Sweden and Norway. In Finland no breeding has taken place for several years now.
The future looks pretty bleak for the Scandinavian population of the arctic fox. The tree-line is climbing higher and higher which is bad in two ways. First, the open tundra habitat is shrinking, which is where the arctic fox lives – and on top of that, with the treeline comes the red fox which competes with its smaller cousin. The red fox takes over the dens of the arctic fox, and it can even kill the arctic fox.
But here on Svalbard, the arctic foxes are thriving, at least during the summer when the bird colonies are full of eggs and chicks.

Tom Arnbom, Northeast Passage day 5 & 6: Close encounters of the bear kind

From the field, General, Polar bears, ,


A polar bear in the distance - but it was soon to come a lot closer! Photo by Tom Arnbom

A polar bear in the distance - but it was soon to come a lot closer! Photo by Tom Arnbom


Tom Arnbom of WWF Sweden is spending some time with the team on the Northeast Passage expedition. He will be blogging regularly for the Arctic Programme’s Sending the Signal blog while he is there. Here is his update from the fifth and sixth day of the expedition.
DAY 5
Watch a video on the website of Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet of Tom and the Explorer team’s close encounter with the bear
After another beautiful night with the midnight sun, I get a few hours sleep before it is time for breakfast. BUT what a breakfast! While having muesli I see two different polar bears – that is luxury above all means. One of them, is like frozen to the ground, not moving a single bit, just beside a breathing hole for a seal. The white bear is hunting ringed seals. I see the seal coming up in an alternative breathing hole 15 metres from the large predator. But the polar does not move. After 15 minutes, the bear gives up and linger off. Not bad for breakfast time.
Hannibal goes in for an icy plunge. Photo by Tom Arnbom

Hannibal goes in for an icy plunge. Photo by Tom Arnbom


It is getting colder, and the long johns are on all the time. A cold northerly cuts through all our clothing. We are heading south to get away from the bad weather which is forecasted. Hannibal does not care about the chill, and makes a dive north of the 80th latitude.
DAY 5 – LATE NIGHT
Close to Hinlopen, we force the bow into the sea ice and stay put. At a small distance away, a polar bear is lying on its back with all four paws in the air and scratching its back. It seems not to care less about us.
Suddenly, the bear changes its behaviour. It stands up, sniffs and looks at the boat Explorer of Sweden. Slowly it walks in a zig-zag track towards us. It comes closer and closer – a hundred metres turns into fifty metres, twenty metres. We are all on alert and barely breathing – only whispers. Both Ola and Per-Magnus bring out their weapons and other protective gear – such as sound blasters, both are ready just in case …
The polar bear gets more and more curious and it makes its way all the way to our sailing vessel. It is a bit nervy and the adrenalin is flowing. When it puts the paws on the bow it was close to the limit where we felt safe – the polar bear is incredibly fast and strong so you need margins!
The bear went away from the boat but came back again, this time with higher speed. Ola honked the boat horn – the sound blast is very loud – but the bear barely flinched. So Per-Magnus threw a sound blaster in font of the bear – the high bang surprised the bear – which stops within a metre.
The bear comes close to the boat. Photo by Tom Arnbom

The bear comes close to the boat. Photo by Tom Arnbom


In less than a second the bear runs off away from these ”unfriendly” humans who do not want to get a close contact. The bear stopped after a hundred metres and turned around, gave us a long look and then slowly wandered off to the glacier at the horizon. An encounter to remember – both for us and the bear.
The bear sniffs the air and comes even closer! Photo by Tom Arnbom

The bear sniffs the air and comes even closer! Photo by Tom Arnbom


The wind picked up, blowing half storm and the seawater temperature is now below zero degrees. Freezing.
DAY 6
After the close encounter with the polar bear we steam south. The wind is now really strong, storm and the water temperature is now the unbelievable minus 1.4 degrees. Not my cup of tea for a swim. It is very very cold and we do not go outside voluntarily.
We sail by an endless glacier front. The colour is ice blue. I just read that during the last five years the Arctic sea ice has lost around 15 cm per year in thickness, that is unbelievably fast. It is going much quicker than anybody has foreseen. This means that the annual ice is dominating the Arctic, and the sea ice can therefore melt off very quickly if the ”right” conditions come. When the white sea ice melts away the sea is opening up and the dark blue water will be warmed up by the sun. The sea will in its turn melt off more sea ice, a process which might not be halted. But we can halt the climate changes if we want.
A first step is a very good climate agreement in Copenhagen in December this year.
Viewing the 'endless glacier' from the boat. Photo by Tom Arnbom

Viewing the 'endless glacier' from the boat. Photo by Tom Arnbom