Expedition Log Around Spitsbergen

27th July – 5th August 2014

On board the

M/V Ortelius

MV Ortelius was named after the Dutch cartographer Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598) who published the first modern world atlas, the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Theatre of the World) in 1570. MV Ortelius was built in 1989 in Gdynia, Poland, as a research vessel for the Russian Academy of Science and was named Marina Svetaeva. In 2011 she was purchased by Oceanwide Expeditions. The vessel was re-flagged and renamed Ortelius. Now the ship is sailing as a 126-Passenger vessel. Ortelius is 91 m long, 17,6 m wide and has a maximum draft of 5,80 m, with an Ice Strength rating of UL1/1A, top speed of 13 knots and one diesel engine generating 3200 kW.

Captain Eero Isotalo and

his International Crew of 40

Including

Hotel Manager – Katrin Schlegel (Austria) Chief Steward – Dejan Nikolic (Serbia) Head Chef – Christian Gossak (Austria)

Bar Steward – Rolando Garcia (Phillipines)

together with the expedition staff:

Expedition Leader – Jim Mayer (Great Britain) Assistant Expedition Leader – Kelvin Murray (Scotland)

Expedition Guide – David Berg (Sweden) Expedition Guide – Andrew Bishop (Australia) Expedition Guide – Erin McFadden (Scotland)

Expedition Guide – Simon Cook (Wales) Expedition Guide – Jordi Plana (Spain)

Expedition Guide – Beau Pruneau (Canada & USA) Expedition Doctor – Veronique Verhoeven (Belgium)

Welcome you all on board

the Ortelius!

Day 1 – July 27 Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen 16:00 GPS position: 78° 14.3’ N / 015° 35.3’ E Weather: +7°C, overcast with sunny spells, wind from NNW (Force 2) At 13:50 many of us touched down at the airport in Longyearbyen. Simon – one of our Expedition Guides, met us and helped us put our luggage onto the luggage truck and directed us to the bus that would take us into town. Longyearbyen is a former coal mining settlement and has a population of about 2200. It is one of the world’s most northern settlements. Longyearbyen is named after the American, John Munro Longyear (1850-1922), who was one of the founders of the Arctic Coal Company (1906-1916). Coal is still produced in a mine near Longyearbyen but not in quantities like in the twentieth century.

We had a couple of hours free to explore the town before heading to the ship. Longyearbyen town centre has many outdoor clothing shops as well as a great cafe and a few good bars. There is also an excellent museum in the large modern university building. On display in the museum are both the whaling history of the archipelago and plenty of information about wildlife, early exploration and World War II. After enjoying some time exploring Longyearbyen we headed to the pier at 16:00. Our expedition ship Ortelius was alongside and waiting for us. This would be our home for the next 10 days. Once we were on board members of the staff and crew helped us to find our cabins. A short time after embarking we all gathered for a

mandatory safety briefing and after listening to the third officer discussing safety on board Ortelius we all then proceeded with the mustering and abandon ship drills. These drills got us familiar with the emergency procedures on board and gave all of us a chance to laugh at one another in our big orange life jackets!

By 18:00 it was time to set sail. As the crew cast off we waved goodbye to the town of Longyearbyen. Many of us were out on deck taking photographs as we slowly drifted off the pier and out into Isfjorden. We were treated to some sunshine for our departure, which can be quite a rarity in Longyearbyen! A warm welcome in the bar was next on the agenda. Hotel manager Katrin started with a useful speech about the ship, followed by our expedition leader Jim who introduced us to Captain Isotalo and the rest of the expedition team. A glass of bubbly was the perfect toast to the great adventure ahead. By 20:00 it didn’t take much coaxing to get us down to dinner. The Head Chef Chris prepared a great welcome dinner. That evening we continued out of Isfjorden, watching the Arctic scenery gliding past us as we sailed west towards the open sea. Day 2 – July 28 Fjortende Julibukta (14th July Bay) and Ny-Ålesund 08:00 GPS Position: 79° 06.4’ N / 011° 39.5 E Weather: +7°C, calm sea, bright spells, wind from the SE (Force 2)

This morning we woke to a clear and calm Arctic day. There was some cloud cover, but every so often the sunshine broke through the clouds to illuminate the scenery before us. Over the course of the night we had been sailing north, from Longyearbyen to Krossfjorden. Krossfjorden is a picturesque fjord with several tidewater glaciers (glaciers terminating at the sea). Our morning landing site was one of these glaciers named Fjortende Juli Glacier (14th July glacier). Having been distributed our rubber boots and having listened to a briefing from our Expedition Leader Jim concerning safety in the Zodiacs and on shore, we were ready to make our first landing.

Many pieces of ice of varying sizes and colours were floating in the water as we were driven to shore in the Zodiacs. All this ice would have calved from the glacier at an earlier time. Indeed we saw and heard small chunks of ice calving as we approached the shore some distance from the glacier front. The sound is like a deep rumble of thunder; it makes you wonder how loud the sound of a huge calving event would be… On shore we were treated to many different sights including reindeer grazing on the tundra slopes; Arctic skuas nesting on the beach; Barnacle geese cruising amongst the sea ice and hundreds of Kittiwakes circling above us. We could hear the characteristic call of the Kittiwakes ringing out from their precarious cliff-side nests.

We stopped to enjoy some of the tundra plants as we walked to an area known as the ‘Hanging Gardens’. This is a small rock face covered in an array of different plants, many of which are rare in Svalbard. A Snow bunting nest prevented us from getting too close to the rock face as we could have easily disturbed the chick inside. Continuing on a little further we then stopped to watch the Barnacle geese that were swimming just offshore, many of them with goslings in tow. Pink Footed geese were also spotted at the bottom of the cliff face. On the way back to the landing site we walked along the beach. Erratic rocks – rocks that were once inside the glacier before being dumped in situ when the glacier retreated – and chunks of ice were strewn across the shore. A few brave people wandered into the water for a chilly paddle!

Back on board Ortelius we enjoyed a hearty lunch before getting ready for another landing. This time we were heading to the small scientific town of Ny Ålesund, which is situated in Kongsfjorden. The weather was so bright and sunny when we landed at the pier that Jim was already in his shorts! As we walked up the main street into town we soon spotted a few of the other guides had decided to go for shorts instead of Gore-Tex trousers – a sure sign of good weather. Sending postcards and buying souvenirs from one of the most northern towns in the world was a must for many of us. Lying at a latitude of 79°N, Ny Ålesund is a unique place. As well as being

an important scientific base for Arctic research, the town also has a rich history. At 17:00 those of us who were interested in hearing more about the history of Ny Ålesund joined David for a historical walk and talk. Our meeting place was the bust of Roald Amundsen, which is situated in the centre of the town.

David gave a very informative talk about the history of this former coal-mining community, which sounded rather bleak. Once we had walked the short

distance to the mast, David continued his talk. He told us about the explorers who left from this very spot in their air balloons, each of them aspiring to be the first to reach the North Pole by air. Once everyone was back on board the ship the expedition staff delivered a recap of the day and an overview of the schedule for the following day. Sailing out of Kongsfjorden the sun was still beaming down as we enjoyed another lovely dinner. Day 3 – July 29 Woodfjord including Liefdefjord (Andøyane) and Mushamna/Mattilasodden 08:00 GPS Position: 79° 42.4’ N / 013° 46.7” E Weather: +3°C, low could and fog, drizzle, wind from NE (Force 2) After a gloriously sunny day yesterday, the weather had become more typically Arctic this morning as we sailed through low-lying cloud towards Woodfjord on the northern coast of Spitsbergen. Despite the weather, the day started successfully: our first Polar bear was spotted! Walking across Reinsdyrflya – a coastal plain at the entrance of Woodfjord – was a decent sized bear. Nobody minded either leaving breakfast early, or having breakfast later, as we all huddled out onto the top deck or up onto the bridge to catch sight of the bear. And as if one bear wasn’t enough, a second bear was soon spotted lying on the tundra not far from the first bear.

The Officers and the Able Bodied Seamen on the bridge navigated the ship in order for us to have the best views possible of these two bears. We made several passes backward and forward getting as near as was safe in the shallow coastal waters. A great start to the day!

Once we had made it into Woodfjord we turned into one its adjoining fjords called Liefdefjord, or in English – the Love Fjord. At the mouth of Liefdefjord are the Andøyane (the Duck Islands), which are known for having an array of birdlife inhabiting them during the summer. No sooner had the anchor gone down than we were all jumping into Zodiacs for a Zodiac cruise around the islands. Despite the cold, damp and foggy conditions many of us were out for over two hours as we enjoyed spotting several different bird species including phalaropes, Arctic terns, King Eider ducks, Common Eider ducks, Pink Footed geese, Barnacle geese, guillemots and

Glaucous gulls. A few of the boats also spotted a Bearded seal, which seemed rather inquisitive of us as it poked its head above the water and gave us a thorough look. Returning to the ship we were greeted with a very welcome drink of hot chocolate from Katrin and Dejan before enjoying some lunch and looking forward to the afternoon ahead. We had planned to spend the afternoon in Liefdefjord, but thick fog meant navigating through the icy waters was dangerous. What’s more, a landing would have also been dangerous due to the risk of a Polar bear emerging unexpectedly through the

fog. But, as always there is a plan B. Ortelius was soon on the way to Mushamna or ‘Mouse Bay’. Here on the flat tundra and pebbled beach we offered a long, medium and leisurely hike. The majority of people decided to have a good leg stretch and joined Jordi, Erin and Beau for the long hike. After exploring the tundra and stopping to look at some of the flowers and the stone circles we headed for a steep slope. The stone circles are formed by repeated freeze thaw action in the soil that results in separation of coarse and fine particles, the final result being a ring 1-3m in diameter with the larger stones arranged in a ring around the outside.

Clambering up the steep scree slope we made it to a great lookout across to a receding glacier where we spent a short time appreciating the view before heading back down towards the beach. The leisurely and medium hikers had spent the afternoon exploring the ponds and the cabin at Mattilasodden, just to the north of Mushamna. Mattilasodden is named after the sealing skipper Johan Mattilas, who after 34 trips in the Arctic, died at the age of 57 at Gråhuken just north of Mattilasodden. The cabin is run by the Sysselmann and is given as a raffle prize to a local person to use each Easter! It is a fantastic spot and the myriad of wooden buildings is quite fascinating to wander around. In the ponds behind the beach Red Throated divers were nesting as well as Barnacle geese with goslings. On the beach nearer towards the landing site Simon discovered the skeleton of a Bearded seal complete with skull and teeth.

Too much action for a single day? Well, it wasn’t over. After dinner Ortelius crossed the 80th parallel in the vicinity of Moffen, a small sand island with a highest point only 5m above sea level. To celebrate

we had a toast at the bar courtesy of Rolando, Katrin and Dejan. Moffen is a regular Walrus haul out area. It is a protected island and nobody is allowed to sail closer than 300m to the shore, but even from a distance we could see around 50 Walrus gathered together on the southernmost tip of the island.

Day 4 – July 30 Alkefjellet and Torellneset 08:00 GPS Position: 79° 45.8’ N / 018° 06.4’ E Weather: +2°C, cloudy, swell, wind from NNW (Force 3)

Overnight Ortelius had been sailing south from Moffen Island back towards the mainland of Spitsbergen. We awoke to find ourselves in the Hinlopenstretet (Hinlopen Strait), which separates the islands of Spitsbergen and Nordaustland. As we were preparing ourselves for the planned morning Zodiac cruise the eagle eyed observers on the bridge had spotted whale blows!

Needless to say everyone immediately went up to the bridge or onto the outer decks to catch a glimpse of these whales. They were Fin whales and were feeding – evident in the timing of their pattern of diving and breathing. They would spend 5–8

minutes diving, before returning to the surface to take a number of breaths before descending again. It was wonderful to watch. After spending a good hour watching the whales, the planned Zodiac cruise got underway. Our location was Alkefjellet: a rather apt name when you consider it means ‘Mount Guillemot” and is home to over 60,000 breeding pairs of Brünnich’s guillemots. It is a spectacular sight to witness thousands of birds perching precariously on tiny cliff edges or flying overhead – a sight that looks more akin to a swarm of mosquitoes than a flock of birds. At the grassy slopes towards the northern end of the cliffs we saw several Arctic foxes. Foxes are often found here because of the rich food source available to them at the bird cliffs. We saw two foxes tearing apart a couple of unlucky birds while the other foxes were darting about the slopes, curious of the meals the other foxes had captured.

Thankfully our lunch on board was not Guillemot stew, but a great chilli con carne and as we piled back on board and into the dining room we enjoyed a relaxed lunch and a couple of hours rest before the afternoon landing.

At about 16:00 we were ready to go ashore at Torellneset – a known Walrus haul out, which is located on the south-western point of Nordaustlandet. Although there was a strong wind blowing from the north, we managed to get enough shelter on the lee side of the spit to make a landing. And we were duly rewarded. Not only were there over a dozen walrus hauled out on shore, many of the walrus decided to come and do a ‘swim by’ as we landed. So; no sooner had we landed than we were sitting in silence as the walrus swam very close to shore to give us a good once over. They seemed very inquisitive of us – we could see them looking at us and we could hear their rather funny grunts as

they took breaths of air at the surface. The guides exclaimed how this is the closest many of them had ever been to walrus. Before walking from the landing site and out to the haul out area we walked to the raised beaches to view

some of the Arctic flowers including the Svalbard poppy. We also saw a few whalebones; left over from the whaling days of centuries past.

This evening we were back on board Ortelius in plenty of time for dinner and we all enjoyed listening to the daily recap beforehand. The recap included information about Fin whales from Jordi and facts about Brünnich’s guillemots from Simon. Following another super dinner many of us enjoyed amazing views of the Bråsvellbreen ice cliffs as we sailed north, ready to spend tomorrow in the pack ice.

Day 5, July 31 In the pack ice 08:00 GPS Position: 79° 48.5’ N / 029° 26.5’ E Weather: +2°C, calm, cloudy with snow showers and bright spells, no wind Today we spent the day in the pack ice looking for wildlife and the all-important Polar bears. Being in the pack ice on board a ship is an extraordinary experience. As Ortelius ploughed through the ice everyone watched on as the bow effortlessly moved and split the floes. It is marvellous to watch and listening to the Officers and Able Bodied Seamen navigate through the ice is very interesting. Breakfast had barely finished when Simon spotted the first bear. His spotting skills are second to none – it took everybody else a lot longer to finally see the bear as Simon directed the bridge Officer towards it. Eventually we were so near you could see the bear with your naked eye and we enjoyed observing it walking across the ice before it finally stopped at a small open area of ice. It is likely the bear was hunting and had stopped here in the hope that a seal would make an appearance in the open water. However, the bear had no such luck and sauntered off in search of a more lucrative hunting spot. We followed the bear for some time before leaving it to hunt in peace.

While some of the guides maintained a wildlife watch on the bridge, Simon gave an interesting lecture about the birds we have encountered on the trip so far, as well as discussing a few we are still hoping to see. As we piled out of the lecture theatre and back

onto deck we discovered it had started to snow. Not many of us had experienced snow in July before. However, over lunch the conditions began to clear and the sun decided to break through the snow clouds to create lovely clear conditions again. Those of us who wanted to pick up a few souvenirs of the voyage visited the Ship Shop during the early afternoon. The Polar bear watch continued throughout the afternoon and just as Erin was about to begin her lecture “An Introduction into How Whales Dive” the guides spotted not one bear, but three! Needless to say Erin’s talk was delayed while we made our way closer to one of the bears and enjoyed observing it from a short distance. This bear seemed quite restful, so after an hour or two Erin began her talk and just as she was finishing Jim made an announcement telling us that one of the bears had decided to come a little closer to the ship.

Out on deck we found the bear was right alongside the ship on the ice – it was fabulous! The bear, which was later described by Jim as ‘A well built female’, graced us with her presence for over 40 minutes. She walked up and down the length of the ship, giving both the ship and us on board a good once over. Just as dinner was about to be served the bear decided to wander off so we headed down to the dining room for another super dinner from Chef Chris, as well as a special dessert – Crepes Suzette – prepared by none other the Dejan himself.

Day 6 – August 1

In the pack ice along the eastern coast of Nordaustlandet 08:00 GPS position: 79˚ 55.6' N / 030˚ 03.5' E Weather: +5˚C, bright and sunny, wind from W (Force 2). After a tremendous day in the pack ice yesterday, we awoke early this morning to another super day. At 06:15 Jim woke us up to tell us a bear was very near to the ship. Scrambling to get dressed we made it out onto deck, where the sun was gleaming off the ice. The bear wasn’t as sure as the bear had been the previous evening and seemed more wary of the ship. Having given Ortelius a good look, she continued on her way and we left her in peace.

No sooner had we left that bear than another was spotted. This one was a little further off and we were unable to get too close to it due to thick ice. Nevertheless we enjoyed good views before heading down for breakfast as Ortelius sailed on in search of more bears. The weather was so glorious this morning that many of us were out on deck immediately after breakfast. At 11:00 Andrew began his lecture “Ice is not just for cooling drinks” and managed five minutes before a fantastic bear sighting caused Jim to interrupt him. Wandering towards the ship across the glistening sea ice was another Polar bear. It was making a beeline for the ship and once it had made it to the bow of Ortelius it proceeded to stay with us for about 30 minutes. We could see it smelling and tasting the air. It was incredibly curious, even standing on its hind legs in an attempt to get a better gauge of us. Jim described it as “the best bear sighting he’d had in a long time”. We certainly felt lucky to have had such a magical and calm encounter.

Andrew resumed his lecture and managed to finish without any more interruptions. Lunch was next on the agenda and following that it was back out on deck to enjoying the sunshine, the birds, the seals and the ice.

As if on schedule at 16:00 David had just introduced his lecture “The History of Svalbard” when another bear showed up. Again the bear came close to the ship and gave us plenty of opportunity to take photographs. Following another great encounter, David was able to resume his lecture. The weather outside continued to be calm and bright so quite a few people decided to remain out on deck observing the wildlife. Bear interruptions seemed to be the theme of the day, but of course they are always welcome. The lovely hotel staff had just served us our starters for dinner when Jim came into the dining room to tell us a Polar bear mother with two cubs had been spotted on the starboard side of the ship. The dining room emptied very swiftly as everyone rushed to catch a glimpse of the bears. Due to the fact the bears were obviously somewhat wary of the ship we did not pursue them, instead observing from a distance as they made their way across the ice and swam across the open leads. Despite the distance between the bears and us, it was still wonderful to see the two cubs with their mother.

After dinner a Bearded seal was seen resting on the ice. Many of us went out onto the foredeck to catch a good glimpse of the fat sausage shaped seal with a small head. Then it was time for the Ortelius Cinema to open– the movie this evening was Spy On The Ice, a fascinating documentary about the lives of Polar bears. Day 7 – August 2 Cruising Barentsøya and Edgeøya (Kapp Lee) 08:00 GPS position: 78° 23.7’ N / 022° 37.1’ E Weather: +3°C, overcast, slight swell, wind from N (Force 4) Our planned morning landing on Barentsøya at the bird cliff of Kapp Waldburg had to be cancelled due to a Polar bear taking up residence above the gully we had planned to walk down. Therefore, we proceeded further through Freemansund to the alternative site of Sundneset. And guess what? Another bear was spotted, this time it was a large skinny male – perhaps the most dangerous type of bear you could come across as it would be hungry and looking for any meal it could get its paws into… So, once more Ortelius continued onwards and toward our planned afternoon landing site – Kapp Lee on Edgeøya Island.

Kapp Lee is the site of a Walrus graveyard and an historical Pomor hut. After an early lunch we landed and split up into several groups. Andrew, Jordi and Erin led the long hikers over some very interesting rocks and up onto a high plateau. En route many of us found interesting fossils of seashells. We also passed a lot Arctic Poppies growing on the scree slopes. Once we were on top of the plateau we had great views across to Spitsbergen as well as Barentsøya.

The other two groups stayed lower down, exploring the coastline and the area around it. Three Walrus were hauled out on the beach – one of which had lost

a tusk. On the tundra and the scree slopes around it we saw an Arctic fox with its fox cubs and some Reindeer, including a male with impressive antlers. After a morning spent on the ship and relocating because of bears it was nice to have a long landing and by the time we were back on board we had been out for near to four hours.

With the tide dropping we re-embarked the Zodiacs to be shuttled back to Ortelius in time for an earlier recap and dinner. After dinner Kelvin gave his lecture about Walrus and many of enjoyed the evening sunshine.

Day 8 – August 3 Whale safari near the continental shelf and Hornsund 08:00 GPS position: 76° 25.9’ N / 015° 10.3’ E Weather: +7°C, sunny spells, wind from NW (Force 4) Andrew and Erin had been asked to get up early this morning to start the search for whales off the southern tip of Spitsbergen. It turned out to be a successful early morning. By 07:20 Simon and Jordi had joined Andrew and Erin on the bridge and the guides had spotted Fin whales and Humpback whales. The planned 07:45 wake up call came early to ensure nobody would miss these great sightings. A Humpback whale and a Fin whale came very close to the ship, many of us straining over the side of the ship to gain a better look. We could hear the blows of the Humpback as it drifted by, sometimes showing us its impressive white tail flukes.

This was just the beginning. Numerous whales were seen throughout the morning. They were in an area near the continental shelf, which is known for being rich in food. At about 10:00 Kelvin announced that a Sperm whale had been spotted near the horizon. This is a very rare sighting in Svalbard,

but some of us were lucky to see it fluke before it dived to the deep depths of the ocean trench below. What’s more, several White Beaked dolphins were in the area as well as a Hooded seal and of course plenty of different bird species

including many peoples’ favourite – the Puffin. It was a spectacular morning. More Fin whales were seen just before lunch as we sailed into Hornsund and enjoyed watching the grand landscape approaching. After lunch the Zodiacs were lowered and we were soon enjoying on a wonderful Zodiac cruise. The scenery was magnificent, with jagged, snowy mountains, glaciers and ice-filled waters. We headed down a side fjord towards a glacier that had deposited huge amounts of ice into the water. There were lots of birds in the area and some of us spotted a Bearded seal. At the face of the glacier Kittiwakes and Guillemots were present in huge numbers – they were feeding on the phytoplankton and zooplankton that become entrapped in the rising melt water from the glacier below. It was a lovely cruise with plenty of sunshine, ice and wildlife. Soon it was time to head back to the ship for a Grand Arctic Barbecue. It was out on deck and our friends in the

hotel department had put on a delicious feast for us – great food, great company and a great backdrop! Day 9 – August 4 Bellsund (Ingeborgfjellet and Bamsebu) 08:00 GPS position: 77° 44.6’ N / 014° 28.6’ E Weather: +10°C, no wind, sunny.

Just after breakfast this morning we were whisked off the ship and onto the northern shore of Bellsund at Ingeborgfjellet. This area is carpeted in lush soft tundra and once we had scrambled over the landing beach we were trundling over this cushion like vegetation, which was very boggy in places.

There were a lot of reindeer around. This rich tundra landscape is the perfect grazing ground for them. As well as many females and a few calves being present, there were a lot of larger males – their huge antlers were an impressive sight.

Having walked past the reindeer, keeping as quiet as possible so as not to alarm them, we began to scramble up the rocky slopes above us. The reason for our adventurous scramble? Thousands of Little auks nest in the cracks and crevices of these rocks and being amongst the rocks is the best vantage point. Not only could we see the auks up close, we could also hear their characteristic giggle like call and every so often a flock would take off and fly in a large circle above our heads. Flying together in this way is a predator avoidance response. Many Glaucous gulls

patrol this area and if the Little auks catch a glimpse of this predator they will take off in unison.

After enjoying some time with the Little auks, we wandered along the tundra to gain better views of the Reindeer, and also to enjoy the glorious sunshine in peace and quiet. The morning was great in terms of the weather and the atmosphere on shore. It was very peaceful and everybody appreciated having some time to sit and enjoy the sparkling views.

During lunch the ship repositioned a short distance within Bellsund to Bamsebu. Bamsebu is a hut on Ahlstrandhalvøya in one of the fjords of Bellsund. This location was a Beluga whale hunting station and the sun-bleached bones of hundreds of these whales make for fascinating if slightly macabre photo opportunities.

In order to be back on board the ship in time to settle our accounts and pack for our impending departure tomorrow, this landing was shorter than most. Nevertheless it was a lovely end to our trip as we got to enjoy some time wandering around the bones, taking pictures and enjoying the wildlife without having to worry about sticking with the group. The guides had made a ring around us, all of them positioned at high vantage points, so we were free to wander around within the boundaries of the guides. A few crazy soles decided to do a Polar Plunge! As always, a Polar Plunge tends to be a quick affair – the water temperature soon sends people running out of the water and towards the towels on shore.

As Ortelius sailed out of Bellsund and north towards Longyearbyen we were called to reception to settle our on board accounts and then down to the lecture room to hand back our rubber boots. Nobody likes having to end a trip that has been so fantastic in terms of weather, ice and wildlife so we

kept our spirits’ high and celebrated our successful voyage with Captain’s Cocktails in Rolando’s bar. After thanking the entire team on board the ship and toasting to our marvellous voyage it was time for our farewell dinner. Those who had packed earlier this afternoon enjoyed a few drinks in the bar after dinner, while a few others still had some last minute packing to complete. With

the first departure scheduled for 03:00 tomorrow morning, many of us headed to our cabins at a very respectable hour.

Day 10 – August 5 Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen 08:00 GPS position: 78° 13.8’ N / 015° 36.10’ E

The time had come to say farewell to our great adventure, to our floating home Ortelius and to our lovely new friends. Some of us had an early departure and left the ship at 03:00, while the rest of us had a more civilised departure time of about 9 am. Those of us on the afternoon flight were taken into town by bus so that we could do some last minute shopping and mailing of postcards before flying home.

KELVIN

ANDREW

DAVID

BEAU JORDI

ERIN JIM

SIMON

VERONIQUE

Total distance sailed on this voyage: 1191 nautical miles

On behalf of Oceanwide Expeditions, Captain Eero Isotalo and the Officers,

all Crew, Expedition Team and Hotel Team, it has been a pleasure travelling with you!

www.oceanwide-expeditions.com

BIRDS & MAMMALS OF SPITSBERGEN

Birds

English Name Scientific German French Dutch STATUS 27

July 28

July 29

July 30

July 31

July 1

Aug 2

Aug 3

Aug 4

Aug

Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata Sterntaucher Plongeon catmarin Roodkeel duiker B # #

Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis Eissturmvogel Fulmar boréal Noordse stormvogel B # # # # # # # # #

Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus Kurzschnabelgans Oie à bec court Kleine rietgans B # # # Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis Weisswangengans Bernache nonnette Brandgans B # # # # # Brent Goose Branta bernicla Ringelgans Bernache cravant Rotgans B # Common Eider Somateria mollissima Eiderente Eider commun Eider eend B # # # # # # # King Eider Somateria spectabilis Prachteiderente Eider à tête grise Konings eider B # # Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis Eisente Harelde boréale IIseend B # Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula Sandregenpfeifer Grand Gravelot Bontbek plevier B #

Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima Meerstrandläufer Bécasseau violet Paarse strandloper B # # # #

Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres Steinwälzer Tournepierre à collier Steenloper B #

Grey Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius Thorshühnchen Phalarope à bec large

Rosse franjepoot B #

Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus Spatelraubmöwe Labbe pomarin Middelste jager V #

Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus Schmarotzerraub-möwe Labbe parasite Kleine jager B # # # # # #

Long-tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus Falkenraubmöwe

Labbe à longue queue Kleinste jager B # #

Great Skua Stercorarius skua Skua Grand Labbe Grote jager B # # # # #

Sabine’s Gull Xema sabini Schwalbenmöwe Mouette de Sabine Vorkstaart meeuw B #

Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus Eismöwe Goéland bourgmestre

Grote Burgemeester B # # # # # # # # #

Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus R # Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla Dreizehenmöwe Mouette tridactyle Drieteenmeeuw B # # # # # # # # # Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea Elfenbeinmöwe Mouette blanche Ivoor meeuw B # # # # #

Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea Küstenseeschwalbe Sterne arctique Noordse stern B # # # # # # # # #

Brunnich’s Guillemot Uria lomvia Dickschnabellumme Guillemot de Brünnich Dikbekzeekoet B # # # # # # # # #

Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle Gryllteiste Guillemot à miroir Zwarte zeekoet B # # # # # # # Little Auk Alle alle Krabbentaucher Mergule nain Kleine alk B # # # # # # #

Puffin Fratercula arctica Papageitaucher Macareux moine Papegaai duiker B # # # # # # #

Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis Schneeammer Bruant des neiges Sneeuwgors B # # # # #

Mammals

English Scientific German French Dutch STATUS 27

July 28

July 29

July 30

July 31

July 1

Aug 2

Aug 3

Aug 4

Aug Walrus Odobenus rosmarus Walross Morse Walrus B # # # # # Bearded Seal Erignathus barbatus Bartrobbe Phoque barbu Baardrob B # # # # Ringed Seal Phoca hispida Ringelrobbe Phoque marbré Ringelrob B # #

Harp Seal Pagophilus groenlandicus Sattelrobbe

Phoque du Groenland Zadelrob V # # #

Hooded Seal Cystophora cristata Klappmütze Phoque à capuchon Klapmuts R # Common /Harbour Seal Phoca vitulina Seehund Phoque commun

Gewone zeehond B # #

Northern Minke Whale

Balaenoptera acutorostrata Zwergwal Petit rorqual Dwergvinvis V # #

Blue Whale Balaenopentera musculus Blauwal Baleine bleue Blauwe vinvis V #

Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalus Finnwal Rorqual commun Gewone vinvis V # #

Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae Buckelwal Baleine à bosse Bultrug V # #

Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus Pottwal Cachalot Potvis R #

White-beaked Dolphin

Lagenorhynchus albirostris Weissschnauzendelphin

Lagénorhynque à rostre blanc Witsnuitdolfijn V

# Beluga Dephinapterus leucas Weisswal Béluga Beloega B # Polar Bear Ursus maritimus Eisbär Ours blanc Ijsbeer B 2 4 14 5 Arctic Fox Alopex lagopus Polarfuchs Renard polaire Poolvos B # # #

Reindeer Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus Svalbard Renntier Renne du Spitzberg Rendier B # # # #

STATUS KEY: Breeding - B, Visitor - V, Rare - R