Continuation to the Ice Pack

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So we continue Dawnbreakers trip to the Ice Pack with a crew of seven.
Lars, Uno, Urban, Thomas, Eva, Sanna and Pontus.
I've just noticed that I've been putting the wrong dates to my last Travelblog. It should say July and not August. Sorry about that little mistake.

Wednesday 18th July 2007
Longyearbyn - Selvaagen

After a wonderful few days in Longyearbyn, what with a Wedding,Dinner etc, today starts slowly. Everyone feels good after yesterdays adventures and on board are a new married couple Thomas and Eva. Congrats from everyone reading our blog.
Urban has taken over my job (Caroline)with the Log Book. It's in Swedish so everything I wrote in the last blog and the continuation is a translation of what Urban has written until his departure in August. Thank you Urban.

12:40 pm
Today everyone hopes to get a look at Walruses if possible. The winds are all wrong again so it's by motor that we start our journey. The winds gather up speed and are 13 - 14 m/s when we get out of the bay. The waves are high and alot of the crew are beginning to feel the effects. As we pass the place where the Walruses were seen last there is none in sight so we just keep on going to find a safe harbour for the night.

23:50 pm
After very heavy seas, Lars find a cove near Prins Karls Forland, Selvaagen. We drop anchor for the night and have soup that Uno has made. Everyone is better after a bite to eat.
What a start Eva newly married, seasick and feeling low, what an awful start to their marriage.

Thursday 19th July 2007
Selvaagen - Magdalenefjord

11:00am
Time to take up the anchor again but this time Thomas and Urban are hppy to say that it's clean for a change. When Dawnbreaker goes thru Forlands reef we meet up with Joyant again. It's nice to meet up with Dorothy and Tom again and have a chat about what each boat has been doing since the last time we met.

15:00pm
A Whale is sighted and Lars shuts off the engine for awhile. Great for Eva, Sanna and Pontus, their first sighting.

18:30 pm
It's beginning to get cramped as we have two small sailing boats and a cruise liner around the area that we want to visit. We've been having a bit of rain so the boat is now clean and looking fresh.

19:30 pm
As we swing into the fjord it happens again. The Polar Bear Mother and her two young babies are taking a swim in the Bay. A little bit away from the three is also the Father. What a day for everyone to see all four Polar Bears at one time. It's lovely to see them in their own enviroment.

20:15 pm
Down with the anchor in Magdalenefjorden. It's blowing from the East and the ice from Brefront is collecting in the Bay around us. It's quite thick but it's not going to stop us going ashore.
No Bears around us at the moment but we all keep a look out the whole time we are ashore.

Friday 20th July
Magdalenefjorden - Mushamna

We go near to one of the larger Glacier's, hoping to see some fall away and make the large waves. Anyway nothing happened so we continue around Spitzberg and make for Mushamna which is in Woodfjorden. Before we get there we have to go round a place called Slakkoden. (A big question mark for us as it translates to Butcher Code).

Midnight.
It's as still as anything. No wind and everyone gets into the Dinghy for a trip to the beach. We take a walk to a Hunters Hut that we heard about but no one home except the dogs.

Sanna is hot on the way back to the boat and lets everyone know that it's time for a swim. She doesn't make it in first as Pontus rushes up and jumps in before her. Time for everyone on board to take a swim.

Saturday 21st July
Mushamna - Hornbackpollen

10:15 am
Today we hope to see the White Whales ( Belugas). Thomas has been sent up to the top of the mast as look-out. We begin to make our way to Andoerjane where we last saw the Bears.

We are near a very large Glacier and we start to see alot of ice floating around. Urban, Pontus and Sanna get into the Dinghy to take photo's of Dawnbreaker.

Lars takes the boat thru an opening in an Ice berg. There is a very small channel and as the boat goes forward we get stuck. Thomas and Uno jump onto the side of the ice berg and push to get the boat thru.

Just before getting into the Harbour for the night, everyone see's the White Whales that they hoped to see. Beautiful and shy creatures. Lovely.

18:30 pm
Hornbeackpollen is one of the most beautiful lagoon we have seen since we started.

Sunday 22nd July
Hornbäckpollen - Kinnvika

12:00 midday
Hurray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

80 DEGREES NORTH. We've finally made it to our last goal. Our journey is complete. Fantastic.

12:30 pm
We decide to anchor in shelter in Moffen. We can see Walruses in the Binocs. No-body wants to take a swim, the weathers kind of dull and blowing. The sea has large waves and doesn't look good.

13:30 pm
We put up the sails and start sailing Eastward. Hinlopen Stretet cuts Svalbard into two large islands Spetsberg and Nordanslandet. We go into Kinnviken on Nordanslandet island. On the way in the depth hasn't been charted at all so we have to take it very slow.

20:45 pm
We finally find a Cove that we are able to anchor in. We find an old Research Station that we go and visit.

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Photos

Rough seas leaving Longyearbyn
Waves are high and most of the new crew are feelng the effects

Cramped, too many boats
Met up with two sailing boats and a cruise liner.

Floating ice bergs
Ice is collecting round Dawnbreaker.

Meeting a Glacier
Glacier is getting closer to us.

Swimming time
We all decide to take a swim.

Pack Ice
The further we go the closer we get to the Pack Ice

Taking the boat into the channel
Lars takes Dawnbreaker further into the small channel and gets stuck.

White Whales
Belugas are sighted, White Whales.

80 Degrees North
We made it to the Pack Ice belt.