SVALBARDHigh Arctic Wilderness TourJUNE 14-24, 2018, ON BOARD R/V KINFISH TOUR REPORT

PARTICIPANTS

Guests: Agnes Chean-Shing, MalaysiaBarry Dennis, AustraliaCatherine Lartigot, FranceGloria Hoban, USAJack Hoban, USAJean Smith, Australia

Jenny Dennis, AustraliaKathleen Aycock, USALiew Chuw-Yee, MalaysiaSean O’Laoire, IrelandTim Law, AustraliaTolitha Lewis, USA

Crew: Fredrik Göthberg, CaptainRobin Dahlberg, First MateMarcelo Cogonon, Engineer & ABHarold Padawan, ABChrister Jansson, ChefAdrian Östlund, Messman

Guides & Charterers:Morten JørgensenNozomi Takeyabu

What with the most delightful guests, crew and vessel, we could not have wished for a better voyage. And when the weather plays along, and the wildlife in addition allows such wonderful encoun-ters, a Svalbard voyage such as this becomes the most memora-ble of times. The ice conditions in June this year were such that it was evident that it would be worthwhile getting through the Hinlopen Strait from the north. Whether a full circumnavigation or a return the same way would be the better option was open, but in the end coming back the same way but with different stops proved the solution.Some of the most iconic of the Arctic mammal species gave us superb sightings. We had no less than three observations of belu-ga whales on this voyage, and we had awesome opportunities to enjoy walrus, bearded seal and common/harbour seal alike. The contenders for the first prize when it comes to encounters were however the polar bears. One adult female with two COYs as well as one young male each entertained for hours. Additionally, we had very good birds, including spectacular guillemots, beautiful king eiders and showy kittiwakes. The weather also allowed us to enjoy Svalbard landscapes at their best, both on still sunny days and on the more grey ones. We observed a total of 24 bird spe-cies and 8 species of mammal. Thank you to everyone for making this voyage such a pleasure.

SUMMARY

June 14:

Longyearbyen - Isfjorden - ForlandsundetPart overcast with blue patches, f1-2 S, 3-5°C/37-41°F, clear.

Just before 4.00 pm, everyone gathered by the floating dock of Longyearbyen, and soon we were on board R/V Kinfish. We had an hour to settle into our cabins and have a first look around the vessel. Come 4.45 pm, we pulled away from the pier, and at 5.00 pm, Captain Fredrik introduced himself and the crew, after which Robin introduced us to the routines of the ship, as well as to the safety equipment and procedures. This import-ant session was followed by a round of introductions, where we all told each other a bit about who we are, and Nozomi and Morten added some notes about the plans for the upcoming voyage.

All of the above brought us up to dinner time, duly introduced by Chef Christer and served together with Messman Adrian. Oven-baked cod with asparagus and potatoes, very nice and Swedish. The conditions outside were mild, the gentle role was the least we could expect, but of course it takes a little while for everyone to get their sea-legs. It was a quiet first night, almost all retired early, as we prepared ourselves for our first activi-ties in Kongsfjorden tomorrow.

DIARY WITH ITINERARY AND WEATHER

June 15:

Ossian Sars Fjellet & Kongsvegen, Kongsfjorden

Overcast until 10.00 am, then sunny and blue skies until 5:00 pm, then overcast again, almost still but for local winds midday, 6-11°C/43-52°F clear.

It was a fairly quiet night, without too much motion, never-the-less several of us were up at various times. At about 5.00 am, we anchored off Ossian Sars Fjellet in Kongsfjorden. It was overcast with just a hint of blue during breakfast, but by the time we had had our briefings and were ready to go ashore, the sun was already shining and the last clouds were disintegrating. We ended up having a full morning of entirely blue skies and sunshine, with low winds, and thus the ambient was set for a thoroughly pleasant first excursion.

We landed, we walked the beach for an hour or so, enjoying blocks of glacier ice thrown up at high tide, flocks of black-legged kittiwakes bathing, and brief glimpses of an Arctic fox, running about in search of a meal. Underneath the high water mark, we saw large prints from an adult bear, and we could deduce that it had passed there not more than at most about five hours earlier. We then proceeded to walk inland, into the valley, and up the slopes, and most of us ended up right on top of the bird cliff, with all the kittiwakes and Brünnich’s guillemots (in the USA known as thick-billed murres) underneath us. The scenery was awesome, and we simply enjoyed spectacular views all around. On the way up, we photographed a Svalbard reindeer resting on a snow patch, and enjoyed seeing a pair of rock ptarmigan as well. The few who stayed a bit lower had the pleasure of seeing a male northern wheatear, a fairly rare Svalbard bird.

It was an enjoyable morning in all ways, and we only returned to Kinfish at 2.00 pm for a late lunch, a delicious spinach soup. After a siesta, we set off in the two boats at 4.00 pm, still under a blue sky and with no winds, and went exploring along the coast. During our two hours out, we experienced another Svalbard phenomenon – a quick change of weather. By the time we were back, it was entirely overcast and there was a fresh breeze blowing off the glaciers nearby. We cruised the shoreline, enjoying more reindeer, kittiwakes, many common eiders, some geese, and nice rock and ice formations too. It was a timely return, just before we got too cold.

After dinner, we took the Kinfish closer to the large glacier front of Kongsvegen. It was a chilly but almost still evening, now all grey but clear. The crew fished a huge piece of ice out of the water, and we enjoyed the many northern fulmars and a few other birds. Those who stayed on deck until rather late saw us circumnavigate a couple of quite blue icebergs.

June 16:

Danskøya - Fuglefjorden - Hamiltonbukta

Overcast and sunny conditions alternating several times, almost still all day, 3-5°C/37-41°F, clear.

A calm night was followed by a calm morning. We had breakfast after a good night’s sleep, and then took time to catch up with our species check list. At low tide, just before 10.00 am, we went out in our two boats and into a tiny cove up against the northern shore of Danskøya, where we spent the next couple of hours quietly enjoying the approximately 20 harbour/common seals that were there. Mostly, they were hauled out on rocks, and they allowed us to approach very close indeed. The air was full of the calls of excited Arctic terns, probably all about to lay eggs and begin incubation. We drifted by the seals again and again, and then we headed back to Kinfish.

As we departed our anchorage, and carefully navigated the shallow waters, the sun broke free and provided magnificent views of the fjord to the south, Smeerenburgfjorden. The views were spectacular. It was lunchtime, and during lunch and for a while after, it all clouded over again, providing us with another version of the peaks and glaciers. We turned into a little fjord, Fuglefjorden, with a beautiful glacier, and just in time for our arrival near the glacier front, the sun again shone from a blue sky. After a while, we continued the zig-zag course between the islets and rocks, shallows and fjord arms, and the sky clouded over again.

At 5.00 pm, we were anchored in Hamiltonbukta, at the northern tip of Raud-fjorden, and we embarked once again into the Zodiacs for another scenic cruise. We slowly made our way among many common eiders, and quite many black guillemots too – and as we entered into one branch of the bay where there was still some fast-ice – and the remains of a polar bear kill on the ice – the sun once again scattered the clouds and allowed us to enjoy another couple of hours of majestic scenery with beautiful reflections and wonderful colours.

It was a tired bunch who sat down for a late dinner at 8.00 pm, and soon after dinner, while we lifted anchor and began our voyage further east, most of us had already gone to bed.

June 17:

Hinlopen Strait - Alkefjellet - Palanderbukta - Wahlenbergfjorden - Hinlopen - Bjørnsundet

Partially overcast, F5 SE easing through the day to long periods of still, 0-1°C/32-34°F, misty early morning soon clearing, mostly good visibility and late evening utterly clear and still.

For most of us, the night was interrupted, not least when we rounded the north corner of Spitsbergen and headed into Hinlopen Strait. Others slept through it all. After breakfast, we were at Alkefjellet, the wondrous landscape of vertical cliffs inhabited by hundreds of thousands of birds. The winds had died down a lot, and we drifted north along the cliffs, marvelling at the busy site. All around us were uncountable Brünnich’s guillemots (thick-billed murres) and also many black-legged kittwakes, as well as some glaucous gulls and great skuas. Towards the northern end of the cliffs, we spot-ted no fewer than four Arctic foxes, running about on the snow-covered slopes.

Over the morning, we headed east across the strait, and many took the chance to have a power nap during the foggy spell. After lunch, we had reached the fast-ice edge inside Palanderbukta, and the weather had cleared enough to allow for views all around in the high Arctic desert landscape. Ringed and a few bearded seals dotted the ice. We continued towards Wahlenbergfjorden, but before we reached there, we had the pleasure of a sighting of some 20 beluga whales (and a few walrus). The whales were swimming along the shoreline, there were young ones in between the adults. When they made an obvious avoidance turn, we let them be. In Wahlenbergfjorden, we attempted twice to penetrate into the fast ice, but found it too solid yet for our little vessel. Soon, we decided to turn out again and return to the Hinlopen Strait, to venture further south yet in our search for bears.

After dinner, we all came up to the bridge or onto the front deck to marvel at the most awesome conditions possible. Flat calm seas and low indirect light was creating mirror reflections all around, of the ice, the clouds and the islands around us. Skeins of guillemots flew by, perfectly reflected too. And we took our time to slowly, slowly approach and enjoy first a young bearded seal, later an adult male walrus. We could not have had better con-ditions than this evening.

June 18:

Bjørnsundet S of Kap Freeden - Hochstetterbukta for overnight in the fast-ice edge.

Sunny with scattered cloud, early f3 W later calm all day, 8-11°C/46-52°F degrees, clear.

A most extraordinary day began with Nozomi and Morten finding a polar bear family at midnight. Captain Fredrik brought Kinfish closer and closer over the next two hours through uncharted and progressively shallow waters. At 2 o’clock, we were close, and the bears were on the move – it was time for a wake-up call. The fe-male led her cubs along the shore for a while, then uphill to a grassy patch, where she ate some greenery, she then nursed, they then slept. We too – it was now after 4.00 am.

Breakfast was scheduled for 8 o’clock, and fortunately, everyone was up to have it. The meal had hardly begun, when the female bear got up and began walking. Morten made the announcement: You can have your breakfast, or you can come with us, we are go-ing in the boats, right now. We all got in and spent the entire morn-ing following her and her cubs over a 3,5 mile stretch along the shore. The cubs were often far behind, playing and investigating, while she mostly steadily kept walking. It was a morning of utter peace and warm, snow buntings were calling and purple sandpip-ers were foraging, a ringed seal and a walrus popped up briefly in the water, flocks of barnacle and pink-footed geese passed over-head, as did one ivory gull, while groups of black guillemots curi-ously came swimming up to us. All this time, the behaviour of the female bear was remarkable, only once did she shy slightly away from us, otherwise she simply kept calmly walking and letting her cubs trail, so much so that at one point we ended up between her and them – and she let it be. Ultimately, she reached a point on the coast where she preferred a vertical ascent onto a rocky green area, where she took a rest, and we left her to be.

A large male bear, in a healthy state, came walking off the same ice that she had been on in the night, and he proceeded along the same shore, in her footsteps. As we were heading back from where she decided to rest, we saw him up ahead. He fell through the ice-foot at one stage, swam a bit and climbed back out, and by now he noticed our presence, and even though we were half a mile away or more, he took to the hills and climbed halfway up the mountain, even though we gave him a wide berth. He was shy and cautious, and we let him be – from the distance we later saw him slide back down the mountain towards the shore.

It was a much-enjoyed spaghetti and bacon and salad lunch we had. We continued over the afternoon un-der a blue sky and with not a breath of wind stirring through Bjørnsundet, surrounded by the broken-up ice floes and continuous perfectly mirrored mountains all around. In the late afternoon, we turned the ship into a large bay with a long glacier at the back, a bay with no name, but we call it Hochstetterbukta. There were a couple of miles perhaps of solid fast ice still in the bay, and scattered across all this were no fewer than 14 polar bears. They were all distant, and they were all ac-tive. Through the evening, we watched them come and go, back and forth, family groups and singles alike. We noted three females with cubs-of-the-year, respectively two and two and one. There was one female with two larger cubs, yearlings (1,5 years old). And we noted at least three single bears.

The sun was shining from a cloudless sky and we were able to be on deck – even if only for some min-utes – wearing just a t-shirt. A couple of bearded seals lounged in the water next to the ship, and a few glau-cous gulls stood about. We decided to spend the night here (good call Nozomi)!

June 19:

Hochstetterbukta until 09.00 - Heleysundet - N end of Storfjorden - Heleysundet again after midnight.

From midnight to about 4.00 am blue skies, sunny and clear, 5-7°C/41-45°F, calm. From 4.00 am gradually overcast with low cloud and moderate to poor visibility, NE f2-4, temperature dropping to -1°C/30°F, rather consistent rain/snow in the afternoon and evening.

Another never to be forgotten morning began just after 01.00 am, when a bear came swimming along the ice edge, climbed out, and approached the vessel. This was the beginning of an interspersed 6-hour show given to us by a fine 3,5-year-old male polar bear. He walked around the ship, he sniffed the air and the ship, he eyed us all on deck, he licked the ship and the ice, and he did everything possible to work out what we were all about and how he could investigate particularly the galley closer. At an early stage of the night, he had to be discouraged from getting “too” close. Ultimately, the discouragement did cause him to walk off across the ice, while we celebrated with a rum on deck. The sun was still shining.

Some of us went to bed, only to be woken again upon his second approach. In the meantime, he had done a wide circle on the ice, during which he had interacted for a while with an adult collared female. After having been shunned again, this time he went about a hundred meters off along the ice edge and had a snooze. So did most of us, only to be woken twice again: The first time for the relatively close passing of the collared female, and ultimately by the same young male again, who came one more time to try us in every possible way, before finally giving up and walking away.

A considerable amount of photos, videos and selfies were taken this night – it was a truly amazing encounter with a bear that was active, pretty, curi-ous, determined, fearless and just wonderful.

After breakfast, we left the bay behind, and spent the morning heading east and south towards Heleysundet between Spitsbergen and Barentsøya. It was grey, poor visibility, and there was every reason to just rest. Before lunch, we cruised through the sound, and with the tide not exactly slack, we ended up flying at a maximum speed of 16,2 knots. Impressive. We anchored a bit farther west, the afternoon was rather miserable outside, so we opted to stay on board, to snooze and edit pictures and relax. Morten talked about polar bears in the late afternoon. After dinner, Catherine and No-zomi and Morten went out for a couple of hours, taking the Zodiac across Heleysundet, enjoying the sight of swirling ice and strange current eddies, numerous blue icebergs and many birds, including king eiders and long-tailed ducks.

June 20:

Heleysundet - Torellneset - Ardneset - Alkefjellet - N in Hinlopen

Until just before noon dense fog, then clearing completely, part sunny part overcast afternoon, overcast evening, 3-10°C/37-50°F degrees, all day still.

In the middle of the night, we cleared Heleysundet again, this time west to east, this time on slack water, and also this time with most of us asleep. Through the morning, we picked our way towards Torellneset, where we were hoping for a walrus encounter. The fog was quite consistent, and the ice was more and more considerable, the closer we got. There were small groups of female walrus with their pups dotted across ice-floes, and a few were also visible on land when we got closer. As beautiful as the scene was, we had to abandon the thought of operations off the ship here, the combination of ice and fog as well as the timid females was just not the right cocktail.

Instead, we headed towards Ardneset, a similar spit of land, on Wahlbergøya, and along the way Morten gave another po-lar bear lecture, this one focussing on conservation (or the lack thereof). Meanwhile, the fog simply cleared, and we were faced with an afternoon of sunshine, still waters and excellent visibility.

Immediately after an early lunch, we went ashore to visit with the male walrus hauled out, and our returning only just in time for dinner is proof that we had a good time! First, we spent more than an hour sitting in the Zodiacs just offshore from the haul-out site, with several of the animals playing in the surf and checking us out too. Some came, and some went, and most just stayed, whether they were in the water or on land. We then landed and approached the approximately 15 walrus on foot, and spent the next hours just enjoying them – but also enjoying the huge lumps of ice that had been grounded around the spit, the numerous skeins of guillemots flying by, the Arctic terns fishing along the beach, the driftwood piles, and everything else.

The walrus stole the show though, and not least three sub adult / teenage boys that played with each other, but also with us, repeatedly coming over to check us out. Another star of the afternoon was a huge old male, with intact impressive tusks and an impressive body bulk as well.

Some of us went for a walk, others stayed with the walrus the whole time. Up on the hill, purple saxifrage were impressively blooming. Along the shores, icebergs drifted by at impressive speed. It was a wonderful afternoon through and through.

A delightful dinner of fried pollack and blue-berry pie followed, as we headed north in the Hinlopen Strait. Outside, condi-tions remained perfect, with ice floes, icebergs, mountains and flocks of birds all perfectly reflected under a silver-grey sky. We arrived at Alkefjellet at 10.00 pm for a second slow drift by the thousands of birds. They were in vast flocks on the water, in vast numbers in the air, and in enormous numbers on the cliffs. We couldn’t help notice how much snow had melted since last we were here – just three days ago.

June 21:

Liefdefjorden: Andøyane - Monacobreen - Lernerøyane - Andøyane

Early overcast, then sunny with only fringing clouds on the sky, still to f1 N, 4-8°C/39-46°F, clear.

Just before breakfast, the call went out: Belugas! We enjoyed amazingly close views of a pod of about 75 whales, as Robin cleverly first followed them gently, then made a wide cir-cle around them to get in front of them, after which we hung in one position, allowing the whales to decide it was safe to pass almost right under our bow. Wow!

We continued to Monacobreen, the most magnificent glacier front in Liefdefjord. The weath-er cleared nicely for us, we had sunshine and superb weather all morning and midday – we were out in the Zodiacs for about three hours. We enjoyed icebergs and crackling bits, a beluga, a bearded seal, a few ivory gulls, confiding kittiwakes, and several nice calvings.

After a quick lunch of chilli-con-carne, most of us were soon out again scouting Lernerøyane for wildlife, while the Kinfish repositioned for a pickup of the Zodiacs on the north side. Af-ter that outing, we had about 1,5 hours to warm up, then it was time for the third excursion of the day – a 2 hour Zodiac cruise all around Andøyane (the duck islands). These low red islands house numerous bird species, and we enjoyed excellent views of red/gray phala-ropes, large flocks of feeding kittiwakes and Arctic terns, small groups of long-tailed ducks and both barnacle and pink-footed geese, as well as several pairs of red-throated diver/loons. A lone bearded seal was our only mammal sighting. It was a bit chilly towards the end of the cruise, come 8.00 pm.

But we warmed up quickly, so that we could come outside once more, for a high Arctic fresh air BBQ on the aft deck. The crew had wonderfully set up the tables and the grill, and Chef Christer made his appearance tonight arriving on a swinging seat carried by the crane to-wards the dinner’s wines in a bucket! As if ordered, the sky cleared completely, and we sat in sunshine behind the shelter of the superstructure of the vessel and dined outside – com-pleting the meal with an ice cream desert! A couple hundred Arctic terns did us company, as did as many mountain peaks lining the horizon the whole way around. It was almost mid-night before the party was over and the decks cleared again, and we were able to continue our voyage.

June 22:

W coast of N Spitsbergen - Kongsfjorden - Krossfjorden - Lilliehöökbreen - Kongshammaren - 14. Julibukta

Blue skies and sunny, f4-5 S easing to nil, 4-9°C/39-48°F degrees, clear.

For about 12 hours, until noon today, we experienced first smooth sailing, then some rolling while we travelled west along the north shore of Spitsber-gen, then another smooth period while we went between islands in the northwest corner, followed finally by considerable pitching as we headed south into the wind along the west coast. We were slowed some, and our arrival into protected waters only happened around noon.

We proceeded up through Krossfjorden until we reached the three-nautical-mile wide Lilliehöök glacier front. It was still, bright and magnificent. We cruised slowly past the glacier front over more than one hour, silently marvelling at the beauty. The glacier rumbled and cast off some bits, and brash ice floated everywhere. We had Marcelo take a few group photos for us, after which we departed again for the south. We passed by a tiny bird colony at Kongshammaren, the tip of a narrow mountain range known as Kong Haakon’s Halvøy. We saw kittiwakes and guillemots nesting on the cliffs, and also both barnacle and pink-footed goose. One pair of the latter was being harassed by an Arctic fox. But the puffins that used to breed here were gone, for reasons unknown.

By late afternoon, we were anchored in the 14th of July Bay, and we enjoyed a calm, warm and sunny afternoon/evening landing on the beach here. We all headed over first to the green and flowery slopes underneath the bird mountain, watching the Svalbard reindeer graze higher on the slopes, and studying the multitude of lichen covered rock formations and the blooming flower garden. Most of us then had a nice walk along the beach, all the way to the glacier front, and upon being picked up there by the Zodiac, enjoyed views of a young bearded seal on a floe.

Back on board, the crew delighted us with a Campari-orange poured across a hanging piece of glacier ice, after which we had a super-traditional Swedish meal of skagenröre, (Turkish) meatballs and aquavit. After dinner, we all attended Robins talk, during which he described the fascinating history of the vessel R/V Kinfish.

June 23:

Isfjorden - Skansbukta - Longyearbyen

Dense fog all morning, overcast afternoon, sunny evening, still, 3-7°C/37-45°F.

A quiet night was followed by a quiet morning, dictated not least by a dense blanket of fog that closed down everything in the outer regions of Isfjorden. Indeed, also farther out, we had had fog all night as well. We abandoned the intended landing of the morning and headed instead farther “inland”, away from the open ocean and deeper into Isfjorden, until we reached a quaint little bay named Skansbukta. By now, we were clear of the fog. It was grey and a bit chilly in the damp air.

Before our arrival in Skansbukta, the NozoMojo ship shop had been open. Now, we had an early lunch, after which we set off to see and photograph puffins. The photographers opted to do so for a couple of hours, while the rest did so for about half that time, followed by a beach landing underneath the majesty of the mountain “Skansen” (meaning “the Fortress” in Norwegian), enjoying a quiet stroll as well as a very close encounter with several reindeer.

We all had a good hour’s rest on board, and then at 4.30 pm went ashore on the opposite side of the bay. Here, we soon found ourselves in the company of numerous reindeer. The photographers again opted to focus on the animals, while the rest with Nozomi went farther inland and uphill. Both groups had more great reindeer encounters, and while the upper group notably saw a rock ptarmigan, the low-er group had close-up views of numerous purple sandpipers. There was a flock of brent/brant geese in the bay, and after about one hour ashore, the skies opened up completely, bathing the entire valley and bay and fjord in sunshine. It was not easy to head back to Kinfish.

In the survey lounge, everyone got together – the entire crew, all guests, and NozoMojo. We marvelled at Fredrik’s and Robin’s uniforms, and we enjoyed a superb smoothie from Christer and Adrian. We gave and accepted and shared thanks all around – and then we shared a feast of a final (or farewell) dinner, three courses, each a full meal in themselves.

The evening meal was followed by NozoMojo presenting the next potential destination: Baja California in 2020 – after which we arrived in Longyearbyen and then dissipated into chatting groups or simply disappeared into cabins for packing. For some, it became a very late night. With the early departure of most of us, it was the final good-bye time, and the end of our mutual expedition voyage and adventure.

June 24:

Longyearbyen

On behalf of NozoMojo, Morten and Nozomi, thank you everyone for your great company and spirits and for coming with us on board our maiden voyage on R/V Kinfish.

SPECIES

BirdsRed-throated Diver / Loon: Brief sightings of a few only until Andøyane June 21, when we saw more than 10 during our Zodiac cruise.Northern Fulmar: Ubiquitous.Pink-footed Goose: Almost daily in small flocks and pairs seen at many breeding locations.Barnacle Goose: Almost daily in small flocks and pairs seen at many breeding locations.Brent / Brant Goose: 1 in Heleysundet June 19, and on June 23 two flocks of 11 and 22 seen at Skansbukta.Common Eider: Daily in small or medium sized flocks.King Eider: Approximately 25 individuals seen late evening on June 19 in Heleysundet.Long-tailed Duck: Seen twice, about 5 both times, June 19 Heleysundet and June 21 Andøyane.Rock Ptarmigan: One pair showed well on June 15 at Ossian Sars Fjellet, and another single bird, a male, was seen at Skansbukta, June 23.Purple Sandpiper: Seen on 5 days, the best viewing was at Ardneset June 20 and Skansbukta on June 23.Grey / Red Phalarope: At Andøyane June 21, a total of 16 individuals seen during our Zodiac cruise.Pomarine Skua / Jaeger: One sighting of two individuals flying past at Ardneset, June 22.Arctic Skua / Parasitic Jaeger: 6 sightings of 14 birds.Great Skua: About 14 birds seen at 8 locations, most of them paired and breeding.Glaucous Gull: Daily in small numbers, largest “flock” feeding at Monacobreen, June 21.Black-legged Kittiwake: Daily, largest concentration was about 250 in front of Monacobreen, June 21.Ivory Gull: 10 individuals recorded at 5 locations, but always only showed briefly.Arctic Tern: Daily, great feeding frenzy of 300+ on June 21 at Andøyane, scooping up krill.Brünnich’s Guillemot / Thick-billed Murre: Daily, wonderful spectacle of them at Alkefjellet both June 17 and June 20.Black Guillemot: Daily in small numbers at all locations. Little Auk / Dovekie: Flocks flying by on most days.Atlantic Puffin: Missing at Kongshammaren, we found them “in place” at Skansbukta instead, some 50+ individuals on June 23.Northern Wheatear: Our only vagrant species of the trip, one male was seen by a few on June 15 at Ossian Sars Fjellet.Snow Bunting: The lovely song of the male accompanied us most days and most places.

MammalsBeluga Whale: Three sightings of this charismatic species are many. Our first sighting was of some 15-20 animals swimming along the shores of Palanderbukta on June 17 - they were shy and escaped us quickly. Our next sighting was so much more exciting, about 75 whales were slowly milling and letting us approach them in the morning of June 21, near Andøyane. On the same day, we additionally had good views of one single old male, foraging in front of Monacobreen.

Walrus: Seen on 9 occasions, the numbers reached approximately 120. Many were females with pups and seen only at a distance, whereas some 25 males put on a real show for us at Ardneset on June 20.

Ringed Seal: Mostly distant and hauled out on fjord ice, some 50+ were noted along the way.

Harbour / Common Seal: Some 20 animals delighted us with their poses on the haul-out rocks at Danskøya on June 16.

Bearded Seal: At 10 locations, some 20+ were seen, the best and prettiest was undoubtedly the red one at Monacobreen on June 21. The most unfortunate one was found as a mere skin and rib-cage in Hamiltonbukta.

Polar Bear: Fresh prints from an adult at Ossian Sars Fjellet already on June 15 was promising. Since then, we had a super experience with a family group consisting of a healthy female and her two cubs-of-the-year (COYs) in Bjørnsundet, on June 18. Another 2 were in the same area, one of them a large male. Later on June 18, we noted 14 distant bears at Hochstetterbukta. Details about these are in the main text above. At the same location, on June 19, a young male kept us up all night, checking out our vessel no less than three times. A very special bear with a very special, fearless attitude! Since then, two more bears were seen - one briefly in the late evening after Heleysundet, and one by the crew only the next evening in northern Hinlopen. The total polar bear count was 22 live bears seen, plus the fresh proof of one on the first day.

Arctic Fox: 7 individuals noted, albeit none really close on this voyage. All in moult.

Svalbard Reindeer: Many were seen as we sailed along shorelines in the lovely weather conditions. Close encounters were had on June 15 at Ossian Sars fjellet and June 23 at Skansbukta.

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