Day 4: Chermsideøya, Phippsoya and BBQ

We woke to silky calm seas and great visibility over the mountains as we sailed towards Chermsideoya, an island in the far North of Svalbard which was to be our first destination of the day. On a beach covered in sand, rocks, and many large pieces of drift wood the guides explained how the wood can arrive there with the ocean currents all the way from the forests of Siberia. There was no wind but we could certainly feel a chill in the air as we were further north than the days before. We could hear and see snow buntings, a dunlin on the shore, and our usual friends the arctic terns calling around us.

The afternoon destination Phippsoya is the largest of the Sjuoyane (seven islands), situated in the very north of Svalbard, and as a result of its location, there are often polar bears to be seen here. The aim of our visit was to see some walrus hauled out on the beach. Thick fog started to descend on us as we sailed nearer and eventually the island loomed out of the fog and into view. We scanned with our binoculars to look for the walrus but sadly they could not be seen. However we decided make a quick landing to stretch our legs and experience the landscape which is known as ‘The Polar Desert’.

We began transferring to the shore and around fifty passengers had landed on the beach when a radio call from one of the guides informed all the staff that there was a bear onshore. Immediately we were instructed to put our life jackets back on and return to the ship. For a brief time, the bear was visible from the ship through our binoculars and telescopes and caused much excitement.

In the evening we had a treat from the hotel and galley team who arranged for us to have a barbeque on the rear deck. It was a real novelty to have dinner outside in the arctic fog and we danced well into the night, with great anticipation about what the next day might bring.

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