At Sea / Signehamna
The first morning was always going to be a big one…and bigger than big was the theme! With the open bridge we were on deck as the sun rose…well actually there was no sunrise, but we felt like it should have been sunrise as the ship cruised along the continental shelf from about 5am. We were looking out for whales as we cruised as this is a great location for feeding marine life with the upwellings associated with the “drop-off.” It was pretty quiet for some time and then all of a sudden the bridge erupted. “Whales, one o’clock” was the call, distant blows close to the horizon. The ship’s course was adjusted slightly and we closed in on them, nothing again in the calm seas, and all of a sudden more blows, still a ways off. We slowly approached, at least two fin whales and….could it be a fluke and long back just as it dived…a blue whale? The call of “BLUE WHALE” was given and an announcement made. We slowly approached, and off ahead of us a blue whale surged through the water making a real punch through the surface as it seemed to head away from us at the same speed as we were. Then it suddenly changed behavior and seemed to start feeding, diving, and again showing it’s fluke. Before we knew it there in front of us were at least two blue whales, the largest creature to have ever graced this planet. Time and time again they came to the surface, with the Captain skillfully positioning the ship so that we could all get absolutely stunning views of these amazing animals. At this point everyone was on the bridge, bow and open decks looking on as these leviathans surface so close we could hear them breathe before taking another dive to feed on small crustaceans or fish. At one point one animal surfaced so close we could all but smell its fishy breath. Having had amazing views of them surfacing, arching, and fluking as they dived and fed we decided it was time to leave them in peace. Everyone headed inside to warm up with full memory cards and overflowing memories.
After our incredible morning at sea we ventured inland. In a place like Svalbard, where glaciers have gouged and carved the landscape for centuries, most access to the interiors is via deep, narrow fjords. Following breakfast we wound our way north up Krossfjorden to the protected harbor of Signehamna. This isolated yet historically significant site is tucked into the northern extent of Krossfjorden and gave us safe anchorage for an afternoon ashore. Guarding the entrance to Signehamna is a wall of sound where thousands of Black-legged kittiwakes, Brunnich’s Guillemots, and other seabirds cover the steep rock walls surrounding our anchorage. Once ashore a world of wildflowers, mosses, lichen, patterned ground, and general tundra took over. Rising gradually from our landing spot groups ventures out in all directions to take in our first day ashore in the archipelago. Beyond the vegetation and sufficient evidence of Arctic fox and reindeer, Signehamna is known for its former setting as a German meteorological site during WWII. Interested in establishing a safe, remote, protected site to monitor weather conditions that might favor the allies the Germans established a weather station here in the early 1940’s. During today’s hikes we took time to peruse the remains of this defunct station, taking in a tiny slice of remote WWII life in the Arctic.
Following our time ashore we spent the remainder of the evening cruising the ice edge of Lilliehokbreen, one of Svalbard’s most impressive glacial faces, stretching six miles from shore to shore. With bearded seals peppering small pieces of ice and an ocean surface covered in glacial remains our day was brought to a close in this wonderfully calm, dramatically Arctic environment.
