Spitsbergen - Oceanwide Expeditions

-`
Spitsbergen
July - July 2014
on board the
M/V Plancius
MV Plancius was named after the Dutch astronomer, cartographer, geologist and vicar Petrus Plancius (15521622). Plancius was built in 1976 as an oceanographic research vessel for the Royal Dutch Navy and was named
Hr. Ms. Tydeman. The ship sailed for the Royal Dutch Navy until June 2004 when she was purchased by
Oceanwide Expeditions and completely refit in 2007, being converted into a 114-passenger expedition vessel.
Plancius is 89 m (267 feet) long, 14.5 m (43 feet) wide and has a maximum draft of 5 m, with an Ice Strength
rating of 1D, top speed of 12+ knots and three diesel engines generating 1230 hp each.
with
Captain Evgeny Levakov
and his International Crew
Expedition Leader – Philipp Schaudy (Austria)
Assistant Expedition Leader – Christian Engelke (Germany/Norway)
Guide/Lecturer – Michael Wenger (Switzerland)
Guide/Lecturer – Brent Houston (USA)
Guide/Lecturer – Katja Riedel (Germany/New Zealand)
Guide/Lecturer – Henryk Wolski (Poland)
Guide/Lecturer – Michelle van Dijk (Netherlands)
Guide/Lecturer – Sandra Petrowitz (Germany)
and
Hotel Manager – Michael Thallium (Spain)
Assistant Hotel Manager – Thijs de Lint (Netherlands)
Head Chef – Heinz Hacker (Austria)
Sous Chef – Sean Steele (Canada)
Ship’s Physician – Inna Kammerer (Germany)
Welcome onboard Plancius!
Day 1 – Thursday, July 2014
Embarkation – Longyearbyen, Svalbard
GPS 16.00h Position: 078°14.0’N / 015°35.2’E
Weather: Cloudy Wind: NO 3 Sea State: Slight Temperature: +6°C
So here we are in the Arctic at the borderline of civilization! Longyearbyen marks the beginning of an oncein-a-lifetime adventure. For many of us this is a lifelong dream coming true. The excitement comes in
different forms for each person, but even the most experienced of us feels genuine excitement to depart
on such a magical journey.
All passengers were at the gangway in time
at 16:00, ready to board MV Plancius, our
home for the next week. We were greeted
by members of our Expedition staff who
sorted our luggage and sent us on board to
meet our Hotel Managers Michael and
Thijs. We were then checked into our
cabins with the assistance of our fabulous
Filipino crew.
A little while after boarding we convened in
the lounge on deck five to meet Expedition
Leader Philipp Schaudy who gave a toast to
our imminent voyage. Michael, our Hotel Manager, then took over the microphone and gave us a general
overview of the ship. A short while later First Officer Tuomo led us through the details of the required
SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) Safety and Lifeboat Drill, assisted by the crew and staff.
On hearing the alarm we reconvened for
the mandatory safety briefing and
abandon ship drill donning our huge
orange life jackets that will keep us safe
should the need arise. After this lifeboat
drill we returned to the outer decks to
watch us leave the Longyearbyen pier
with an escort of different seabirds. Prior
to dinner we gathered in the lounge
once more for champagne and a chance
to meet Captain Evgeny Levakov and the
Expedition staff for our voyage. At 7:30
we sampled the first of many delicious
meals onboard, prepared by Chefs Heinz and Sean and their galley staff. This first evening on board was
occupied with more exploration of the ship, adjusting to her movements, and settling into our cabins. In
the late hours of the evening we would be out in the open waters outside Isfjorden (=icy fjord) and heading
north towards the ice and snow. By now the rainy and grey weather had changed to a beautiful sunny
setting. For many of us this was the first meeting with the midnight sun. What a view!
Day 2 – Friday, July 2014
Ny-Ålesund & Signehamna
GPS 12.00h Position: 78°56.0’N / 011°55.0’E
Weather: Overcast Wind: NW 4 Sea State: Slight Temperature: +6°C
The first morning of our voyage began with breakfast and briefings about the use of our Zodiacs, and the
Code of Conduct for tourist’s behaviour in the Arctic. Soon after the briefings, Plancius was anchored in the
long and wide Kongsfjord with a series of massive tidewater glaciers at the back of the bay. The Zodiac boats
were lowered for our first landing at the pier in NyÅlesund, a busy settlement and research station. Some
of us went on a short hike with Michelle and Katja or
with Christian and Brent to the Airship Mast. The mast
was used to hold Amundsen’s and Nobile’s Airship, the
Norge, before it set out on its flight across the North Pole
in 1926. Most of us also walked around town on the
lookout for birds. Barnacle Geese with their chicks, a few
Purple sandpipers, Red-throated divers, and plenty of
Arctic terns were spotted. Many people took the chance to send postcards from the small post office, and
most of us picked up some Arctic souvenirs from the lovely shop.
After lunch, Plancius repositioned just outside Kongsfjord to a place called Signehamna. Despite the rain,
almost everyone went ashore to walk, hike, or stroll around the area. The tundra was alive with green and
brown, and red, and pink, and yellow, and black colors of the low-lying and slow-growing mosses, grasses,
flowers and lichens. This surprisingly verdant place was the area where in World War 2 there was a
German weather station, and a few of the leftover remains were lying around, mostly those of the aerial
antennas. Thoroughly soaked, we headed back to the ship for a hot drink and our Recap and Briefing in the
Bar and Lounge – a regular occurrence each evening to look back at the events of the day and also to look
ahead to our plans for tomorrow.
Day 3 – Saturday, July 2014
Buchananhalvøya & Smithbreen
GPS 12.00h Position: 79°41.2’N / 012°13.4’E
Weather: Cloudy Wind: W 2. Sea State: Slight Temperature: +5°C
At 07:00 we woke up in the Raudfjord and experienced the true Arctic. It was snowing! The mountains
around us were partly covered by snow. Raudfjord means “Red fjord”, and we could see why it was called
so. Near the glacier the water was reddish instead of blue. This reddish colour is caused by the sediments
taken from the 'Old Red' sandstone which erodes
very easily. Our landing in the morning took place
at Buchananhalvøya, a peninsula deep inside the
Raudfjord. This peninsula is called after John Young
Buchanan, a member of the expedition of Prince
Albert I of Monaco in 1899. The terrain is a mixture
of large rocks, gravel and tundra.
We split up into three groups. The long hike was
going for a real mountain hike to take a look at the
glaciers on the other side. The medium hike also
wanted to take a look, but did not need to go all the way up. The short walk stayed on the lower parts and
did some more exploring. We all got to see reindeer and flowers and noticed it is a hard life in the Arctic.
In the afternoon we went for a Zodiac cruise south of
Hamiltonbukta at the west side of the Raudfjord. It
was still snowing so we dressed ourselves as warm as
possible. Cruising along Smithbreen, named after the
Scottish artist who also was onboard with Prince
Albert I of Monaco, we tried to estimate its height.
The black lines of sediments gave a beautiful marbleeffect. At the shoreline there was a carcass – a bear,
fox and some gulls probably had had a good meal
here. Although dressed warmly, we slowly got cold,
and just as we started longing for a hot chocolate on
board our warm Plancius, our Expedition leader Philipp called on the radio that a polar bear was seen.
Immediately the cold was forgotten! And when we got closer it turned out to be a young animal that was
not afraid of us at all. It slept in the snow just above the shoreline so we could have a very close look. It
was quite hilarious when it woke up to have a shit, and right after it lay down again and continued
sleeping.
All happy we went back to the ship where the best polar bear pictures were shown to our fellow
passengers. But the day was not done yet. We sailed further north through fog and snow until we reached
80° shortly before 9:00 in the evening. Our captain hit the ships horn, but when we looked outside we did
not see the crossing of a “red line” but the island Moffen. And here we found our first walruses. Ten
animals lay on the beach and a few swam in the water next to the island. One animal was particulary
curious and swam past the ship at a distance of only 10 meters. So a day full of highlights came to its end
while outside it was still snowing.
Day 4 – Sunday, July 2014
Pack Ice and Sorgfjorden
GPS 12.00h Position: 80°25.3’N / 016°00.9’E
Weather: Overcast Wind: W 4 Sea State: Slight Temperature: +0°C
This morning we woke up to another world. The
realm of the Pack Ice! The Captain was navigating
in an ever-changing environment, as the currents
and wind are always moving the frozen ocean
around. It was the first time this season that the
ice had gone very far north, so that when it came
south again as today, it was a jumble of old sea
ice, some newly formed summer ice, and rotten
ice from this winter. Not great polar bear habitat,
but fun to crash through with our sturdy ship –
ice-cruising, wind, light, keeping watch.
In the afternoon we went ashore in Sorgfjorden where there is a nice sheltered bay that was already
known by the early whalers in the 17th century. Its earliest known name is Beere Bay in 1660, which
translates into Bear Bay. In 1693, the world’s northernmost sea battle took place here when a Dutch fleet
of 40 whalers was attacked by three French warships.
13 Dutch ships were captured, the rest escaped. Since
then the name of the bay was changed into
Treurenberg Bay, Treurenberg being Dutch for “hill of
grieve”. When Norway got sovereignty over
Spitsbergen in 1925, they decided to translate all
names into Norwegian, so the bay was called
Sorgfjord.
All of the groups ashore went on the walk to
Krosshaugen (cross hill) to take a look at the Dutch
whalers’ graves. Michelle explained that scurvy was
the most common cause of death. Because all sailors
were on a diet of ship’s biscuit, salted meat and fish,
they did not get enough vitamin C which caused scurvy.
When a man died during the crossing from Holland to
Spitsbergen, the body was kept in a coffin filled with
saw dust. After the ship arrived at Spitsbergen the dead
would be buried. Quite a few burial sites are known.
The most famous are Jan Donker (now known as
Gravneset) in Magdalenefjord and Grave Point &
Doodemans Eylandt in the Smeerenburgfjord (now known as Likneset & Likholmen). The total of the graves
found on these points, amounts to several hundreds.
After the landing Brent gave a talk on the seabirds of Svalbard, mostly an identification talk to remind
people what the names of the birds we have been seeing are.
Day 5 – Monday, July 2014
Hinlopen Strait & Palanderbukta, Nordaustlandet
GPS 12.00h Position: 79°38.5’N / 020°`12.8’E
Weather: Cloudy Wind: N 4 Sea State: Moderate Temperature: +5°C
After the exciting day in the ice yesterday, we were woken up by Philipp at Faksevågen in Lomfjord. A very
unusual sight awaited us outside: sunshine and some blue sky. The hills around were gleaming in various
colors, and in the bay chunks of ice were floating in the water, a little reminder that we still were not
entirely safe yet. Even our Captain
Levakov seemed to take these chunks
serious and at breakfast time, we
started to sail out of the bay. For most
of us, this meant a fast breakfast and
then out onto the decks to enjoy the
ride through the ice. Northern
fulmars, various gulls and especially
guillemots flew around the ship and
over the white and blue floats of ice.
Every now and then a seal popped out
of the water to eye us with curiosity.
Slowly, Plancius pushed her way
through the ice and soon we reached
fairly open water. In the meantime, Henryk and Michelle helped us passing the time with entertaining and
informative lectures about navigating in the ice and the early days of whaling on Svalbard. We sailed full
speed ahead towards our destination of this afternoon, Palanderbukta on Nordaustlandet.
The second largest island of the Svalbard archipelago awaited us in sunshine and with lots of wind. The
scout-boat of the guides was thus overflowed by waves (as were the guides themselves). Therefore, we
were forced to look for another landing site. Luckily, another place was just around the corner and we
were able to put our feet ashore in a seemingly lifeless desert. But on our hikes we realized that even in
this place, life had found a way to survive. Svalbard poppies, various saxifrages and a number of moss and
lichens could be seen between and on the rocks. Even bones of reindeer and of whales marked our path
onto the hills. Within the rocks we found fossilized remains of brachiopods and other marine organisms.
These told us about the marine past of the archipelago. Time flew by and soon we had to return to the
ship. At Recap Christian was giving us a nice little lecture about ice in all its forms: glacier ice, sea ice,
icebergs... This was followed by a delicious Arctic BBQ. We satisfied our hunger with lots of meat and
salads, and we danced and had fun until late into the night. Tired but smiling we placed our heads onto the
pillow and our last thought went to the next day: What will it bring?
Day 6 – Tuesday July 2014
Alkefjellet, Torellneset & Bråsvellbreen
GPS 12.00h Position: 79°34.7’N / 018°35.0’E
Weather: Partly cloudy Wind: S 3 Sea State: Calm Temperature: +6°C
The program of today quoted Shackleton's newspaper announcement before his Endurance expedition:
“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness.
Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success”. Of course this was
more than hundred years ago, and it was about a journey to Antarctica, but we could get a sense of it after
our adventures yesterday. While we got up,
the ship had already lifted anchor and was on
its way through the ice towards Alkefjellet in
Hinlopen Strait. The wind had dropped, and it
was lovely to enjoy the sunshine on the outer
decks. When we got closer to the bird cliffs
our guide Sandra spotted a bear and cub on
the island in front of us. All Zodiacs were
dropped and we made a Zodiac cruise to get
a closer look. We could not have been luckier with the weather, it was flat calm and the sun was shining –
Brünnich’s guillemots and ice around us everywhere. We spent one and a half hour looking at the bear
until the captain called us back because of changing ice conditions. The ice started to close in a bit, but we
all made it in time back to the ship.
There was no way that we could Zodiaccruise along the bird cliffs in these
conditions, but our fantastic captain
managed to cruise along with Plancius. We
got so close that we could even smell the
birds. Ten thousands of Brünnich’s
guillemots were sitting at the cliffs, or were
swimming and flying around.
In the afternoon we went to Torellneset, a
place that is known as a haul-out for
walrus. The plan was to split up into two
groups. While one would take a look at the
walruses, the other group would walk around for an hour. But a polar bear was spotted in the far distance,
so the hike was cancelled. Nevertheless the walruses were great. They lay as a heap of sausages on the
beach, lazy and sunbathing. Every now and then one looked up; but only for a moment, then back to sleep.
From our position we could see about twenty, but when the ship sailed on, we saw a few more, closer to
the beach on the other side.
Around 10 o'clock we reached Bråsvellbreen, a part of the Austfonna ice cap that meets the sea at the
south side of Nordaustlandet. In the evening light this was just magnificent. The white of this huge glacier
was pinkish against the blue of the sky, whilst the sun was still shining.
Day 7 – Wednesday, July 2014
Kapp Waldburg & Sundneset, Barentsøya
GPS 12.00h Position: 78°15.5’N / 021°56.9’E
Weather: Partly Cloudy Wind: WNW 5 Sea State: Slight Temperature: +2°C
This morning was an exciting hike at the
seemingly barren Kapp Waldburg. Ahead
in the distance, however, from the
landing we could already hear the
familiar call of the kittiwakes. The canyon
was awash with them, nesting and flying
about, and some of the young just sitting
there for our photos. All of the groups
went to the birds, and most of us climbed
up higher to an area rich with fossils.
There were ammonites, clams, mussels
and all sorts of ancient marine life all over
the ground. In addition we saw some fox
in this place which appeared to be a “fox
wonderland”. Taking young birds, eggs
and later in the year the newly born
chicks, they are steadily busy during
summertime.
In the afternoon we landed in a very
protected bay called Sundneset, still on
Barentsøya. Sandra and Brent went
“beach crawling” looking at the
mudstone rock formations and how the
sea ice jammed into the shoreline. At the
end of the beach there were columnar
basalt cliffs and two of the hiking groups went on top of the cliff.
The “mountain goat” group even saw a polar bear in the far distance, but it was not a concern as it was
sleeping miles away. Still we were constantly following its actions while we were admiring the rich tundra
and the curious reindeer which came up close to some of our groups. In addition, we saw a lot of
interesting flowers which especially Michelle pointed out to us: Spider plants, hairy lousewort, different
buttercups and northern campions were just a few of the plants seen here.
Day 8 – Thursday, July 2014
Gåshamna & Burgerbukta, Hornsund
GPS 12.00h Position: 76°56.74N / 015°50.4’E
Weather: Overcast Wind: N 2 Sea State: Calm Temperature: +8°C
There was fog all around us during the
night and the early morning, but while
having breakfast when we sailed into
Hornsund, the southernmost fjord of
Spitsbergen, the visibility became better.
Our morning landing was in Gåshamna
which translates to goose bay. This bay
was used in the century by English
whalers, and the remains can still be
found in the shape of whale bones and
skulls laying around. Other remains here
are from the Swedish-Russian Arc de
Meridian expedition. Between 1898 and
1904 very precise astronomic determinations were done in Sorgfjord and Gåshamna to see if the earth was
round or flattened at the poles. The Swedes worked in the North and the Russians in the South.
We split up into three groups, the long walk going for the moraines in the back of the valley to catch a
glimpse of the glacier. The two other groups took a little more time for the historic remains, the reindeer,
moss campion (Silene acaulis) and the Arctic skuas. The moss campion are also known as 'compass moss'
because the flowers at the south side come out first. We checked it with the compass, and as it turned out,
the flowers can be used as a compass indeed.
When the short-walk group went back to the beach, the Belgium tour leader Yan spotted beluga whales in
the bay. Seeing those true Arctic whales at only a few meters distance was stunning. Those among us who
wanted to swim in the bay like the belugas could do so in the end of our landing. Almost all the Belgiums
went for the “polar plunge”, but among the others there was a bit of a hesitation.
After lunch we went Zodiac
cruising in Burgerbukta; it was an
amazing experience to cruise
between the glacial ice and hear
its sound. Five boats even saw a
huge glacial calving in front of
Mühlbacherbreen.
A
curious
ringed seal showed up and
followed Sandra's boat for a while.
Coming back on board the hotel
staff was waiting for us with hot
chocolate. In the late evening, on our way to Bellsund, we went to the continental shelf for whale spotting.
Very close Humpback whales that were spotted shortly before eleven and a big group of Harp seals half an
hour later made a perfect ending to that day full of activities.
Day 9 – Friday, July 2014
Snatcherpynten & Ingebjorgfjellet, Bellsund
GPS 12.00h Position: 077°34.8’N / 014°36.0’E
Weather: Cloudy Wind: S 3 Sea State: Slight Temperature: +10°C
A little earlier than usual we were woken up by Philipp. For most of us it had been a very short night after
our encounter with the humpback whales and harp seals. Nonetheless we were looking forward to our
next, but last day on Svalbard. Straight
after breakfast we went ashore at
Snatcherpynten in the Recherchefjord.
Clouds overcast the sky and it seemed
as if even the sky was shedding a tear
or two because of our last day. A bit
above the landing site, we found a very
wobbly hut, the Gjaervervilla. At the
beach, we also found the remains of
wagons and other mining utilities.
These leftovers are strongly connected
with Ernest Mansfield, who had
unsuccessfully attempted to mine for
iron, marble and other minerals. In the end, he had to flee to America and left several millions of pounds of
debts…. Plus those remains which served as photo motives for us now. Before we started with our hikes,
Philipp informed as about a tragic plane crash, that had occurred over the Ukraine. In the course of this
disaster more than 150 Dutchmen lost their lives. Therefore, the Plancius sailed with flags on half-mast as a
sign of respect and mourn. Despite the sad news we still wanted to take in this polar region on our last day
and started with our
activities. While one group
attempted to reach a
mountain ridge with a view
on the Renardbreen, a
second group started to hike
over the tundra, followed by
a climb on the side moraine
to have glimpse on the
glacier. The beach strollers
for once left the beach and
hiked over the tundra as
well. A ringed seal, many
Arctic terns, barnacle geese
and reindeer were found along the way and made the cameras clicking. But soon, our return to the ship
had come and on board we were
greeted by Michael, Hotel Manager, to
settle our accounts. During our last
lunch, we crossed Bellsund and dropped
anchor at Ingeborgfjellet. This spot is
home of thousands of Little Auks and
had been previously shown in a BBC
documentary. Because where there
birds, there also are polar foxes to be
found. Despite high waves at the
gangway and continuous soft rain, we
stormed the pebble beach. From the
ship, we had spotted some huts and
remains which dated back from the “gold rush” times of Svalbard. The entire area seemed lush and green
(also because of the rain) and the numerous scat piles signaled a great activity of reindeer here. On the
other side, dark huge rocks poked out of the ground and made our walking quite treacherous. We marched
to the site, where all the Little Auks had made their home. The slope of the mountain was steep and we
carefully climbed to our observations spots. On the way, Michael spotted the first fox which seemed
effortlessly move between the rocks on the search for food. But Little Auks, which are nesting in between
the rocks, are hard to get thanks to their size. For almost three quarters of an hour we sat there and
watched the birds passing over our heads and landing on the rocks around us. It was magic despite the
rain. But soon we had to say Goodbye and we went back on board for a hot shower and a drink. At the
traditional Captains’ Farewell, our expedition leader Philipp brought back the memories of our amazing trip
and Captain Levakov invited us all to visit the Plancius wherever we would see her. Our last supper was
another highlight from the kitchen and Hotelmanager Mike presented finally the entire Hotel team. Those
of us, who were supposed to have an early start, found their way to their beds. A few others decided to
enjoy the last hours on board of our Plancius to the end. Sleeping would be for another time.
Day 10 – Saturday July 2014
Disembarkation in Longyearbyen
GPS 08.00h Position: 078°14.0’N / 015°35.2’E
Today is disembarkation day in Longyearbyen. On the pier we bade farewell to many of the friends we
have come to know over the past week, and had one last look at the Plancius, the ship that took us on such
an incredible voyage around Spitsbergen. This trip will last us a lifetime – in our memories, our
imaginations, and in our dreams.
Thank you all for such a wonderful voyage, for your company and enthusiasm. We hope to
see you again in the future, wherever that might be!
Total distance sailed on our voyage: 997 nautical miles
Most northerly point on our voyage: 80°28.23’N / 016°06.72’E on the 13.07.2014
On behalf of Oceanwide Expeditions, Captain Evgeny Levakov,
Expedition Leader Philipp Schaudy and all the crew and staff, it has been a pleasure
travelling with you.
Brent Houston ‐ Guide and Lecturer
With over 100 voyages to the Ant‐
arctic Peninsula, and 6 years of Ant‐
arctic seabird and penguin research, Brent is truly at home on “The Ice”, especially amongst the penguins, skuas, seals and whales. Mit über 100 Reisen zur antarkti‐
schen Halbinsel und 6 Jahren Erfah‐
rung in Meeresvögel‐ und Pinguin‐
forschung ist Brent wirklich im Eis zuhause. Seine Wissen erstreckt sich besonders auch über Wale, Robben und Eisbären. Brent has been involved with wildlife research, expedition travel and adventure tourism for 25 years from the Arctic to the Antarctic. His wildlife interests range from penguins and other seabirds to polar bears and marine mammals. While ashore he works in Montana for the World Wildlife Fund restoring the North American prairie habitat. He is a frequent contributing editor and photographer for numerous wildlife books, scientific papers and magazines. He has 2 Polar Med‐
als (1989 and 1990) for his U.S. Antarctic Service and Research. After graduating from the University of Illinois and Colorado State University, Brent has been traveling to the Antarctic regions every year since 1988, first with research projects near McMurdo and Palmer Stations, Antarctica, and now on ex‐
pedition ships traveling mainly to the Polar Regions and the fascinating islands along the mid‐Atlantic Ridge. Brent ist seit mehr als 25 Jahren in der Arktis und Antarktis unterwegs, sei es als Forscher, Expeditionsleiter oder Abenteurer. Sein Wissen über die Tiere der Polar‐
regionen erstreckt scih von Seevögel uber Meeressäuger bis zu Eisbären. Auch zu‐
haue in Montana ist sein Wissen in Sachen Naturschutz gefragt und er arbeitet in verschiedenen Projekten zum Erhalt der Prärie mit. Ausserdem veröffentlicht er regelmässig Artikel und Bilder in wissenschaftlichen Publikationen, Büchern und Magazinen. Für seine Verdienste hat er bereits 2 Polarmedallien erhalten. Nach seinem Abschluss an den Universitäten von Illinois und Colorado State be‐
reist er die Antarktis und Arktis, zuerst als Wissenschaftler, jetzt als sehr erfahre‐
ner Polarguide. Christian Engelke ‐ Assistant Expedition Leader When Christian is not in the far North on Svalbard or Greenland, you probably find him playing around in wind and waves in his seakayak around Tromsø in Northern Norway. Wenn Christian nicht im hohen Norden auf Spitzbergen oder Grönland ist, findet man ihn wahrscheinlich, in Wind und Wellen spielend, in seinem Seekajak in der Nähe von Tromsø in Nordnorwegen. Since his first vacation to Norway Christian has suffered severely under the quite widespread “scandinavia‐fever”. He has been exploring both the mountains and coastal regions of Norway, Sweden and Greenland by feet, on skis and in his kayak. 2008, studying engineering, Christian moved to Svalbard. After nearly three unforgettable years with many personal adventures and experiences as a guide at 78 degrees North, he moved “down South” to Tromsø in Northern Norway. Since 2009 Chris‐
tian is working as a freelance guide, both on daytrips and longer tours all year around. In addition Christian works for the Norwegian Polar Insti‐
tute, is a sea kayak instructor, and his speciality are long kayak trips he is offering in the East Greenland Tasiilaq district and in Tromsø since 2011. Seit seinem ersten Norwegenurlaub im Jahr 1996 hat ihn das Skandina‐
vien‐Fieber nicht mehr losgelassen und Christian hat das Fjell und die Küsten Norwegens, Schwedens und Grönlands vielfach zu Fuss, mit Skiern und mit dem Kajak erkundet. 2008 zog es ihn dann im Rahmen seines Ingenieurstudiums nach Spitzbergen. Nach insgesamt knapp drei unvergesslichen Jahren mit vielen persönlichen Abenteuern, und Erfahrungen als Guide auf 78 Grad Nord, hat es Christian inzwischen «gen Süden» nach Tromsø in Nordnorwegen verschlagen. Seit 2009 arbeitet Christian auch als freiberuflicher Touristenführer auf Tages‐ und Mehrtagestouren sowohl im Winter als auch in der Sommersaison. Zudem arbeitet Christian für das norwegische Polarinstitut, ist Seekajak Instrukteur, und seine Spezialität sind mehrwöchige Seekajaktouren, die er seit 2011 eigenständig um Tasiilaq in Ostgrönland und in Tromsø anbietet. Henryk Wolski ‐ Guide and Lecturer
Having been an enthusiastic sailor since boyhood, Henryk (from Po‐
land) has taken part in numerous Arctic and Antarctic voyages in ves‐
sels large and small, most with sail or oar‐powered. Als enthusiastischer Segler hat Henryk von Kindheit an zahlreiche Trips in die Arktis und Antarktis unternommen. His adventurous voyages include Arved Fuchs’s ICESAIL around the North Pole (becoming only the sixth person in history who has circumnavigated on this way); retracing Sir Ernest Shackleton’s famous voyage from Ele‐
phant Island to South Georgia and twice around Cape Hoorn. Henryk is also following the tracks of the Vikings on rivers across the Euro‐
pean continent, retracing some of the old trading routes with a replica Vi‐
king ship built for these historic expeditions. Since 2000, Henryk has been working regularly as expedition leader and lecturer on cruise ships, espe‐
cially in the Antarctic, the Arctic and the Amazon. Henryk has a wealth of stories and will give lectures about the history of exploration in Antarctica. Henryk speaks Polish, German, English and Russian. Seine abenteuerlichen Reisen führten Henryk u.a. mit Arved Fuchs und seiner ICESAIL Expedition auf eine Circumnavigation des Nordpols — als sechste Person überhaupt! Zudem hat er Shackletons berühmte Reise von Elephant Island nach Südgeorgien nachgestellt. Auch hat er mit einem Replika‐Schiff die Wikinger‐Reisen auf europäischen Flüssen historisch korrekt nachempfunden. Seit 2000 arbeitet Henryk regelmäßig als Expeditionsleiter und Guide auf Expeditionsschiffen in der Antarktis, Arktis und im Amazonasgebiet. Hen‐
ryk teilt gerne seine zahlreichen Geschichten und trägt am liebsten zu geschichtlichen Themen vor. Henryk spricht Polnisch, Englisch und Deutsch. Dr Katja Riedel ‐ Guide and lecturer
Katja Riedel grew up in Germany where she studied and completed a Phd in Atmos‐
pheric Chemistry. For her research she overwintered 1997 at the German Antarctic Base Neumayer where she was responsible for the Atmospheric Observatory. Since then she has been on several scientific ex‐
peditions to Antarctica, for example meas‐
uring ozone at Scott Base and drilling ice cores at Law Dome. In Svalbard she partici‐
pated in a 220 km skiing expedition in the Northwest of Spitsbergen. In Greenland she worked as a volunteer in the vicinity of Kangerlussuaq where she helped to quantify carbon dioxide emissions from plants and soils. Twelve years ago the great outdoors drew her to New Zealand which she now calls home. Here she worked as a scientist for the National Institute of Water and At‐
mospheric Research in Wellington. Her main research interests were green‐
house gases in the atmosphere and in ice cores. In 2013 she quit her science job to work as freelance guide, science journalist and photographer. She has worked as a guide and lecturer on passenger ships in the Arctic and Antarctic since 2011. Life is an adventure for Katja and whenever she can she travels, hikes, cycles, sea‐kayaks and skis to the remote and beautiful places on earth. She is also a keen photographer, juggler and chef and speaks fluently English and German. Katja Riedel wuchs im Bergischen Land auf und promovierte am Alfred‐Wegener
‐Institut für Polar‐ und Meerforschung in Bremerhaven. Für ihre Dissertation in Amosphärenchemie überwinterte sie 15 Monate auf der Neumayer Station in der Antarktis. Seit 2001 lebt Katja im wunderschönen Neuseeland wo sie am Na‐
tionalen Institut für Wasser‐ und Atmosphärenforschung in Wellington ar‐
beitete. Dort beschäftigte sie sich hauptsächlich mit Treibhausgasen in der Luft und in Eiskernen. Seit 2013 arbeitet Katja als Führerin und Lektorin in der Arktis und Antarktis, als Wissenschftsjournalistin und Fotografin. In Spitzbergen unter‐
nahm sie 2011 eine 220km lange Ski‐Expedition im Nordwesten der Insel. In Grönland arbeitete sie in der Nähe von Kangerlussuaq und untersuchte den Koh‐
lendioxid‐Umsatz von Pflanzen in der Tundra. Sie hat auch eine starke Affinität zur Antarktis und hat an 5 wissenschaftlichen Expeditionen teilgenommen und die Antarktis an Bord einer Segelyacht bereist. Neben dem Reisen sind Foto‐
grafie, Lesen, Wandern, See‐Kajak fahren und Radwandern ihre grossen Leiden‐
schaften. Michael Wenger ‐ Guide and Lecturer
Michael got infected by the polar vi‐
rus studzing marine fish and spends his time on ships instead of working in the laboratory. Michael hat den Polarvirus während seines Biologie‐studiums über marine Fische eingefangen und verbringt sei‐
ne Zeit auf Schiffen in polaren Regio‐
nen statt in einem Labor. Michael was born in 1972 in northwestern Switzerland. He always had
been a “moving” character and liked to travel and explore. At the age
of 18, he decided to visit the people in Down Under for a while, where
he began to love the marine environment and got spoiled for the rest
of his life. Later he studied biology at the University of Basle with the
aim of becoming a fish biologist. After he earned his MSc he occupied
himself with a PhD thesis about the impact of pollution and pathogens
on the health of fish. After 8 years and numerous trips to both the
Antarctic and the Arctic, Michael still hasn’t recovered from the infection and is driven to infect others himself. After working for several
years in research on fish ecology and immunology, Michael changed
his career and since 2012 he has been working for PolarNEWS, a
Swiss-based organization on polar information, as scientific advisor
and guide.
Michael Wenger wurde 1972 in der Nordwestschweiz geboren. Er war
schon von klein auf ein „bewegter“ Charakter, der das Reisen und
Entdecken liebte. Mit 18 beschloss er, dass es nun an der Zeit sei,
den Leuten auf der anderen Seite der Welt einen Besuch abzustatte,
wo seine Passion für jegliches Meeresleben begann. Später studierte
er Biologie, Schwerpunkt Fischbiologie, an der Universität Basel.
Nach seinem Mastergrad beschäftigte er sich im Rahmen seiner Doktorarbeit mit den Einflüssen von Schadstoffen und Pathogenen auf
den Gesundheitszustand von Fischen. 8 Jahre nachdem er das erste
mal in der Antarktis war, und um zahlreiche Erfahrungen reicher, hat
sich Michael noch immer nicht von seiner Polarinfektion erholt, sondern steckt nun selbst andere damit an.
Nach mehreren Jahren in der Forschung von Fischökologie/immunologie arbeitet Michael seit 2012 als wissenschaftlicher Berater
und Guide für die schweizerische Organisation PolarNEWS.
Michelle van Dijk‐ Guide and Lecturer
Michelle is nearly a local since she bought Longyearbyen Camping, but she fell in love with the North already 20 years ago. Michelle ist fast eine Einheimische in Spitzbergen seit sie den Camp‐
ingplatz in der Nähe von Longyearbyen gekauft hat. Michelle was born in 1973 in a crowded country called Holland. To escape, she lived in Scandinavia and travelled around it by motorbike. She believes that there is no better way to get closer to a place than to work there, so she also lived in Sweden and Iceland. Her first visit of Spitsbergen was back in 2001 and she fell in love with this remote archipelago. In the summer of 2004, she started working as a guide based at the world's northernmost camping site. Longyearbyen Camping is now owned by her. Living in a tent, she spends at least three months a year on Spitsbergen guiding. Michelle has been working as a guide in Antarctica, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Jan Mayen, Sweden and Spitsbergen. Michelle wurde 1973 in einem überfüllten Land names Holland geboren. Um der Enge zu entkommen lebte sie in Skandinavien und reiste mit dem Motorrad umher. Sie ist davon überzeugt, dass es keinen besseren Weg gibt ein Land kennenzulernen als dort zu arbeiten; sie lebte auch in Schwe‐
den und Island. Während ihres ersten Besuchs in Spitzbergen hat hat sie sich in diese abge‐
legene Inselgruppe verliebt. Im Sommer 2004 begann sie auf dem nördlichsten Campingplatz der Welt zu arbeiten, der ihr nun gehört. Sie lebt für mindestens 3 Monate im Jahr im Zelt und begleitet verschiedenste Touren in Spitzbergen. Michelle hat als Naturführerin in der Antarktis, auf den Fäoer Inseln, in Grönland, Island, Jan Mayen, Schweden und Spitzbergen gearbeitet. Philipp Schaudy ‐ Expedition Leader Since my first visit to Svalbard in 1998, it is dragging me far beyond the polar circle every year. I am a victim of the polar virus; and be aware – it is contagious! Seit meinem ersten Besuch in Svalbard 1998, zieht es mich jedes Jahr weit über den Polarkreis nach Norden. Der arktische Virus hat mich seit Jahren befallen und lässt mich nicht mehr los, bitte Vorsicht – er ist ansteckend. I hold a Master degree in Physical Geography and studied in Austria, Iceland and Sval‐
bard. Being a restless traveller and adventurer, a passionate alpinist and endurance sportsman, I love the outdoors and try to keep my life exciting. I have visited more than 80 countries and set foot on all continents. I mostly travel by bicycle; in sum 120.000 kilometres so far. If you read German please check out the book about my last cycle trip around the world “2‐Rad‐Abenteuer” which you find around the li‐
brary/bar. Back in Austria I earn my living by public talks on trips and expeditions. From January 2004 to October 2006, my wife Valeska and I lived year round in Longyearbyen and experienced not only the midnight sun but also the magic of the polar night. It was in these years that I started working as a tour guide: in the cold months leading snowmobile‐trips into Svalbard’s wilderness, during summers taking guests hiking and on glaciers. Since 2005 I work on small expedition vessels as expe‐
dition leader, guide, and lecturer, on voyages to some of the wildest places on earth ‐ Svalbard, Greenland and Antarctica. Ich bin Physiogeograph und habe in Österreich, Island und Spitzbergen studiert. Als nimmer‐müder Reisender und Abenteurer, passionierter Alpinist und Ausdauersport‐
ler, liebe ich es unter freiem Himmel zu sein und versuche mein Leben aufregend zu gestalten. Ich habe mehr als 80 Länder und alle Kontinente bereist, viele davon per Fahrrad. Mein persönlicher Reiseradkilometerzähler steht zurzeit auf 120.000 Kilo‐
metern. Tipp: Mein Buch „2‐Rad‐Abenteuer – 87.000 Kilometer in 5 ½ Jahren um die Welt“ liegt zur Ansicht am Schiff aus. Bin ich zu Hause in Österreich, verdiene ich mein Geld mit Multimediavorträgen über meine langen Reisen und Expeditionen. Von Jänner 2004 bis Oktober 2006 lebten meine Frau Valeska und ich durchgehend in Longyearbyen und erlebten nicht nur raue Winter, sondern auch die Magie der Po‐
larnacht. In diesen Jahren begann ich als Tourguide zu arbeiten: in den kalten Winter‐
monaten führte ich mehrtägige Schneemobiltouren durch Svalbards Wildnis. Im Som‐
mer war ich mit Gästen auf Gletscher‐ und Wandertouren unterwegs. Seit 2005 fahre ich auf kleinen Expeditionsschiffen und arbeite als Expeditionsleiter, Guide und Vor‐
tragender auf Reisen in Svalbard, Grönland und in der Antarktis. Sandra Petrowitz ‐ Guide and Lecturer
A dedicated naturalist and t r a v e l l e r, S a n d r a (born 1978) immediately fell for the high latitudes’ nature when visiting the po‐
lar regions for the first time, and brought home the polar bug. So besides photos and stories she brought home the polar bug, and she has been returning to the Arctic and Antarctica ever since. Sandra has a wide interest in all kinds of nature and wildlife observations. Being a journalist by profession and a photographer by passion, she's hardly ever seen without a camera. When she is not working as a guide on board expedition cruise ships or leading dedicated photo trips across the globe, it's likely that she either may be writing a story, editing im‐
ages, or travelling to remote places. Sandra (* 1978) hat sich gleich bei ihrem ersten Besuch in den Polarre‐
gionen in die Natur der hohen Breitengrade verliebt, den Polarvirus mit‐
gebracht und kehrt seither immer wieder in die Arktis und Antarktis zurück. Wenn sie nicht gerade unterwegs ist, arbeitet sie in Deutschland als Journalistin. Sandra interessiert sich fuer alle Aspekte der Begegnung mit der Natur und der Tierwelt. Sie ist eine begeisterte und erfahrene Natur–, Tier– und Reisefotografin und leitet Fotoreisen. Ihr erstes Buch über Foto‐
grafie ist 2012 erschienen.