HIGH LINE PRACTICE AT 78° N
Here, visiting yachts must clear in with the Governor’s calving glacier, we found a lone Bearded Seal, who seemed
office, from whom prior permission for our voyage had to be as curious about us as we were about him. He was
already been obtained. In Longyearbyen the visiting not in the least bit afraid of us in our red dinghy, but was
yachtsman can also re-provision, bunker diesel and learn a very wary of the yacht.
lot about Svalbard’s history, culture and nature. Essentially,
we had also arranged to hire a rifle, necessary as a weapon We had hoped to circumnavigate Spitsbergen, the largest
of defence against the possibility of attack by polar bears of the islands of Svalbard. However, we found the Hindlopen
while ashore. Straight to be choked with ice; so much so that to date no
vessel had made the circumnavigation that season.
From Longyearbyen we headed north, up the spectacular We returned to Longyearbyen, exploring the inlets which
west coast of Spitsbergen. Visiting a few well-known haul-out we had not visited on the outward trip and sadly left the
points for Walrus and were rewarded when we found around boat, leaving the crew, Mike and Adele the task of bringing
20 of these impressive animals in residence at one such her back to the UK. Surely one of the more adventurous
spot. On the north coast of the island, we made a detour into maiden voyages of an Oyster?
Liefdefjorden, where there is often found a small population
of Polar bears that have begun adapting to the world’s The owners of Gundamain were advised during her build
changing climate. These animals do not follow the retreating and supported on this trip by High Latitudes who specialise
ice fronts northwards, as most bears do; rather they have in assisting private yachts visiting the Arctic and Antarctic.
forsaken their diet of seals for that which can be found
ashore on the tundra. We found three of these magnificent For more information contact Richard Haworth or
creatures foraging for berries and birds’ eggs on the tundra. Luke Milner www.highlatitudes.com.
We had expected to see numerous seals, resting on ice
floes in these waters; however, our search had been in vain
for most of the trip. Finally, in a wide bay backed by a
www.oystermarine.com 61
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