ADVENTURE CRUISING
spotted, the Captain edges his ship as far into the flows as he feels comfortable. Bears are curious creatures and, on two occa- sions, they slowly ambled from quite some distance right up beneath the bow, close enough to photograph without powerful magnification. The only sounds were the rapid clicks of shutter releases. It was like being at a politician’s press conference. On another occasion, we came upon a large male bear that had recently killed a ringed seal and, after he’d had his fill, off he went to take a nap while his competitive off-spring moved in and growled over what remained. At a safe distance, impatient gulls strutted about awaiting their turn. Later, coming upon the remains of a
whale, we watched as no less than NINE bears converged at one time, including a mother swimming across the inlet with a club clinging to her back. Trips took place only when no bears had been spotted and, even then, natural- ists carrying rifles accompanied every party.
THE BRIDGE WATCH
Trained eyes on the bridge spot the wildlife, and Captain Oliver Kreuss’ two decades of experience in Polar Regions brought us as near to shore as possible. With passengers permitted on the bridge at all hours, we also enjoyed listening in on the decision- making progress.
Challenging, moderate and easy tundra and snowfield hikes were offered along with a fourth option for photographers. In addition to Zodiac excursions, two-
person kayaks were available, providing freedom to circle the ship and inspect ice that had calved off glaciers. Three National Geographic photog-
raphers shared their knowledge and techniques, running useful workshops for beginners and intermediates that included how to deal with extreme and contrasting lighting conditions.
We found whale bones, tiny delicate tundra flowers and stone foundations of abandoned trapper’s huts and whaling camps. One set of rocky cliffs provided nesting spots for thousands of guillemots while hundreds of others flew around the ship, bobbed on the water and went fishing; a truly raucous scene. Near week’s end, the Explorer came close to both fin whales and blue whales, the largest mammals on earth. While none breached, their graceful arcing movements through the water revealed their immense size. During the week, cruising mostly the west and north sides of Svalbard, we encountered only one other expedition ship, though we heard others were about, while two large cruise ships sailed past at some distance. They cannot land passengers except at Svalbard’s three inhabited communities
A
shore we came close to reindeer and walrus either sprawled together on the beach or frolicking in the sea.
– the capital at Longyearbyen, the small Russian mining camp at Barentsburg and the research station at Ny-Alesund – so Svalbard’s dramatic scenery is the only real draw until they hurry on to the next destination.
Unlike most cruising destinations, I had not known quite what to expect and returned home delighted at the variety of close-up wildlife sightings, the incredibly beautiful scenery, expert naturalist interpre- tation, a captain who made every effort to get his ship in the best position and an ami- able group of fellow passengers who shared a most comfortable and well-run ship.
National Geographic Explorer FACTFILE
Built: 1982, refurbished 2008 Tonnage: 6,471 Length: 356ft Beam: 52.8ft Draft: 16ft Speed: 17.5 knots Passengers: 148 Crew: 58 Passenger decks: 5 Registry: Bahamas
Lindblad’s Svalbard: Land of the Ice Bears itinerary will operate six departures in June and July in 2011. Rates begin at $7,490 and include the expedition cruise, all shore excursions and two hotel nights. Flights, including the air charter, are extra.
MORE INFO: contact Lindblad Expeditions at 96 Morton Street, New York, NY 10014 USA; call 212 261 9000 or visit
www.expeditions.com.
Spring 2011 I WORLD OF CRUISING
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