Larsen Sound
A day of ice
We are hoping to arrive at Gjøa Haven at 6am on Friday 2 September, which likely gives us 2 days at sea with no landings. Travelling through navigable sea ice is slow (and waiting for the icebreaker takes time) and the ice patterns change quickly; so, we need the luxury of 2 days to try and reach our next landing.
We opened our cabin blind to see sea ice; the plan was for Zodiac cruising through the ice. But first to the deck to spot a polar bear swimming behind an ice floe.
The first zodiacs out found our ship disappear in mist, but by the time of our launch, the sun was shining and the sea glistening. But we weren’t deceived; dressed in thermals, our ski pants, 2 pairs of socks, gloves and 2 jackets, we were cosy but not too warm! The air temperature was 1-2 degrees Celsius but the wind was biting.
We enjoyed a good 75 minutes, sailing round the ice floes, looking at the lichen, ice crystals and what we thought might be old polar bear paw marks. Then alongside a Zodiac with hot chocolate, laced with Baileys for passengers that wanted internal warmth!
We stayed in Larsen Sound over lunch, setting off slowly before coming across a polar bear sitting, then lazing in the sunshine on a floating ice floe straight ahead of us. At first, he seemed to pose for the cameras but then decided to ignore the ship.
There were some lectures, workshops and scientific readings taken from a couple of Zodiacs, with passengers selected by raffle and when at sea, more treats (warm berry crumble with ice cream) served in the lounge.
After our daily briefing, we headed to the gym for a necessary work-out (after that berry crumble) before dinner.
A storytelling in English interspersed with German, about Roald Amundsen’s first successful crossing of the Northwest Passage occurred in the Explorer Lounge. Unfortunately, listeners began to doze during the telling in the second language, so not a successful format!
Tomski, our Expedition Leader promised to alert us at any time during the night if MS Fram was going to need the services of the icebreaker, so that those who wanted could come up on deck to watch. So, Peter and I got out warm clothes at the ready, so that we wouldn’t feel obliged to return to our warm cabin, as we did with the sighting of the Northern Lights.
