Rembrandt Van Rijn – a painted ship upon a painted Arctic Ocean – Fiona visits the Arctic
There was no way I could stay in my bunk with the banging and crashing of ice crunching and scraping on the hull. It’s 2:30 am, bright daylight and I’m leaning crazily over the bow-sprit looking down onto numerous ‘bergy bits’ below us. I’m on Rembrandt Van Rijn, a rather beautiful three masted schooner built in 1921 as a herring lugger and now operating as a sail ship in polar waters. It’s full Arctic summer – 24 hour daylight and we’re attempting to circumnavigate Spitsbergen, part of the Arctic’s Svalbard Archipelago.
As the plane dipped over the fjord to land in Longyearbyen the main town on Spitsbergen, already my excitement was building. After a night in an atmospheric trapper style hotel with its driftwood walls, cosy wooden bar, old photographs and trapper paraphernalia, I headed out next morning to dog sledge on wheels in the surrounding hills. After the obligatory hugging and harnessing of the dogs, we set off down a gravel miner’s dirt track through valleys dotted with reindeer, vertiginous snowcapped peaks and verges full of flowers at either side. What a start to my Arctic adventure!
Longyearbyen with its informative museum and tranquil church on the hill was a great introduction to life up north and I enjoyed the frontier town atmosphere. Soon, however, it was time to stroll down to the port and settle into my cabin before heading to the bow as the ship slipped away from the pontoon.
We were 24 aboard with a superbly friendly crew and expedition staff of 12 to look after us – and so they did … with plentiful and varied buffet meals, hot drinks on tap 24/7 and some of the most memorable wildlife encounters I have ever had.
In Krossfjord, we took zodiacs ashore to a giant bird cliff in 14th July Bay and strolling under its enormous green flanks observed a beautiful Arctic fox sporting a gorgeous grey body and white fluffy tail midway between winter and summer moult.
We sailed through a pod of over 1000 beluga whales (even our crew had never seen such a ‘super-pod’) and watched in delight as they came up and swam under the bow out of curiosity.
On our third day we had our best wildlife encounter of all – going close to shore in the zodiacs at Danskoya Island, we were examining the site of Andrée’s failed 1896 balloon expedition to the North Pole when we spotted numerous tracks across the snow. So called charismatic wildlife was making its presence known! The next hour or so was spellbinding as we observed a polar bear at first peering over the top of a high snow ridge above us then sliding down and entering the sea to roll and play with the kelp, swim across the bay and end up on rocks on the far side to stop and eat a morsel of dead bird caught in between the boulders.
Leaving the bear, we sailed out of Virgohamna heading north once more as our captain announced the fantastic news – we will try to circumnavigate Spitsbergen. Stopping briefly to head ashore at Torelneset – my first visit to a walrus haul-out – we pushed on overnight into the Hinlopen Strait encountering more and more pack ice before being forced to turn back in the wee small hours after a thrilling ice navigation.
Heading north-west once more, we sailed along the 160kms long Brasvellbreen Glacier and spotted another bear at a distance on the pack ice – bottom up and head down into a seal blowhole – another highlight for all. We stopped at the abandoned ghostly trapper’s buildings at Kinnvika, Nordausltandet, taking time to explore inside the bleak huts before hiking to a highpoint over Murchisonfjord and then an icy sail through choppy waters to Sorgfjord (Fjord of Sorrows) site of the most northerly Naval battle ever. Here during a visit to an old whaler’s station it was fascinating to find some of the whaler’s graves – having risen to the surface over time – still intact and unexcavated.
Towards the end of the trip, one evening we zodiaced round a point at Magdalenafjord to Gullybukta. A secluded bay at the opposite coast of the fjord revealed a large huddle of 12 walruses – the jumble of fat brown bodies was a sight to behold and the grunts, rumbles and strong wafts of fishy breath all lent atmosphere to the moment!
Our final days were busy. We went ashore at the curious northernmost scientific outpost of Ny Alesund and hiked below the spectacular cliffs of Alkehornet which guard the northern entrance to Isfjord. Here we had an incredible encounter with a family of Arctic fox cubs playing in the sunshine. Above us, the entire cliff face and beyond was covered in nesting birds: Brünnich’s guillemots, black-legged kittiwakes, glaucous gulls, fulmars and little auks whirled and shrieked while fluffy white reindeer grazed on the grassy meadow below.
Some 878 nautical miles later, we moored up for the last time and as the plane dipped its wings over the fjord early next morning I held a strong conviction that I will come back.
When: next similar voyage: 7 – 18 June 2025
Price from: £6,875 per person UK to UK in twin private porthole cabin
Wow factor: This is unlike any other polar voyage we offer – you will be one of maximum 33 guests landing in polar regions – the price represents incredible value for such a small group size.
