Position : Kinnvika 80°03 N - 18°13 E
Monday morning we go ashore and take advantage of a gently sloping terrain for a hike among the reindeer. We visit an old trapper's cabin "Villa Oxford" which now serves as a "cabin refuge" and have fun reading the "guest book" of the place. The last French sailboat to be registered is the "Nouanni" from Granville in 1985!
In the afternoon we sail up Liefdefjorden, tacking through growlers to anchor at Hornbaekpollen, a small lagoon protecting Libertaire from ice and wind. Indeed, Monacobreen flows into the end of the fjord and calves constantly, filling the waters with ice.
On July 9th we hike in the grayness to "Texas Bar," another cabin. Then we climb the "Erikbreen" glacier on the moraine and discover at the top a breathtaking panorama with 3 glaciers and a patch of blue sky!
After a good veal blanquette with mushrooms (thanks Minouchette!) we set sail for Mushamna. The wind is well present and we anchor just before the snow! While preparing Damien's birthday dinner, we are visited by a Norwegian couple who have been living in Longyearbyen for 4 years and share the anchorage with us. They spent the afternoon fishing and came to offer a share of the catch: 4 huge fish as a birthday gift!! We then invite them to toast with us and enjoy a delicious apple-banana-chocolate crumble, the specialty on board!
The next day the weather is still snowy. A break in the clouds allows us to hike to the "Mushamna hunting station" before sharing a fish with our friends! Tommy is a former seal hunter turned kayaker and Ulrika is a makeup artist for Swedish television turned Spa manager in Longyearbyen. We learn a number of gossip about Svalbard and the advice on anchorages on the East coast is welcome. We also receive an updated ice chart (thanks Peter) and the retreat of the sea ice is impressive compared to the chart of June 27th! It is more than favorable for us but alarming regarding the melting of the sea ice and the survival of polar bears.
On July 11th we set course for Heclahamna in Sorgfjorden. To do this we must round the northern tip of Spitzbergen and pass the 80°N, under sail. A timid NE wind allows us to cover these 45 miles in 11 hours. We discover the anchorage under the sun and quickly spot a summit to climb the next day.
The ascent is more complicated than expected because the scree is quite unstable and it takes 3 steps to climb 2 but the view from the top is really worth it! 360° of snow-capped peaks, turquoise sea, and clear blue sky!
With our legs like jelly and after another fish meal, we set sail again to anchor at Kinnvika at 80°03 N. It is an old Helvetian-Swedish scientific station built in 1957 and abandoned since 1966. It still serves as a temporary base for various expeditions.
On Saturday we explore the base and visit the different buildings: the workshop, the dormitory, the main house, and... a sauna! It must have been good to be a scientist here...
We now begin the descent to the South...