Position : Russebukta 77°36 N - 21°01 E
Saturday, the east wind is right on time and allows us to reach Freemansundet after a rough but fast sixty miles. Luckily, the current is favorable as soon as we enter the strait, and we arrive at the anchorage of Sundbukta on the island of Barentsoeya at 11 knots for dinner! The island is named in honor of William Barentz, the Dutch explorer who discovered Spitzbergen ("pointed mountains") in 1596 aboard the Discovery. His ship was loaded with goods to trade with China, and he was searching for the Northeast Passage. He then got stuck in the ice, and the expedition marked the first successful wintering by Europeans in the Arctic.
After a peaceful night, we are awakened by a strong southwest chop. The wind forecasted for the evening arrives early and is a bit stronger, forcing us to set sail. We take shelter under the lee of the small island of Thomas Smithoeyane, where the weather forces us to make a 48-hour stop.
On Tuesday, after an unusual stroll on this small pile of rocks lost in the middle of Storfjorden, we hoist the sails for Stretehamna on the island of Edgeoeya. The residual southwest swell makes the anchorage uncomfortable, and on Wednesday morning, we are happy to reach the shore. We are greeted by a strong smell and quickly discover the culprits: a colony of walruses sleeping in the sun! They barely open an eye as we approach, allowing us to take beautiful photos. A quarter of an hour later, a magnificent Arctic reindeer, not very shy, offers its antlers to the lens. We then set off hiking along the ridge to Kapp Lee. From up there, we can see the west coast of Spitzbergen to the west, the island of Barentsoeya to the north, and the expanse of Freemansundet to the east.
On our way back, we motor to Diskobukta, 15 miles further south. Along this coast, the depths are very shallow, and when anchoring in 6 meters of water, we are sometimes more than 1 mile from the shore. For this reason, the anchorages are exposed to the swell.
On July 25, a beautiful blue sky greets us upon waking, and we set off for a long walk along the bay. After 3 hours of trudging through wet sand, we arrive at a magnificent canyon where thousands of kittiwakes nest. In the late afternoon, a timid south wind encourages us to tack toward Russebukta. Unfortunately, after 10 miles, the wind dies, forcing us to finish under motor. We take the opportunity to flip some pancakes for dessert—sometimes calm weather has its perks!
We return from an excursion on the island where the landscapes are becoming increasingly green as summer progresses.
Tomorrow awaits us 36 hours of sailing upwind in the hope of reaching Hornsund on the west coast of Spitzbergen.