Overview
The cruise starts in Aberdeen and the first stop is cozy Lerwick on “main” Shetland, then we venture further north to Tórshavn on the Faroe Islands. After a day at sea spotting for seabirds and whales we reach the enigmatic and isolated island of Jan Mayen with its looming volcano. We travel north with the spring and 24-hour daylight until we reach the snow-covered mountains of Svalbard. From the panorama deck we hope to spot the iconic polar bear on the ice and feel the Arctic nature close to us as we cruise in our smaller Zodiac vessels.
DAY 1 BOARDING IN ABERDEEN
Our journey begins in Aberdeen in North East Scotland, where MV Ocean
Atlantic is located by a dock in the Dee River. Boarding is in the
afternoon, where the staterooms are designated. After the mandatory
security review and drill, we sail out through the mouth of the Dee
River towards the North Sea.
DAY 2 SHETLAND ISLANDS WITH THE HARBOUR AND FISHING VILLAGE
OF LERWICK
Ocean Atlantic approaches Lerwick near the "Main Land" of Shetlands
in the morning. The island of Shetland consists of more than 100
islands and shores, of which only 15 are inhabited year-round. The
islands form the northernmost part of the British kingdom, located
approximately 300 km north of the mainland of Scotland. This "central"
location in the North Atlantic has through the ages led many to the
islands, and the Scandinavian heritage still shines through dialects,
folklore and place names. Once securely docked at the port, we depart
through Lerwick towards Scalloway for a short scenic drive. From the
elevated position we can enjoy the view of the charming village and
the imposing Scalloway Castle. After a short photo stop, we continue
eastwards through the area that is locally known as the “Black Gates”
– an area where peat is still cut to use as fuel. Following the road
northwards our main destination of Clickimin Broch is only a short
drive. There will be free time to discover this well preserved and
restored Broch and learn more about life in the Iron Age. (The
excursion is part of the excursion package and is not included in the
price of the trip). Afterwards, we will return to Lerwick and the ship
in the middle of the day. The rest of the day is for enjoying at
leisure before departing in the early afternoon.
DAY 3 FAROE ISLANDS TÓRSHAVN AND THE NORTH ATLANTIC
We arrive after breakfast at Tórshavn, possibly the smallest capital
in the world, ruling the scattered 18 island that make up the Faroes.
Centred around the charming grass-roofed Parliament on Tinganes,
Tórshavn is now an almost bustling modern city with shops, cafés and
even three traffic lights! By midmorning you can participate in an
optional bus excursion where we will try to look a bit back in
history. We drive out of the capital and over the mountains to the
south. As the climate on the Faroe Island is ‘stable unstable’ it is
not unlikely that we will drive through the cloud base and experience
some fog on the way. But if you wait a moment, it also not unlikely
that it will clear up. We arrive in Kirkjubøur, the most important
historical site on the islands. Kirkjubøur was in medieval times the
Episcopal centre of the Faroe Islands, and also its undisputed
cultural centre. We visit the ruins of the impressive Magnus Cathedral
that perhaps never was completed, and the St. Olav church – the only
remaining medieval church on the Faroe Islands. Upon our return to
‘Havn’ – as Tórshavn is often just called – you can go for a leisurely
stroll through the old citadel near the harbour. A visit to the Art
museum and the Nordic House is also very recommendable. (The excursion
is part of the excursion package and is not included in the price of
the trip). The sailing northwards towards Jan Mayen will probably go
through Vestmanna Sound, along the west-facing shore of Streymoy and
the south side of Mykines. But the route depends on winds, sea and
comfort.
DAY 4 ON THE SEA TOWARDS JAN MAYEN LOOKING FOR SEABIRDS,
DOLPHINS AND WHALES
Listen to a lecture from our experienced expedition staff, see a film
about Arctic nature – or go out on deck to catch glimpses of migrating
birds and hopefully some whales.
DAY 5 JAN MAYEN WITH LANDING IN ZODIACS
Approximately in the middle of the North Atlantic lies the enigmatic
volcanic island of Jan Mayen. And if not exactly in the middle, at
least it is located precisely on the Mid Atlantic Ridge, the reason
for its volcanic existence. And enigmatic it is not only because of
its isolation but also due to the almost perpetual clouds and fog that
hovers above it. Jan Mayen belongs to Norway, and the mountain
Beerenberg is one of the higher of Norways 300 summits above 2.000
meter. The island is habited by only 18 persons, running the
meteorological station and the Norwegian Defence. We will try to go
ashore at the narrowest part of the island, from either south or
north, depending on the prevailing wind and surf. The volcanic origin
is visible all over with cinder cones, lava flows and the Mount Fuji
like appearance of Beerenberg looming above. After a pleasant stroll
on the narrow isthmus we board the Zodiacs and Ocean Atlantic to
continue our voyage north.
DAY 6 AT SEA TOWARDS SVALBARD
Lectures, movies or maybe a game are some of the activities and this
sea day.
DAY 7 SVALBARD AHOY! WHALES AT THE CONTINENTAL SHELF AND
NAVIGATION ALONG THE COAST NORTHBOUND
We are getting closer towards the islands of Svalbard, and it should
be possible to spot the largest island, Spitsbergen during the
afternoon. Our route for this day and next are much depending on
conditions. Not least the pack ice coming from Arctic Sea as well as
from calving glaciers, and also solid winter sea ice. Our vessel has
an ice class of 1B and the Captain should be able to safely approach
the edge of the ice to give us opportunity to spot our first polar
bear, hunting for seals. The west coast enjoys the warmer water coming
up through the Atlantic, so winter ice should now have melted. During
the night the ship will sail north along the coast of Spitsbergen.
DAY 8 NY ÅLESUND, KONGSFJORDEN AND BLOMSTRANDHALVØYA
During the ‘night’ (what is night, when the sun never sets?), we have
passed Prins Karls Forland and have arrived in the magnificent
Kongsfjord. Our visit to Svalbard is in the early summer and this is
both the challenge and gift of this special voyage. Winter ice will
possibly block the inner waters of many fjords, but this will give us
the best opportunities to observe the omnipresent – but still elusive
– polar bear, hunting for seals in its prime habitat. At this time of
the year, the migrating birds have just arrived. They are all eager to
settle and feed to get the best start for the coming hectic summer
months. Our first landing will be at Ny Ålesund. This settlement is in
fact further north than Longyearbyen, making it THE northernmost town.
But… is a group of scientific stations, a post office and a single
shop open for a few hours a real town? You will have to judge for
yourself. The setting is nice, the scientific projects are very
interesting, and so is the town history. The Captain will try to get
alongside, so we can enjoy an easy walk through the area. Continuing
our exploration of Kongsfjorden, Ocean Atlantic will anchor behind
Blomstrand Peninsula. As we will immediately see, the name is a bit
misleading. Blomstrand is now an island - the Blomstrand Glacier has
receded, revealing a shallow water strait. We will cruise through this
on our Zodiacs and make a landing on the island.
DAY 9 FORMER WHALING STATION AT SMEERENBURG AND YTRE NORSKØYA
We have now entered North West Svalbard, which was declared a
national park in 1973. The day could begin with a Zodiac cruise in
Danskergattet, looking for seals in Virgohamna, before crossing from
Danskøya to Amsterdamøya to make a landing at Smeerenburg, the
legendary whaling town of 17th century. 200-plus men were living – and
quite often dying – here in the heyday of blubber production. There
are several interesting places to visit in this northwestern corner of
Spitsbergen. If conditions allow we’ll make a landing on Ytre
Norskøya, where whalers would have their lookout posts.
DAY 10 PRINCE KARLS FORLAND WITH HERDS OF WALRUSES AROUND
POOLEPYNTEN AND THE ICEFJORD
During the night we have entered Forlandssundet, that separates
Prince Karls Forland from Spitsbergen. Our destination is Poole-pynten
(Poolepoint), a small headland named after the British whaler Jonas
Poole. Today the area is inhabited by herds of walruses who can be
seen (and smelled!) from a distance. The large mammals flaunt their
tusks and whiskers, as well as their considerable bulk. After the
visit, we are southbound towards the entrance to the Icefjord. On our
way towards Longyearbyen as we cruise through the Icefjord, we hope to
get our last glimpses of wildlife as well as the truly unique
landscapes of Svalbard.
DAY 11 LONGYEARBYEN, SPITSBERGEN. DISEMBARKATION. CHARTERED
FLIGHT TO OSLO
Early in the morning the ship has returned to our starting point in
Longyearbyen. After breakfast and farewell greetings to the expedition
team and crew, disembarkation will take place. Transfer is arranged to
the airport. From here you will board your chartered flight to Oslo.
Please note
All the outings and landings rely on weather, sea and ice conditions
being favorable both for the ship to access the areas, as for the
zodiacs and kayaks to maneuver under adequate conditions, ensuring the
safety of all our passengers and staff. For this reason, during
moments of harsh weather and throughout the entire trip, Ocean
Atlantic has excellent public areas, such as wellness/sauna,
restaurant, bar and a library for our passengers to spend their spare
time. Our ship is staffed by experts in the field who will also share
great lectures along the way, ranging from exploration history to
biology, geology, ice and wildlife.