At 07:45 we docked in Tromsø for the day, after refuelling out of port, and docked east of the bridge which was a first for us. Here we are 400km north of the Arctic Circle and are surrounded by fjords and mountains displaying autumnal colours across the forested slopes. In earlier times the city was …
We arrived in Finnsnes, 68N 17E, under cloudy skies with some light persistent rain but conditions improved by 10:00. Autumnal colours are now more apparent as we have entered the northernmost area of the country. Having crossed to the island of Senja and used tunnels through the sharp, teeth-shaped mountains we crossed the island itself. …
At 08:00 we were at 66⁰N 12⁰E just short of the Arctic Circle so with a quick donning of jackets we were out to celebrate once more! The Arctic Circle (66.33N) is used by geographers to define the Arctic. Everything north of here is within that zone, and it is also the southernmost extent of …
Overnight we travelled along the inter-coastal waterway and open ocean before arriving at the island of Froya at 63⁰N. By breakfast we were docked at Sistranda, a village in Trondelag, to the northwest of Trondheim. The small port is on a low volcanic island and a giant roche-moutonnée. Offshore are fish farms and in the …
At breakfast we had at 62⁰N 5⁰E already travelled the inter-coastal waterway and was making progress along the fjords to our stopping point, the village of Saebo, at around noon. We were finally experiencing calm seas and sunny intervals at 7⁰C. Prior to arrival we rendezvoused with another Hurtigruten ship for some promotional filming. When …
We were off the Orkney Islands at 08:00 and heading NNE at 12 knots with 3m waves and a Force 7 wind with more than 5 hours to go before we head NE to Norway. As seas go, the North Sea is not very old. It was formed by the melt towards the end of …
Last night, thanks to the Captain’s decision to avoid a storm we crossed the Greenwich Meridian (0⁰ Longitude) travelling westwards to Edinburgh, something that upon departure we did not expect as we were hoping to go northeast. At 08:00 we docked in Leith, the port of Edinburgh. From the cabin window we could see the …
At 8:00 a.m. we were at 54⁰N 2⁰E off the Holderness coast of Yorkshire and northeast of the massive Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm and close to the Dogger Bank. Over breakfast the Captain warned us of Force 9 and upwards winds and high seas, by then we were 150km off Flamborough Head. We experienced …
We departed Dover at 4:00 p.m. and slipped past the White Cliffs where we had walked during the morning. When we met the Captain at 5:30 p.m., before dinner, he informed us that because of a storm (not another!) we would be clinging to the UK coast and on Saturday dock in Edinburgh in order …
Svalbard (Spitsbergen) is one of Europe’s last wildernesses and home to more polar bears than people. September 14th 2022 We are staying overnight in Dover and will embark tomorrow on the MS Maud in an attempt to get as close to the North Pole without walking over the Arctic ice!