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Lofoten, 25 november 2008
Today ended the first Lofotentrip of 2008, we are back in Lodingen after a week of sailing through the Lofoten Islands. On board an international crew with people from Belgium, Germany, Russia, UK and France. Dirk, one of the Belgium guests wrote his impressions down.
"This is my thirth trip in two years on Noorderlicht. Two times at Spitsbergen and now the Lofoten. Very different in comparisation with Spitsbergen, but nevertheless very interesting.
The Lofoten, an archipel in the artic 100 NM above the polarcircel, is Norway on her best! And the late autumn gives such an other dimension. Picturesque fishing villages are hidden between snow covered steep mountains. The days are short, it becomes light around 9 o'clock and it is getting dark again at 15.00u. Rough autumnweather with snow and lots of wind are happily alternated with sunny days when the sun coloures the sky so beautiful red that sunrise and sunset slightly cross. Although the days are short, it never get's bored. During daytime there is a good combination of sailing and hiking and after dinner Jan, our gide, gives a lecture on Northern Lights or Spitsbergen.
And then yesterday, we finally saw the Aurora Borealis while walking trough a small place called Tranoy. After lying for 1,5 hours on my knies on the frozen ground I made some beautiful pictures.
Unfortunalty somebody failed to turn up, the killer whale. For those who booked the trip assuming to get an orcasafari, it wasn't that much fun. For me, myself, the trip was more than a succes! Next year I will show up on Noorderlicht again, this time back to Spitsbergen. Does this tell you enough?"
Dirk
15 November2008Noorderlicht in Harstad.The crossing from Spitsbergen to Norway was a very very fast one!
In only 100 hours they sailes 599 Nautical Miles to Tromsø in the northern part of Norway.
Thanks to the good help of extra crewmembers Dennis, Jeroen, Erik, Jan-Harmen and Kitty the ship arrived well in Harstad a few days later.
Moored at the shipyard in Harstad quite some work was planned...
The annual inspection of the ship had to take place and we want to give her a new layer of paint. But as we learned from the last years the climate in
Norway and Spitsbergen is too cold and too moisty for this work. So this year we planned to have her indoor. But as the entrance of the big shipyard hall is only 25 metres high, the mast had to be taken off by crane.
And so we started to work with a team of 6 people and ofcourse the help of the shipyard HAMEK staff.
The masts were taken off with a crane last week and friday the 7th of november the ship was taken on the slip inside.
It really looks very very strange to see her without masts indoor!
(Some photos will be on the website in two weeks)
All sorts of work is already done: changing waterpipes, scraping off the rust inspection, painting her allover, etc. etc.
Mondaymorning she will be in the water again.
From a snowy Harstad,
Gert, Ted, Sebastiaan, Sonja, Renske and Maaike
> Sunday 26th of October Noorderlicht left the harbour of Longyearbyen with northeasterly winds. She is leaving the waters around Spitsbergen and heads for Norway. Port of call is Harstad in the northern part of Norway. Here she will be in the shipyard for the annual inspection.
25 October 2008
We came across the Noorderlicht a schooner built in 1910 by chance. Louise and I were thinking about what to do for that traditional break that people take after their wedding. Our wedding had been a four day party in the Highlands of Scotland so we approached the planning of the honeymoon with a sense of adventure. A picture of the Noorderlicht under full sail by a glacier sold it to us. Chloe at Aqua Firma gave us some insight into what to expect but really nothing can prepare you. We were coming to the Arctic as winter fell to sail on this amazing schooner.Rolf our guide met us at the airport, a bright young German man with piercing blue eyes took us aboard. We were greeted by the crew. Gert the skipper,Renske the first mate, Elizabeth and Sonja the cook. We set sail that night and slipped into the fiords dark waters. We were informed of the route of the voyage and itinerary by Rolf each night but the sense of adventure of going into the unknown was very real. This was the Arctic in winter. All the childhood stories of polar exploration and endeavour came alive. The magic of the voyage was personified not only by the Noorderlicht and her crew by also by the passengers onboard. You get to meet and talk to all sorts. And you learn something. You are well fed and well engaged by everything that goes on. Sonja manages to produce three meals a day for 25 people and the standard of cooking is excellent. You leave the ship by Zodiac dinghy extremely well fortified and with a sense of anticipation. Nothing though prepares you for the menacing majesty of the terrain that you land on. Its more than what you see in the pictures because it is now so extremely real. This is not your land. You are not the rightful inhabitants.
Go and see it for yourself. Fjords and glaciers, black icy water and the wind whistling, the green haze of the Northern lights as it dances over the inky black skies. The reality of what you experience transcends the myths. You will fulfill some of you dreams here. You will have some respect for those you travel with but most of all you will have respect for the sheer pristine beauty of the mountains, glaciers and seas and seek to protect it.
The Arctic wildlife here watches you rather than the other way around which adds to the constant sense of adventure.
I have wanted to take part in an adventure like this for all my life. Thanks to the skipper the crew and the passengers and most of all the Noorderlicht there was no let down. We came alive again on the Noorderlicht. Come onboard!
Nigel and Louise 25.10.08
19 October 2008
Dear arctic travelers,
We, the Expedition Highsea V, have been sailing around with the Noorderlicht from 6 October till 19 October 2008 in the waters around Svalbard. We learned much about sailing, saw unique things and in between, we did some scientific work.
Shortly after our arrival on board we distributed to watched containing 5 people, which were supposed to help the crew one after one. During the watches we were taught by Gert, Renske and Elisabeth to set sails, steer and do the general work on a ship. At the beginning, sea-sickness was quite frequent but became less by the time. We saw sunsets making the sky shining in the warm colors of fire while passing glowing blue glaciers and sparkling white snow mountains. Also during the land-trips we discovered and observed fascinating things. Who can say that he has been approached by walruses to a distance of 10 meters, who has seen polar bears except from zoo's and who climbed up to the top of one of the northern most islands of Spitsbergen.
But beside all these adventures we still were requested to do some science. We took ice-samples to search for Ikait-crystals. This task has been given to us by Dr. Gerhard Dieckmann, an Alfred Wegener Institut (AWI) scientist who needed the results to check the existing model of the carbonate-cyclus.
But even more interesting for us were other things: go swimming in -1,5'C cold water and climbing up to the mast. During all these experiences Cecilia, our guide and bear guard, was standing right behind us with her knowledge, help and humor. All in all she was more a friend than just a guide. All the time Sonja, our Smutje, was supplying us with 6 star food, cookies and cakes. Our journey with the Noorderlicht was the most beautiful class trip we ever experienced and a great ending for our time together at school.
We wish all future guests of the Noorderlicht a nice trip and we thank our crew and Cecilia for two Super-Special-Awesome weeks in the eternal ice.
Sincerely yours, Highsea V
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