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Hard to tell with all that gear on, but that’s the @svdelos crew & @schell_andy at the helm of Isbjörn in the far north! Short beat into Billefjorden for a recce on the abandoned Russian mining ⛏ town at Pyramiden. We anchored off, but the wind off the glacier quickly topped 40 knots in the gusts, so we bugged out and never got ashore. We’re headed NORTH north today, so will be off the grid for a while! @svdelos @kiril_dobrev @flyingbrian.svdelos @miapahavet @jamesaustrums @senor.brady @bluevue4you #northnorth #isbjornarctic #isbjornsailing #svdelos #feelalive #sailing #arctic #sailing #sailingfriends 📸 @svdelos
@flyingbrian.svdelos, captain of Isbjörn’s dinghy for the first shore excursion in Skansbukta to explore an abandoned gypsum quarry & old wooden shipwreck. These were taken at 0100! #midnightsun #feelalive #isbjornarctic #isbjornsailing #svdelos #sailingfriends #sailing #segling 📸 @jamesaustrums
@flyingbrian.svdelos & @schell_andy getting some local knowledge in Longyearbyen from Irene, a trapper/fisherman we met at the bar a few nights back. She came down to visit the boat just before we left the dock, and brought some chocolate 🍫 as a nice little gift! Off to explore the north! #svdelos #isbjornarctic #isbjornsailing #sailing #sailingfriends #arctic #localknowledge #feelalive 📸 @jamesaustrums
@svdelos All aboard Isbjörn - to the NORTH! #isbjornarctic #isbjornsailing #arctic #svdelos #sailing #sailingfriends #northbound #seglng 📸 @bluevue4you
“Polar bear! POLAR bear! POLAR BEAR!!!” @schell_andy’s words when he spotted our first POLAR BEAR in Spitsbergen! Just after we anchored & right before dinner, Andy took one last glance around the anchorage and spotted some movement on the hill to port...and there he was! There’s more to this story - including how @jamesaustrums got this shot, our favorite yet, of the ‘two isbjörn’s’, but almost crashed the drone in the process; the rescue mission to get it; and the pack ice that drifted down onto the boat forcing us to move anchorage right afterwards. Link in bio, it’s a good one! #polarbear #isbjornarctic #isbjornsailing #sailing #dontseethateveryday #twoisbjorns #yaaaasssss #holymoly 📸 @jamesaustrums
Our first full day in Hornsund we got to explore the Hansbreen glacier, dinghying ashore with the rifle, then trekking 2km or so to the glacier face. We found a flat bit of ice to get up onto and had such a cool time exploring the crevasse’s and the ice shapes! #isbjornarctic #isbjornsailing #feelalive #arctic #glaciers #swan48 #visitsvalbard 📸 @jamesaustrums
We couldn’t stay at this anchorage in Fridtjofhamn- it was FROZEN! - but we took the chance in the middle of the night to explore at 0300 while Isbjorn rested in the ice, in forward gear at idle to hold position. Found this trapper’s tower full of seal meat, raised high to keep the bears away. The walrus were here too! After a few hours we continued north another 75 miles to Longyearbyen. #isbjornarctic #isbjornsailing #feelalive #arctic #swan48 #walrus #visitsvalbard 📸 @jamesaustrums
Isbjorn moored in the ice while we played with the Walrus in Fridtjofhamn! 📸 @jamesaustrums #isbjornarctic #offshoresailing #isbjornsailing #arctic #visitsvalbard #walrus
Space walk! Found our first section of frozen sea ice and @schell_andy had a little recce! #swan48 #isbjornarctic #isbjornsailing #seaice #ice #sailing #notsailing
Wowza! That’s a THREE-MASTED schooner still a full kilometer from the glacier face!!! Gives you a little sense of the scale of the landscape in SPITSBERGEN! Hey @prideofbaltimore you guys would look good in that shot ;) 📸 @jamesaustrums #isbjornarctic #isbjornsailing #arctic #schoonerweather #ice #visitsvalbard #feelalive
Iceberg rum! We had some leftover @ironworksdistillery rum from our last passage to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia & after our little dance in the ice, felt it only appropriate to finish the bottle with some glacial ice on the way into our anchorage! Knew that James’ ice axes would come in handy for something ;) #yaaargh #rum #swan48 #isbjornarctic #isbjornsailing #sailing #arctic #icebergrum
Isbjorn heading towards her first anchorage in Hornsund near the face of Hansbreen (‘breen’ means glacier in 🇳🇴). We couldn’t get into the fjord when we first made landfall, but next morning the wind died & the fog started lifting so we headed in. STUNNING! Just got better from here...📸 @jamesaustrums #isbjornarctic #isbjornsailing #swan48 #offshoresailing #feelalive #higharctic #visitsvalbard #glaciersailing #arctic #gnarly
@miapahavet loves her new #fushing gloves for Arctic sailing!⛵️These fleece-lined rubber gloves bought from the Tromsø fisherman’s chandlery came in handy during the snow squalls offshore en route to SPITSBERGEN! #isbjornarctic #isbjornsailing #feelalive #sailing #offshoresailing #segling #swan48
Midnight chart briefing just before departure back in Norway 🇳🇴. The offshore forecast changed daily in the lead up to leaving, so our route changed with it. In the end, the weather offshore was as good as we could have asked for - breeze, but not too much! #isbjornarctic #isbjornsailing #feelalive #sailing #segling #offshoresailing #weatherrouting #weather
June 12th!!?? @miapahavet’s first morning anchor watch in Kamavika in Hornsund & a fresh coating of summer snow! ❄️ ⛄️ It’s snowed almost every day we’ve been in Spitsbergen so far! Given the quickly changeable weather, we’ve kept the watch rotation going even at anchor, looking out for ice, squalls & polar bears. #isbjornarctic #isbjornsailing #arctic #spitsbergen #sailing #boatlife #segling
First signs of ICE as we made our Spitsbergen landfall at 0100. Passed by lots of little growlers and glacier ice blown out of Hornsund by the strong easterly that helped us average 155 miles per day en route. The mouth of the Hornsund fjord was BLOWING, like 35 knots, so we bailed and skirted north to anchor in the lee of Dunøyane. @miapahavet & Steve lowering the main as we rounded the corner, glacier ice passing by the starboard quarter. #isbjornarctic #arctic #sailing #schralpthegnar #segling #isbjornsailing #feelalive #hellyhansen
Holy smokes, we made it! After 3 days, 10 hours at sea 🌊, on June 11, 2018 at 0115, Isbjorn dropped anchor at 77 degrees NORTH in SPITSBERGEN! You guys...this place is 100x more incredible than our wildest dreams. Our amazing crew of Steve, Dave, Patty & Jordan got us here safely & in great time - THANKS! Stand by, the past four days have been unreal, and we’re only just getting started! @svdelos @senor.brady @flyingbrian.svdelos @bluevue4you prepare to have your minds blown! #isbjornarctic #isbjornsailing #farthestnorth #arctic#sailing 📸 @jamesaustrums
 
 

59º North Sailing // In Conjunction With: