Sanna, Finnish, is a biology master student at UNIS, Longyearbyn's university. Her dog Zodiac is with her at Vagabond.

Fabrice, French and Norwegian, is doing a phD at UNIS. See also his personal website.

Posted Dec 2007 31 at 09:23 [en - fr]

Sat, 29 Dec 2007, de Fabrice et Sanna

"For our first attempt at getting to Vagabond, we chose the "shortest" route... on the map. In reality we got stuck in slush and huge amounts of loose snow so the only thing that seemed short was the distance we were moving for the 12 last hours before we decided to turn back. We were lucky on our second attempt and Ulli came back to Longyearbyen on time. After he left it started snowing and blowing heavily and the temperature went up to almost freezing point. On Christmas Eve we measured a dramatic reduction in the sea ice thickness and as the wind started to get pretty strong Sanna became concerned about her dog Zodiac, and Fabrice, more down-to-earth, about his snowmobile. Around midnight we went out in the storm to move everything on land close to the other dogs. The sea ice was clearly starting to break away from the shore so we got into kind of a hurry. When we came back inside we had a good laugh reading a message from an unknowing mate who said he was envying us t he unstressful Christmas far away from civilisation. The storm lasted the whole night and the following day but fortunately the ice held. During 27 December night we learnt the difference between howling and barking. Suddenly there were not 4 but 5 animals around the doghouses, one of them very big and completely white. We scared him away but he came back some hours later and then again in the evening." Sanna and Fabrice

Posted Dec 2007 29 at 01:12 [en - fr]

Mon, 24 Dec 2007, Fabrice et Sanna

After being obliged to turn back, letting behind a snowmobile which we will get back later, Fabrice and Sanna could try a second time to reach Vagabond, with success. It took 3 days to make this crew change because of last heavy snow falls. Happily the full moon was illuminating the landscape, and Ulli could get back to civilization. He spent 8 days alone on board, to fill the gap between the teams. The next crew change will see France, Léonie and me coming back on board, mi-January. Merry Christmas!

Posted Dec 2007 24 at 09:55 [en - fr]

Sun, 23 Dec 2007, Solstice

Half way of the 4 months polar night, Fabrice and Sanna are about to replace Ulli, but the snowmobile expedition is getting very difficult. More story soon...

Posted Dec 2007 23 at 10:05 [en - fr]

Tue, 18 Dec 2007, Ulli

While Michael is about to see the sun again in France, Ulli has been setting up on board since Friday. The crew change was organised with snowmobiles, under northern lights which have been many for the last few days. Jin, the biggest of our 3 dogs, is always so chicken: he is happy moving closer to Vagabond with his companions, now that the pack ice is thick enough (36 cm).

Posted Dec 2007 18 at 10:45 [en - fr]

Tue, 11 Dec 2007, Calme

Very quiet weather for the past week, -20°C these days, sea ice thickness is now about 35 cm around Vagabond. Since 10 days, Michael didn't see any polar bear: they are not any more pushed in Inglefield's Bay, and they can enjoy a larger hunting area every day. If the weather is fine, Ulli will come from Longyearbyen next Friday and replace Michael.

Posted Dec 2007 11 at 21:02 [en - fr]

Wed, 05 Dec 2007, Glace

Ice is forming slowly around Vagabond... Michael was wondering why it was not increasing fast, compare to previous years. He just found out he was measuring in inches! Today, ice is 30cm thick, and there is no snow on it yet.

Posted Dec 2007 05 at 09:37 [en - fr]

Tue, 27 Nov 2007, Films

Despite a sleeping rhythm very disturbed with the polar night, Michael is trying to enjoy every day's short period of glow, at midday, to visit the dogs. These are still on shore, waiting for pack ice to be thick enough to set up their dogs houses next to the boat. Polar bears are losing patience as well, and there are more visits now. Michael is watching a film daily, a way to get out for a while. He had a hard time when daylight totally disappeared, "probably the time I needed to measure the night... now I'm feeling better." More news here ici (in French).

Posted Nov 2007 27 at 16:34 [en - fr]

Thu, 22 Nov 2007, Amarre rompue

A growler wear out one mooring rope, until it broke; but Michael could join end to end after removing the damaged 7 or 8 meters. New polar bear tracks were found at 10 meters from the dogs yesterday, but they never barked, the visitor was certainly peaceful!

Posted Nov 2007 22 at 11:57 [en - fr]

Tue, 20 Nov 2007, Disloquée

Today for the first time, Michael measured the pack ice thickness, few meters from the boat: 8 small centimetres. Surrounded with ice, Vagabond was moving under the strong gust. "I hope the wind will not increase, and that pack ice will resist!". But at 5pm, sea ice was breaking up...

Posted Nov 2007 20 at 18:18 [en - fr]

Mon, 19 Nov 2007, Jeune banquise

Vagabond moved a few meters away, she is not grounding and listing any more. Sea ice is setting up, at least. Michael is telling us about 15th November evening: "8pm. Dark night. No wind at all. I'm sitting in the saloon watching a film. Suddenly Imiaq is barking loudly. I know what it means. Search light... He is here, at 5 meters from me, on the new ice. He was probably next to the boat... He looks at me. He doesn't like the light, but he is not really scared. Again, I can see the very long hairs covering his feet. He shows his black tongue at times... The polar bear is walking now, following the boat: swaggering, slow steps, opening his feet to spread his weight on ice not to go through. Perfect control. Magic moments. Which are reminding me why I'm here."

Posted Nov 2007 19 at 10:23 [en - fr]

Thu, 15 Nov 2007, Marées

With westerly winds, it's been colder for the last 36 hours and sea is freezing. The boat has been pushed close to shore, and at low tide, she is grounding, listing 6 or 7 degrees... If the situation does not change, Michael will try to pull on the south rope to go back to the middle of the little bay. "But with so much ice around, I'm not sure to succeed...", he is telling us. In the meanwhile, he has to run the generator at high tide only, and if the sea is finally freezing, it could be a recurrent problem...

Posted Nov 2007 15 at 00:14 [en - fr]

Wed, 14 Nov 2007, Alan

From Ny-Alesund where he is working for IPEV, Alan is telling in his blog about Vagabond's stop last September.

Posted Nov 2007 14 at 17:18 [en - fr]

Mon, 12 Nov 2007, Nord / Sud

While a polar bear was visiting Michael, yesterday afternoon not far from Vagabond, France and I were encouraging Bilou (Roland Jourdain) who was starting the Barcelona World Race. With his team mate Jean-Luc Nélias, they are racing around the world non stop, they should be back in Barcelona after 3 months. Their red hull will go around the Antarctic as fast as possible, while Vagabond's red hull will stay still in the heart of the Arctic. We will share with you our next letters with Bilou, to exchange our stories about Great North and Great South. The International Polar Year is focusing on these regions, fragile and of a foremost importance for global warming. Follow Bilou.

Posted Nov 2007 12 at 19:51 [en - fr]

Mon, 12 Nov 2007, Blog complet

Read Mika's complete blog on RoadBook's website.

See latest pictures.

Posted Nov 2007 12 at 13:11 [en - fr]

Tue, 06 Nov 2007, 40 jours

Michael didn't see any polar bear for a while, and now, there would not be enough light to take pictures. Dogs are back on shore. Still no ice, and it was even raining 2 days ago! The weather is bad, but no strong wind like 2 weeks ago. So ropes are quiet at the moment and water is deep enough under the hull. Michael is trying to enjoy the 4 or 5 hours of twilight every day, "strange experience" he says.

Posted Nov 2007 06 at 22:06 [en - fr]

Sun, 28 Oct 2007, Chiens au sec

"Dogs are on board during monthly high tides, because sea is coming inside their dog houses on the beach..." Michael

Posted Oct 2007 28 at 18:08 [en - fr]

Sat, 27 Oct 2007, Phoque curieux

'While going ashore to feed the dogs, a ringed seal came to visit me and went around the dinghy for a long time. Curious and playful, he came closer and closer, and even put his head on the edge of the small boat! Darkness is now coming before 3pm, and I'm getting a better idea of what will be 24 hours night. I understand that more and more, my world will be limited to the boat only... Yesterday, a full moon was showing the snowy mountains and Inglefield glacier. At 10pm, I climbed in the mast to enjoy the scene.' Michael

Posted Oct 2007 27 at 15:30 [en - fr]

Thu, 25 Oct 2007, Echouages

On 19th October, Vagabond was surrounded with new pancake ice. Michael saw the sun for the last time, polar night will last 4 months. The following day, a storm pushed Vagabond on shore: "Bad night. No good sleep. It was banging all the time... In the morning, the stem was on the beach, close to the dogs (they enjoy the show!). Bloody southerly wind. I tried pulling on ropes, but no chance to get out of there." wrote Michael. Finally, wind changed in the evening: "Gust at 70 km/h. The boat was listing with shocks on starboard. Suddenly, it was moving. GPS confirmed that Vagabond was not grounded anymore, and with the search light, I could see the shore going away slowly.". 2 days later, wind was up to 130 km/h, rear ropes broke, and Vagabond ran aground, again, heeled 15°. Happily, by phone yesterday, Michael told me that Vagabond was floating again!

Posted Oct 2007 25 at 12:58 [en - fr]

Fri, 19 Oct 2007, Déménagement

"At least, the weather is good! I decide to move the dog houses closer to the boat, with the help of the dinghy pulled by the dogs, because I couldn't see them with the search light when it was snowing... Then I have to move ice blocks to secure them properly. Some of these blocks may weight up to 50 kilos... Later on, I'm happy to drink a soda outside, on the after deck, in the shimmering light (night is here at 5pm). No more ice around the boat, no wind, great peacefulness. This is too seldom here not to enjoy it..." Michael

Posted Oct 2007 19 at 08:14 [en - fr]

Wed, 17 Oct 2007, 40m

A polar bear was resting near the dogs for about 3 hours when Michael decided to call me to have my opinion, before going ashore to feed them. Around me, in Dijon's auditorium, listening to me talking about pack ice, polar bear and rifle, people were looking stupefied! Then all went fine: he could take pictures of the animal from less than 40m, the dogs were fed and the polar bear was gone before night. Michael is still thinking about bringing the dogs closer to the boat, in order to be sure to hear them if they bark, especially if the wind is strong. Sea ice is slowly setting up, but dry suit is still necessary to go to shore.

Posted Oct 2007 17 at 18:12 [en - fr]

Thu, 11 Oct 2007, Dijon

France, Léonie and me are now in Dijon for 4 days, at the Adventure Film Festival, and Michael just sent us some news from his first days on board (in French only...).

Posted Oct 2007 11 at 08:47 [en - fr]

Fri, 05 Oct 2007, Michael

Vagabond is ready for the winter, and everything has been explained for the last 4 days. Tomorrow, Sanna, Eeva, Ulli and me will walk from the East Coast towards civilization. Girls will go all the way to Longyearbyen, planning a 8 days trip, while Ulli and me will take the shortest route, to the mine of Svea, at 2 days from Vagabond. Michael Charavin will then be alone on board for over 2 months, there will be more about his adventures on this blog! We met in Kerguelen 12 years ago, and since then, he has been travelling and guiding in polar regions. He will discover polar night and he saw his first polar bear 2 days ago!

Posted Oct 2007 05 at 23:20 [en - fr]

Tue, 02 Oct 2007, Circumpolaris

After 3 days of tough sailing, Vagabond just dropped anchor at Inglefield Bay, where she will spend a fourth winter for Damocles project studying sea ice. Today is also coming out our book 'Circumpolaris, Vagabond dans l'Arctique', published by Glénat. This is the story of Vagabond's journey around the Arctic (2002-2003), and about her first winterings in Spitsbergen (2004-2007). You can read a presentation here (not yet available in English).

Posted Oct 2007 02 at 14:38 [en - fr]

Thu, 27 Sep 2007, Longyearbyen

Getting ready to go for the wintering location: 800kg of food, 400kg of dog food, 4 tonnes of diesel, a new winch... 3 dogs and 5 people are about to sail around south of Spitsbergen to reach Inglefieldbukta. But for now, the sea is a bit too rough.

New pictures on line...

Posted Sep 2007 27 at 21:21 [en - fr]

Sat, 22 Sep 2007, Equinoxe

Léonie was only 4 weeks old when daylight became permanent, by the end of March. Darkness has been back for 2 weeks, and since yesterday, the sun is more than 12 hours per day below the horizon: Léonie is discovering the night!

Vagabond will be soon ready for the next wintering, after 3 weeks of maintenance and supplying in Ny-Alesund. Regularly, short trips and little parties were interrupting this essential period before the winter. Tomorrow we will sail to Longyearbyen, holds and stores full with food and fuels.

Posted Sep 2007 22 at 10:35 [en - fr]

Fri, 31 Aug 2007, Ny Alesund

Fantastic welcoming yesterday in Ny Alesund, where Vagabond will stay until 23rd September to prepare the next overwintering.

Posted Aug 2007 31 at 17:55 [en - fr]

Thu, 26 Jul 2007, WebCam

Still at anchor in front of Longyearbyen, Vagabond can be seen here.

Posted Jul 2007 26 at 14:47 [en - fr]

Mon, 16 Jul 2007, Civilisation

Vagabond is at anchor in front of Longyearbyen, the little capital of Spitsbergen, since 7 o'clock this morning. The end of the third wintering and our return to civilization were already celebrated on 14 July at Hornsund, a great fjord south of Spitsbergen, with our friends from Makoré. For Fabrice and Isabelle, also travelling by yacht with their little daughter, Loana, it was the day they realized their dream: 5 years before, they started building their really nice boat whose destination was Spitsbergen. So the two happy French crews met by coincidence on their national nay, time for a little feast, especially since Makoré was carrying champagne and cheese for Vagabond. A whale came close to us exactly when we met! The evening before, while sailing around south cape, we were listening on the radio to the big African concert from La Bastille in Paris.

Posted Jul 2007 16 at 02:12 [en - fr]

Thu, 12 Jul 2007, Au fond

The CTD didn't come up after her last dive. Eaten away by salt, the safety lock broke up, the instrument suddenly sank to the bottom of Storfjord with her ballast and all cable. At about 200 meters deep, she is still recording salinity and temperature, until memory will be full or batteries empty. Could we hope for a lucky trawl one day? Water was clear, swell was negotiable, and by an irony of fate, it was the last profile of our third wintering. Data are lost as well as the ones from the 4 profiles we did before, regularly since we left the wintering location on 10th July. A stop in front of glacier Croll is allowing us to do some mechanical maintenance, to have the dogs run on land, and to collect some ice to increase our fresh water stock, before going on with a more flat sea. Léonie discovered her house can move and is finding her sea legs slowly, like her parents.

Posted Jul 2007 12 at 23:57 [en - fr]

Mon, 09 Jul 2007, Europe 1

I will participate by satellite phone at Jacques Pradel's program, tomorrow 10 July between 9 and 10:30am, 'Journey to the poles'.

Posted Jul 2007 09 at 11:54 [en - fr]

Sun, 08 Jul 2007, Débâcle

Way is free! Sun has been shining 24 hours for one week, and there are only few ice bits around us. All started on 7/7/07 around 7:07... Dogs have been moved to land yesterday, at the last minute, while sea ice was breaking up everywhere around, and when few polar bears were hunting on the last ice floes. Later, still sweating after carrying the heavy dog houses on the shore, I didn't hesitate to jump in the water to catch a bucket about to sink. Biting! Despite the sun, water temperature is still negative... Now we have to finish transforming our winter hut into a boat ready to sail.

Posted Jul 2007 08 at 12:58 [en - fr]

Wed, 04 Jul 2007, Narvals

Few narwhals passed along the neighbouring beach, free of ice, the weather was very calm and we could hear them blowing. Polar bears keep showing us all their hunting technics, such as this big one covered with mud who turned up very fast, passed in front of the excited dogs, and rushed at the seals taking the sun not far from us. After making dive about 15 seals this way, during his mad run, the bear lied in wait in front of one of their holes, patiently. While we can still ski on pack ice to the glacier front, at about 2 km from Vagabond, we did yesterday our first trip around Inglefield's Bay with the dinghy, after pulling it on ice up to open water. What an amazing feeling to do the same trip by boat, accompanied by flocks of eiders, than the one we did last week on ski with the dogs! The outboard engine was rocking Léonie when we were going joyfully in between drifting ice blocks...

Posted Jul 2007 04 at 11:22 [en - fr]

Mon, 02 Jul 2007, Combien

Every day, we are not wondering if we will see a polar bear, but how many! Concerning the seals, we cannot count them anymore. 2 days ago, we could see 12 polar bears in the same time from the boat, including 4 cubs. Females are always very careful to protect their youngs from starving males, impressive pursuits sometimes start suddenly. The carefree cubs, playful and curious, are only few weeks older than Léonie, and they grew up in the same environment. But Léonie is from Lion... And our Léonie's weight only doubled since her birth, while polar bear milk is so rich that cubs could multiply their weight by 100, from 500g (born around New Year) to 50kg now (10kg when going out of the den late March). This morning, a polar bear was hunting a seal at less than 100 meters from Vagabond, diving very carefully to hide himself in a hole. In vain. Open water is at 300 meters from us now, and pack ice is getting very fragile.

Posted Jul 2007 02 at 13:06 [en - fr]

Sat, 30 Jun 2007, Pétard

Our dog Frost burst his mouth out. When picking up the banger sent by France to dissuade a too curious polar bear from coming any closer, he was certainly not expecting such a result. Luckily, the polar bear ran away, Frost isn't badly hurt, and he can hear again. Later, another polar bear was watching our original team passing at a good speed on the flooded pack ice: the 3 dogs first, then me, then the pulka (with riffle, video and tripod), then France towed behind and carrying Léonie under her jacket. So skiing we suddenly reached the ice edge. The bad weather took away most of the surroundings pack ice, and open water is at only 2km from Vagabond now. Seals' resting area and bears' hunting field have reduced as much. We ate our last fruit, our last newspaper is getting old, but radio is helping us to think about what's happening in the rest of the world, and despite everything family life is quite peaceful here.

Posted Jun 2007 30 at 11:37 [en - fr]

Tue, 26 Jun 2007, RFI

Eric is interviewed by Arielle Cassim on Radio France Internationale this Wednesday 27th June at 1:40pm (11:40am UTC).

Léonie is 4 months old today, her weight doubled since her birth!

Posted Jun 2007 26 at 15:06 [en - fr]

Mon, 25 Jun 2007, Festin

3 polar bears, including a cub, shared the leftovers from a seal devoured not long before by another bear. Fascinating show we could see yesterday from Vagabond, while the sun was illuminating again the pack ice, after 3 days of wet fog (the opportunity to go on a film cure on board). Another seal, so far more fortunate, took up residence close to the hole I'm using since early April to do the hydrographical measurements with CTD. Melting is not early this year, although some flowers are appearing, but snow is more covering the land than previous years at this time. Skiing conditions on pack ice are still very good, allowing some fast trips around with the dogs. We sometimes need to exercise authority to control them, when we find ourself face to face with a very young reindeer for instance! Nevertheless, if polar bears visits are increasing, this is because pack ice is receding, we should soon see open water...

Posted Jun 2007 25 at 13:04 [en - fr]

Tue, 19 Jun 2007, Solstice

Summer is tomorrow. At the lowest of its course, in the middle of the 'night', the sun will be at 11°20' above our horizon. It will be the altitude of the sun in the sky of Paris at 20:25, then at 21:02 at Brest, by comparison (local time). As you can imagine, our solar panels are working continuously, and without heater, under the panoramic roof of Vagabond, temperatures can reach 25 to 30°C! While outside, we have around zero temperatures. So when the sky is clear, no fuel is used to heat, to light, or to make electricity (deep freezer, computers, radios, phone, CD player, charging various batteries...). A little gas for cooking only. And as we are moving around with dogs, no engine neither exhaust fumes are disturbing Inglefield's bay. So we are waiting for thaw, knowing the privilege it is to be here at this time of the year. For the last 6 weeks, and for about 4 weeks more at least, only a helicopter can reach us. The snow melting and the rivers opening make any travel difficult by land, while pack ice and shallow waters make our favourite bay inaccessible by sea.

Posted Jun 2007 19 at 21:59 [en - fr]

Sat, 09 Jun 2007, Lisse

Pack ice is smooth now. Snow has melted, and melting water froze again, in contact with sea ice. Like an ice rink, on which it is easy to travel on skis, with dogs or snowkite depending on wind. Even so I need more than 3 hours to go and do a CTD cast, compare to less than one hour with snowmobile before. But what a pleasure to observe more calmly a polar bear cub playing next to his mother, or a young seal lying near to the hole he will dive through if the polar bear is coming too close. On land, snow is loosing ground and areas without snow are welcoming the birds, coming back. Brent geese are showing off, purple sandpipers are forcefully looking for their food, great skuas are gliding, kittiwakes are gathering and shouting 'kitti-wake'... their presence is reassuring us: summer is coming, pack ice will certainly break-up this year again. Be patient!

Posted Jun 2007 09 at 12:23 [en - fr]

Fri, 08 Jun 2007, Plancton du monde

Océanopolis and CEMPAMA is organising the event "Plancton of a day, plancton of the world", in the context of the Oceans World Day; there will be a live phone call this morning between the public and Vagabond

Posted Jun 2007 08 at 09:29 [en - fr]

Mon, 04 Jun 2007, Futura Sciences

Un nouveau dossier sur la banquise est en ligne sur le site de Futura Sciences, qui se consacre à la vulgarisation de la science pour tous et dans tous les domaines. Découvrez le dossier et la carte blanche.

Posted Jun 2007 04 at 09:16 [en - fr]

Tue, 29 May 2007, Facteur sportif

Fabrice came to Vagabond last Saturday on skis, 45km without stop from Svea (the closest civilization), helped with a kite for some kilometres. In his pulkas, some mail for us and 10 kilos of fresh food! After few jumps on pack ice with his snowkite, to amaze Léonie on her 3 months anniversary, he left yesterday with our snowmobile, which is now in a safe place for the summer. At Vagabond's wintering location, the snowmobile would be at the mercy of polar bears, and we would probably find it in bad conditions in October, when we'll come back for the fourth winter. For now, pack ice is still very good and experiments keep going by dog sledge. Polar bears are showing up a bit more these days, especially a male following a female for 3 days, they already passed 3 times at Vagabond.

Posted May 2007 29 at 09:31 [en - fr]

Thu, 24 May 2007, Chaud

It was hot last Tuesday, also France, Léonie and I, with the dogs, could go skiing without jacket. Back just before 11pm, the sun was still high! But conditions can change quickly and around 1am, for the daily CTD cast, I was going on pack ice in the fog. Temperature is lower in the middle of the night, and snow is then harder.

Posted May 2007 24 at 08:43 [en - fr]

Thu, 17 May 2007, Ecriture

Since the storm last week, the first for Léonie, the sky is cloudy and temperatures are quite high. Snow started to melt, but pack ice is still fine to go for the daily CTD. A small team sent by IPEV last week-end came to pick up one of the 2 snowmobiles, and to supply us in the mean time. Now is a study time on board, regularly animated by our happy little daughter.

Posted May 2007 17 at 23:21 [en - fr]

Sun, 06 May 2007, France raconte

"It was a real pleasure to welcome the Frozen Five on board. This morning, they left with Eric on skis and with our 3 dogs to help pulling their heavy pulkas. Alone with Léonie, I was feeding her peacefully when I heard strange sounds: at 5 meters from the boat, a polar bear was working hard on the almost new seat of one of our snowmobiles! Feeding interruption for Léonie, incredulous, who found quickly herself fastened in her baby chair while some shouts and one banger scared away the lout. Coming back inside, the door handle broke! After playing for some time with a wire cable near the cabin, the polar bear came back determined. Poor Léonie: new interruption and this time, two loud flares I sent to stop him getting use to our territory, then she started crying! This story's moral is that we feel destitute without a dog to alert, with a broken door handle, and with a polar bear busy evading your eye to show up without notice... Eric, back to Vagabond, found himself face to face with the polar bear coming back again! We will remember it, particularly since the high polar bear season will begin soon." France

Posted May 2007 06 at 14:42 [en - fr]

Sun, 06 May 2007, Ambiance familiale

The Frozen Five were may be expecting a real drinking session with sailors, although they didn't seem afraid of lullabies and calm to respect when Léonie was sleeping, and they contributed to a happy birthday party for France! I joined the terrific team with our 3 dogs for few kilometres yesterday, before leaving them under a perfect blue sky, fantastic day on pack ice. By the end of the day, during the daily measurements, I was again watching a polar bear quite close, splendid.

Posted May 2007 06 at 14:41 [en - fr]

Fri, 04 May 2007, Frozen Five

Yesterday morning, the American group left Inglefieldbukta with a beautiful weather, it was nice following them for a while with our small sledge, before turning back to Vagabond. Then, a few hours later, we could see the Frozen Five (www.frozenfive.org) coming towards Vagabond: after 5 weeks skiing and pulling their pulkas, they were right on schedule! Warm reunion, even our best seal (Léonard) was here to welcome them, next to the scientific hole he is enjoying since we removed the instrument, 50 meters from Vagabond. The Svalbard Scientific Skiing Expedition is staying 2 nights on board, to get some rest and to pack their pulkas with the 150 kg of supplies we have been storing for them. A polar bear came few hours ago and check their big storage wooden box, but all the food was already in a safe place... then the polar bear went to visit our seal, but no chance for any interview, Léonard dived right away. Still 6 weeks of skiing ahead, but the Frozen Five wish it could be longer!

Posted May 2007 04 at 10:42 [en - fr]

Fri, 04 May 2007, Wintergreen

Our dogs were suddenly very excited last Tuesday, and one hour later, 4 sledges, 30 dogs and 12 people were setting up their camp next to Vagabond for 2 days. We were really glad to see Lisa and Paul again, and to meet the rest of the group from Wintergreen, in Minnesota (www.dogsledding.com). Our 3 dogs joined one of the dog teams, happy to be with uncle or sister for a trip on sea ice, to the usual location for our oceanographic measurements. France was sitting on a sledge, and could feed Léonie outside, on sea ice, for the first time!

Posted May 2007 04 at 10:11 [en - fr]

Mon, 30 Apr 2007, Icedyn

This is the name of the scientific program which second part just ended, after 2 days measurements on pack ice, at 7 km from Vagabond. The researcher Frédéric Vivier and I set up several instruments, including a prototype under test and calibration, to measure heat exchange between air and ocean, ice and snow thickness, salinity, temperature, current... Few visitors, including 2 polar bears, came for company or only to watch us from a distance, while the sun was going down, without disappearing. Despite midnight sun, temperature went down to -22°C early in the morning, but luckily, no wind, great sight, always so imposing. Next sun set, 20th August. Before enjoying summer sailing, the coming weeks should be more quiet for 3 of us, until the ice breaking-up, probably in July, like the two past years.

Posted Apr 2007 30 at 00:13 [en - fr]

Sat, 21 Apr 2007, Récupération

Sponsored by Frederik Paulsen, a helicopter flight yesterday allowed us to recover the last mooring lost after the 24th March ice breaking-up. The very good weather helped to locate the instruments, and few holes with the hand drill were enough to free them from a 70cm sea ice, on which the helicopter could land safely. The day before, accompanied by a journalist from Le Monde, our friend and guide Stefano came to pick up family and friends to drive them back to Longyearbyen with snowmobiles. France, Léonie and I are alone for a few days, relative solitude because we just had 10 skiers from GNGL visiting us! Weather conditions remain very good and allow me to do daily CTDs since early April, at 4km offshore, on 80m depth, thanks to a safe and negotiable pack ice.

Posted Apr 2007 21 at 13:15 [en - fr]

Mon, 16 Apr 2007, Famille

Léonie met her grand father, coming down from the sky with many gifts... thanks to the helicopter that came to pick up Océanopolis' team. So we are for 5 days with family and friends, fresh snow and sunny pack ice for the occasion. While for scientific observations, conditions are good to go every day on pack ice with the CTD. Fantastic.

Posted Apr 2007 16 at 09:26 [en - fr]

Wed, 11 Apr 2007, Océanopolis

After welcoming a German TV team for ZDF, who was lucky to see 2 polar bears within 3 days, Vagabond is now welcoming an original team (with Roland Jourdain) for the launching of the exhibition 'Voyages to the poles' at Océanopolis in Brest. Vagabond is representing Damocles and sea ice studies, privileged witness for the climate change. A live call will allow Vagabond's crew and her guests to communicate with the public of Océanopolis on Friday 13 April at 18:00.

Posted Apr 2007 11 at 23:54 [en - fr]

Tue, 03 Apr 2007, Récupéré

The main mooring, drifting for the last 8 days, was recovered yesterday with the helicopter of the Lance, the ship of the Norwegian Polar Institute, at about 45 km from Vagabond. Results should be exceptional.

Posted Apr 2007 03 at 09:25 [en - fr]

Mon, 02 Apr 2007, Grand beau

Temperatures between -20 and -30 for the last 4 days, great sun and no wind, the best weather for the crew change yesterday. The midnight sun will come soon, there is no more night, we have to wait for 5 months to have real darkness again.

Posted Apr 2007 02 at 09:30 [en - fr]

Sun, 01 Apr 2007, Hummocks

One week after the unexpected breaking up, sea ice is still too much thin and uneven to go to the usual CTD station, and to try to recover the moorings gone drifting. So our activities are more nearby Vagabond.

Posted Apr 2007 01 at 00:13 [en - fr]

Thu, 29 Mar 2007, Dérive

One of the Argos beacon is at 19 km South-East of Vagabond, the other one is at 32 km South. But pack ice is not thick enough yet for snowmobiles, and a new low is passing now... Before that, Léonie (1 month) did her first dog sledge trip on sea ice!

Posted Mar 2007 29 at 01:08 [en - fr]

Sun, 25 Mar 2007, Argos

A large part of pack ice has been blown away during last storm. With this, all instruments deployed the day before! All crew is impressed by such a quick change: from the end of the moraine, we could watch yesterday the big red buoy on top of the main mooring, drifting on a big ice floe, not far from 2 polar bears walking peacefully on the nearby ice floe. Today, the sea is blue, pack ice is visible at the horizon, and satellites are telling us that instruments already travelled more than 10 kilometres to the South or to the East... Cold is back, sea is freezing again fast, but will we be able to recover all instruments?

Posted Mar 2007 25 at 20:51 [en - fr]

Sat, 24 Mar 2007, Cohabitation

The Magi arrived on board, with an impressive and unexpected load! Thanks to all Léonie's polar uncles! The scientific mission is going well, and compromise cleverly with the film crew and our training as parents... a very busy start of life for Léonie, who is adapting quite well to life on board Vagabond.

Posted Mar 2007 24 at 13:14 [en - fr]

Sat, 24 Mar 2007, Icedyn

The second research team (Hervé, Tonio and Antoine) arrived 3 days ago. Objectives of Icedyn project: to quantify heat exchange between ocean and atmosphere, trough sea ice. Ice-T is back, the experimental instrument tested last year with success at Vagabond. Between 2 lows, it was possible yesterday to deploy part of the instruments on the ice in Storfjord. This morning, a polar bear was checking the currentmeter still in the camp for some maintenance, and since it is working fine again! Waiting for better weather and mainly lower temperatures (+5°C last night!) to work safely on pack ice, the film crew is more looking at life on board. The scientists didn't come alone, Sandra was chosen to discover the project and its environment, while Nicolas and Alexandre are making a film for Arte (see www.gedeonprogrammes.com, expeditions).

Posted Mar 2007 24 at 12:52 [en - fr]

Mon, 19 Mar 2007, En famille

It was still blowing a lot this morning, and temperature went down to -20°C (equivalent to -50°C during gusts). Despite a clear sky yesterday, the 3 scientists had to turn back to Longyearbyen half way, because of blowing snow and snow drifts. The 4 skiers having problems in the storm, not far from Vagabond, could finally be rescue by helicopter. On my side, although I've been alone for a while because of the bad weather, days were passing quietly, taking care of the dogs and the boat... until the helicopter came today around 2pm, with my little family! Thanks a lot to the Governor of Svalbard for the air transportation. Léonie will be 3 weeks old tomorrow, on board with her 2 happy parents. A quick phone call to reassure her grand-mother, having her birthday in the heat in Barcelona, at uncle Piem-the-webmaster's! About the 3 scientists, after a difficult trip, they arrived tonight.

Posted Mar 2007 19 at 23:55 [en - fr]

Sat, 17 Mar 2007, 50 noeuds

France and Léonie are still in Longyearbyen, standing by because of a storm, like the team from the Norwegian Polar Institute that was suppose to come today. Alone on board, surrounded by snow flurries and wind howling, I enjoy the heat from the stove to do all kind of things inside. How will be the ice pack after this? Will we be able to work as planned?

Posted Mar 2007 17 at 15:53 [en - fr]

Thu, 15 Mar 2007, 70cm

Long day of measurements on sea ice yesterday, with the electromagnetic icemeter for thickness (70cm average), and with the CTD for water salinity and temperature. But the last storm has broken up the ice in Storfjord, and I had to stay in Inglefield Bay. Wonderful weather this morning, thermometer dropped down from -5 to -20°C, which should allow pack ice to strengthen.

Vagabond is now ready to welcome France and Léonie (may be today), and the teams that will be linked together until early May!

Posted Mar 2007 15 at 07:20 [en - fr]

Mon, 12 Mar 2007, Seul à bord

Back to Inglefieldbukta by snowmobile, last Saturday, with 3 drivers to join me. A nice trip although visibility was quite poor sometimes. Not long before arriving at Vagabond, we could see a polar bear in the distance, on a very thin sea ice that pushed us to quickly drive back to land! Warm evening with the whole crew, then the next morning, Sanja and Mathieu left on skis to Longyearbyen, while Eike and her 2 team members got on their snowmobiles. I'm now looking forward for our little family to gather on board, may be before welcoming the first scientists!

Posted Mar 2007 12 at 09:29 [en - fr]

Thu, 08 Mar 2007, Femmes et soleil

France, Léonie (born in Tromso on last 27 February) and I are in Longyearbyen since Sunday night. I'm getting ready to go back to Vagabond with snowmobile, France and Léonie will fly there when there will be any opportunity. Today is the Women's day and the sun is back in Longyearbyen after the long polar night. 2 very appropriate events for us!

Some news from the boat: "Today we went to the new ice that built up after the sea ice outside the bay cracked two times during the last week during strong winds. We were very curious to see how the ice differed on the surface because we could see the different colours of the ice from the moraine during the last days. To this occasion we finally took out our fresh longjohns and enjoyed the rare feeling of fresh and clean clothes on the skin. Amazing how special that feeling gets living in a place where it is not easy to wash clothes. After a first little fight between the dogs (no serious injuries) since Eike came we hope they understood that this is not allowed. It is incredible that we never saw Imiaq as satisfied with himself and the world as today after the fight before - even with a little hole in his foot and a lot of being told of by us. To compensate for that we had ginger bread as desert yesterday made in a pan and now a new load is in the oven. The doe survived sin ce Christmas, flew here with a helicopter and now is the right time for eating it we decided. Yesterday, after a deliberate cleaning morning, we went downhill skiing close to the glacier front and found out that the dogs just can't manage with us without sled! Sanja found the very fitting comparison with a group of lost chickens. We spent a lot of time trying to convince them not to sit or walk on our skis but to find their own way or at least leave us room to move. We got some funny moment with one of us lying in the snow, dog over, under and between the legs and the poles, ropes, rifles and skis in between. Sanja and Eike."

Posted Mar 2007 08 at 08:15 [en - fr]

Sun, 04 Mar 2007, Eclipse

"Yesterday evening surprised us with complete lunar eclipse! The sky was clear and we could follow the eating up of the moon comfortably from the mess after turning off our beloved helicopter fuel lamp. The boat was surrounded by spooky atmosphere of sudden darkening of the night and the stars and northern lights appeared while the moon slowly became emerged in the shadow of the earth. The dark red moon kept us awake until late in the night. The best entertainment in the long evenings is John J. Rowlands' "Cache lake country", which we read aloud to each other every time we need a study brake or at random times of the day. With him we have learned how to lift up a canoe on your shoulders with least effort and what kind of a fly-tying wise is the best in the North Woods. Today we were on a skiing trip with the dogs trying to slow down our progress by sitting on the skis or trying to walk between our legs. Still we managed a snow sampling transect and a photo session with s unglasses on an iceberg after finding out that iceberg climbing is also possible with skis. Sanja and Eike."

Posted Mar 2007 04 at 21:07 [en - fr]

Sat, 03 Mar 2007, Great nature

"After a snowy and bad-view day that hold us inside most of the day yesterday, today we had a brilliant day with a morning polar bear that was strolling by some 200m away while Eike was outside with the dogs, rolling itself in the snow many times and apparently being just mildly interested in the strange happenings close to the boat. After giving up hope of seeing a polar bear and already doubting all the stories about polar bears living on the east coast Eike was very happy to finally got to see one. After this good start we set out for a sea ice transect and just when we were finished, the sky cleared and the sun showed her smiling face to us. No doubt, we had to extend the trip a bit! The snow is fairly deep at the moment so it is hard work for the dogs to pull the sled but it more fun anyway if we have to work a bit too to go where we want to go. Now the full moon is shining brightly, bathing the world around us in an unearthly light, rivers of snow streaming over the ice driven by the wind. The temperature dropped 10 degrees during the day and we had up to 30 knots wind this evening. Nice to see natures strength now and then and the hot chocolate tastes even better when it is cold and blowing outside :) Eike and Sanja"

Posted Mar 2007 03 at 23:00 [en - fr]

Sat, 03 Mar 2007, Lead

"On the way back from Arnesenbreen we skied close to the shore of Storfjorden where the lead has opened the day before yesterday. Despite the temperature of -27 degrees, we really had the feeling of the first spring day. The lead had got incredible blue mirror-like new ice cover, decorated with millions of white frost flowers. We could actually hear the ice growing and bowing against the shore. Eike and Sanja"

Posted Mar 2007 03 at 22:55 [en - fr]

Tue, 27 Feb 2007, Chenal

"The current low pressure has forced us to study and to spend hours chopping ice from the inner windows. The catch of today was a full bucket full of ice once breathed or cooked and then condensed. The wind has opened a huge lead parallel to the coast maybe 4-5 kilometres from here and reminded us that we actually are in the Arctic were it's supposed to be harsh. The new snow has cleaned the landscape. Eike and Sanja"

Posted Feb 2007 27 at 22:24 [en - fr]

Sun, 25 Feb 2007, Mesures

"Our strong team of five polar dogs took us easily five kilometres NE from Vagabond for the ice thickness measurements. The ice towards Agardhbukta turned out to be all hummocked, which made the sledging interesting as well as the fresh bear tracks all around in the surroundings with not so great visibility. But what we would not do for science :D! 50 cm wide lead had opened last night in the middle of the ice profile 2 km from the boat. All I hope is that the ice stays in the bay and the food Eike is now cooking will be good even if the potatoes had frozen. Sanja"

Posted Feb 2007 25 at 09:13 [en - fr]

Fri, 23 Feb 2007, Rotation

"After Helle left today with Martin and Sigur who brought Eike as the new crew member to the boat, the quietness of the bay surrounded us again. It was a beautiful day with the sun touching the tip of the mast for the first time and fog lying over the ice here and there. Of course we had to get on a trip with the new dog team: Eike brought Janson and Loki with her to help Jin, Imiaq and Frost in the sledge bulling business. But first we had a briefing about all the do and don't which are important on a boat in the arctic winter. Eike's 2 dogs said hello to the 3 Vagabond dogs already the day before without any fight, and we were quite hopeful that it would work well on the trip: and it did. So with more "dog power" I started to show Eike the wonderful surrounding of Ingelfieldbukta with the result that she had to repeat the phrase "that is sooo beautiful" hundreds of times. We crossed a lot of polar bear tracks on our way and Eike was really amazed about their size and fr equency. Coming back we taped the part of the cabin that a young bear tried to destroy a day before and observed another bear a couple of km away on the sea ice. Despite of that we enjoyed a warm tea and hot chocolate in the boat afterwards. A short weather report: minus 25 degrees in the afternoon and perfectly clear sky and little wind :) What a start for the new crew member. Sanja"

Posted Feb 2007 23 at 22:50 [en - fr]

Thu, 22 Feb 2007, Rotation

"17:00 and my pick up crew has just arrived. Tomorrow we will drive back and tonight will be my last on board Vagabond stuck in the ice. The last three weeks have been extremely -fantastic -interesting, -silent, -fun, -cold and sometimes a bit scary. I will definitely miss this bay, the boat and all the beautiful moments, but most of all I will miss the sledging trips with Sanja, Jin, Frost and Imiaq! Goodbye Ingelfieldbukta and Vagabond. Now...I'm really looking forward to a nice warm shower and a cold beer! Cheers, Helle"

Posted Feb 2007 22 at 18:44 [en - fr]

Thu, 22 Feb 2007, Visits

"The lesson of today: if you want to chaise a bear away by shouting, don't use Finnish. This might encourage the bear to come closer! Luckily Helle had some effective Danish swearwords to save us. Half an hour after the visit of the bear, we were happily surprised to get a visit from two police officers on a inspection and tracking trip. Coffee and cookies seemed to help for the disappointment we caused by telling Inglefieldsbukta is definitely the wrong place to look for thiefs. After this action packed morning all five (girls and dogs) were enjoying a sledge trip in today's 10 minutes of sunshine on the sea ice of the bay! Helle and Sanja"

Posted Feb 2007 22 at 00:37 [en - fr]

Sun, 18 Feb 2007, Gîte

"Who said that you can not get sea sick in a boat frozen in the ice? Because of the temperature dropping down to -27 Celsius degrees yesterday, the ice was expanding and causing the boat to tilt slightly. It's probably not more than couple of centimetres, but for sure we do have to go downhill to the kitchen now! Helle and Sanja"

Posted Feb 2007 18 at 19:43 [en - fr]

Fri, 16 Feb 2007, Retour du soleil !

"From the blue moment around noon, that we had in the time of our arrival two weeks ago, the day has got longer and longer. In the beginning of this week the blue time reached the 8 am weather observation and today finally the sun climbed over the horizon. By careful planning of timing our expedition exactly managed to catch the first 30 seconds of the returning sun. It was an euphoric sunny moment and definitely worth bringing both sunglasses and sun lotion! What a great moment on Teiknarneset! The ice edge is kilometres out in Storfjorden now. Yesterday's scientific expedition of two frozen girls in minus 25°C and three inpatient dogs revealed ice thickness's up to 1 meter in the middle of Inglefieldbukta. Helle and Sanja"

Posted Feb 2007 16 at 20:02 [en - fr]

Wed, 14 Feb 2007, de Helle et Sanja

"Three days with no wind at all, have touched us with the impressive variations of the sounds of the sea ice. Several times we have been sure that a polar bear was playing basket ball with the scooter or that polar pirates were shooting at us with cannons...Sanja tested the strength of the same fascinating substance by trying to make a hole for swimming. After an hour of effort she decided to have a traditional Finnish slush bath instead. Helle was meanwhile very busy studying in a traditional Danish way...inside in the warmth! Helle and Sanja"

Posted Feb 2007 14 at 20:25 [en - fr]

Mon, 12 Feb 2007, de Helle et Sanja

"During breakfast yesterday we had two bears at the boat. This is more effective to wake up than coffee! The first went to sleep behind our drinkingwater-reservoir iceberg:-\ until the second came and chased him away. Beautiful view with the two bears in front of the glacier wall! Today, great long sledging trip to the ice edge...we realised how remote we actually are...strange feeling but we enjoy it a lot! Hilsen fra, Helle & Sanja"

Posted Feb 2007 12 at 18:50 [en - fr]

Mon, 12 Feb 2007, Nautilus

Christophe Agnus, rédacteur en chef de Nautilus, était à bord de l'hélico mercredi dernier, il raconte dans son blog.

Posted Feb 2007 12 at 15:36 [en - fr]

Mon, 12 Feb 2007, Les Echos

Dans le journal de ce jour, Prisonniers volontaires des glaces.

Posted Feb 2007 12 at 12:25 [en - fr]

Fri, 09 Feb 2007, de Helle et Sanja

France and I are in Tromso for a couple of weeks, here are the latest news from the boat: "After waving goodbye to the helicopter with Eric and France, we were stroked by a strange atmosphere of total silence and responsibility for the dogs and the boat. The evening went by fine though with cosy dog time and afterwards lots of Swiss chocolate brought by the helicopter :-). Yesterday has been very white, since we had a snowstorm all day. We hope better weather for today to finally go dog sledging and discover the surroundings of the small Vagabond-bay. It seems that the polar bears are not interested at all of our company: still waiting for the first visit from our furry neighbours. Hilsen fra, Helle & Sanja"

Posted Feb 2007 09 at 12:10 [en - fr]

Sun, 04 Feb 2007, Pelles

Without shovel, we wouldn't be much up here. We have been using them all day: digging out the dinghy to put it on land before pack ice would swallow it up, recovering 2 dog houses stuck to the permafrost under one meter of wind packed snow, and often taking out the snowmobile from getting stuck...

International evening on board yesterday: Elin from Norway, Sanja from Finland, Helle from Denmark, Sébastien from Switzerland, and France and me.

Posted Feb 2007 04 at 20:33 [en - fr]

Sat, 03 Feb 2007, Visite

A lot of snow these last days, and a sky too cloudy to enjoy the full moon. The light is there at midday, but nevertheless, we must wait 2 more weeks to see the sun rising. The first team is on the way, we are expecting her this morning, we didn't see anybody since last year ! Elin and Seb are driving Sanja and Helle who will stay on board for about 3 or 4 weeks. 4 of them are working at UNIS, the university of Longyearbyen (www.unis.no).

Posted Feb 2007 03 at 09:17 [en - fr]

Sun, 28 Jan 2007, Impact

Yesterday, the equivalent chill temperature went down to -60°C : -29°C actual reading, and 25 knots of wind. A good scarf is nice to go and get some ice at the closest iceberg, to make water! This Sunday morning, the stove had stopped during the night and it was only -6°C inside the boat... Thanks to the central heating, we were soon back in the warmth (+15°C). On the whole, the impact of the little base Vagabond on the environment seems to me quite reasonable : we are using only 7 litres of diesel per day, on average during the 9 months wintering period, and half a litre of paraffin per day during the polar night. This is for heating, lighting (+ about a hundred candles), cooking (on the stove, no use of propane), and making electricity (when wind generator and solar panel are not enough).

Posted Jan 2007 28 at 11:08 [en - fr]

Thu, 25 Jan 2007, Radio

That's it! The cable eaten by the dogs last November is temporarily fixed, and we can listen to the radio again, when propagation is fine. A way not to be too much disconnected from the world... In French, we get only Radio France Internationale, and by the way, we'll be live by phone on Monday 29 January at 12:40, with Arielle Cassim. The day before, France will answer questions to Sandrine Mercier on France Inter at about 16:45! It is always a pleasure to share our daily life, some are thinking we live on another planet... Did you know vagabond means planet in Greek?

Since October 2004 that Vagabond is set up at Inglefield Bay, her environment became familiar to us. What was an adventure at the beginning is now part of our daily life. So the polar bear visits (2 more yesterday, flare and searchlight were enough), or the storms. Barometer went 45mb down within less than 2 days, temperature increased from -32 to -4°C. Pressure is rising again now, it's -14°C with up to 45 knots of wind, so -44°C equivalent chill temperature! Thanks to low temperatures (about -30°C for one week), pack ice is stronger, let's hope it will withstand to all next storms. Pack ice became also better to move on. On 15 January, we could measure 22cm of ice thickness, with 30cm of snow on top, including 17cm in the water (negative free-board): pack ice was 'sinking' under the weight of the snow, all was soaked. On 19 January, at the same place, ice was 42cm, snow 12cm (positive free-board +2cm): ice was 'dry' under a thin layer of snow, great conditions for dog sled ging! On land, snow is so much that we need skis or snow shoes to go anywhere.

Posted Jan 2007 25 at 16:01 [en - fr]

Mon, 22 Jan 2007, Réveil

Long sledge trip with the 3 dogs this Sunday, enjoying the great weather (cold and dry) and the dim light at midday, more and more every day but not yet enough to stop using the headlight. Pack ice is good now, and very busy, dogs were spoiled for choice with all polar bear tracks to follow! When I came back to the boat, France told me that some steps got her out of bed, these were not mine, neither the dogs who could not warn her. She could scare the polar bear away quickly with the searchlight, but he had time to put his forelegs on the boat, not far from the dog food box!

Posted Jan 2007 22 at 00:29 [en - fr]

Fri, 19 Jan 2007, Froid

Pack ice is getting stronger now, thanks to the low temperatures we have since last week, at least (-28°C yesterday). I could go easily to shore with the dog sledge, and I did my first trip to the little nearby summit, on the moraine. Dogs also were very excited!

Posted Jan 2007 19 at 11:15 [en - fr]

Mon, 15 Jan 2007, Mât météo

The weather mast is all set up, at least. Sensors, cables and guys are decorating usefully our great 7m mast near the hut. Measures are now every hours. Wind, pressure and temperature data are sent to Paris every 12 hours, for the next 18 months at least. The most difficult was not the puzzle to assemble, despite the fingers numb with cold, the ice in every single hole, or the rusty screws from last spring. The hardest is the trip to the hut, only 200m from the boat! When the weather is fine enough for such a trip, I first have to dress up with a dry suit to more or less swim to shore, across the broken up pack ice. Then a good head light to see in the polar night, and things needed to stop a too curious polar bear. Well, yesterday, right after crawling to shore, a polar bear is suddenly coming to Imiaq and me. Standing with my funny suit, tied up to my pulka with all equipment, I try to send a flare but the signal pistol doesn't work. I grab the riffle and shoot above hi s head to watch him running away to the fjord. Then, relieved, I wait for some time, and I tell Imiaq to carry on to the hut. Going to work is sometimes a bit of an expedition!

Posted Jan 2007 15 at 18:48 [en - fr]

Thu, 11 Jan 2007, Vague

A big wave thread its way under pack ice yesterday, until the end of our bay. Ice was all broken up around the boat, and all along the shore. I was then in the hut, on land, working on the weather mast, when France called me by radio. It took me more than one hour to find a crossing not too wide, to ram the snow, to throw the snow shoes and the riffle first, to take a run before jumping on a pack ice all soaked because of the weight of the thick layer of snow. Imiaq followed me but didn't avoid a bath! All happened with France giving us light from the boat with a spot light, and under a sky full of stars and northern lights. The day before, more than 5 hours were needed to dig out ice and snow accumulated on the deck, to check ropes and anchoring... Pressure is going up again, it had not been so low (962.8 mb) since 2004!

Posted Jan 2007 11 at 10:56 [en - fr]

Sun, 07 Jan 2007, Manips

First tests with the electromagnetic icemeter (EM31), a slightly different model from the 2 years before. Still some perfecting needed before observing accurately pack ice growth until spring, in addition to measurements done with ice drill and gauge. About the weather mast, all sections, guys, sensors, solar panel, battery and cables are in the hut, next to which it will be set up as soon as possible. But now the weather is getting bad.

Posted Jan 2007 07 at 10:29 [en - fr]

Sun, 07 Jan 2007, Traîneau

We were about to miss fresh water on board, and I had seen a little iceberg, not far from Vagabond. Also I was looking forward to try the sledge, given last summer by our friends Berit and Karl, in exchange for 3 watercolors to decorate their restaurant Busen in Longyearbyen. I first had a try with Imiaq only, the rashest to make a track in the night on the thin pack ice, but also the most dissipated! Then with the 2 brothers Jin and Frost, I only had to let us go. What a feeling when coming back by dog sledge, with 2 full barrels of ice, towards the warm inside of Vagabond, the only spot light around...

Posted Jan 2007 07 at 09:57 [en - fr]

Sat, 06 Jan 2007, La totale

Sky completely clear, very starry. The moon on one side, northern lights on the other side. Not a breath of air, we can hear only few cracks of ice, or a dog scratching. 20cm of pack ice perfectly flat, lightly snow-covered, easy to walk on without skis or sledge. A seal resting close to his breathing hole, seen in the night with the moon light. And a female polar bear with her two cubs, few meters from us. Magical moments, then, not to encourage too much their curiosity, the flash light and, with regret, one banger. Suddenly few strong breaths and a nice galloping, the three polar bears are swallowed up by the darkness.

Posted Jan 2007 06 at 15:38 [en - fr]

Wed, 03 Jan 2007, 2007

The full moon allows us admiring the mountains, usual landscape for France and me living here a great part of the year since October 2004. Ice pack thickness keeps increasing around Vagabond, so it is easier to go and get some snow for instance, to make water, and dogs can run around freely. The year 2007 is starting smoothly for us, happy to be wintering again. On 31st December, Ståle, Josée and Pia had very good conditions to go back to Longyearbyen by snowmobiles, and it was a private New Year's Eve for France and me. Best greetings to everyone, and thank you very much for all your messages!

Posted Jan 2007 03 at 11:33 [en - fr]

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