Blog

Salades sur la banquise

It's raining today and fog is not encouraging for long trips, but salads are growing slowly on board Vagabond! Between hair cut and generator oil change, fishing attempt are still not successful. Snow is softer and softer, water ponds are more and more on sea ice, trips are often very wet, but Enora and Yann are having a very good time. They even did a small sledge with a box, a barrel and skis, to better travel around with the dogs. Good fun for sure!


Fonte

No polar bear for one week, very nice weather, Enora and Yann are feeling better to walk around Vagabond. Their technique is improving to ski with the dogs, or to bake bread, while sea ice keeps drifting slowly away in front of Inglefield Bay.


Petite frayeur

During a recent short trip, Enora and Yann met very close a polar bear, hidden by some relief. Strong emotion, but the dogs were there to dissuade the plantigrade from approaching.


Enora et Yann, seuls à bord

It was 7:30 yesterday morning when I said bye to my substitutes. It is the second time since Vagabond is in Spitsbergen (August 2004) that I am leaving her to go back to France for few weeks. The old snowmobile went across all tricky passages to bring me in less than 3 hours to Svea. Few reindeers were sometimes watching me during long skids on ice, the river was fortunately well frozen again. Nicely welcomed by the coal company, I only had to sit in the little plane flying to Longyearbyen, the day before the national day.


Passation de consignes

The many polar bear visits, day and night (22 within 5 days), are giving chance to Enora and Yann to apply at once everything I am explaining to them about safety, dogs, use of bangers, alarm pistol and rifle. While giving instructions to my substitutes, I am also getting ready to drive to Svea, the closest inhabited place, at 46 km, with the snowmobile that could be repaired. I will nevertheless bring with me all equipment needed to finish the trip on skis, in case of another breakdown. The temperature is still below zero, conditions are excellent to travel around.


Liaison réussie avec la civilisation

My substitutes Enora and Yann are now on board, until end of June. Hervé and all scientific equipment could at least be picked up yesterday, by 6 snowmobiles. While loading the sledges before going back, a polar bear cub and the mother were passing in front of the glacier. Not long before, when we were finishing a trip with the dogs, I could see them, from the top of the moraine, looking around the boat... I fired in the air to scare them away, without success, but they left quite quickly, taking another piece of snowmobile seat. A total of 6 polar bears seen yesterday.


Dernière tentative motoneige

After a good reconnaissance yesterday, Stefano will try one last time to come from Longyearbyen with my 2 substitutes, and to pick up Hervé and all the scientific equipment. For my part, I'm getting ready to ski back to town, after giving instructions for 2 or 3 days, because my snowmobile's suspension is broken. The machine will stay here over the summer, hoping that it will resist to unavoidable polar bear visits... While waiting, we enjoy fantastic weather and hard snow thanks to the below zero temperatures for the last 3 days. Best conditions for skiing with the dogs. Hervé organised as much as he could the shipping of every instruments, and I also could do a CTD from the ice edge, watching a magnificent eider ducks flight. Being now close to open water, as we expected it, brought us some more visitors yesterday. A young determined polar bear, then a big male more careful, and few hours later, the young followed by the big male. 4 bangers were enough to delimit our te rritory, but my snowmobile seat has again been damaged!


Débâcle dans le Storfjord

The westerly wind has blown away the fast ice that was attached to the coast. 2 month earlier than last year, ice breaking-up has started in front of our protected bay, in the great Storfjord. Few days more and we would have lost an important instrument (IMB), and we would have not been able to do the last series of CTD casts, 5 km from the coast.


En attente

The 3 skiers left today on skis with their dogs and pulkas. The weather forecast are announcing below zero temperatures, Stefano will try by snowmobile tomorrow Tuesday 9th, before a last attempt to reach Vagabond on Wednesday 10th. If no success, Hervé will have to call a helicopter to pick him up, and to also drop Enora and Yann. Strange feeling to be stuck when the weather is so nice.


Eté à Longyearbyen

While a snow storm is blowing around Vagabond, the guide Stefano just called me by phone to tell us that he had to give up during his second attempt to reach us. Too soft, wet, and not enough snow for snowmobiles. Enora and Yann, the 2 crew members expected to replace me, are back to Longyearbyen; Hervé and all the scientific equipment are stuck on board Vagabond, as well as the 3 skiers that Stefano was also suppose to pick up. I invited them to wait inside. Nobody knows how long this will last, Stefano has appointment with the Governor tomorrow to speak about helicopter, unless we get cold temperatures again...