We sailed past the Northwest corner of Spitsbergen, and turned towards the East, coming across the top of the island and into Raudfjord. In route to our destination north a brief sighting of several White beaked dolphins was observed, they surfaced on both sides of the ship, and then after giving us a quick once-over, soon departed. We were all excited and keen to give our new boots a good try out this afternoon. This footwear would keep us warm and dry for each landing and Zodiac cruise. Later in the morning, the Expedition team assisted us in finding a pair of rubber boots. After a hearty meal, Beau gave us a quick rundown on the plans, then Arjen briefed us on how to behave in the Arctic, with Zodiac and Polar bear safety, plus a general Arctic briefing from AECO, the Arctic Expedition Cruise Organisation. In the dining room, Zsuzsanna, Gabor and the dining room team made us comfortable and fed us well - something we would get very used to over the coming days. Beau woke us very gently, and we found our way to the dining room and the buffet breakfast presented to us on board. Northern fulmars escorted us on our way, soaring past the lounge windows and appearing to float in the air alongside the ship as we made our way along the coast past the island of Prins Karls Forland and Albert I Land on Spitsbergen Island. In the morning, we woke to a slightly grey day with thin sea fog presenting in the distance. Day 2: Raudfjord, Alicehamna & MoffenÄuring our first night on board, we felt the ship gently rolling after we sailed out of Isfjord and turned northward up the West Coast of Spitsbergen Island. A gentle swell of the ocean rocked us to sleep as we relaxed for our first night on Plancius. However, this was soon covered in a blanket of cloud as the evening darkened and the rain set in. The fresh snow on the mountain peaks freshened the air over these northern arctic waters. Thereafter, we headed down to the dining room for our first scrumptious dinner prepared by Head Chef Ralf and his staff. Captain Alexey joined us for a welcoming toast of sparkling wine or juice, and Beau presented the Expedition team ready to explore the wilderness with us. Back in the lounge Zsuzsanna introduced us to the interiors of the ship, hotel operations and the dining room procedures for meals. Soon Plancius was navigating out of Adventfjorden, north to tomorrows adventures. After a roll call to assure everyone was present, we went out on deck to have a look inside the lifeboats and hoped never to need to use them. A general-alarm drill (seven short blasts followed by one long blast) was made, and we all took the SOLAS orange life jackets and mustered in the lounge guided by crew and staff. The briefing was held by the Third Officer who presented details of ship safety and how to prepare for the worst. We soon gathered in the observation lounge where we were briefed about safety on board. We were greeted by our Expedition leader, Beau and Hotel manager, Zsuzsanna, proficiently we were shown to our cabins with our luggage already waiting for us. We arrived at the ship, our new home for the next eight days. Ready for adventure and exploration we first walked to the pier to board M/V Plancius. For many of us, Longyearbyen was our first stop, visiting the museum and the church or maybe shopping some extra warm clothes before leaving civilisation. At first glance, this seemed like a wild and inhabitable place, but as we were about to learn it is home to a lot of life. From the plane we got a first glimpse of Spitsbergen’s impressive terrain of mountains and delta systems.
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