Addendum: the Polar Bear Plunge attracted 20 jumpers - here are three jumpers, swimming, a view across the water (for verification) and the jumpers' final resting place.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Kapp Lee - 6/14
We came to see walruses, but we saw reindeer from afar instead. Wild animals are not always predictible. Pictures today include rugged geography, bones, our "Ninja Bear Guard" and reindeer from afar.
Addendum: the Polar Bear Plunge attracted 20 jumpers - here are three jumpers, swimming, a view across the water (for verification) and the jumpers' final resting place.
Addendum: the Polar Bear Plunge attracted 20 jumpers - here are three jumpers, swimming, a view across the water (for verification) and the jumpers' final resting place.
Bear Island - South 6/12, in the AM
We sailed 200 miles north of the North Cape to Bear Island, and made two stops: AM in the south, and PM 20 miles further north at the northern tip.
Bear Island has a sedimentary, limestone geology formed below the equator, but shoved north when North America broke free from Eurasia. Steep cliffs and a mix of warm and cold water make this an ideal home for seabirds.
In the south we identified three types of guillemot (common - all black head; common bridled morph - with what looks like glasses over the eyes; and runnich, with a white stripe coming off the bill). Here are pictures of each:
We also saw gulls, kittiwakes, and fulmars, sometimes individually, and sometimes in large flocks. Here are more birds:
A Russian fishing ship ran aground alond the cliffs in 2009. Here is all that is left five years later:
Meanwhile, the Silver Explorer awaited our zodiak's return.
We also saw gulls, kittiwakes, and fulmars, sometimes individually, and sometimes in large flocks. Here are more birds:
A Russian fishing ship ran aground alond the cliffs in 2009. Here is all that is left five years later:
Meanwhile, the Silver Explorer awaited our zodiak's return.
Narvik 6/10 - and some history
We sailed into the extremely wide Ofotfjorden to Narvik, June 10. From there we took a mountain train to Katterat and then a pristine walk toward Rombaksbrua. Pictures of our walk follow:
Imagine the later scene being 70+ years ago filled with a fleet of destroyers coming around the point. In WWII, Finland was aligned with russia, Sweden with Germany, and both Norway and Denmark tried to remain neutral. Neither Great Britain nor Germany was willing to respect Norway's neutrality. Britain needed to protect its northeast coast, while Germany (a) needed warm water ports for its flfeet, (b) needed Norwegian fishiing stocks for wartime sustenance, and most importantly, (c) needed the output of the Swedish Kiruna mines (connected by rail to Narvik - the same rail we rode).
Even today, after a century of production, the mines send 60-car trains of 100 tons each, every two hours, 24/7 all year long, or 30 million tons of ore annually. The ore is 60% iron - most mines produce 6% iron. Here is a view of the Narvik loading dock:
As we returned by small boat to Narvik from our walk, we passed part of a sunken German destroyer. As we neared, we could smell leaking diesal fuel - leeaking 70 years after being sunk.
early in the war, the German navy including 11 destroyers, captured Narvik and then the Royal Navy with destroyers and a battleship sunk the whole German fleet in and near Narvik. This greatly hampered Germany's ability to iinvade both Great Britain and Russia in WWII.
Imagine the later scene being 70+ years ago filled with a fleet of destroyers coming around the point. In WWII, Finland was aligned with russia, Sweden with Germany, and both Norway and Denmark tried to remain neutral. Neither Great Britain nor Germany was willing to respect Norway's neutrality. Britain needed to protect its northeast coast, while Germany (a) needed warm water ports for its flfeet, (b) needed Norwegian fishiing stocks for wartime sustenance, and most importantly, (c) needed the output of the Swedish Kiruna mines (connected by rail to Narvik - the same rail we rode).
Even today, after a century of production, the mines send 60-car trains of 100 tons each, every two hours, 24/7 all year long, or 30 million tons of ore annually. The ore is 60% iron - most mines produce 6% iron. Here is a view of the Narvik loading dock:
As we returned by small boat to Narvik from our walk, we passed part of a sunken German destroyer. As we neared, we could smell leaking diesal fuel - leeaking 70 years after being sunk.
early in the war, the German navy including 11 destroyers, captured Narvik and then the Royal Navy with destroyers and a battleship sunk the whole German fleet in and near Narvik. This greatly hampered Germany's ability to iinvade both Great Britain and Russia in WWII.
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