30 Jul 2014

Village Concert

We made a rare landing on Cape Dezhnev, the north-eastern point of the Eurasian continent and also the closest point to Alaska. It is often difficult to land on this rocky cape but we got everybody ashore and the fog (which is a regular feature in this area) lifted, giving us great views. In the afternoon we were welcomed by the people of Uelen village, a site where people have lived for over 2,000 years. Many of the 700 village inhabitants are marine hunters who rely predominantly on the hunting of Gray Whales and Walrus, while others are ivory carvers. We visited the Uelen Museum and the local school and were entertained by the local ensemble with traditional music and dance on the beach.

Yesterday we visited Kolyuchin Island which lies between the Siberian coast and Wrangel Island and is the site of a former Polar Research Station. There are some incredible ‘bird cliffs’ there where we managed to get very close to Puffins and Guillemots. Later in the day we accompanied local Chukchi hunters as they stalked Pacific Walrus which were hauled out in large numbers on the shore. We are now headed for Wrangel Island and should arrive there tonight.