1436: Jewel of the Russian Far East 5 Sep 2014
5 September – 17 September 2014
Day 1: 5 September 2014
Forty seven passengers from all around the world gathered on the Professor Kromov (better known as the Spirit of Enderby) today to start a voyage of discovery down the Eastern coast of Siberia. There are folk from the USA, Italy, Norway and many other countries in the group. After refreshments in the bar library we adjourned to the lecture theatre to be introduced to the expedition staff and to learn the basics of life at sea with Heritage Expeditions.
The expedition is headed by Rodney Russ, owner and founder of Heritage Expeditions and the most experienced Expedition Leader in this region. His assistant in this part of the world where knowledge of Russian is essential is Evgeniya Shamsutdinova. Our catering needs were to be managed by Lindsay Thorpe and Jess Christensen, a couple of New Zealand trained chefs with an excellent reputation for producing fine food from limited resources.
Our two scientists were Nikita Ovsyanikov and Olga Belonovich. Nikita is perhaps the world's foremost authority on Polar Bears but he has extensive experience in all Arctic wildlife. Olga who hails from the Commander Islands (which we were to visit) has a Ph.D in large sea mammal sciences but is equally at home with all marine animal species.
We were also fortunate to have Peter Anderson on board as the resident artist. His talents stretched to much more however as he is a highly competent sailor and Zodiac driver and a general ‘Mr Fix It’. New Zealand general surgeon Pat Alley would look after our medical needs on his fifth trip with Heritage. Lastly and probably most importantly, was Cruise Director Meghan Kelly. A myriad of tasks fall under this role but Meghan’s blend of industry, tact and flair would ensure the smooth running of the ship.
Our chefs lived up to their reputation and produced a wonderful dinner of sirloin steak or baked salmon, after which most of the group retired for an early night.
Day 2: 6 September 2014
In Kresta Bay which leads to Egvekinot, the sea was oily calm but there was a bit of ‘rock and roll’ during the night. Fortunately the majority of our company seemed undisturbed by this. One of the reasons we were here was to replenish our water stocks. Apparently we use up to twelve tons a day! More importantly there were places of cultural interest to see and experience, so after a good breakfast we picked up a packed lunch and set off on twin adventures in the town of Egvekinot.
Our first stop was the local museum where we were guided by a local woman who, despite her protestations, spoke excellent English. She guided us through the whole story of this fascinating part of Chukotka. Settlement was as early as 4,500 years ago, but the recent history begins with Vitus Bering who founded the town in1728. This was somewhat unusual as there was no pre-existing Chukchi settlement on the site. Mammoths were common here until 5,000 years ago and there was also a unique hairy rhinoceros which unlike the mammoth, stayed firmly on the Russian side of the Bering Strait. The museum’s sole surviving horn from this animal is heavily guarded. Interesting art and craft work done by the Chukchi people was much in evidence and much of it had an animal theme. Tungsten, tin, gold and oil have all featured prominently in the town's history and recovery of these resources continues
The town's more recent history is somewhat grim. In the nineteen thirties it became one of the first gulags used by Stalin's regime. When tin was discovered north of the town the prisoners first task was to construct a road to the mine. Statistics are hard to verify but “thousands of men were involved and many died” according to our guide. Their tools and accommodation were makeshift at best and downright primitive at worst. The gulag era finished in the mid nineteen fifties but surprisingly many prisoners chose to stay on in the district. We easily forget the high level of cooperation that existed between the Americans and the Russians during World War II, but there are plenty of artifacts from that era that underline that relationship. Ekveginot was on a direct route from Fairbanks in Alaska to Uelkal in Russia and Russian pilots transited the town in large numbers on their way to deliver these aircraft.
The afternoon was devoted to a trip into the hinterland travelling up the Kyrvakyntvama Valley to the Arctic Circle. This point at 66.34 degrees north marks the most southerly latitude that experiences continual daylight in the summer or conversely continual night in the mid winter. The surrounding countryside has the hallmarks of heavy glaciation – the wide U shaped valleys are exceptional and looked beautiful in the afternoon sunlight. An added bonus was the appearance of a Red Fox. He seemed particularly unconcerned by our presence and wandered close to our bus with scarcely a glance before sauntering off up the creek bed.
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Day 3: 7 September 2014
Overnight we cruised 150 nautical miles through calm seas to arrive at Cape Navarin in the early afternoon. This cape marks the south west end of the old land bridge between Chukotka and Alaska. During the morning we received a detailed safety briefing about the use of Zodiacs and Olga provided a most useful introduction to the eared seals that live in this part of the world. As we have already learned there is considerable threat to many endemic species in the Bering Sea area and these mammals are no exception. The Steller Sea Lion has had a potentially crippling fall in its population over the last twenty years. By-catch from fishing and predation are two leading contenders for the major cause of this but frustratingly, the precise reason eludes researchers at present. The Northern Fur Seal while not in the parlous state of the Sea Lions has also had a reduction in numbers.
Gray and Humpback Whales and seals were sighted near our anchorage soon after lunch. Huge rafts of Short-tailed Shearwaters were also seen scampering madly to escape the bow wave of the ship. They all made it, but often had little room to spare.
During the afternoon we set off on a ‘shakedown’ cruise with the Zodiacs to an area adjacent to the Cape and divided into three groups. One climbed a nearby mountain and was rewarded with spectacular views over this majestic landscape. Another group took a leisurely stroll over the tundra – now becoming distinctly autumnal in colour – to an abandoned weather station. The others went off on a short Zodiac ride along the coastline. It was a profitable afternoon and perhaps the best news was that a haul-out of Steller Sea Lions was found. This site had not been visited for over ten years and Olga excitedly reported over 100 animals were found there today. Good news indeed after her remarks this morning. The mountain climbers returned with the satisfaction of having achieved their goal. The other walkers reported bear tracks and the sighting of three bears in the distance. We all hoped for closer encounters as the expedition progresses.
The swells had increased during our time ashore and the ride back was understandably slower and wetter. Measured and nimble steps ensured a safe climb up the gangway to the warm haven of the ship which soon restored us. We ended the day with a convivial session in the bar library and another fine meal from our accomplished chefs. After dinner the many keen birders on board gathered together to keep the species log up to date.
Our experiences during the day had been a wonderful appetiser to this remarkable land and its inhabitants and we were keen for the next adventure. There was a mounting sense of excitement about the days ahead.
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Day 4: 8 September 2014
The sea conditions decided how our day would unfold. A pesky low pressure system was relatively stationary and close to the Aleutian Islands south-east of where were traveling. It had spawned large rolling swells which not only made our travel difficult but also denied us a landing at Meinypil’gyno. This is an estuary village which backs onto interesting country with a fine lagoon where we could have seen a variety of wildlife. However we all had to accept the fact that a sea voyage inevitably puts us at the mercy of the weather and unlike a zoo, animals do not appear on demand. Interestingly, searches for Walrus at two places where they are often found in the previous 24 hours had found no signs of life. The most likely explanation for this is that the animals sense the deteriorating weather and head out to sea. A number of sightings of Walrus in open water that day indicated this was probably the case. Gray Whales also put in an appearance and someone saw a Porpoise as well.
Nikita provided a sobering account of the plight of Polar Bears. Essentially if climate change was the only challenge they faced there would be no threat to their survival as they have managed equally demanding changes in temperature in the last few millennia. What is new is the advent of more invasive science, increased hunting with sophisticated weapons and the sadly burgeoning pelt trade. Government and international bodies seem slow to concede the looming prospect of extinction of these icons and if nothing is done then we may lose this wondrous animal for all time.
Rodney then told some of the story of the famed but extremely rare Spoon-billed Sandpiper which is endemic to the Chukotka region. Numbers have got to critically low levels, but their survival may well depend on two initiatives. One is a breeding and conservation programme in Chukotka. The other is Peter Scott's renowned bird recovery and research centre at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire, England. Heritage Expeditions have made an ongoing commitment to transport field researchers to the isolated area where these birds breed which is very much appreciated by the scientists involved.
Overnight we made our way towards Bukhta Natalia where we hoped to find shelter from the swells and better weather for a shore excursion.
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Day 5: 9 September 2014
We awoke to a mirror calm sea in Bukhta Petra where we lay snug in the shelter of a fjord bounded by high mountains. The entrance to this haven is guarded by the substantial island of Bogslova which protects it from the swells we experienced yesterday.
Bogslova was assessed for Walrus as it is one of their haunts but there were none in evidence so we divided into two groups, one of walkers and the other, sailors.
The walkers were landed at the base of a glacial valley and slowly wound their way to the top of a saddle about 400m above seal level. There we enjoyed Lindsay's cut lunch before moving down the far side to an arm of Bukhta Pavlova, an adjacent fjord. We appreciated the autumn colours of the tundra vegetation along the way. Even in a few days the reds are more vibrant and the orange and yellow of the prostrate willow are clearer. There was a profusion of autumn berries, most notable being the Blue and Lingon berries. Their striking colour cheered us even on a dull and showery day. The only wild life was a bear seen in the distance, although we all imagined that we were being scrutinised as we trudged in what is essentially the bear’s back yard.
Back aboard the ship in the mid afternoon, the wind and sea got up again so that required some delicate re-positioning of our mother ship to get everyone safely aboard. The warm haven of the ship was very much appreciated as was the endless stream of coffee and soup.
Our sailors cruised the local bay by Zodiac and enjoyed the same impressive landscape as the walkers from another perspective. However their bonus was to discover a couple of Reindeer browsing in preparation for the onset of cooler weather.
Evening found us heading south along the Koriak coast in swells were less troublesome as they were more astern.
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Day 6: 10 September 2014
We awoke to find ourselves surrounded by seventeen fishing boats. They were all large – at least as big as our 2,000 ton vessel – and we were told they were targeting Pollock and Herring. Given the size of this fleet and the number of fleets operating in the area it gave us food for thought about the long term consequences of such practices.
The swells were slowly easing and in anticipation of an afternoon exploring, we heard two excellent presentations.
The first was from Ogla, one of our resident scientists. She outlined the profile of Orca in the north- west Pacific and showed her own research on these animals gathered from her home in the Commander Islands. Most of us had not appreciated how family oriented these animals are and how matrilineal they are as well. Interestingly should the chief female die, this has a negative impact on the longevity of the males in the next generation, so her passing means that they lose ‘institutional knowledge’ about their family and environment.
Peter Anderson our resident artist then traversed the field of exploration art. He used examples from antiquity right up to the present day to tell us about the role of artists in the portrayal of the natural (and sometimes unnatural) world of exploration. The role of license by artists was discussed as well as the great contributions made by amateurs – people who were primarily explorers and who turned their hand to artistic representations of what they found.
After the presentations we went exploring in five Zodiacs which cautiously approached the inlet to the Tintikun Lagoon. We had a short walk to allow the boats to negotiate a shallow stretch of water and then re-boarded to cruise to the end of this very large stretch of water. We saw plenty of signs of recent bear activity along the way but today only a distant glimpse of one. The surrounding countryside is breath-taking and even another cold and somewhat showery day could not detract from that. Once returned to the cozy haven of the ship, our cold bodies were quickly restored by steaming mugs of tea, coffee or soup. Later we tucked into another five star meal from our chefs, caught up at the bird club and retired happily to bed.
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Day 7: 11 September 2014
The earlier than usual call at 5:45am was not unwelcome after a good night's sleep. We had calm conditions at our anchorage and all our company assembled for a five Zodiac expedition to Bukhta Ushaniya. The entrance this fjord is quite narrow but expands to about a kilometre wide at some points. Three glaciated valleys run out from the waters. All the land forms in this part of the world are dominated by plate tectonics and glaciation. Hence the mountainsides are steep and jagged and the valleys wide and U-shaped. There is more shrubbery here than we have previously seen and in the early morning light the vista was exceptionally beautiful.
Our prime hope was to see bears and indeed a mother and her cub were seen but only in the far distance and not for very long. We saw plenty of signs of their existence such as their ‘day beds’ which they make in the sand to recline and soak up the sunshine. Someone in the group commented that there was probably a bear's convention on somewhere and they had all left town! A more likely explanation is that the increasing cold weather had started the bears thinking about the coming winter. Dotted along the shore-line we saw the remnants of fish factories which closed down in the 1990’s. Low fish stocks and the absence of venture capital after the dissolution of the Soviet state both contributed to their demise. The skeletons of these buildings have been bleached grey-white so their presence on the environment is now quite minimal.
The fine weather and light breeze made an easy return the ship for a late and a very welcome breakfast. The on-board Sea Shop opened for a time so those interested in purchasing clothing and mementos could make their selections. The remainder of the morning was spent on the bridge watching for birds and mammals or in the library reading up on what is to be seen in the area. In the afternoon we had hoped to land at Verkhoturova Island to see the bird life and a Steller Sea Lion colony. Unfortunately the captain was unable to secure a safe hold for our anchor so it was decided that Rodney and Olga would make a short Zodiac trip for a quick Sea Lion count. The good news that came from this mission was that they found 38 adult Sea Lions, so there were good numbers of these threatened animals about and we were still to visit a number of potential haul-out sites.
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Day 8: 12 September 2014
We had made good time overnight to have arrived off the coastline of Karaginsky Island. Long before most of us were awake there was much activity on the bridge of our ship. As with most of the islands in this region this one has a volcanic history. The implication for the captain is that the surrounding sea floor comprises shale rock which is unsuitable to hold an anchor. After several attempts to moor it proved too risky to set anchor so we decided to head south-east towards the Commander Islands.
A following sea, bright sunshine and a moderate breeze made for very pleasant sailing conditions. Many enjoyed being up on the bridge to see a steady parade of Storm Petrels and Fulmars, the latter being considerably darker in colour than their northern counterparts. Some lucky people saw a small pod of Dall's Dolphins riding our bow wave for a short time around midday.
Olga gave an excellent introduction to her home, the Commander Islands. She spoke of the abundance of sea mammals and other land based species in the area. Gross exploitation of seals and whales here has spurred plenty of conflict between nations close to the islands. The island also has an interesting human history being named for the Danish explorer Vitus Bering, who along with some of this crew perished on the island and whose actual grave was only recently found.
Peter followed this with a discussion about his own outstanding art work. Much of his work has evolved after sailing with Heritage Expeditions but his vast sailing experience around the world has also leavened his work. He prefers to let is paintings talk for themselves and they certainly did that today – even as reproductions of originals.
Nikita spoke about the life of the Walrus, their place in the present ecosystem and the major threat they face from global warming that impacts on their food sources. Decline in this resource makes them particularly vulnerable to predation. Both Nikita and Olga went the extra mile for our Russian passengers by repeating their talks in Russian, whilst other speakers had a live translation from Evgeniya.
Next Rodney described the major challenges facing bird species in the ‘Far Eastern Fly way’. one of seven major routes in the world, which runs from Siberia to Australasia. Poaching by mist netting for the illegal restaurant trade and erosion of habitat by reclamation are the major threats. A solution to the problem is not readily apparent as the demands of a rapidly increasing human population are remorseless.
Finally we had a nice ‘triple act from Rodney, Meghan and Lindsay on the enormous effort that goes into the provisioning and maintenance of this ship we are living on. It is a highly complex, expensive and time consuming process to get all in order for cruises such as ours. The forward planning is similarly complicated as is the carefully monitored maintenance of the vessel.
Despite there being no landings and hence no close contact with species, it had been a highly satisfying and educational day. A beautiful moon lit our way to bed after another delicious dinner.
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Day 9: 13 September 2014
We awoke to a brilliantly fine day. No wind, no clouds, no swell and a flat calm sea. After an early breakfast and briefing we got away at 0800 for Nikolskoye village, the principal settlement on Bering Island. It is home to about 600 people and there is a brand new school to handle the children's educational needs. We were required to report to the border guards ‘face to face’ with our passports. They were quite affable and the process was completed relatively quickly so we could begin a tour of the town.
The museum is a credit to the community. There is a substantial collection of Bering memorabilia, a good section on plants and animal species and a history of the Sea Cow. This animal unfortunately became extinct in the eighteenth century as it was both slow and very tasty which goes a long way to explaining its demise as a species. The colourful local artist generously showed us around his gallery to the strains of Pink Floyd's ‘Another Brick in the Wall’. Many of us considered his art to be very good and he had also authored a book which to his delight was sold out to our group in one morning! The town also boasts a quaint orthodox church, lots of colourfully painted buildings to hide their somewhat drab design and interestingly, the remains of a Fox Farm. The waterfront yielded some good viewing of the resident Rock Sand Piper and some interesting volcanic rock formations.
After a lunch back aboard the ship we sailed a few kilometres north to the landing point for the Seal colony. After a short half hour walk we were able to gaze from an elevated point at the pristine beach filled with (mostly) Northern Fur Seals. There were about 9,000 there but sadly in its heyday there would have been at least 200,000 animals in this colony. Also present in reasonable numbers were Steller Sea Lions and Harbour Seals. Common bird species were Pelagic and Red-faced Cormorant and a few Horned and Tufted Puffins. We searched in vain for Arctic Foxes and then returned to the Zodiacs.
The remaining daylight hours were devoted to cruising in the idyllic calm around the island of Arikamen. This island was named ‘The Home of the Guillemot’ by the Alaskan Inuit. There are a good number of that species there but Red and Black-legged Gulls predominate. We also saw a group of Fur Seals patrolling the island and a few Sea Otters.
After an excellent dinner we were delighted to see our talisman moonrise once again which we hoped prophesied another great day ahead.
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Day 10: 14 September 2014
We had an early start today on Medny Island. After the usual high quality breakfast we boarded the Zodiacs and set off for the site of an old border post at Peschannaya Bay. It was closed down in the nineteen nineties and sadly one of the reasons for its closure was the drowning of a number of men who were blown out to sea on a raft of firewood they had been collecting. The area is well tracked and we thanked previous Inuit occupants for this. Several prominent headlands allowed excellent viewing of the bird life not to mention the wonderful vistas of mountains and wide glacial valleys. Medny translates to ‘copper’ in Russian and there was ample evidence of the oxides here. Despite it being common it was, happily for us, too isolated to mine commercially.
We took a cruise along the shoreline and were rewarded with many sightings of Sea Otters and seals and also witnessed a death struggle between two Northern Fulmars. The occasional spat is not unknown in this species but it is rare to see such a prolonged and ferocious contest. We landed at a small beach to await pick up from the ship and had the delightful bonus of an Arctic Fox display. Two of them turned up. One was shy and retiring but afforded good photos by posing on a ridge line. The other was completely unfazed by our presence and even decided to try out the taste of gumboots!
In the afternoon we visited Bering's grave at Commander Bay. It is an ideal resting place for the famed mariner with wide sea views framed by beautiful cliffs and rolling hills. Bering’s life ended when he was shipwrecked here in December of 1741. He was probably exhausted after having walked from Moscow to Chukotka and then undertaking a long sea voyage. He died along with many of his companions some two weeks after the wreck, from exhaustion, malnutrition and probably scurvy. His grave was rediscovered relatively recently and after a brief repatriation to his homeland of Denmark his remains were brought back here to be re-interred. A forensic pathologist took the opportunity to construct a likeness of him from his skull. This was helpful because previous depictions of him had relied entirely on the appearance of his relatives.
On board again we watched for elusive whales as the ship headed south-west around the bottom end of Bering Island towards Olga Bay.
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Day 11: 14 September 2014
Today we experienced the delights of the wonderful wildlife of the Kronotskiy Nature Reserve, one of the earliest such reserves established in Russia. The day dawned grey and calm and all were watching for sea mammals. First to appear was a Sperm Whale which was closely followed by a pod of Orca. The captain went about to try and get a better view but they eluded us.
Around midday we came to anchor at Olga Bay. Even from about a kilometre out to sea we could see that this landscape and vegetation was entirely different from what we had previously encountered. Gone were the stunted trees and vast tundra of the north. Here there were woods and considerable undergrowth which made for great bear country and also a home of the Steller Sea Eagle. The bay is notable for whales as well.
We set off after lunch to look for Gray Whales but none were seen until we had landed on shore! However some of us had the great good fortune to get up close and personal with a Sea Otter and her cub. We cautiously approached what appeared to be two dead otters lying within a couple of metres of each other. The mother suddenly ‘came to life’ and sounded, leaving her cub peacefully asleep. When the little one awoke there was a serious to-do with much mewling and crying. Mum quickly appeared on the scene and took her child away in a classic life saving grip.
On landing we were welcomed by two rangers who are part of the team working at this well known reserve. We then divided into three groups to explore. There were plenty of signs that bears were around and while we all saw the Steller Sea Eagle, one group managed some good close up encounters with this impressive bird. Another group saw a bear fairly close by but it out ran them, moving across the line of sight of the third group who had a grandstand seat. He (we presumed it to be a male) noticed our group about one hundred metres away but seemed to just acknowledge that we represented no threat. He then meandered, then broke into a lazy trot and then walked more slowly to within just twenty metres of us. He made for the river nearby and we had a clear view of him looking underwater for salmon. As far as we could tell he didn't score a live one and contented himself with some spent fish at the side of the stream.
We trekked back to the Zodiacs and while another attempt to find Gray Whales from the sea was unsuccessful, we all felt supremely satisfied with the day. To top it all off there was a glorious sunset highlighting the almost fairy tale like 3,654m cone of Mt. Kronotskiy.
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Day 12: 16 September 2014
We were blessed with a beautiful sunrise as we cruised toward the Zhupanova River. The far distant mountain of the same name was quite active, throwing alternate clouds of steam and ash into the morning sky.
The Zodiacs carefully negotiated the river mouth which is tide critical, hence our 7am departure from the ship this morning. Almost immediately we came upon six, possibly seven Steller's Sea Eagles. They are very large and attractive birds and did not seem disturbed by our presence here. Their large size dictates a slow take-off, allowing for some good in-flight photos in the early light of day. Further up the river we found a Brown Bear and her cub. They seemed skittish and did not wait for us. Further singleton bears were seen, with one actively fishing. The river, although sandy based, is very shallow and our boatmen did a great job of keeping us from being grounded. After three hours travelling up river we turned for home, drifting with the current most of the time. We came upon another Sea Eagle but he made no move, despite being surrounded by at least fifty cameras all busily clicking.
A nice surprise awaited us at the fish factory where we were just in time for morning tea. We tucked into big slices of white bread, butter and masses of tasty salmon roe or smoked salmon with tea or coffee to wash it down. It was certainly not your average Tuesday morning tea.
Back aboard the ship, the process of winding up the expedition began with the stowing and securing of all manner of equipment we had used during the journey. Briefings gave us all the information we needed for the disembarkation process and return to our homelands. In the late afternoon Meghan, who had worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make the trip a success, produced a photo log of the journey. She showed a compilation of photos she, other staff and passengers had taken, accompanied by some good music. It is a wonderful memory of a special time together and will be treasured by all.
Reminiscences, stories and other events were traded in the pre-dinner bar session and then we repaired to the dining rooms for one of the renowned Heritage farewell buffet dinners. It is quite remarkable how two chefs can turn out a spread like this from such a small galley. It would not be out of place at a five star international restaurant and all were hugely appreciative of the effort Jess and Lindsay had made for our last dinner together.
And so came the end of our wonderful expedition when all would go their separate ways. We are, in one sense, the same people who started the trip ten days ago. We have the same names and addresses and the same likes and dislikes. But in another sense we are not exactly the same. One cannot have such an experience and remain unchanged. We have seen so much, learned so much and heard so much that we are changed in our appreciation of the natural world – a world that increasingly needs the care and respect of all humanity. Heritage Expeditions operates under that philosophy in a real and practical way. Surely now it is up to follow the lead.
Photo credit: M.Kelly
Photo credit: M.Kelly
