1528: Across the Top of the World 26 Jul 2015
26 July - 3 August 2015
Expedition Staff/Crew
Ship: Professor Khromov
Expedition Leader: Rodney Russ
Assistant Expedition Leader/Interpreter: Elena Bulatova
Captain: Alexander D’yachenko
Cruise Director: Meghan Kelly
Chief Mate: Aleksandr Rykunov
2nd Mate: Mikhail Ponomarenko
3rd Mate: Oleg Gnedash
Radio Officer: Anatoly Selitskiy
Chief Engineer: Konstantin Zograf
Chief Electric Engineer: Viktor Tcybulin
Chief Stewardess: Katya Pankrushkina
Chefs: Lindsay Thorpe and Connor Arcus
Guides/Lecturers: Samuel Blanc, Alex Fergus, Katya Ovsyanikova
Medical Advisor: Cam Odlin
Day 1 – 20th July 2015
Converging on Anadyr and our departure
Ship’s position at 0700: 64 42 N 177 36 E
Converging on Anadyr and our departure
Ship’s position at 0700: 64 42 N 177 36 E
From all over globe, and via Moscow or the Musk Ox dominated backwaters of Nome, our contingent descended upon Anadyr, the capital of the Chukotka region. Anadyr sits on the Siberian Coast, just east of the convergence of the Kazachka River and the Anadyr Estuary. It is on this body of water that we caught our first glimpse of our expedition vessel, Professor Khromov (also known as the Spirit of Enderby) as we approached the coast from the airport. In groups we were transported to the ship by the small barge Heba, and by 1430 we were all on board.
At 1530 we were summoned into the bowels of the ship to the 200-level Lecture Room, where Rodney and Meghan took turns introducing the staff, the operation of the ship and safety on board. Within the hour the pilot was aboard, to lead us through the shallows of the estuary and by 1730 we had passed beyond Dionisiya Point and were in Anadyrskiy Bay. The bar opened and soon after we were introduced to the culinary prowess of Lindsay and Conner. As we left Anadyrskiy Bay for the Gulf of Anadyr the wind picked up a little, but we maintained good speed across the gulf toward Cape Achchen.
At 1530 we were summoned into the bowels of the ship to the 200-level Lecture Room, where Rodney and Meghan took turns introducing the staff, the operation of the ship and safety on board. Within the hour the pilot was aboard, to lead us through the shallows of the estuary and by 1730 we had passed beyond Dionisiya Point and were in Anadyrskiy Bay. The bar opened and soon after we were introduced to the culinary prowess of Lindsay and Conner. As we left Anadyrskiy Bay for the Gulf of Anadyr the wind picked up a little, but we maintained good speed across the gulf toward Cape Achchen.
Today’s approximate route:
Checking in on the Professor Khromov, after crossing Anadyrskiy Bay on the Heba.
Day 2 – 21st July 2015
Preobrazheniya Bay
Ship’s position at 0700: 64 43 N 177 00 E
By 0700 we had completed our crossing of the Gulf of Anadyr. Good numbers of Short-Tailed Shearwaters, Northern Fulmars and Crested Auklets could be seen around the ship, and shortly after breakfast two Humpback Whales were spotted off the bow. By 1030 the outline of Cape Achchen appeared on the coast and within the hour we were dropping anchor south west of Preobrazheniya Bay, directly north of the Cape. In sheltered waters we listened in the lecture room while Rodney outlined the expedition in general and the options for the day ahead.
After lunch we began our first Zodiac cruise. From the ship’s position we took a northerly course toward the northern edge of precipitous cliffs that bound the north and north-west of Preobrazheniya Bay. With surf breaking heavily against the cliffs we gave the Zodiacs a safe buffer while still gaining good opportunities to see our first Common and Pigeon Guillemots, Tufted and Horned Puffins, Crested and Parakeet Auklets. From the western-most edge of the cliffs we retraced a path and continued east along the edge of massive scree slopes, where a pair of Sandhill Cranes took off from the beach. A mother Brown Bear and two cubs slowly marched up the scree before disappearing into the mists at the crown of the slope. We soon noticed we were downwind of a putrefying stench, quickly identified, without need for too much inspection, as a floating Walrus carcass (our first Walrus!).
We followed an easterly line across Preobrazheniya Bay to a collection of huts and rusting detritus above a fine gravel beach, where we landed the Zodiacs. Between the huts were mounds of brightly flowering coastal species, including the bright blues of Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium acutiflorum) and Monkshood (Aconitum delphinifolium) and tall bunches of yellow daisies (Marsh Fleawort - Senecio congestus), interspersed with the remains of decades of Gray Whale kills. We took our time to explore the seasonal marine mammal hunter’s village, used by the Chukchi people from a neighbouring village. With 130 nautical miles to run to tomorrow’s first landing at Yttygran Island, we made our way back to the ship. After dinner we began our run up the coast, but not before three Gray Whales, and groups of both Eider and Harlequin Ducks were sighted from the ship.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Common Guillemot
Meghan’s bird of the day: Parakeet Auklet
Alex’s plant of the day: Delphinium-leafed Monkshood – Aconitum delphinifolium
After lunch we began our first Zodiac cruise. From the ship’s position we took a northerly course toward the northern edge of precipitous cliffs that bound the north and north-west of Preobrazheniya Bay. With surf breaking heavily against the cliffs we gave the Zodiacs a safe buffer while still gaining good opportunities to see our first Common and Pigeon Guillemots, Tufted and Horned Puffins, Crested and Parakeet Auklets. From the western-most edge of the cliffs we retraced a path and continued east along the edge of massive scree slopes, where a pair of Sandhill Cranes took off from the beach. A mother Brown Bear and two cubs slowly marched up the scree before disappearing into the mists at the crown of the slope. We soon noticed we were downwind of a putrefying stench, quickly identified, without need for too much inspection, as a floating Walrus carcass (our first Walrus!).
We followed an easterly line across Preobrazheniya Bay to a collection of huts and rusting detritus above a fine gravel beach, where we landed the Zodiacs. Between the huts were mounds of brightly flowering coastal species, including the bright blues of Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium acutiflorum) and Monkshood (Aconitum delphinifolium) and tall bunches of yellow daisies (Marsh Fleawort - Senecio congestus), interspersed with the remains of decades of Gray Whale kills. We took our time to explore the seasonal marine mammal hunter’s village, used by the Chukchi people from a neighbouring village. With 130 nautical miles to run to tomorrow’s first landing at Yttygran Island, we made our way back to the ship. After dinner we began our run up the coast, but not before three Gray Whales, and groups of both Eider and Harlequin Ducks were sighted from the ship.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Common Guillemot
Meghan’s bird of the day: Parakeet Auklet
Alex’s plant of the day: Delphinium-leafed Monkshood – Aconitum delphinifolium
Today’s approximate route:
A Gray Whale skull amid a patch of Marsh Fleawort (Senecio congestus) at Preobrazheniya Bay.
Day 3 – 22nd July 2015
Yttygran Island and Gil’mimyl
Ship’s position at 0700: 64 38 N 172 31 E
By 0630 we had dropped anchor off Sekliuk Bay on Yttygran Island, where Whale Bone Alley sits on the flat gravel plain above the beach. The Alley consists of 50-60 skulls, and 30 jawbones of Bowhead Whales, the latter arranged in a lane as the name suggests. The site was occupied by ancient Inuit from at least the 14th Century, and includes an additional 150 or so meat storage pits, explaining the old Inuit name Sikliuk (siklyugak) meaning ‘meat pit’. After a briefing describing our options for the morning, and a little of the known use and cultural history of the site, we took the Zodiacs ashore. Here we had opportunities to attain the small summit behind the beach, explore the botanical and ornithological world or spend time between the raised jawbones appreciating the longevity and significance of the site. Above the shore, runnels of rock slack led upwards toward small summits; ideal habitat for Northern Pika, the smallest (and most charismatic – it shouts its own name across the tundra) of the rabbit family. Many of us quickly learnt that a little silent and patient stalking alongside the boulder piles could be rewarded with some good shots of this round-eared, long-whiskered little lagomorph.
By midday we were back on the ship and heading further west in the Senyavina Channel towards the site of Gil’mimyl, nine nautical miles away. From the ship we took a path in the Zodiacs towards the small group of huts ashore and then followed a channel into the shallow coastal lagoon where we disembarked. Here our options expanded, Samuel led a group into the delta-like area between the Gil’mimyl River and the lagoon, in search of waders and other bird life. Rodney led the charge towards the natural hot springs that were to be found 30 minutes upstream, while Alex took a group on a botany ramble up the nearest hill. A number of our Russian crew joined us ashore this afternoon, for studded across the tundra the fungal quarry, Birch Boletes was in abundance. Slowly all three groups converged on the hot springs, where a large boxed-in timber bath collected perfectly temperate water, while additional pools along the river were mixed to all preferences. As the air cooled outside, a light wind picked up, and whorls of steam twisted around us as we stared out from the warmth over the tundra and scree mountains.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Northern Wheatear
Alex’s plant of the day: Kamchatka Rhododendron – Rhododendron camtschaticum
By midday we were back on the ship and heading further west in the Senyavina Channel towards the site of Gil’mimyl, nine nautical miles away. From the ship we took a path in the Zodiacs towards the small group of huts ashore and then followed a channel into the shallow coastal lagoon where we disembarked. Here our options expanded, Samuel led a group into the delta-like area between the Gil’mimyl River and the lagoon, in search of waders and other bird life. Rodney led the charge towards the natural hot springs that were to be found 30 minutes upstream, while Alex took a group on a botany ramble up the nearest hill. A number of our Russian crew joined us ashore this afternoon, for studded across the tundra the fungal quarry, Birch Boletes was in abundance. Slowly all three groups converged on the hot springs, where a large boxed-in timber bath collected perfectly temperate water, while additional pools along the river were mixed to all preferences. As the air cooled outside, a light wind picked up, and whorls of steam twisted around us as we stared out from the warmth over the tundra and scree mountains.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Northern Wheatear
Alex’s plant of the day: Kamchatka Rhododendron – Rhododendron camtschaticum
Today’s approximate route:
The Kamchatka Rhododendron (Rhododendron camtschaticum) in full bloom above the lagoon at Gil’mimyl.
The lagoon and wetland complex, rich in birdlife, at Gil’mimyl.
Day 4 – 23rd July 2015
Lavrentiya and Cape Dezhnev
Ship’s position at 0700: 65 36 N 172 56 E
Overnight the ship had continued a north-east course, beyond the long sweeping arc of Mechigmenskiy Bay, and around Kriguygun Point, so that before breakfast we were anchored in calm waters off the town of Lavrentiya. This township serves as the administrative centre of the Chukchi region, the far north-eastern region of Chukotka, but is also an important Chukchi base for marine mammal hunters and reindeer herders. Lavrentiya itself is only a young town, dating to 1927, when it was founded as a cultural centre.
By 0830, with Rodney and Elena already ashore and clearing our landing with the border guards, Zodiacs began running the remainder of our complement towards the town. Ashore we split into two groups, in order to optimise our opportunity to get something of a feeling for the history of this region and what life in a remote Chukchi township is like. While one group sampled the fare of the town, we wound our way through the gravel streets, past the wandering collective of street dogs and the waving and brightly coloured school children to the bastion of Elizabeth, the custodian of the local museum. Itis worth noting that Elizabeth spent the first six years of her life in Naukan, an abandoned Chukchi village at Cape Dezhnev, which we would visit later that afternoon. Elizabeth, with Elena translating, led us through the natural history and anthropological displays of the museum, describing insights into animal behaviour and Chukchi life in times past. We said farewell to Elizabeth and headed for the northern edge of town, for a Chukchi gastronomic prevue.
Alongside tables of walrus ivory trinkets and jewellery, carved walrus penis bones and Largha Seal slippers, were platters of interesting challenges to our generally Westernized palates. Slithers of Gray Whale sat alongside pieces of seared reindeer, and ground whale and potato cakes, while a vat of walrus stomach soup bubbled beside a bowl of fermented Roseroot (Rhodiola rosea) all to be followed by fried donuts and Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) cake. Both of our groups recombined before we were treated to a performance by the local folk dance troupe, backed by singers and drummers on walrus gut tambourines. Various incarnations of the group performed a number of dances including ‘processing a walrus’, before all of us were invited to join in for the final performance.
By lunch, our ship’s anchor was up and were we heading north-east once again, with 51 nautical miles to run to Cape Dezhnev. Gray Whales were spotted off the ship in the early afternoon, and at 1500 we joined Katya in the lecture room for her presentation on the history of Chukotka from the 17th Century until the present. We arrived at Cape Dezhnev in the late afternoon to find the calmest conditions at this site that Rodney had ever seen. The Cape is the eastern-most point of Eurasia, and also the meeting point of the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. The Siberian Cossack, Semyon Dezhnev, was the first European to sail around the cape, hence the name, a daring feat in the 17th Century given the harsh winds, summer fogs and winter snowstorms that prevail here.
From the pebble beach landing we scrambled up the base of the cliffs and onto the remnants of a bench track leading into what was the village of Naukan. Katya had earlier outlined for us the history of Naukan, making it easier for us to imagine this collection of ruins in its former glory, a vigorous community of predominantly stone and whalebone yarangas on a cliff top terrace overlooking the ocean and migrating marine mammals. The people of Naukan were a separate Inuit tribe, the Nyvukagmit, with their own dialect, and who had likely inhabited the site for more than 2,000 years until being forcibly moved in the 1950s by the Soviet authorities. Given the historical longevity of the Nyvukagmit at this site, and its optimal location for marine mammal based subsistence, it’s unsurprising that the people of Naukan strongly identified with their home, and have struggled as a fragmented population since their expulsion. The afternoon provided us with the opportunity to begin to get a feeling for what is obviously an extremely enchanting home, as we wandered between the remains of the village, the border guard station and the slopes above the site. Back aboard the Professor Khromov that evening, we changed bearing and began our journey northwest, as the ship departed for Kolyuchin Island, sitting only a day southeast of Wrangel Island.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Common Eider
Meghan’s mammal of the day: A 7.8 kg Arctic Ground Squirrel
Alex’s plant of the day: Northern Dwarf Larkspur - Delphinium brachycentrum
By 0830, with Rodney and Elena already ashore and clearing our landing with the border guards, Zodiacs began running the remainder of our complement towards the town. Ashore we split into two groups, in order to optimise our opportunity to get something of a feeling for the history of this region and what life in a remote Chukchi township is like. While one group sampled the fare of the town, we wound our way through the gravel streets, past the wandering collective of street dogs and the waving and brightly coloured school children to the bastion of Elizabeth, the custodian of the local museum. Itis worth noting that Elizabeth spent the first six years of her life in Naukan, an abandoned Chukchi village at Cape Dezhnev, which we would visit later that afternoon. Elizabeth, with Elena translating, led us through the natural history and anthropological displays of the museum, describing insights into animal behaviour and Chukchi life in times past. We said farewell to Elizabeth and headed for the northern edge of town, for a Chukchi gastronomic prevue.
Alongside tables of walrus ivory trinkets and jewellery, carved walrus penis bones and Largha Seal slippers, were platters of interesting challenges to our generally Westernized palates. Slithers of Gray Whale sat alongside pieces of seared reindeer, and ground whale and potato cakes, while a vat of walrus stomach soup bubbled beside a bowl of fermented Roseroot (Rhodiola rosea) all to be followed by fried donuts and Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) cake. Both of our groups recombined before we were treated to a performance by the local folk dance troupe, backed by singers and drummers on walrus gut tambourines. Various incarnations of the group performed a number of dances including ‘processing a walrus’, before all of us were invited to join in for the final performance.
By lunch, our ship’s anchor was up and were we heading north-east once again, with 51 nautical miles to run to Cape Dezhnev. Gray Whales were spotted off the ship in the early afternoon, and at 1500 we joined Katya in the lecture room for her presentation on the history of Chukotka from the 17th Century until the present. We arrived at Cape Dezhnev in the late afternoon to find the calmest conditions at this site that Rodney had ever seen. The Cape is the eastern-most point of Eurasia, and also the meeting point of the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. The Siberian Cossack, Semyon Dezhnev, was the first European to sail around the cape, hence the name, a daring feat in the 17th Century given the harsh winds, summer fogs and winter snowstorms that prevail here.
From the pebble beach landing we scrambled up the base of the cliffs and onto the remnants of a bench track leading into what was the village of Naukan. Katya had earlier outlined for us the history of Naukan, making it easier for us to imagine this collection of ruins in its former glory, a vigorous community of predominantly stone and whalebone yarangas on a cliff top terrace overlooking the ocean and migrating marine mammals. The people of Naukan were a separate Inuit tribe, the Nyvukagmit, with their own dialect, and who had likely inhabited the site for more than 2,000 years until being forcibly moved in the 1950s by the Soviet authorities. Given the historical longevity of the Nyvukagmit at this site, and its optimal location for marine mammal based subsistence, it’s unsurprising that the people of Naukan strongly identified with their home, and have struggled as a fragmented population since their expulsion. The afternoon provided us with the opportunity to begin to get a feeling for what is obviously an extremely enchanting home, as we wandered between the remains of the village, the border guard station and the slopes above the site. Back aboard the Professor Khromov that evening, we changed bearing and began our journey northwest, as the ship departed for Kolyuchin Island, sitting only a day southeast of Wrangel Island.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Common Eider
Meghan’s mammal of the day: A 7.8 kg Arctic Ground Squirrel
Alex’s plant of the day: Northern Dwarf Larkspur - Delphinium brachycentrum
Street dog in Lavrentiya.
Musician from Lavrentiya dampening his tambourine before a performance.
The youngest member of Lavrentiya’s folk dance troupe.
Today’s approximate route:
Day 5 – 24th July 2015
Kolyuchin Island
Ship’s position at 0700: 67 10 N 175 27 E
We spent this morning at sea, departing the coastline of the Eurasian continent, north of Kolyuchin Inlet and heading northwest for Kolyuchin Island. The island houses the remains of an arctic research station, an abandoned Chukchi village and is also one of the two largest bird nesting colonies in the Chukotka region. During the morning as we steamed northeast, Humpback Whales were spotted along the shore and as we got further out to sea, both Fin and Minke Whales could be seen close to the ship. Our lecture programme began early this morning as Alex gave an introduction to the flora of the Russian Arctic, first detailing the landscape ecology, before exploring some of the more interesting species we might come across. Katya followed on from Alex with a presentation about the future of Polar Bears in the Arctic in the context of a changing environment and with specific focus on Wrangel Island.
By late morning Kolyuchin Island could be seen off the bow of the ship, and as we came toward our anchorage, a large haul-out of walrus could be seen in the distance on the southeast side of the island. After lunch we took to the Zodiacs and cruised south from our anchorage on the northwest side of the island, down along the rocky coast, to a flat spit where a handful of fishermen’s huts could be seen on the shore. Here we met local Chukchi people from the mainland who were in two small jet boats on a rescue mission. As one large party we rounded the south end of the island and slowly advanced up the east coast towards a large bay just south of the island’s eastern most point. In two sheltered coves ahead of us was a large haul-out of walrus, with even more in the water. Our best estimate put the haul-out at 350 animals, the majority lounging on the beach while others swam idly off shore. We retraced our path back towards the ship, and landed the Zodiacs below the collection of abandoned research huts in the northwest corner of the island, but not before Rodney and Elena had completed a sweep of the huts looking for Polar Bears. The next few hours were spent meandering around what remained of the research station – weather-worn buildings, boxes of reels of Soviet film and toppled lighthouse globes – or in intense study of the life below on the bird cliffs. Amid the jumble of broken rock, or up against turf blocks above steep cliff clefts, we sat patiently as the almost oblivious masses of Horned and Tufted Puffins; Common and Brunnich’s Guillemots all got on with their daily lives in spectacular fashion under the dying light of the late afternoon.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Tufted Puffin
Meghan’s mammal of the day: Fin Whale
Alex’s plant of the day: Arctic Chrysanthemum – Arctanthemum arcticum
By late morning Kolyuchin Island could be seen off the bow of the ship, and as we came toward our anchorage, a large haul-out of walrus could be seen in the distance on the southeast side of the island. After lunch we took to the Zodiacs and cruised south from our anchorage on the northwest side of the island, down along the rocky coast, to a flat spit where a handful of fishermen’s huts could be seen on the shore. Here we met local Chukchi people from the mainland who were in two small jet boats on a rescue mission. As one large party we rounded the south end of the island and slowly advanced up the east coast towards a large bay just south of the island’s eastern most point. In two sheltered coves ahead of us was a large haul-out of walrus, with even more in the water. Our best estimate put the haul-out at 350 animals, the majority lounging on the beach while others swam idly off shore. We retraced our path back towards the ship, and landed the Zodiacs below the collection of abandoned research huts in the northwest corner of the island, but not before Rodney and Elena had completed a sweep of the huts looking for Polar Bears. The next few hours were spent meandering around what remained of the research station – weather-worn buildings, boxes of reels of Soviet film and toppled lighthouse globes – or in intense study of the life below on the bird cliffs. Amid the jumble of broken rock, or up against turf blocks above steep cliff clefts, we sat patiently as the almost oblivious masses of Horned and Tufted Puffins; Common and Brunnich’s Guillemots all got on with their daily lives in spectacular fashion under the dying light of the late afternoon.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Tufted Puffin
Meghan’s mammal of the day: Fin Whale
Alex’s plant of the day: Arctic Chrysanthemum – Arctanthemum arcticum
Today’s approximate route:
Remains of the Arctic research station on Kolyuchin Island.
Horned Puffin landing on rocky cliffs of Kolyuchin Island.
Day 6 – 25th July 2015
Doubtful Bay, Wrangel Island
Ship’s position at 0700: 70 03 N 178 80 E
Having steamed all night on a north-northeast bearing from Kolyuchin Island we awoke to an ETA of midday at Wrangel Island. In preparation, Katya took to the microphone and delivered a presentation focused on the natural and historical aspects of Wrangel. Katya began with geographical context before delving into the human history then natural history, focusing on the terrestrial mammals. Samuel took over from Katya and picked up the thread of human history on Wrangel Island. In the ‘Epic expedition of the Karluk between Alaska and Chukotka’ Samuel told the tale of Stefansson and Bartlett, and the loss of the Karluk, and many lives in and around Wrangel Island in the years before the First World War.
Shortly after lunch the first ice floes began to appear through the sea haze around the ship. Our progress slowed as we wound our way between larger pieces of ice and advanced on Doubtful Spit, providing good opportunities to scan the ice for walrus and Polar Bears. By the time we anchored off Wrangel Island a handful of bears had already been seen on the ice, including good views of a bear feeding on a seal kill. In the later afternoon we boarded the Zodiacs and began the long run in towards Somnitelnaya Village in the northeast corner of Krasin Bay. There we were greeted by the island’s rangers, three of whom – Valeriy, Ivan and Lily – would become part of our troupe for the coming five days. In two groups we explored the remains of the village before either following a braided river system a short way inland or breaking out across the tundra. The short open tundra was ablaze with pinks, blues and yellows, as we picked our way across the fine-mosaic of vegetation in the direction of the lower foothills of the Somnitelnie Mountains. The remaining few from what was once a great herd of reindeer punctuated the tundra, while Long-Tailed Skua made their homes amid piles of rusting debris, and a small group of Musk Ox could be seen grazing in the distance. We returned to the shore and said goodbye to our first group of Overlanders, before heading back out to the ship, and once more into the ice.
Meghan’s bird of the day: Long-Tailed Skua
Alex’s plant of the day: Elegant Paintbrush – Castilleja elegans
Polar Bear tally for the day: 2 bears
Shortly after lunch the first ice floes began to appear through the sea haze around the ship. Our progress slowed as we wound our way between larger pieces of ice and advanced on Doubtful Spit, providing good opportunities to scan the ice for walrus and Polar Bears. By the time we anchored off Wrangel Island a handful of bears had already been seen on the ice, including good views of a bear feeding on a seal kill. In the later afternoon we boarded the Zodiacs and began the long run in towards Somnitelnaya Village in the northeast corner of Krasin Bay. There we were greeted by the island’s rangers, three of whom – Valeriy, Ivan and Lily – would become part of our troupe for the coming five days. In two groups we explored the remains of the village before either following a braided river system a short way inland or breaking out across the tundra. The short open tundra was ablaze with pinks, blues and yellows, as we picked our way across the fine-mosaic of vegetation in the direction of the lower foothills of the Somnitelnie Mountains. The remaining few from what was once a great herd of reindeer punctuated the tundra, while Long-Tailed Skua made their homes amid piles of rusting debris, and a small group of Musk Ox could be seen grazing in the distance. We returned to the shore and said goodbye to our first group of Overlanders, before heading back out to the ship, and once more into the ice.
Meghan’s bird of the day: Long-Tailed Skua
Alex’s plant of the day: Elegant Paintbrush – Castilleja elegans
Polar Bear tally for the day: 2 bears
Tundra communities in Doubtful Bay.
Musk Ox remains in Doubtful Bay.
Today’s approximate route:
Day 7 – 26th July 2015
Cape Thomas
Ship’s position at 0700: 70 51 N 178 37 E
Overnight the captain had taken the ship offshore and beyond the ice floe in order to avoid being trapped by shifting ice. We had left the reasonably sheltered waters of Krasin Bay and headed first south then west and north up and around Cape Blossom. Beyond the Cape, as the ice map had indicated, we found another patch of open water giving us the opportunity to get further inshore towards the rugged coastline south of Cape Thomas. By midday we were a-beam of Zapadnyy Point, when the captain turned off the engines and the ship drifted for an hour amongst the ice, an opportunity to catch sight of ice-borne wildlife from the ship. A few seals and distant Polar Bears were our reward, so in order to get a little closer we opted to launch the Zodiacs, however the timing turned out to be a little calamitous. As the second Zodiac was launched, the tide changed, and suddenly ice was closing in around our small pod of black rubber boats. Kosta was the last to be launched, and in the lee of the ships propeller, appeared to have the most accessible or escapable position. A sudden opening in the ice palisade allowed Samuel, Meghan and Alex to get their boats out into open water, but simultaneously as the ship’s momentum slowed, Kosta found himself trapped alone in an ever-decreasing pool. So began the legendary ‘Operation Rescue Kosta’. With some clever manoeuvring from the ship and a little luck in amongst the ice, we soon had all Zodiacs back on-board, and toasted the successful rescue with vodka and Kahlua laced hot chocolates on the front deck.
An hour or so later the ship was in a more open ice flow, so we decided to try again. With five Zodiacs in the water we followed a line through the ice, generally in the direction of Cape Thomas and towards the shore. In the distance, just south of Thomas Mountain, a mother Polar Bear and two cubs had just hauled out off the ice and could be seen gaining altitude. Winding in and out of small pathways, openings and pools among the ice we were met by the occasional Bearded Seal, but little else in this intricate ice maze. Before we headed back towards the ship, Rodney decided to try for a small group of walrus that had been observed earlier in the day. Just south of the ship three animals were spotted on the ice and we quietly moved the Zodiacs in their direction, affording us great views of the three against a backdrop of sculpted ice.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Black Guillemot
Meghan’s mammal of the day: Bearded Seal
Polar Bear tally for the day: 6 bears
An hour or so later the ship was in a more open ice flow, so we decided to try again. With five Zodiacs in the water we followed a line through the ice, generally in the direction of Cape Thomas and towards the shore. In the distance, just south of Thomas Mountain, a mother Polar Bear and two cubs had just hauled out off the ice and could be seen gaining altitude. Winding in and out of small pathways, openings and pools among the ice we were met by the occasional Bearded Seal, but little else in this intricate ice maze. Before we headed back towards the ship, Rodney decided to try for a small group of walrus that had been observed earlier in the day. Just south of the ship three animals were spotted on the ice and we quietly moved the Zodiacs in their direction, affording us great views of the three against a backdrop of sculpted ice.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Black Guillemot
Meghan’s mammal of the day: Bearded Seal
Polar Bear tally for the day: 6 bears
Ice floes off of Cape Thomas.
The Professor Khromov in the ice.
Today’s approximate route:
Day 8 – 27th July 2015
Cape Thomas and Ice Floes
Ship’s position at 0700: 70 53 N 178 42 E
The ship’s anchor dropped before breakfast securing the ship south of Cape Thomas in very heavy fog and a persistent gusting breeze. Two items of news had arrived in the night. Firstly, the Overlander’s trailer had broken and they had limped to their cabin arriving in the wee hours of the morning. Secondly, the ship had become fast locked in ice at one point during the night, causing the captain a sleepless night, but going generally unnoticed by most of us curled up in our cabins. Nevertheless, we breakfasted, boarded the Zodiacs, and headed to shore. In two groups, the long and short walkers, we made our across the tundra, heading inland in the direction of the rising valleys and low foothills of the Western Plateau. On the lower slopes, both groups could see yesterday’s Polar Bear threesome of mother and cubs sidling the scree, while Long-tailed Skuas soared low over the tundra and Dunlins stalked the small marshy lagoons nearer the coast.
We welcomed the returning group of Overlanders, who appeared across the tundra in their trailer-less Trikol with tales of Snow Geese, Snowy Owls, Ruddy Turnstones and the very rare Wrangel sighting of a White Tailed Eagle. We then waved off the southbound Overland division. Shortly after lunch we began our journey east and north towards Herald Island. Small ice floes drifted in the sea around the ship, and one by one, more and more walrus were seen, often precariously stacked in groups on heavily burdened, much undersized pieces of ice. By 1500 we had slowed the ship considerably and on a long stretch of much thicker ice alongside the ship were 160 nonplussed walrus in groups ranging from 3 to thirty, for the most part, just hanging out on the ice. After some great opportunities for photography, everywhere from the bow to the monkey deck, we set out in earnest on the 130 nautical mile run to Herald Island. Uninhabited and much smaller, Herald Island lies 40 miles northeast of Wrangel. The island soars out of the Chukchi Sea as granite and gneiss tors and pinnacles reaching up to 340 m (1120 feet) above sea level.
We rounded Cape Blossom in the late afternoon, and with ice floes stretched between us and Wrangel Island, Samuel most appropriately took to the lecture room to deliver ‘The 8th Continent – Sea Ice’. Samuel walked us through the different types of sea ice, from frazil to nilas, and how and where they form and why. Through excellent imagery Samuel demonstrated annual changes in ice, as well as more recent dramatic directional changes in the Arctic and Antarctic in response to changing climate.
By 2030 we were once again in heavy fog, with wind blowing in from the southeast. With a 0530 ETA at Herald Island we all retired with instructions from Rodney to dream of improving weather conditions.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Pectoral Sandpiper
Meghan’s Mammal of the day: Walrus
Alex’s plant of the day: Tiles’s Saussurea – Saussurea tilesii
Polar Bear tally for the day: 8 bears
We welcomed the returning group of Overlanders, who appeared across the tundra in their trailer-less Trikol with tales of Snow Geese, Snowy Owls, Ruddy Turnstones and the very rare Wrangel sighting of a White Tailed Eagle. We then waved off the southbound Overland division. Shortly after lunch we began our journey east and north towards Herald Island. Small ice floes drifted in the sea around the ship, and one by one, more and more walrus were seen, often precariously stacked in groups on heavily burdened, much undersized pieces of ice. By 1500 we had slowed the ship considerably and on a long stretch of much thicker ice alongside the ship were 160 nonplussed walrus in groups ranging from 3 to thirty, for the most part, just hanging out on the ice. After some great opportunities for photography, everywhere from the bow to the monkey deck, we set out in earnest on the 130 nautical mile run to Herald Island. Uninhabited and much smaller, Herald Island lies 40 miles northeast of Wrangel. The island soars out of the Chukchi Sea as granite and gneiss tors and pinnacles reaching up to 340 m (1120 feet) above sea level.
We rounded Cape Blossom in the late afternoon, and with ice floes stretched between us and Wrangel Island, Samuel most appropriately took to the lecture room to deliver ‘The 8th Continent – Sea Ice’. Samuel walked us through the different types of sea ice, from frazil to nilas, and how and where they form and why. Through excellent imagery Samuel demonstrated annual changes in ice, as well as more recent dramatic directional changes in the Arctic and Antarctic in response to changing climate.
By 2030 we were once again in heavy fog, with wind blowing in from the southeast. With a 0530 ETA at Herald Island we all retired with instructions from Rodney to dream of improving weather conditions.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Pectoral Sandpiper
Meghan’s Mammal of the day: Walrus
Alex’s plant of the day: Tiles’s Saussurea – Saussurea tilesii
Polar Bear tally for the day: 8 bears
Musk Ox tracks.
Walrus on ice.
Today’s approximate route:
Day 9 – 28th July 2015
Herald Island, Dragi Bay and Cape Waring
Ship’s position at 0700: 71 22 N 175 42 E
Our hopeful dreams had succeeded overnight, and while we awoke to heavy fog, we also discovered the morning had brought much improved sea conditions. Heavy ice and a small mechanical problem had slowed our progress during the night, but by 0630 we had arrived at Herald Island. Immediately following breakfast we were in the Zodiacs and exploring the coastline. Massive blocks of multi-faceted granite formed the pedestals of soaring cliffs peaked in pinnacles that disappeared into high misty clag. We surveyed the western coastline finding good numbers of Bruinnich’s, Common and Black Guillemots as well as both Puffin species. We approached the beach which was the last home for one of the fleeing parties from the Karluk, just as Samuel noticed a Polar Bear sleeping on the adjoining beach. Eventually our presence awoke the bear which scampered down the beach before taking to the sea. We took the opportunity to land, allowing the bear a wide berth. Back on the Zodiacs we continued south and east and turning back towards the beach saw 100m above us another trio of bears. A mother and two cubs looked out at us from a cleft in the cliff so we continued on in order to leave them in peace. Just then Meghan noticed a large head emerging from an ice den in a snow patch ahead of us. As a single flotilla we kept the Zodiacs well offshore as we watched what turned out to be an enormous bear emerge slowly from its den and wander down to the shore, tasting us on the air before taking to the sea.
By mid-morning we were back on the ship and watching Herald disappear into the mist, before Ivan (one of the Wrangel Island rangers) provided us with an insight into island life. Ivan led a presentation outlining the structure of the department he works within, the tasks the rangers undertake, focused on maintenance, a general clean-up of the island and the wildlife inventory. For more information, or maybe just for more images, the Russian only Wrangel Island website is worth a visit: http://www.ostrovwrangelya.org
After lunch we hit another band of ice outside of Dragi Bay, north of the island’s eastern-most point, Cape Waring. Strips of dense ice, often speckled with walrus, were intermixed with slender intricate ice forms that crumbled into the sea around us. For almost two hours the captain slowly picked through an ice-free avenue as we entered Dragi Bay. At anchor in deep fog, we abandoned the ship and felt our way blindly through the mists with the Zodiacs as we followed a bearing towards the northern headland. Eventually the headland emerged and we followed a narrow passage between the ice and the shoreline, south and west along the coast. We arrived at a long pebble beach at a midpoint in the bay, and landed, still in heavy clag. We paid homage to both memorials to the Karluk survivors in Dragi Bay and then headed inland up a mild incline, in search of Snowy Owls and Snow Geese on the tundra. While we could hear some birds we decided to return to the Zodiacs and try our luck further south toward Cape Waring. Edging along the coast, we began to find large groups of young and old Snow Geese, moulting on the beach, in total about 250 birds were seen, an unexpected abundance at the water’s edge. Wrangel is the only place in Eurasia where this North American species occurs, giving us some idea of how critical the island is to migratory species. We continued onto the bird cliffs at the southeast end of the bay, getting more great scenes of Guillemots, including large groups resting on ice. With perfect accuracy, Rodney led our Zodiac convoy back to the still fog-enshrined ship.
With 15 nautical miles left to run to Clark River, we regrouped in the bar and digested the wildlife successes of the day. Still amongst ice we enjoyed even more great views of Polar Bears around the ship as we made our way to Clark River. We arrived there in dense fog and a growing wind, so decided to call an end to another truly fantastic day.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Snow Geese
Meghan’s Mammal of the day: Polar Bear
Alex’s plant of the day: Flagellate Saxifrage or Spider Plant – Saxifraga flagellaris
Polar Bear tally for the day: 10 bears
By mid-morning we were back on the ship and watching Herald disappear into the mist, before Ivan (one of the Wrangel Island rangers) provided us with an insight into island life. Ivan led a presentation outlining the structure of the department he works within, the tasks the rangers undertake, focused on maintenance, a general clean-up of the island and the wildlife inventory. For more information, or maybe just for more images, the Russian only Wrangel Island website is worth a visit: http://www.ostrovwrangelya.org
After lunch we hit another band of ice outside of Dragi Bay, north of the island’s eastern-most point, Cape Waring. Strips of dense ice, often speckled with walrus, were intermixed with slender intricate ice forms that crumbled into the sea around us. For almost two hours the captain slowly picked through an ice-free avenue as we entered Dragi Bay. At anchor in deep fog, we abandoned the ship and felt our way blindly through the mists with the Zodiacs as we followed a bearing towards the northern headland. Eventually the headland emerged and we followed a narrow passage between the ice and the shoreline, south and west along the coast. We arrived at a long pebble beach at a midpoint in the bay, and landed, still in heavy clag. We paid homage to both memorials to the Karluk survivors in Dragi Bay and then headed inland up a mild incline, in search of Snowy Owls and Snow Geese on the tundra. While we could hear some birds we decided to return to the Zodiacs and try our luck further south toward Cape Waring. Edging along the coast, we began to find large groups of young and old Snow Geese, moulting on the beach, in total about 250 birds were seen, an unexpected abundance at the water’s edge. Wrangel is the only place in Eurasia where this North American species occurs, giving us some idea of how critical the island is to migratory species. We continued onto the bird cliffs at the southeast end of the bay, getting more great scenes of Guillemots, including large groups resting on ice. With perfect accuracy, Rodney led our Zodiac convoy back to the still fog-enshrined ship.
With 15 nautical miles left to run to Clark River, we regrouped in the bar and digested the wildlife successes of the day. Still amongst ice we enjoyed even more great views of Polar Bears around the ship as we made our way to Clark River. We arrived there in dense fog and a growing wind, so decided to call an end to another truly fantastic day.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Snow Geese
Meghan’s Mammal of the day: Polar Bear
Alex’s plant of the day: Flagellate Saxifrage or Spider Plant – Saxifraga flagellaris
Polar Bear tally for the day: 10 bears
Pinnacles of rock on Herald Island.
Samuel and the memorial to the Karluck crew in Dragi Bay.
One of the ten Polar Bears we observed today.
Today’s approximate route:
Day 10 – 29th July
Mishniki River and Doubtful Bay
Ship’s position at 0700: 70 53 N 179 06 E
By 0615 we were finally out of the fog, but looking along the coast it was clear that we had only barely cleared the vaporous wall that still hung to our east. Nevertheless, in full sun, with no wind and at a balmy 7°C, we landed at Hishniki River on the southern coast of Wrangel Island. Options abounded this morning, permitting one’s pace across the tundra to take the form of a saunter, a ramble or a march. The marchers took off first, with Rodney in pole position, leading a small team from Hishniki River inland and west to Somnitelnaya Village, where we would collect them by Zodiac in the early afternoon. The rest of us, split between the saunterers (short-walkers) and the ramblers (medium-walkers), headed up Hishniki River and into the tundra in search of Snowy Owls. The medium-walkers had a chance to stretch their legs, and explore the ever-changing tundra, while avoiding the dozens of Arctic Woolly Bears (a Gynaephora moth caterpillar) intent on mowing their way across the tundra vegetation. Meanwhile the short-walkers returned to shore and explored a little way up the coast by Zodiac, getting good views of an Arctic Fox and another Snowy Owl.
Back aboard the Professor Khromov, sans the south-bound Overlanders and the long-walkers, the ship headed further west for our last visit to Doubtful Bay. Three Zodiacs left the ship, with the rangers Ivan and Lily inbound for their island homes. Shortly afterwards the Zodiacs returned with the remainder of our complement. Once more our expedition’s company was complete, the anchor was raised and we said goodbye to Wrangel Island, setting a course for Kolyuchin inlet.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Snowy Owl
Meghan’s Mammal of the day: Arctic Fox
Alex’s invertebrate of the day: Arctic Woolly Bear – Gynaephora sp.
Polar Bear tally for the day: 4 bears
Back aboard the Professor Khromov, sans the south-bound Overlanders and the long-walkers, the ship headed further west for our last visit to Doubtful Bay. Three Zodiacs left the ship, with the rangers Ivan and Lily inbound for their island homes. Shortly afterwards the Zodiacs returned with the remainder of our complement. Once more our expedition’s company was complete, the anchor was raised and we said goodbye to Wrangel Island, setting a course for Kolyuchin inlet.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Snowy Owl
Meghan’s Mammal of the day: Arctic Fox
Alex’s invertebrate of the day: Arctic Woolly Bear – Gynaephora sp.
Polar Bear tally for the day: 4 bears
An Arctic Woolly Bear on the tundra.
Siberian Lemming.
Today’s approximate route:
Day 11 – 30th July 2015
Belyaka Spit, Kolyuchin Inlet
Ship’s position at 0700: 67 59 N 175 25 E
Belyaka Spit, Kolyuchin Inlet
Ship’s position at 0700: 67 59 N 175 25 E
This morning began at sea, continuing the long stretch southeast from Wrangel Island towards the Russian mainland. After breakfast Alex introduced us to some of the adaptations that the plants of the Arctic (and a few novel invertebrate examples) employ to be able to survive and reproduce in such extreme environments. Come mid-morning, Samuel tapped into the botanical root a little further with a talk on the great German botanist, ornithologist, entomologist, anthropologist and surgeon, Georg Wilhelm Steller, whose short but ridiculously productive career prominently featured the North Pacific region.
After lunch we joined Rodney in the Lecture Room for a briefing about Belyaka Spit, the northern lip at the mouth of Kolyuchin Inlet. The low tundra area of the spit is a nesting zone for Emperor Geese, Eider Ducks, Sandhill Cranes and some very rare species of sandpipers. Ashore we met the ornithologist Alexiy and two Beringia Park rangers before we split into a number of loose groups, or wandered independently across the tundra, through swathes of marshy vegetation and along the raised margins of shallow ponds. The mosaic of vegetation types and ponds provided some excellent birding opportunities including good views of Pacific and Yellow-Billed Loons, Pectoral Sandpipers and distant Emperor Geese. On the coastal margins where the low dunes met the tundra, a meadow of purple Beach Pea (Lathyrus japonicus) and yellow Seabeach Senecio (Senecio pseudo-arnica) bloomed and sprawled across the sand. We took our time to beachcomb from the wrecked barge in the east, along past Alexiy’s hut where the tundra was dotted with nesting Eider, past the abandoned lighthouse and on toward the memorial cross, dune-top, on the western edge of the spit.
During dinner, the captain took the ship inside Kolyuchin Lagoon and we steamed south towards Kamakai. Rodney and the staff delivered a load of freight to a local family residing here. With everyone back on the ship, we headed northwards up the inlet as the late evening light hit the tundra and flat seas around us, making for a fairly damned enchanting evening even for the non-romantics amongst us!
Samuel’s bird of the day: Yellow-Billed Loon
Alex’s plant of the day: Seabeach Senecio – Senecio pseudo-arnica
Meghan’s mammal of the day: Arctic Ground Squirrel
After lunch we joined Rodney in the Lecture Room for a briefing about Belyaka Spit, the northern lip at the mouth of Kolyuchin Inlet. The low tundra area of the spit is a nesting zone for Emperor Geese, Eider Ducks, Sandhill Cranes and some very rare species of sandpipers. Ashore we met the ornithologist Alexiy and two Beringia Park rangers before we split into a number of loose groups, or wandered independently across the tundra, through swathes of marshy vegetation and along the raised margins of shallow ponds. The mosaic of vegetation types and ponds provided some excellent birding opportunities including good views of Pacific and Yellow-Billed Loons, Pectoral Sandpipers and distant Emperor Geese. On the coastal margins where the low dunes met the tundra, a meadow of purple Beach Pea (Lathyrus japonicus) and yellow Seabeach Senecio (Senecio pseudo-arnica) bloomed and sprawled across the sand. We took our time to beachcomb from the wrecked barge in the east, along past Alexiy’s hut where the tundra was dotted with nesting Eider, past the abandoned lighthouse and on toward the memorial cross, dune-top, on the western edge of the spit.
During dinner, the captain took the ship inside Kolyuchin Lagoon and we steamed south towards Kamakai. Rodney and the staff delivered a load of freight to a local family residing here. With everyone back on the ship, we headed northwards up the inlet as the late evening light hit the tundra and flat seas around us, making for a fairly damned enchanting evening even for the non-romantics amongst us!
Samuel’s bird of the day: Yellow-Billed Loon
Alex’s plant of the day: Seabeach Senecio – Senecio pseudo-arnica
Meghan’s mammal of the day: Arctic Ground Squirrel
Seabeach Senecio (Senecio pseudo-arnica) Belyaka Spit.
The remains of the lighthouse at Belyaka Spit.
Today’s approximate route:
Day 12 – 31st July 2015
Bering Strait and Ratmanova Island
Ship’s position at 0700: 66 59 N 171 33 E
Bering Strait and Ratmanova Island
Ship’s position at 0700: 66 59 N 171 33 E
Overnight and into this morning we continued our run along the northeast coast of Chukotka, toward Uelen Village and Cape Dezhnev. At 0930 we joined Katya in the Lecture Room for her presentation on the cetaceans of the region. As Katya finished her talk the ship moved into the productive waters of the Bering Sea and within the hour Humpback Whales were seen breaching between the ship and the coastline. Taking a break from whales we joined Samuel downstairs for an introduction to the auks of the Russian Far East, where Samuel described the life cycles and behaviour of the guillemots, the murrelets, the puffins and the auklets. After lunch and throughout the afternoon, Humpback Whales were spouting and fluking around the ship. We altered course mid-afternoon to continue the whale show further off the coast.
By 1500 we were north of the village of Uelen, the most north-eastern settlement in Russia and mostly composed of Chukchi people. The position of the village makes it ideal for marine mammal hunters, and for this reason the history of the site dates back more than 2,000 years. Uelen lies on a long flat split, only a dozen or so nautical miles northwest of Cape Dezhnev, where we had landed eight days earlier. As we rounded the cape and entered the Bering Strait proper, Ratmanova (Big Diomede) Island, our objective for the evening, came into view. Big and Little Diomede Islands lie adjacent to one another in the centre of the Bering Strait and are geographically split by little more than a few miles. However, between the two islands runs not only the International Date Line, but the boundary between two of the world’s great powers, Russia and the United States.
As we neared Ratmanova Island, Samuel pointed out another landmass which emerged north of Little Diomede Island. This 600m coastal peak rises above Cape Prince of Wales, the western-most point of Alaska in the Bering Strait. More of the Alaskan coastline emerged as we approached our anchorage at Ratmanova Island. Following dinner and a little negotiation with the border guards, we found some lee in a bay at the northwest of the island and took to the Zodiacs. We explored the coastal cliffs under the watchful eyes of the guards, who by relaying messages to us via the captain and snapping photos of the Zodiacs, ensured we knew who was in charge of the area. On the rocky shores were some walrus, hauled out below large colonies of Horned Puffins, Common, Bruinnich’s, Black and Pigeon Guillemots, as well as some of the more southerly alcids that we had not seen for almost a week, including the Crested, Least and Parakeet Auklets. It was very atmospheric cruising in the deepening twilight under a Blue Moon. As instructed we stayed within view of the border guards and pulled back from the island when the order came through, generally behaving ourselves until the growing swell and the increasing wind drove us back to the ship.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Horned Puffin
Meghan’s mammal of the day: Walrus
By 1500 we were north of the village of Uelen, the most north-eastern settlement in Russia and mostly composed of Chukchi people. The position of the village makes it ideal for marine mammal hunters, and for this reason the history of the site dates back more than 2,000 years. Uelen lies on a long flat split, only a dozen or so nautical miles northwest of Cape Dezhnev, where we had landed eight days earlier. As we rounded the cape and entered the Bering Strait proper, Ratmanova (Big Diomede) Island, our objective for the evening, came into view. Big and Little Diomede Islands lie adjacent to one another in the centre of the Bering Strait and are geographically split by little more than a few miles. However, between the two islands runs not only the International Date Line, but the boundary between two of the world’s great powers, Russia and the United States.
As we neared Ratmanova Island, Samuel pointed out another landmass which emerged north of Little Diomede Island. This 600m coastal peak rises above Cape Prince of Wales, the western-most point of Alaska in the Bering Strait. More of the Alaskan coastline emerged as we approached our anchorage at Ratmanova Island. Following dinner and a little negotiation with the border guards, we found some lee in a bay at the northwest of the island and took to the Zodiacs. We explored the coastal cliffs under the watchful eyes of the guards, who by relaying messages to us via the captain and snapping photos of the Zodiacs, ensured we knew who was in charge of the area. On the rocky shores were some walrus, hauled out below large colonies of Horned Puffins, Common, Bruinnich’s, Black and Pigeon Guillemots, as well as some of the more southerly alcids that we had not seen for almost a week, including the Crested, Least and Parakeet Auklets. It was very atmospheric cruising in the deepening twilight under a Blue Moon. As instructed we stayed within view of the border guards and pulled back from the island when the order came through, generally behaving ourselves until the growing swell and the increasing wind drove us back to the ship.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Horned Puffin
Meghan’s mammal of the day: Walrus
Today’s approximate route:
Day 13 – 01st August 2015
Senvavina Strait
Ship’s position at 0700: 64 49 N 172 38 E
Meghan’s perky Californian drawl woke us to a positively summery 13 degree (Celsius) morning in a bay in northern Senvavina Strait, north and west of two sites we had visited almost two weeks earlier, Gil’mimyl and Yttygran Island. With such a day on offer, Rodney’s planning creativity moved up a gear, as he called us down to the Lecture Room to outline a strategy for the morning. Three options had been devised. For the itchy-legged among us, an 8 mile slog over a saddle ending at the Gil’mimyl hot springs was proposed, the so-called ‘long walk’. A short walk was offered for the twitchers in our midst, giving them time to explore the low woodlands of the marshy flats in search of ornithological treasure. The majority of our company fell in between those two groups so opted for the ‘longer-short walk’. The aim for this group was to gain some altitude, explore hillock and dale, and generally get a bit more of a feeling for this remote landscape, especially given this would be the last landing of our expedition.
Reports from the long-walkers tell of a long and winding beautiful trek, of lunches on saddles watching a distant Brown Bear fishing for Humpback Salmon, and a day capped in thermal waters. The short-walkers failed in their efforts amongst the waist-high willows to flush the hoped for Ptarmigan, but said the outlook beyond the braided river flats up into wide open valleys had been worth the effort. The longer-short walkers crossed the marshy flats at the back of the beach, then quickly gained altitude to an open plateau, where we split into two groups. The smaller bunch attained the short peak that overlooked the entire bay while the larger continued across the plateau. We forgave our surroundings for their paucity of wildlife, as progressively more of the grandeur of landscape opened before us.
As the long-walkers continued their pilgrimage, the remainder of us re-joined the ship for lunch, before taking to the Zodiacs for one last time. From the ship’s anchorage we followed the coastline first northeast, then southeast, searching for wildlife. We ended near a small island at almost the beginning of the northern branch of Senvavina Strait. Unnamed on any map, we are left with little choice but to dub this island, Isle de Fratercula (the island of the puffins). As we circumnavigated the tiny island, both Horned and Tufted Puffins could be seen dominating all suitable habitat, and often abandoned their perches to fly over our boats in squadrons giving an aerial salute to our last excursion. We returned to the ship and sailed to Gil’mimyl, where we collected our long-walkers, then headed east out of Senvavina Strait.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Tufted Puffin
Alex’s plant of the day: Twinflower – Linnaea borealis
Meghan’s mammal of the day: Fishing Brown Bear
Reports from the long-walkers tell of a long and winding beautiful trek, of lunches on saddles watching a distant Brown Bear fishing for Humpback Salmon, and a day capped in thermal waters. The short-walkers failed in their efforts amongst the waist-high willows to flush the hoped for Ptarmigan, but said the outlook beyond the braided river flats up into wide open valleys had been worth the effort. The longer-short walkers crossed the marshy flats at the back of the beach, then quickly gained altitude to an open plateau, where we split into two groups. The smaller bunch attained the short peak that overlooked the entire bay while the larger continued across the plateau. We forgave our surroundings for their paucity of wildlife, as progressively more of the grandeur of landscape opened before us.
As the long-walkers continued their pilgrimage, the remainder of us re-joined the ship for lunch, before taking to the Zodiacs for one last time. From the ship’s anchorage we followed the coastline first northeast, then southeast, searching for wildlife. We ended near a small island at almost the beginning of the northern branch of Senvavina Strait. Unnamed on any map, we are left with little choice but to dub this island, Isle de Fratercula (the island of the puffins). As we circumnavigated the tiny island, both Horned and Tufted Puffins could be seen dominating all suitable habitat, and often abandoned their perches to fly over our boats in squadrons giving an aerial salute to our last excursion. We returned to the ship and sailed to Gil’mimyl, where we collected our long-walkers, then headed east out of Senvavina Strait.
Samuel’s bird of the day: Tufted Puffin
Alex’s plant of the day: Twinflower – Linnaea borealis
Meghan’s mammal of the day: Fishing Brown Bear
Today’s approximate route:
Looking out toward Senyavina Strait.
Day 14 – 02nd August 2015
At sea en route to Anadyr
Ship’s position at 0700: 64 15 N 175 17 E
After a fortnight of sometimes early starts and often late finishes, we allowed ourselves a later start today, so breakfast took the leisurely slot of 0830. Our last full day of expeditioning was to be one of lectures, slideshows, buffets and generally feeling energised as we began to digest our backlog of experiences. Shortly after breakfast we joined Alex in the Lecture Room for a debut of his presentation focusing on the paleohistory of Beringia, its colossal inhabitants and its downfall. Rodney took over from Alex, presenting a slideshow of his ongoing exploration of Chukotka by snowmobile. Rodney recapped the 2013 and 2014 legs of his and Katya’s adventure, some of the trials and tribulations and many of the exultations that such adventuring brings. Rodney could not explain the drive for such a journey, all he knew is that it continues to broil in his veins as he outlined a 2017 scheme to snowmobile from Anadyr to Petropavlosk-Kamchatskiy.
After lunch a handful of Fin Whales were spotted ahead of the ship, a mere taster of what the afternoon would bring. By 1600 our best estimates are that 200 Humpback Whales were spouting, fluking and breaching all around the ship. A juvenile was even seen bow-riding along our port-side. Here at the conclusion of our journey, was a natural history spectacle, almost a phenomenon. Still soaring after our Humpback experience, we joined together in the Lecture Room one last time. Rodney gave his disembarkation briefing and the staff had a chance to muse a little over their experiences, before Meghan began the slideshow she had been working on throughout the trip. Meghan’s expedition recap brought together photographs from most staff members and retold our 14 days of wild adventure in images. The only thing left to crown our last evening was an opulent buffet courtesy of Lindsay and Connor.
Meghan’s mammal of the day: Humpback Whale
After lunch a handful of Fin Whales were spotted ahead of the ship, a mere taster of what the afternoon would bring. By 1600 our best estimates are that 200 Humpback Whales were spouting, fluking and breaching all around the ship. A juvenile was even seen bow-riding along our port-side. Here at the conclusion of our journey, was a natural history spectacle, almost a phenomenon. Still soaring after our Humpback experience, we joined together in the Lecture Room one last time. Rodney gave his disembarkation briefing and the staff had a chance to muse a little over their experiences, before Meghan began the slideshow she had been working on throughout the trip. Meghan’s expedition recap brought together photographs from most staff members and retold our 14 days of wild adventure in images. The only thing left to crown our last evening was an opulent buffet courtesy of Lindsay and Connor.
Meghan’s mammal of the day: Humpback Whale
Today’s approximate route:
Day 15 – 03rd August 2015
Anadyr and disembarkation
The pilot was on board before breakfast as we made our way back to where we began, at anchorage at the convergence of the Kazachka River and the Anadyr Estuary. With bags packed, we met for our final breakfast together and over the next four hours, in waves of farewells, we separated barge by barge, each returning to our respective corners of the globe. Thanks to all for the camaraderie and for the infectious enthusiasm for wild things and wild places.
Alex Fergus (words and photos ©)
