“We are waiting, knowing the privilege it is to be here at this time of the year,” France and Eric wrote earlier this week. “Right now, only a helicopter can reach us. The snow melting and the rivers opening make any travel difficult by land, while pack ice and shallow waters make our favorite bay inaccessible by sea.” (Click to enlarge).
“The ice is not going to melt early this year. Even though some flowers are starting to bloom, there's still more snow covering the land at this time than there was during past years. Nevertheless, if polar bears visits are increasing, this is because the pack ice is receding, we should soon see open water...” All images copyright Association Nord-Est and Eric Brossier, courtesy of the expedition's website (click to enlarge).
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Vagabond update: Ice will break up… soon
Posted: Jun 28, 2007 04:15 am EST
(TheOceans.net/ThePoles.com) Summer started on June 21 but the ice around the Vagabond, stuck-frozen at Inglefield's bay, Spitsbergen, is still firm enough for crew members France Pinczon du Sel and Eric Brossier to go dog-sledging and skiing. “The pack ice will certainly break-up this year again - be patient,” they keep repeating.
More bears = less ice
“Three polar bears, including a cub, shared the leftovers from a seal killed by another bear,” France and Eric reported earlier this week. “The ice is not going to melt early this year. Even though some flowers are starting to bloom, there's still more snow covering the land at this time than there was during past years. Nevertheless, if polar bears visits are increasing, this is because the pack ice is receding, we should soon see open water...”
Last year, after wintering in the same area, the sailing ship finally departed on July 6. Now, on its third winter among the coastal ice around Svalbard, the crew expects at least three more weeks before being able to sail away again. Meanwhile, they enjoy the solitude and isolation. “We are waiting, knowing the privilege it is to be here at this time of the year,” they wrote earlier this week. “Right now, only a helicopter can reach us. The snow melting and the rivers opening make any travel difficult by land, while pack ice and shallow waters make our favorite bay inaccessible by sea.”
After 3 failed attempts, Vagabond became the first to sail the North-West Passage from the west to the east in 1988. The two crew members who took her through were Polish Wojciech Jacobson (expedition leader) and 'Ludek' Maczka. Ludek passed away last year at the age of 78, while still planning another yacht trip around the world. Ludek had crossed the world's oceans 17 times, for a total of approximately 170,000 nautical miles. He became famous on his first 11-year sail around the world on his 9.8 meter yacht, Maria.
The Vagabond is expected to be frozen in the ice for four consecutive winters in Inglefield Bay, East of Spitsbergn Island. Currently in its third winter, the crew is conducting scientific research and tests on hi-tech instruments for the DAMOCLES project, also supporting the operations on board the Tara - itself a yacht currently drifting along with the Arctic pack ice.
DAMOCLES (Developing Arctic Modeling and Observing Capabilities for Long-term Environmental Studies) is an integrated ice-atmosphere-ocean monitoring and forecasting system designed for observing, understanding, and quantifying climate changes in the Arctic. DAMOCLES is specifically concerned with the potential for a significantly reduced sea ice cover, and the impact this might have on the environment and on human activities, both regionally and globally. The project gathers more than 100 researchers, experts of the Arctic Ocean, from 45 European Institutions from 11 European Union countries and Russia.
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