Rough Sea Vol. II

Next stop was the Polish Polar Station at the Hornsund Fjord, Spitsbergen. A remote place being separated by a 15 hours boat trip from Longyearbyen. For this journey Tor and William supported the team, looking forward to collect additional water and snow samples. One last safety briefing and the equipment could be secured on the vessel called ‘Farm’. Everyone on board? There is no way back!

First impressions arriving at the ‘Farm’. Spirit outside is lovely, Tor and Stephan are having fun. Meanwhile in the inside Tor, Kilian and William are looking 15 hours ahead.

In the following hours, passing rough waves in a bumpy vessel challenged all of us. Our captain Stick Henningsen assured “it is like a normal day at the office”, which was hard to believe. Finally long hours at night and the steady sound of a low RPM diesel engine let us rock to sleep.

Lights of the Polish Polar Station are already visible as small bright dots.

Waking up at at the final destination, there was one last task. All of the equipment had to be transported to our new home for the next two weeks. Luckily Stick Henningsen was well prepared with a crane on deck. Mariusz and Patrycja brought us safely to the shore.

Hilda equipment dangling on a string. Our captain Stick Henningsen and Mariusz from the Polish Polar Station in Hornsund are focussing on precisison work, while William and everyone else behind the camera are holding their breath.

It took some time to get used to solid ground again, so we decided to shift work to the next day. We enjoyed the first day meeting new friends and exploring the nearby landscape!