Time to step aboard. Tall Ship Noorderlicht will be waiting for you at the so-called ‘floating pier’ in Longyearbyen where you can embark at 16:00. After a welcome speech from the captain and meeting your fellow travelers we will cast off the mooring lines and set sail. In the evening we will anchor at Trygghamna. The captain will decide if we go clockwise, or counter clockwise.

Possibly our first zodiac landing will be in Trygghamna, where you can see the remains of a 17th century English whaling station and a 18th century hunting station of the Pomor.

From here we might hike to the 428-meter high Alkhornet , where some 10,000 pairs of different seabirds breed. The cliffs are composed of carbonate rock, which is more than a billion years old. The tundra at the bottom of the cliff receives nutrients from the sea birds and provides meadows for reindeer, nesting sites for geese and shelter for Arctic foxes. 

Fleur de Lyshamna, here we will be dropped off near 3 old rowboats that once belonged to the Norwegian beluga hunter Ingvald Svendsen. From there we walk to Kvitfiskstranda (‘white whale beach’) where there is a hut called Bamsebu, a whaling station built by the same Svendsen. At this location, a massacre of whales took place in the 19th century and the bones of the animals are still to be seen on the beach as a reminder of the grim past. Fortunately, despite the massive hunting of belugas in the past, they are now spotted again regularly in the fjords!  Depending on the weather conditions we will sail further towards the Hornsund or the South Cape of the island of Spitsbergen.

If the weather – and ice conditions are favourable to us, we will visit the Hornsund, one of the most inhospitable and icy fjords of Svalbard. In this fjord we will find many steep glacier fronts and we have a high chance of encountering seals and belugas. We may visit the Polish research station in Isbjornhamna, where we can get information about their scientific programs.

These days are focussed on rounding the notorious Southern Cape. Due to the currents that converge here, from the Arctic Ocean and the Barents Sea, it is important to plan this carefully. As soon as we arrive in the Storfjorden, we have a good chance of encountering groups of whales. We then sail in northerly direction to the island EdgeØya, named after the English merchant and whaler Thomas Edge who claims to have discovered the island in 1616. This island is known for its large reindeer population as well as for its polar bears.

After taking plenty of time for the Negribeen, we will attempt to sail through the Heleysundet, a narrow channel notorious for its strong currents. In the channel there is a nameless bay where only our red sailing ship is known to have anchored. The crew of the Noorderlicht has therefore given this bay a name: the ‘Noorderlichtbukta’. Here we have the possibility of a nice walk under and on top of the cliffs of Straumslandet.

Depending on the tide we leave the Heleysundet to set sail in the direction of the spectacular bird cliff Alkefjellet. This bird cliff overlooking the Hinlopenstraat is literally translated as “the mountain of the guillemots”. We will take our time at this natural wonder viewing the 60,000 short-billed guillemots breeding here. 

We will spend the rest of the day sailing in a northerly direction through the Hinlopenstraat. The Hinlopenstraat is a 150 km long strait that separates Spitsbergen and Nordaustlandet and is often difficult to navigate because of the dense pack ice. It is named after the 17th-century Dutch merchant Thijmen Jacobsz Hinlopen. In the Lomfjorden we will look for an anchorage for the night.

After a morning walk in Faksevagen with impressive views over the glacier Gullfaksebreen, we cross the Hinlopen Strait towards the most northeastern island of this trip: Nordaustlandet. This island is largely covered by the two large ice caps Austfonna and Vestfonna. From a distance the landscape seems inaccessible, cold and inhospitable, but many places are unexpectedly open and lush. Compared to the rest of Spitsbergen there are fewer remains of human activity to be found here, due to the isolated location, although we can find traces of Norwegian and Russian influence on the landscape. We may take an evening walk at the special landmark Kinnvika, where a Swedish-Finnish research station dating from 1957-58 can be visited. The project was abandoned in 1959 when funding ran out, making the 10 vacant wooden buildings now seem mysterious. Don’t forget to bring your camera to this photogenic place.

During the next two days we celebrate passing the most northerly point of our journey at a latitude of 80 degrees north. In this northern area, the ice determines where to sail and where to go ashore. Depending on the circumstances we can explore the natural harbor Mushamna and the immense glacier front of the Monaco Breen in the Love Fjord or we sail to the Raudfjorden with his typical red mountains. Due to the cold climate and ice, we have a good chance to spot polar bears and seals.

 Depending on weather conditions we might stay a day in the area of Raudfjorden. Here we have a lot of different landing sites. From the beautiful bay called hamiltonbukta, to the burried captain on top of bruceneset. If we are feeling adventurous we can climb the mountain called Rivieratoppen. On a sunny day you can actually understand where the name came from!

From here we will continue towards the Norwegian islands, also know as Ytre- and Indre Norskoya.It might be possible to land at the ‘Zeeuwsche Uitkijck’. Here in 1617, whalers from Zeeland built a blubber cookery and were able to keep a good lookout over the sea for whales from the highest point of the island. Here we can follow the historical route to the 150 meter high peak of the island, the Utkiken. On the coast remains of the blubber furnaces and the graves of Dutch whalers can still be found, very well preserved in the frozen subsoil.

When sailing south again to Virgohamna, we can clearly see why Willem Barentsz used the name Spitsbergen for the land he discovered. The steep mountains with sharp peaks in this area are the most striking of all of Spitsbergen! While sailing here our goal is Virgohamna, where a Harlinger blubber cookery can be found on the Danish island. Since there was no place for merchants from Stavoren and Harlingen at the blubber cookery in Smeerenburg, they built the ‘Harlingertraankokerij’ in 1636 on the adjacent ‘Deenseiland’. By this time, the whale population was already declining significantly, which meant that the activities of the ‘Harlingertraankokerij’ had already ended after 10 years. The remains of the blubber ovens, associated buildings and some graves from the whaling era are still visible.

From now on we sail South, and may be able to land at the breathtaking blue-green bay of the Magdalenafjord. With rugged and pointed mountain peaks and impressive glaciers you find yourself here in a small Arctic paradise. In the mouth of the inlet, at Graveneset, roughly 160 graves from whalers from the 17th and 18th century are found between the remains of two furnaces which were used to boil the blubber of the whales.

We sail onwards to the beautiful Kongsfjord and Krossfjord where we will be greeted by the towering face of the “14th July” glacier. Bearded seals often lie to rest on the broken ice floes, and near the glacier we may find breeding colonies of black-billed guillemots, kittiwakes and puffins. These fjords offer numerous sights. For example, we may be able to organize a landing on the Blomstrandhalvoya peninsula, where the remains of a marble mine can be seen at Ny London. From this location we also have a beautiful view of the Tre Kroner, the three iconic mountain peaks that shine through the ice cap.

Today we will start early, sailing a southerly course towards the St. Johnsfjord. To get there we will navigate the Forlandsundet strait. Historically, the Forlandsundet strait has always been a fear for many whalers, because of the Forlandsrevet sandbank on the north side. Due to its shallow draft, the Noorderlicht is one of the few ships that can navigate these waters although the crew will need full concentration. In the meantime, do not forget to keep an eye out for large groups of walruses that can often be found at Sarstangen and Poolepynten! They form a beautiful scene with panoramic mountains in the background that cameras love.

In the morning we will organize a final landing. Weather permitting, we will spend the rest of the day sailing back to Longyearbyen. Upon arrival in the Arctic town, you may enjoy some free time to buy the last souvenirs or simply take a walk to soak up all the impressions of the week. Around dinner time you are expected back on board. The rest of the evening you can enjoy your last night with the crew and your fellow travellers.

Unfortunately, our adventure through the Arctic landscape of Spitsbergen has come to an end. After a hearty breakfast, you are kindly requested to disembark by 09:00. We hope that we have been able to show you the variety and beauty of Spitsbergen and that you enjoyed an unforgettable experience on board the Noorderlicht.