Life on board MS Spitsbergen - part two

After leaving Jan Mayen island the weather quickly deteriorated. The sea became rather rough and the wind increased dramatically and the captain has announced that if anything conditions will deteriorate a little further right up until the time we reach Svalbard and thereafter. Thus we will not know until much later this evening, or even tomorrow morning, what the plans will be when we make landfall around lunchtime tomorrow. Watch this space!

In the meantime today is a sea day and the usual presentations and activities continue throughout the day. We’ve done a “Lost at sea” survival exercise ( it’s ok, we knew enough to get rescued even though we might have been hungry and dehydrated), and attended a Q&A session with the senior officers. There is a talk about fulmars later….these white gulls have been following us, swooping and diving, ever since we left Fairlie a week ago. 

The guests on board are a diverse bunch. We’ve chatted to people from Germany, Madrid, Pennsylvania, Wales, Cornwall and Tasmania. Meals are always a help yourself buffet and there is ample to choose from, including vegetarian and of course, plenty of fish and Norwegian specialities. There is no fixed seating….sometimes it’s a table for two and other times you end up in a small group.

There is a small gym on board, a couple of outdoor jacuzzis and a sauna. The main lounge can accommodate everyone with ease, the science centre is packed with all kinds of equipment and the zodiac bays contain safety and survival equipment which is always brought ashore should conditions quickly change and some kind of tent accommodation/shelter can be quickly erected. Cabins are not huge but perfectly adequate for sleeping, storage and changing. Thankfully there is a blackout blind which does a good job of turning the room dark, given that at this latitude we have 24 hours of daylight. Perhaps we will get to see the midnight sun but I have to say it’s not looking promising at the moment.





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