m/v Plancius

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Norwegian Life Birds

I had three target lifers for my Scandinavian summer adventures: barnacle goose, dovekie (little auk), and ivory gull.

The hardest to get was the ivory gull which was only to be found on the pack ice sometimes in the company of polar bears.

Perhaps the easiest was the barnacle goose and dovekie. I had four geese in the harbor near the Munch Museum in Oslo. I saw many more in Longyearbyen in Svalbard.

Barnacle goose family in Longyearbyen.

Dovekie or as it’s known in Europe, little auk, was also plentiful around the southern and eastern side of Spitsbergen. I saw many from the decks of the Plancius.

Little auk in its icy summer habitat.

So what’s in a name? Common names vary in different regions and in different languages. For instance Phalaropus fulicarius is known as the red phalarope in North America but on the other side of the Atlantic it is the grey phalarope. Our guide didn’t even know this, falsely claiming that the common name had been changed.

One of the dubious common bird names is barnacle goose. You would think this goose eats barnacles. Nope. The name comes from Medieval times when it was thought that the goose came from goose-necked barnacles. The bird was even considered a fish so it could be eaten on religious holidays such as Lent. Such were the times when folklore trumped scientific learning.

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Polar Plungers

An impromptu group developed on board the Plancius.

The group was started by our Chairman and President, an Australian travel blogger. He asked around who would be willing to plunge into the Arctic Ocean and started gathering names, including mine.

He asked our expedition leader about the possibility of a Polar Plunge and we got the green light.

So at the end of our visit to the bird cliffs at Hornsund, at 5 (17:00) the self-chosen few gathered on the rocky beach to begin this Polar right of passage.

The bird cliffs at Horsund.

Those who have plunged in both the Arctic and Antarctic are known as Bi-Polar Plungers.

A light drizzle stared and the temperature hovered around 34 degrees.

My body and mind said “no” but if Dr. Rock was going in, then so was I. My biggest concern was not the plunge, you had to put your head under to make it official, but undressing and dressing with my multi layers in the wind, rain, and cold. And then there was the Zodiac ride back to the Plancius. The sloped rocky beach didn’t make walking to the water in bare feet any easier.

As I was contemplating the cold waters a Dutch member of our tribe (let’s call her Mary), stripped off, ran towards the water, jumped in, and started doing laps.

Well this was a challenge. Bring it on! I divested myself of four layers and hobbled down the pebble beach to the Arctic waters.

Up to the ankle it wasn’t so bad but I wasn’t sure if I could feel my toes. I turned to the crowds on the beach and Christlike, fell backwards for the full immersion.

I’m not sure if I really did a lap but it was more a splashing Polar paddle and before I knew it I was hobbling up the rocky beach to my now damp towel.

After the plunge, Dr. Jon (Ship’s Doctor), gave me a certificate that reads:

This is to certify that

Corvidsketcher

Defied death by surviving a swim in the frigid Arctic waters in Hornsund, Svalbard

This twenty fifth day of June, 2024

Witnessed and certified as still living by

Dr. Jon

Ship’s Doctor

MV Plancius

Footnote: Dr. Jon also joined us as a member of the Polar Plungers!

I self-elected myself with the task of designing the Polar Pluggers logo. I thought the walrus would be a good mascot for the group, albeit an icy blue one!

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Sketching the Plancius, Part 2

There was plenty of free time and unlimited polar daylight to sketch while aboard the Plancius.

There were two sketches I pre visualize before the trip. Sketching the bow-view of the Plancius and sketching from the bridge.

I sketched the bow view while we were moving through the pack ice. On the Plancius they have an open bridge policy which means you are invited to visit the bridge and enjoy the views. I used this time to sketch the bridge and our captain.

Aside from my berth, there was one part of the ship that I spent most of my time: the lounge. Here was 24 hour coffee, the bar, the library, and amazing views. This was a great place to mingle with other passengers.

It was also where the guide’s lectures were held, ranging in topics such as Svalbard reindeer, Arctic fox, walrus, geology, history, Polar mirages, and sea ice. It was also here where we were briefed about the previous day’s landings.

Before the Arctic Fox lecture I sketched a view of the lounge and its inhabitants.

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M/V Plancius

Aside from all day pelagic cruises, the last time I was on a cruise of length, more than 24 hours, was when I was much younger (11 years old, according to my mom). This was a cruise (think: Love Boat) from Vancouver, Canada to Alaska.

It was my first experience with a floating city. This ship had every thing you needed and many things you didn’t.

Today the capacity of an average cruise ship is 3,000 passangers with a crew of about 1,000. The largest cruise ship in the world, Icon of the Seas, has a capacity of over 7,000 passengers with a crew of just over 2,000. This ship is 1,197 feet in length, that’s 315 feet longer than the Titanic.

I, on the other hand, would be on a summer cruise on a ship with a paltry capacity of 108 and a crew of 49! This ship was just under 300 feet, a mere 30% of the Titanic’s length.

I would not be in the sunny climes of the Bahamas (there’s no ivory gulls or polar bears in the Bahamas!) but cruising 80 degrees North, around the Norwegian island archipelago, Svalbard.

My cruise ship will be the m/v Plancius. (The m/v stands for merchant vessel.)

The Plancius was built in 1976 as a scientific research vessel for the Royal Dutch Navy. She was then named “Hr. Ms. Tydeman” and served the navy until June 2004.

She was purchased by Oceanwide Expeditions and rebuilt to carry passengers in 2009. Rechristened the Plancius in honor of the Dutch astronomy and cartographer she now cruises in the Arctic and Antarctic. In my featured sketch I sketched Plancius, cast as an Arctic explorer, which he wasn’t. Let me go look for my artistic license (I hope it’s not expired!).

I would be sharing my berth with a complete stranger. I knew that he must an adventurer, on a quest to see a melting world.

I look forward to my summer Arctic cruise and the many sketching opportunities in my near future!