Datum: | 20.06.2024 |
Positie: | 78°14.0’N / 015°37.4’E |
Wind: | SSE3 |
Weer: | Overcast |
Luchttemperatuur: | +5 |
Today is the day! It is finally time for us to embark upon our arctic adventure! The day was suitably arctic with clouds and a strong breeze, but the gales from the early morning had abated. In the late afternoon we arrived at the dock where we could see our ship Plancius, our new home for the next 8 days, at anchor in the harbor. We had a bonus Zodiac shuttle to start our expedition. Onboard we all checked in and were quickly escorted to our respective cabins. We excitedly started exploring the ship and wandering the decks enjoying the views of Longyearbyen.
Once we were all aboard, we were invited to the lounge to take part in a mandatory briefing and abandon ship drill. After we completed the mandatory drills, it was time for the ship to leave. At 18:30 we weighed anchor and were on our way out of the harbour.
Whilst the crew made sure we left the harbour soundly, our expedition leader Phillipp invited us back to the lounge for the Captain’s Cocktails, where we met our captain Ernesto Barria, and the rest of the expedition team. We celebrated our expedition with some bubbles and canapes before we were called for the final activity of the day: dinner!
We all filed down to the restaurant for a delicious buffet and an opportunity to meet all our fellow travellers. For this voyage about half of us had been on the previous voyage as well – and were going back-to-back – making introductions that much easier.
Our day was not done yet as after dinner we located the Boot Room and collected our rubber boots, and the long walkers convened in the lounge for an introductory briefing. We were another step closer to being able to start our off-ship activities.
We spent the rest of the evening enjoying the long summer light into the evening before returning to our cabins to prepare for tomorrow’s adventure!