Newsletter Autumn 2011
Newsletter Autumn 2011
Looking back…
The trip to the far North, Spitsbergen is finished and what an outstanding experience this was!
What did we expect after six expeditions to Antarctica? Could this ever compare? Would it be disappointing?
Frankly we can say that it surpassed our expectations! Beside the glaciers, icebergs and pack ice, there were tundras with an amazing abundance of flowers! All small, but very colourful!
Also delightful were the reminders of the history of the Dutch explorer Willem Barentzs and others, still to be seen.
There were tame reindeers and walruses, who lazilysunned themselves on the beach or swam curiously near the Anne-Margaretha, so that we shot the most wonderful photos! The fin whales swam with the ship, showing their elegant bodies, and last but not least, the polar bears, whom we observed (safely from the ship!): mothers with their cubs and lonesome males, who treated us to a diving show as they helped themselves to remainders of a whale carcass. A day-and-nighttime show in the land of the midnight sun!
All is written in our heads and on our thousands of photos.
So: Spitsbergen is the place we will visit again in 2012!!
Looking forward…
Next year, 2012, we will sail to Spitsbergen again along the Norwegian coast and explore the fjords and glaciers there.
We will start in the Netherlands April 21 and will be back September 30.
Look for all the information about the trips on our website (in English, Dutch and German) at Sailing Program 2012
We will also make two trips to the Lofotes! We enjoyed this part of Norway very much. The trips will start in Bodø and bring us to Tromsø in May. In August we will sail from Tromsø to Bodø.
The Anne-Margaretha
Our dear ship behaved herself very well as usual! Now and then she had to be an ice-breaker in Spitsbergen and she performed the new task very well! Of course this winter we will tidy up her so she is tip-top for next year.
We wish you all a colourful autumn and hope to see you on board next year!
Regards,
Greet & Heinz