1825: Chukotka - Where Russia's Day Begins 09 July 2018

Day 1: Monday 9 July
Departure from Anadyr

Position 0600 64°42’N 177°36E

We had gathered at Anadyr from the Russian Federation, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Lithuania, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and more; flying in from Nome to the east and Moscow to the west. Local ship’s agent and Chukchi man Alexander greeted us at Anadyr airport, shepherded us through visa checks and took us via local transport to the Spirit of Enderby, moored on the banks of the vast Anadyr River.

As we approached the ship ground squirrels entertained us with their antics; standing up on their hindquarters to hold and eat bread thrown to them by the Russian sailors and apparently watching events on the ship with keen interest. We were warmly welcomed aboard by expedition staff, shown to our cabins and offered fresh scones and hot tea in the bar/library. After settling in we set off to explore our home for the next two weeks, trying to establish the layout of 5 levels of stairways and corridors between the lecture room and the Bridge. Out on deck we watched buttery white Beluga Whales and spotted Largha Seals hunting salmon in the murky tidal currents beside the ship.

Down in the lecture room Expedition Leader Aaron Russ introduced us to our expedition staff and gave us a briefing on emergency procedures. Rachael followed this up with an introduction to life on board. After a wonderful dinner we drifted out onto the decks to watch the seemingly endless evening sunlight on the Bay of Anadyr: Our expedition ‘Chukotka Where Russia’s Day Begins’ was underway!

Day 2: Tuesday 10 July
Egvekinot

Position 0600 66°30’N 179°10’W

We awoke to a beautiful calm morning, the bright low-angled sun lighting up brightly painted cranes in the Port of Egvekinot, coal-conveyors, colourful 4-storey apartment blocks and the gilded domes of an orthodox church. The waterfront was a study in decaying boat sheds: wooden structures covered in battened tar-paper leaning perilously, one collapsing into the sea. In some men worked on boats or outboard motors, ready to make the most of the salmon run. The whole scene was a study in contrasts, made even more dramatic by its backdrop of stark rocky mountains still streaked with winter snow. As we approached our landing beach, a young Ringed Seal sitting in an outboard motorboat leaned over the side to watch us, looking for all the world like the boat’s driver. Vincent spotted a mother brown bear with 2 cubs waling along the far shore.

First stop was the local museum where a local woman guided us through the story of this fascinating part of Chukotka. Settlement was as early as 4,500 years ago but the recent history began with Vitus Bering who charted it in 1728. The modern town was founded by gulag prisoners in the 1930s to 50s, another of their unhappy legacies a 200 kilometre road inland to a tin mine, made in bitter conditions with primitive tools and in makeshift housing. Surprisingly some of their descendants have since made Egvekinot their home. In the nineteen thirties it became one of the first gulags used by the Stalin's regime. Statistics from that era are hard to verify but “thousands of men came and many died” according to our guide.

Woolly Mammoths were common here up to 5,000 years ago, along with a unique hairy rhinoceros, endemic to the Russian side of Bering Strait. The museum’s sole surviving horn from this animal is highly prized. The wide representation of Yupik and Chukchi artefacts, many made of marine-mammal bone or walrus tusk, were beautifully and decoratively worked. Another display included minerals, as tungsten, tin and gold-mining have all featured prominently in the town's history, and gold-mining continues.

There was a high level of cooperation between the Americans and the Russians during World War II, evidenced in the museum by a display about the ‘Lend-lease’ programme, whereby America provided Russia with airplanes to fight Germany on their western flanks. Ekveginot was on a direct route from Fairbanks in Alaska to Uelkal in Russia and Russian pilots transited the town in large numbers during their delivery of these aircraft. Egvekinot these days is more connected to the outside world, with a smart supermarket and bakery, post office and other facilities. Outside the museum 4 Yupik girls in tight jeans and ear-studs strolled and chatted on their mobiles.

After lunch we drove up the Kyrvakyntvama Valley into the hinterland in ‘go anywhere’ 6WD Ural trucks until we reached a steel archway constructed over the road, marking the Arctic Circle. At 66.34 degrees north this marks the most southerly latitude to experience continual daylight in mid-summer and continual night in mid-winter. The surrounding countryside had all the classic features of past glaciation, with wide U shaped valleys and lateral moraines. We explored a little gully up the side of a moraine wall, where a large snow-drift was melting back to reveal a rich diversity of lichens and flowering tundra plants; Ranunculus, Epilobium, tiny Rhododendron, saxifrage, rose-root stonecrop (Rhodiola), cinquefoil. Lichen of many colours grew in profusion; leaf-like, stringy, hair-like and moss-like. Three guard-houses from the gulag era still stand beside the road: The political prisoners slept in makeshift ‘pit-huts’ nearby, their remains almost obliterated by time.

We returned to the ship for a wonderful hot dinner as we got underway and sailed eastward.
© Heritage Expeditions © Heritage Expeditions
Day 3: Wednesday 11 July
Presbrazhenya Bay

Position 0600 64°50’N 175°44’W

Another huge day, starting with a Zodiac cruise to the seabird-nesting cliffs at Presbrazhenya on the northern coast of the Bay of Anadyr. We divided up roughly into language groups: French, German, Russian and English, with guides to suit. As we left the ship, keen eyes picked out a mother bear and two cubs crossing a distant snow-patch at the head of the bay.

Large flocks of Crested and Parakeet Auklets rafted noisily beneath the cliffs as we approached. Others flocked and swirled across the sea’s surface then soared up the cliffs toward their burrows and nests high in the stark, rocky mountainsides. In contrast to the brown rocks, bright green patches stood out above the cliffs where generations of nesting seabirds had fertilized the ground and paved the way for plants.

As we drew near the bird-cliffs the cacophony grew louder and the sky became a calligraphy of birds; kittiwakes high and strident, the whistles of Pigeon Guillemots, chatter of Parakeet Auklets and the throaty cawing of Guillemots. Glaucous Gulls harassed a group of guillemots into leaving their ledge, then slipped in to carry off eggs to feed their own waiting young, already well-advanced. A small group of Pelagic Cormorants nested on a free-standing spire of rock, their necks iridescent purple and green in the sunlight. Horned Puffins nested in fissures in the rock, safe from marauders. Just above the cliffs a group of Tufted Puffins stood on a grassy rise next to their burrows. A rounded, rock-like shape near the Zodiac turned out to be a walrus, which eventually raised its whiskery head, red eyes and alien ‘vacuum-cleaner’ mouth above the surface. A group of Harlequin Ducks floated single-file along the surge-line, their contrasting black, white and brown markings very striking. We glided beneath vertiginous chasms and spires of rock hundreds of feet high, forming all kinds of suggestive shapes: a hand here, the figure of a monk there, a dragon’s back, a headstone.

We’d just had lunch when the bridge called, “Orca near the ship”! We had great views of a huge male, its 2 metre dorsal fin see-sawing in and out of the swell.

After lunch we cruised at a place that translates as ‘No-name Bay’. Cliffs and spires hundreds of feet high rose sheer out of the sea and towered over us. Some rose straight out of sea, their bases riddled with caves and fissures and every available shelf occupied by nesting Northern Fulmars and Pelagic Cormorants. Harlequin Ducks bobbed against the rocky surge-line, remarkably well camouflaged considering how striking their plumage is.

We rounded a point where the coastline Noname Bay opened out into a broad sandy bay and watched a brown bear ambling along the base of an old lateral moraine. We came to a wide river mouth at the entrance to a lagoon and deep valley into the hinterland. After watching the pattern of waves on the bar we took the Zodiacs up into the lagoon. Some of us probed upstream for a few more bends in the river. Other Zodiacs explored the lagoon further up to where a distant bear had been spotted on the tundra. A tiny rustic fishing hut stood inside a sheltered ‘hook’ of gravel at the base of the enclosing range of bare mountains, the only evidence of human activity in this vast landscape. We heard the cry of Sandhill Cranes and watched Largha Seals fishing for salmon near the entrance. The day was topped off by a gorgeous sunset at 9.45pm, the sky lit up like a shield of beaten gold, with Humpbacks blowing in the distance.

© C. Collins
Day 4: Thursday 12 July
Arakamchechen Island and Gil’mimyl

Position 0600 64°50’N 175°14’W

‘Whalebone Alley’ is a prehistoric whale-hunting site on the shores of Arakamchechen Island, protected within Beringia National Park. It contains the remains of stone-walled whale meat-pits, with pairs of Bowhead Whale skulls embedded in pairs along the foreshore and upright Bowhead Whale jawbones 4 metres high embedded in the sand. The likely use of these structures was for drying and storing skin-clad boats (‘baidara’) and drying skins and strips of meat above the reach of sled-dogs.

After landing on the beach we were met by Russian rangers, who explained the history and natural history of the site. In more recent times (the last 150 years), the site was also home to several Yupik families until their community was disbanded in the 1950s under Soviet centralisation policies.

We were then free to explore, watch the ground-squirrels, botanise or accompany Dan & Chris for a walk to the top of the hill. The latter enjoyed magnificent views out over the channel to the low, snow-clad mountains of Yttygran Island and the mainland. There were a number of old graves near the summit, evidenced by rocky pits, pieces of weathered wood and a few old household items, typically interred with the dead. From the summit we could hear a large group of walruses barking from their haul-out on a spit 2-3 kilometres across the channel. The tundra was in flower, including purple frigid shooting star, mauve bistort and crimson rhododendron.

At lunchtime we again had the pleasure of whale-watching, this time Humpback and Gray Whales feeding near the ship.

After lunch we headed to the tundra and hot springs at Gil’mimyl, which we entered via a small lagoon. One group went bird-watching and the rest across the tundra more directly to the hot-pools. They were extremely hot, so pairs of us took turns ferrying cold water in a 35 litre milk-urn from the river to the hot-pools; just enough to get it down from about 60 to 55 degrees. This was still way too hot unless you followed a technique demonstrated by Captain Alexander and soon copied by others: First, jump into the icy river below the hot pools. Before you recover from the shock of being chilled, leap immediately into the scalding hot pool. This double ‘Arrrgh!!!’ experience was extraordinarily bracing.

The sun slowly lit the sky golden until after 10pm tonight, with scores of whales blowing and diving in all directions, their mist from their blows illuminated against a dark sea by the setting sun.

© R. Iveson-Brown
Day 5: Friday 13 July
Cape Dezhnev and Uelen Village

The day started with the fog lying thick over the ship concealing Cape Dezhnev’s coastline close by. We had no idea if a landing would be possible, if the placid waters were concealing a surge on the beach, or even if there was a beach to land on (it has a habit of getting washed away in winter storms!). A scout boat was launched and vanished out of sight into the fog. Twenty minutes later it returned with good news. There was a beach, the surge was minimal, the fog was lifting, and a landing was on. We shuttled in, the Zodiacs in turn melted out of sight before reappearing at the ship passenger-less. We gathered on wave polished pebbles at the base of a steep bank, above us stood the remains of the old settlement. After a yomp along the energy-sapping beach we made our way up the bank, along an old track which wends its way between the abandoned ruins of the Yupik village. Circular stone foundations had endured the elements with the old Bowhead Whale jawbone or rib slumped within it, the old supports for the roof structure. Just above the beach an old meat pit remained, now half collapsed but the persisting section still turf-lined on a whalebone roof. Further along the bank newer buildings were already falling into dereliction. A bell erected by a wayward Kazahk the only chime of life in this ghosted settlement other than the ubiquitous and vocal Arctic Ground Squirrels. The silence was bliss and an immensely peaceful feel prevailed. A solitary Gray Whale swam along the coast its breaths audible from the village. Back on the beach the Zodiacs slid across the glassy water scattering Least and Crested Auklets. Streams of birds predominantly auks and shearwaters headed north through the Bering Strait into the Chukchi Sea, an indicator of just how rich these waters are.

Back on board we made our way through Humpback-rich waters to Uelen Village, a small settlement situated on a spit. Whilst Elena made the necessary landing arrangements the Zodiacs launched and headed into the large lagoon behind the village battling our way through the choppy waves and biting wind to the lee shore where King and Common Eiders had gathered and our first White-billed Divers showed well, there massive black heads and ivory bills projecting above the waves. A single male Spectacled Eider also put in a flyby with a flock of Common Eiders. We arrived into the village and strolled through the buildings to the museum. Here we were treated to a fascinating insight into the history of walrus ivory engravings and carving, not to mention the phenomenal display of artefacts, many of the tusks depicting entire stories of life in the Arctic.

Back on the ship it was time to defrost, feed up and enjoy the Chukotkan coastline from the comfort of the Bridge. As the light dimmed ice appeared, blankets of it. All around it hundreds of Humpback Whales and thousands of Crested Auklets were actively feeding, in fact over the course of 12 hours there may have been in excess of 1000 Humpback Whales. Blow after blow punctuated the horizon as animals surfaced, the low golden sunlight catching the water vapour and illuminating it. A handful of adult Sabine’s Gulls fed along the edge of the ice and the a few small groups of walrus were hauled out taking advantage of safe refuge to rest. What a perfect end to an amazingly diverse day in the Arctic.

© D. Brown
Day 6: Saturday 14 July
Kolyuchin Island and Belyaka Spit

As we stirred on the ship it was clear we weren’t where we should be. There was no land in sight, just sea… and ice. This year the ice has been late to clear the coast and the ship had continued through the night along the ice edge, and to the north. Aaron made the call to head to Kolyuchin Island which meant tracking back on ourselves and through the ice to the small island out off Kolyuchin Inlet. Humpback Whales appeared in abundance; in fact they had remained abundant right through from yesterday evening with some of the highest densities of whales we have ever seen.

As Kolyuchin Island came into view many of us gathered on the bridge to see this Arctic island take shape. Thousands of seabirds swirled around the cliffs and as we approached the eastern side a small snow bank had a suspicious looking addition. A closer inspection revealed it to be our first Polar Bear! Backing the ship off around the corner we dropped anchor and lowered the Zodiacs heading back towards the island. Carefully edging around the corner the bear was still settled on his snow drift and proved to be one of the most obliging and laid-back bears imaginable allowing us to approach and frequently rolling over to stretch and yawn. Occasionally he covered his nose with his huge paws or tucked them in under his head which flopped down looking our way. At one point he clearly decided his current position wasn’t too his liking and carefully pawed a little snow out from underneath him to make himself more comfortable. We could not have asked for a better way to kick off our Polar Bear experience. In between viewings we slowly explored the seabird city that claims the cliffs as home. Tens of thousands of Common and Brunnich’s Guillemots, and kittiwakes, and a smattering of Horned Puffins adorned the ledges with vociferous enthusiasm, occasionally taking flight en masses above us.

After a warming lunch we headed on south through the ice towards Kolyuchin Inlet and came to rest on the north side of Belyaka Spit, a huge protective bar that separates the inlet from the Chukchi Sea. We shuttled everyone ashore between the ice and split into two groups, one for a birding and wildlife walk and the second a longer stroll down the beach to look for some very obliging Humpback Whales. At first glance the tundra looked relatively life-less. A fox and a young brown bear had left neat paw marks in the sand at the top of the beach but there was no sign of either animal. As we approached the first pool a Grey (Red) Phalarope swirled out from the edge, spinning around on the surface to draw up tasty morsels from the pools muddy bottom. Shortly after a Red-necked Phalarope skulked through the pond-edge sedges. Both these species show reverse sexual dimorphism, the females being larger and more brightly coloured than the male who takes on the role of incubating the eggs and raising the chicks. Five swans flew by; amazingly it included a trio of Trumpeters and a pair of Whistling (Tundra) Swans. The pools here are home to one of the largest and most striking of Arctic birds, White-billed Divers, and they soon became evident with a pair on a nest on one pool whilst another pool held a pair that allowed close approach. As large as a goose, jet black and white with a huge ivory-coloured bill, there is no mistaking them. An adult slowly swam up towards us as we crouched and lay on the pool side, cameras poised. Perfect white squares chequered its back, a swathe of white ‘gill’ lines on its neck and a necklace of white spots on its throat create a striking pattern. Tiny droplets of water laced its crown which glinted with a muted green and bronze iridescence. Behind this striking front a burgundy eye kept track of our every move. From another pool a yodelling cry from another pair flooded across the landscape. As we headed back to the beach a majestic flock of over 50 Long-tailed Skua’s jinked and arched above us catching mosquitos much as a swallow would. Occasionally they dropped to the ground to walk amongst the vegetation where they also picked for insects. These stunning birds spend the winter in the Southern Hemisphere travelling north to breed on tundra where Lemmings form the bulk of their diet. Their smart patterning is always a pleasure to see with a neat black cap, buttery underparts, grey-brown upperparts and an exceptionally long tail which flicks and whips as they manoeuvre to catch their prey. A distant Arctic Fox scampered away as we headed back towards the beach.

The second group had joined local ranger Alexei who offered to show everyone how he caught and then banded (ringed) his study birds. Watching from a raised mound, Alexei skirted around the edge of the tundra to set his net and it wasn’t long before a male Ringed Plover duly obliged and walked within range. The net was triggered and the bird caught. Carefully he collected the nearby eggs, packing them into a cottonwool-lined container which slipped into his jacket, keeping the eggs warm. The bird was then weighed, measured and marked with two rings and a small flag which allows it to be individually identified in the field by Alexei. The highlight for Ksenia was getting to release the plover once the demonstration was over.

Back at the waters edge the Humpbacks were still feeding like there was no tomorrow after a huge migration north to Arctic waters. To see so many animals and so close to shore (within 30m) was truly exceptional. It is quite some experience to be able to sit on a beach with hazy warm Arctic sunlight invigorating the skin listening to the monstrous exhalations of these le-viathans as they repeatedly surface.

With a superb landing under our belts we boarded the ship and set sail north heading towards Herald Island to avoid the dense ice floes to the west.

© D. Brown
Day 7: Sunday 15 July
At Sea to Herald Island

The ice maps had dictated a course. Wrangel looked to be set in ice so the ship steered north towards Herald Island, a small island east of Wrangel and seemingly lacking the volume of ice.

This sea day came as welcome downtime for many, a chance to download photos, relive memories, or simply relax. Over the course of the day three lectures stimulated those still with space in their brains to absorb more. Dan kicked off the programme with a lecture on identifying whales and dolphins, from knowing the difference between blows, to dorsal fin shape and how this all applies to the whales we had already encountered and those we might expect. Elena then continued with a fascinating insight into Chukchi life. During the afternoon Michael stepped up with a brilliant summary of the Ice Kings, Polar Bears, detailing their life histories, distribution and threats.

The lectures seem to fill the time well and before we knew it the fog that had cloaked the sea started to lift and break revealing a stunning ice strewn marine landscape and beyond it the dark mass of Herald Island. Fog swirled around the jagged cliffs and no sooner had it cleared than it slipped back into its grey clutches; and such was the story until dusk with the visibility ebbing and flowing. The dazzling light of the sun created beautiful monotone scenes, vivid fogbows and occasionally bright blue patches of sea and sky. The ship pressed on through the ever thickening ice with large clunks and growls as she ploughed through the pack, some blocks sending a shudder down the ship.

With the day coming to the leisurely end the call went out from Aaron at 21:30. A sleek young Polar Bear stood proud on the ice edge. Inquisitive it slipped into the water with barely a ripple and headed our way. The Captain and team did an expert job slowing the vessel down and the bear came over to investigate, pausing on a small flow, even laying its head down briefly before deciding we weren’t of interest or maybe weren’t edible and paddling off back to the main ice edge. What an amazing end to this expedition day. We might not have left the ship but the wildlife had come to us.

Day 8: Monday 16 July
Wrangel Island

During the night the Captain and his Officers navigated the Spirit of Enderby through the sea ice towards the eastern part of Wrangel Island. It was a slow journey at times with some heavy ice but by the time most people got up, the ship was approaching Dragi Bay on the eastern side of Wrangel Island.

After breakfast, Expedition Leader Aaron and some of the Expedition Team headed ashore to meet the Rangers and to drop off 600 kgs of food and other supplies which Heritage Expeditions had agreed to deliver for the Park Staff. Once the provisions were ashore, the Zodiacs began shuttling everyone to the landing site where we met Senior Ranger Gernardi and two of his colleagues. We set off along the shore walking towards a small monument which commemorated the expedition of the ship Caluit which had been crushed in the ice 100 years ago and the survivors had lived in Dragi Bay.

After learning about this expedition from a short explanation by Chris Todd, many admired the tundra flowers which were growing all around us. Almost all the species were only a few centimetres tall as a strategy against the wind. One of the taller species was the beautiful and endemic Wrangel Poppy which had a fantastic lemon yellow flower. With Wrangel Island having once been part of the Beringia and avoiding being covered in ice during the last Ice Age, we learnt that there was a far bigger diversity of plants than one would ordinarily expect at these latitudes with a relatively high number of endemic species.

We walked onwards towards a small promontory at the northern end of the bay where in one direction there was a great view out across the sea ice and looking the other way we could see the Ranger Station where Gernadi and his team had spent the previous night. There were a few birds about with a few Snow Buntings flicking around the rocky cliffs and Black, Common and Brunnich’s Guillemots on the sea below us.

Returning to the Zodiacs we took a slightly different route walking inland for a few hundred metres and as well as more flowers, we also saw a couple of species of shorebirds, the Grey Plover and Turnstone, which were presumably breeding out on the tundra. Both were in their full summer plumage and the plover had a dappled grey, white and black back with a rich black belly and breast.

Continuing onwards we found the footprints of several Musk Ox and at least one Polar Bear and several people put their hands alongside the paw print of the bear to gain a full appreciation of how large this huge carnivore actually is.

Returning to the ship for lunch, the intention had been to return ashore at 14:30 for some further exploring, however, with the ice moving into the bay, the Captain and Expedition Leader Aaron concluded that it would be better if we dropped off the Rangers (who had joined us for lunch on the ship) and waited to see what the ice did. It was soon apparent that this was rapidly filling the bay as the tide had turned so once the Zodiac had returned from dropping off the Rangers we headed offshore in the hope of finding some open water. The sea ice had, however, packed in considerably since earlier and the Captain and his Officers had a challenging time on the Bridge picking a route through the ice which was now covering well over 90% of the water surface.

During the afternoon, we navigated slowly through the ice but with restricted visibility due to fog not much wildlife was seen, although it was interesting to watch the Black-legged Kittiwakes which have learnt to grab small fish as the ship broke through pieces of sea ice.

As dinner was about to be called, Expedition Leader Aaron announced over the PA system that a group of walrus had been spotted on the ice, however, as we quietly approached, they all slipped into the water. With other groups also hauled out nearby, he asked the Captain to allow the ship to drift over dinner and afterwards many people headed back outside or to the Bridge and over the course of the next hour enjoyed some great views as we slowly cruised onwards. It had certainly been a highly memorable day on Wrangel Island!!

© D. Brown
Day 9: Tuesday 17 July
Ice cruising to Herald Island

During the previous evening’s recap and briefing, Expedition Leader Aaron had explained that his plan was to head to an area south-west of Dragi Bay called the Clark River, however, given the ice conditions he was not sure if we would be able to reach it and when we awoke, the ship was several miles offshore. Aaron advised us over the PA system shortly before breakfast that the ice conditions had indeed been too bad when the ship had approached and his plan was to head eastward in the direction of Herald Island.

After breakfast, there was a relatively short period when the sea was almost ice free but by late morning we were back in sea ice and the decision was taken to go for a Zodiac cruise. Shortly after the boats were launched, the fog dramatically cleared and we spent over an hour cruising around viewing the vast range of shapes and sizes of the ice. All the boat drivers chose a spot and everyone was able to climb out of the Zodiacs and take photos standing on the ice. It was a truly unique experience.

Returning to the ship, we enjoyed lunch but there was little opportunity for relaxing as not long later there was an announcement to advise everyone that we were approaching Herald Island and that at least one Polar Bear had been spotted walking along the shore. With the seabed immediately offshore from the bear not well charted, it was not possible to take the ship particularly close but we were able to watch it wander along the ice below the impressive cliffs off the northern part of the island.

Moving onwards and with plenty of ice and great visibilities, we had high hopes of finding a closer bear and barely a few minutes later, another one was spotted sleeping on an ice flow. Once again, the area was not well charted but as we were further offshore the Captain slowed the ship to little more than a slow crawl and with a watchful eye on the depth sounder, we edge forward. The bear seemed to be sound asleep on the flow and we were less than a couple of hundred metres away when it awoke and looked up at us.

Standing up, it had a good sniff of the air and then ambled across the floe giving us some fantastic views and photographic opportunities. Reaching the end of the ice, it jumped into the water and swam off – it had unquestionably been our best bear encounter of the expedition.

Continuing on we had hopes of further encounters but suddenly the fog rolled back in and the visibility went to not much more than 50 metres so many people headed inside, knowing that the chances of another bear was low.

At the nightly recap, Michael Wegner gave a short presentation about the fat scale for Polar Bears and the consensus was that all the bears we had seen were healthy and well fed; indeed Michael judged that our last bear scored five on the scale, i.e. it was as fat as they came.

After Michael had finished speaking, Expedition Leader Aaron gave us an update on the plans for the next few days. He explained that with so much ice around the eastern side of Wrangel Island, he did not believe it would be possible to get ashore again and with a weather system with winds of 35 knots forecast to pass over the island, the Captain wanted to be clear of the sea ice, so the decision had been taken to head back to Chukotka.

After another excellent dinner from our chef Ed and Lance, many took the opportunity to secure their belongings in case the weather deteriorated in the night. Although our stay around Wrangel had been a little shorter than some had hoped, nevertheless, we had been extremely fortunate, with close encounters of two Polar Bears as well as getting ashore on this fabled island.

© M. Wegner
Day 10: Wednesday 18 July
At Sea

Fortunately the overnight sea conditions were comparatively smooth as the weather system Aaron had spoken about the previous evening, tracked eastwards to our north and we awoke to good visibility and the expectation of a day at sea.

After a 08:00 breakfast, the first activity on the programme was a lecture about ice by Lydie who spoke about sea ice. Lydie explained how this was formed and some of the terms which were used to describe different stages in this process, such as grease ice and frazzle ice. She also told us that there had been a marked contraction in the amount of sea ice in the Arctic and more recently in the Antarctic and that there were concerns that this could have significant consequences both for the marine environment but also for the animals which lived there.

Later in the morning, Chris Todd gave a presentation about the edible plants of Chukotka. Chris spoke about thirty plants, seaweeds and fungi which the local people of Chukotka used for culinary purposes. He described how these were harvested, prepared and eaten.

Shortly after lunch, the Sea Shop opened in the portside restaurant and everyone was able to browse and purchase a selection of products including T-shirts, pin badges, soft toys and fridge magnets.

Outside the weather had continued to deteriorate and many took to their beds to ride out the worst of the storm. With the wind more or less on our bow and blowing at a constant 35 knots, there was a reasonable amount of movement on the ship but by late afternoon, the conditions began to improve and many of those who had felt somewhat queasy earlier (as a result of the movement of the ship) were soon improving.

Outside we began to see a range of wildlife with thousands of Short-tailed Shearwaters and good numbers of Grey Phalaropes. The latter were in their summer plumage and the North American name, Red Phalarope, certainly seemed more appropriate with many of the birds having brick red bellies.

Later, many joined the Expedition Team in the Bar where the recap topics included a short presentation by Chris Todd about walruses which was followed by Chris Collins who spoke about the amazing migration route of the Short-tailed Shearwaters. Chris explained that many of these bred on Tasmania and they could be seen south of 70 degrees south on the Heritage Expeditions trips to the Ross Sea and we had seen them north of 70 degrees north.

The recap was followed by an update from Expedition Leader Aaron who informed us that the following day would be an “Expedition Day” as we would be visiting a headland which none of the Expedition Team had ever visited before. It promised to be an interesting experience.

Day 11: Thursday 19 July
Sertse Karmen

During the night, the last of the weather system moved away to the east and we awoke to a flat ocean and the return of sea ice. As soon as breakfast had finished, Expedition Leader Aaron set off to scout the Sertse Karmen Peninsula and he soon radioed the ship to confirm we would be exploring by Zodiac with the likelihood of a short landing.

Whilst we waited for him to return, however, there was an extraordinary spectacle with wave after wave of King Eiders flying past the ship. It was difficult to accurately assess the numbers but we estimated that about 15,000 birds flew by on their migration out of the Chukchi Sea. It was an amazing sight and with at least two Orcas and several Humpback Whales too, the day had started in an impressive manner.

The Zodiacs were soon readied and we set off along the coastline to see what we could find. Although we were going along some impressive cliffs, there were few seabirds on these, however, there was some excitement when a male Spectacled Eider was spotted. This species is the most localised of the four eider species in the world and being only found in Chukotka and Alaska, it is a tricky species to see, so we were extremely fortunate to get some great views of this individual. Whilst it was not in its summer finery as it was moulting, this did mean we were able to get some close looks as it seemed to have temporarily lost its flight feathers.

After enjoying this we continued onwards making a landing at a spot where it was possible to scramble ashore over the rocks. The tundra above was somewhat boggy but it held a wide variety of plants and many people enjoyed photographing these. Looking across the bay we could see the great expanse of sea ice and our trusty ship anchored a mile or so away from us out in the outer part of the bay.

Returning to the Zodiacs, we continued onwards and entered a small lagoon behind the beach. For some, this was a somewhat shocking experience as there were literally hundreds of dead walruses both on the shore and up on the hillside and almost all of them had had their tusks removed. We later learnt that although it had seemed that the local people must have killed these animals for their ivory, this was actually not the case and that during the autumn period, this beach was one of the largest walrus haul outs in Chukotka. Many of these animals had actually been killed by stampedes when bears scared them off the beach and the local populace no longer killed walruses ashore.

Leaving the rather gory spectacle behind we exited the lagoon and then explored some bird cliffs further around the bay. There were good numbers of nesting Pelagic Cormorants and Glaucous Gulls, as well as smaller numbers of Pigeon Guillemots and both Horned and Tufted Puffins.

By now the time was approaching 13:00 and with lunch having been scheduled from 12:30 it was certainly time to return to the ship but we were only aboard for a relatively short time as the ship repositioned closer to the sea ice where once again the Zodiacs were launched so we could go whale-watching.

Over the course of the next couple of hours the five boats collectively saw over fifty Humpback Whales and we had some absolutely incredible encounters with these amazing animals with some seeing the whales bubble-netting, whilst others were able to smell their breath when they surfaced close to the boats. Being so close to these massive but gentle creatures was a truly special experience and it was with genuine reluctance that we returned to the ship knowing that we had undoubtedly experienced one of the highlights of the expedition. Our “Expedition Day” had certainly turned out to be a highly successful day indeed!!!!

The day was, however, not over as after dinner, Vincent Munier gave an excellent presentation showing us some of his amazing photos and videos from his travels in his native France as well as the high Arctic and Tibet.

© D. Brown
Day 12: Friday 20 July
Arakamchechen Island and Penkigngey Fjord

Position 0600: 65 10N 171 40W

We made good time (14 knots) through Bering Strait overnight with a following wind and sea, leaving the unseasonably late sea-ice behind at Cape Dezhnev. Around 3am we made a short detour to drop off the Beringia rangers (‘the two Alexei’s and Aluftina the 5 year old girl in their care) and their aluminium boat. We awoke at breakfast to a northerly breeze and light fog just off the northern coast of Arakamchechen Island. We took the Zodiacs into the tiny Ratmanova inlet, the hills visible only as a band of brown between low mist and grey sea. As we approached the inner inlet a young Ringed Seal popped its head up from the reeds to watch us: It was recovering from a wound so we gave it a wide berth. We crossed the beach for a closer look at a 17 metre dead Gray Whale washed up the previous autumn. Although there were bear tracks nearby, it didn’t appear to have been scavenged except by Glaucous Gulls. After skimming stones on the inlet we motored to the western end of the inlet to the mouth of a small river for a walk on the tundra, the mist lifting to reveal snow banks on high mountainous slopes. Very fresh bear tracks on the stream bank kept us alert. A Rough-legged Buzzard showed in silhouette on the ridge, flapping slowly down the spur as we neared. We could hear the distinctive call of Sandhill Cranes (a sound described by Brazil in ‘Birds of East Asia’ as “a loud, rolling, bugling karr-roo karr-roo”). These ventriloquists of the bird world are so much easier to hear than to see. The ground was well tunnelled by ground-squirrels, whose alarm calls sounded in sequence well in front of us. A beautiful Fritillary butterfly spread its intricately-patterned black and yellow wings flat on the tundra to warm itself. The tundra plants were flowering to perfection; frigid shooting star, river beauty, violets and primulas, miniature azaleas and rhododendrons.

The Captain repositioned to the long and deeply incised Penkigngey Fjord as we ate lunch. Half way up the fjord he slowed the ship so we could watch a group of four Humpback Whales feeding; rolling and twisting in slow-motion in a tight group to reveal the bumpy tubercles on their heads, long pectoral fins and ragged tail flukes. At one stage they dived together directly under the bow of the ship and we could see them under water; a real treat for those leaning over the front deck rail at the time.

We anchored off a small creek and after scouting for bears (one was seen from the ship), brought the Zodiacs ashore, being careful to avoid a pair of nesting Red-necked Stint. Two groups set off along the terrace above a willow-clad creek bed on a natural history walk for birds, pika, squirrels and tundra plants. They found a number of interesting migrants nesting, including Arctic Warbler and Grey-cheeked Thrush. A third group headed for the 400 metre high summit of Mt Gatgangey (г.гатгангэй). The tundra had a stunning diversity of plants from blueberry, cloudberry and crowberry; to mauve carpets of moss campion, pinky-white azalea and crimson rhododendron; to creeping lycopodium, sphagnum moss and bright yellow lichen. As we climbed we heard and then saw two pairs of Sandhill Cranes striding along adjacent spurs. A pair took off and flew out across the valley, slowly flapping their large and elegantly upturned wings, calling all the while.

We slowly zig-zagged up the mountainside, stopping above a steep face overlooking the fjord to admire the view; a study in muted blacks, greys and whites: Mist hovered over the water’s surface; ‘cotton-wool’ clouds cloaked the surrounding peaks; black and brown mountain faces contrasted with snow patches; the surface of the fjord grey and still, disturbed only by the ripple of Humpback Whales feeding near the anchored ship. From the summit we looked deep into the surrounding glacial valleys, lush with spring growth, bisected by meandering streams and dotted with shrub-willows: A vast landscape that extended to the end of sight and beyond, into the realm of imagination. We returned to the pebbly beach and a cloud of waiting mosquitos, mercifully blown away as our Zodiacs accelerated towards the ship and dinner.

© D. Brown
Day 13: Saturday 21 July Novo Chaplino

It was a dreary start to the day. A biting dampness hung in the air cloaking the surrounding hills. There was no news of the delayed games and no sign of life in the village. It proved to be the perfect opportunity to explore the engine room and Costa gave a fascinating and insightful exploration around the depths of the ship. Just before noon the sun broke through and transformed the landscape, warming the air, and perfect timing too as for those who wanted to do a polar plunge now was the time! We launched a Zodiac just to be on the safe side and with the sun shining down nine worthy participants leapt into the ice-cold water from the gangway much to the enjoyment of everyone else who watched on from the decks.

By now a bus had arrived in town and a small settlement of tents was being slowly erected on the shores of the fjord. Elena had worked furiously all morning and by 14:30 we were ready to head ashore and the village was ready to welcome us. First stop was the school. This bright building was bustling with life and activities and we were duly shown the various rooms which included everything from a class for cooking and cleaning to a superb display by the Beringia National Park. The school visit culminated with a brilliant dance show by the local children and the finale even drew in a few of us to demonstrate our appalling dance skills. Following the dance we were free to wander and explore around the village taking in the way of life so far removed from our own including preparing walrus and Gray Whale meat. As we left the village a few children gathered to play on the Zodiacs with Costa giving them a high-speed tour of the bay whilst a lady prepared a seaweed soup at the top of the beach. So, despite the uncertain start to the day it had turned into a superb experience and a fascinating insight into Chukchi life. As evening fell we upped anchor and started on our journey back to Anadyr.

Day 14: Sunday 22 July
At Sea

It was the last full day of our expedition and after a leisurely breakfast, many people joined Dan Brown in the lecture room at 09:30 to hear his presentation about the secret lives of whales and dolphins. Dan gave us some fascinating information about these creatures describing how species such as the Sperm Whale used eco-location to find their food and the extraordinary depths some were capable of diving to. He also told us that many species were threatened, not just from the whaling industry (which had decimated some populations but continued in countries like Iceland and the Faroes) but also from plastic in the ocean and other threats such as shipping and development.

Outside, there was a gentle swell from the south which meant the ship was rolling somewhat as we headed westwards for Anadyr. There were, however, plenty of birds with the vast majority of them being Northern Fulmars. These varied considerably in colour with some being grey and white, others a deep blue-grey and small percentage almost pure white or mottled. As well as the fulmars, there were also some Short-tailed Shearwaters and Glaucous and Vega Gulls.

Shortly after 11:00, Expedition Leader Aaron gave a presentation entitled “Heritage Expeditions: A little of the history so far”. Aaron described how the business had been started by his parents, Rodney and Shirley, and how they had chartered a series of different ships before eventually using a sister ship to the Spirit of Enderby for voyages to the Subantarctic Islands and onwards to the Ross Sea. Aaron then spoke about some of the other destinations the ship now visited.

After our final lunch aboard, it was time to settle accounts and return boots and Zodiac lifejackets and at 17:00 everyone gathered in the lecture room for a departure briefing and expedition recap. This included a slideshow of images taken by the expedition team and we could only reflect on a unique voyage with many special wildlife and cultural highlights. We had been fortunate to not only set foot on the fabled Wrangel Island but had experienced heavy sea ice and seen a spectacular range of wildlife including both Brown and Polar Bears as well as some extraordinary encounters with Humpback Whales.

After the bar hour, it was time for the farewell dinner and Ed and Lance produced a fantastic dinner for us. Once that had concluded, many returned to their cabins to finish packing and prepare for their travels either home or onwards to other destinations.

Day 15: Monday 23 July
Anadyr

We arose to an early breakfast call to finish last minute luggage preparations and to enjoy a hearty breakfast for what would be a long travel day for most of us. It was sad to think that our voyage was at an end, but our photos and memories would always help us recall our time in Chukotka, the wildlife we had seen and the landscapes and seascapes of the Russian Far East. We had reached journey’s end.