Where in the world is Svalbard!? Turns out, it took some investigating from these warm weather sailors to actually find out. The Crew of SV Delos flies into the high arctic and meets up with their new friends from SV Isbjorn. But before setting sail, they must get guns to protect themselves from polar bears, and provision enough food and liquor to hold them over in freezing temperatures for three weeks. Let the expedition begin!
After leaving the dock, these sailors quickly learn that the conditions of the Arctic can change in the blink of a walrus’ eye. Speaking of Walrus, the crew finds a huddle of these gargantuan creatures and learns first hand about their gnarly smells and sounds. After a not so pleasant encounter with a cruise ship, SV Isbjorn makes her way over to a massive calving glacier. It’s beauty enchants the crew just long enough to put their boat in the danger of a tidal ice flow that they now must navigate out of!
The crew attempts to navigate SV Isbjorn out of an ice flow that could easily sink her to the bottom of the anchorage, and somehow has fun doing so. Their survival is rewarded with a visit from a polar bear mother and her young cub, who discover a thawed out whale carcass. The day of insanity continues when Beluga whales appear on the horizon just long enough to launch the drones!
Beluga whales on the horizon! With drones launched and a hydrophone dropped in the water, the crew quickly realizes why these creatures are known as the canaries of the sea. After 3 weeks of 8 people living on a 48 ft. Boat, these sailors reflect back on the pros and cons of sharing a small space with each other. A major goal is completed when they sail SV Isbjorn all the way to 80° North, a place that the Vikings call “The End of the Ocean”. With one final adventure of a polar plunge next to a Glacier, the crew wraps up the trip by admitting they are now addicted to the Arctic…