The whole ship felt a little delicate this morning. We had pushed through thick sea ice all night and stayed up until around 1am watching it from the Bridge, completely transfixed. The fact the sun never sets here plays tricks on you. Your body thinks the night is still young, when in reality it is well past midnight.

A quick tip if you are sailing in ice: breaking through the thick stuff is a bit loud, so pack some ear plugs just in case.

After a hearty breakfast and a serious dose of caffeine, we prepared to head ashore.

While we were getting ready, Ashton gave half the ship a fascinating talk on Svalbard geology in the Ice Lounge. One of the lovely details on board is that you can watch lectures live from your cabin, so if you fancy reclining on the bed with a coffee rather than heading down to the lounge, you absolutely can.

Meanwhile our half of the ship took a Zodiac cruise and a short landing at Kapp Lee on the north western tip of Edgeøya.

The history here is not a pretty one, but it is an important one. Kapp Lee, also known as Dolerittneset, holds one of the largest remaining historical walrus slaughtering sites in Svalbard. From the 17th century onwards, whalers and later Pomor and Norwegian trappers hunted walrus here in vast numbers, almost to extinction. By the time the species was finally protected in 1952, only around 200 individual walruses were thought to remain in the entire archipelago.

The Svalbard population now sits at somewhere around 5,500, and to see them lazing on these very beaches again feels quietly, properly hopeful.

We also spotted plenty of Svalbard reindeer grazing on the tundra, and were treated to a lovely number of pink footed geese. Our guide Brett, one of the undersea specialists, took us on a small detour for an even better view of the reindeer. So grateful.

We did not spot any Arctic foxes today, apparently they can be very elusive, but the rest of the wildlife more than made up for it.

Back on board for a brilliant Filipino barbecue lunch, hosted in honour of the wonderful Filipino crew. The note on the menu summed it up perfectly: Filipino cuisine is a delicious tapestry woven from centuries of Malay, Spanish, Chinese, and American influences, offering bold, comforting flavours like tangy adobo, savoury lechon, and sweet delicacies. The Philippines is home to over 7,000 islands, each with its own twist on traditional recipes.

The spread was incredible. A local organic salad bar, Filipino style kilawin ceviche made with red drum, pork Shanghai spring rolls with sweet chilli sauce, chicken tinola soup with lemongrass, ginger and spinach, and then your choice from chicken adobo, beef kare kare in peanut sauce, sweet and sour fish, vegetable noodles pansit, vegetable chop suey and Filipino fried rice.

The action station was carving crispy suckling pig with liver sauce and crispy rolled pork belly. Sweet endings included a beautiful tray of Filipino chef’s delicacies, ice creams, fresh fruit and an international cheese selection. Honestly one of the most joyful meals we have had on board.

The afternoon at Negribreen offered the chance to either kayak or take another Zodiac cruise. Neither of us had ever kayaked before, so jumped at the opportunity and signed up.
The mandatory kayaking briefing took place after lunch, and the bit I was quietly stressing about, how on earth you get in and out, has been thought through to perfection. A metal platform is rigged between two Zodiacs in shallow water. You wear your Arctic muck boots, which are knee high, so your feet stay dry. Getting in and out is straightforward and there is a crew member at every step if you need a hand. If you ever get the opportunity, please try.

You get an hour to kayak and explore, and we paddled out towards an iceberg and back. Easy, peaceful, and so much fun.
We were both quietly chuffed we did not capsize.

If kayaking did not appeal, the alternative was a Zodiac cruise around the glacial icebergs in the bay, which I have heard back was equally beautiful.

A short freshen up back at the cabin, then up to the Ice Lounge for the daily recap. TED talk style mini lectures from various members of the expedition team, sometimes underwater footage from the on board divers, and a brief from James on the plan for tomorrow.

And then, the highlight of the evening: we had been invited to Cook’s Nook, the zero waste tasting menu hosted in Tupaia. Every guest gets an invite at some point during the expedition, and ours was tonight.

The menu was extraordinary. Bits and pieces to start: pommes soufflé with saffron aioli and potato glass, mushroom tartlets with confit mushroom and ponzu gel, kale and potato croquettes with crispy kale and chive aioli, and salmon gravlax with choux and salmon mousse. Then The Study of Tuna and Baby Potato: seared albacore tuna with potato three ways and a lemon ponzu foam. Springtime Garden Asparagus and Tomatoes followed, a clarified tomato broth with asparagus cream, char grilled asparagus, confit tomatoes and tomato caviar.

Then The World’s Most Versatile Vegetable, cauliflower five ways: scallop, caviar, steak, tempura and pickled, over cauliflower purée, foam and remoulade. Pan seared black cod fillet with quinoa, slow roasted carrot purée, hazelnut dukkah, pickled carrots and beurre blanc came next. Then duck breast with duck demi glaze, beetroot carpaccio, confit duck ravioli, burnt apple purée and beetroot mousse. To finish, Apple Rock: apple crémeux, caviar and chips, Pink Lady sorbet and apple biscuit.

A wine pairing menu is available for an extra $75 per person if you fancy it. Chef Nemo and his team were absolutely amazing.

After dinner the evening took a turn we did not see coming.
The National Geographic Resolution crew show. They are an outrageously talented bunch, and the whole ship partied properly.

We ended the night moshing to Nirvana with the Captain.
I genuinely cannot think of any other ship in the world where this could happen.

What an absolutely brilliant day.

Which would have been your highlight: the kayaking, Cook’s Nook, or moshing with the Captain?

#Svalbard #Edgeøya #NatGeoResolution #LindbladExpeditions #NoCruiseControl