Day 11 – Jan Mayen, Norway
After three days of being locked in and sailing for 550 kilometers from the North of Iceland, anything with a view sounded like a good idea. Even if that view was the Beerenberg volcano crowned with an icy crater usually shrouded in mist. Twenty glaciers cascaded from the summit and flowed into the sea. It excited everyone on board as we approached the shockingly calm shore overflowing with guillemots, little auks, terns and black headed gulls, among others. Large colonies of kittiwakes nesting on foggy crevices and cliffs that were carpeted in colorful mosses and mist added a splash of color to the unique black landscape of the island.
I’ve never heard of Jan Mayen until this voyage and honestly I prefer a good surprise and discovering a place on the spot. For some people though, it was like a pilgrimage, not because of some video game but to see the island before it becomes a real-life forbidden kingdom. The Norwegians are restricting the number of tourists allowed to visit because of its fragility and what not, so it’s becoming more difficult to get landing permission.
After a dispute settlement with Denmark over fishing rights between Jan Mayen and Greenland, Jan Mayen was granted to Norway in just another territorial saga proving that even the most ordinary looking rock in the middle of the ocean can turn into a geopolitical crisis. Deep underneath, the island is rich with unexploited natural resources, while on the surface, around 20-25 people work in shifts for 6 months to monitor radio communications and meteorological stations on the island.
Jan Mayen was a former Dutch Whaling base named after Jan Jacobsen May who visited the island in 1614. It started with a game of ‘who found it first’, and then ‘who could make the most money by wiping out the population of bowhead whales’. From there, it turned into a revenge match between the Danes and Dutch which ended with some of the islanders dying of scurvy because they ate raw polar bear meat.
Drama free for two hundred years until Arctic foxes with blue and soft fur showed up sparking a new fashion craze in 1906. After the Norwegians killed them all, they saw the value in real estate. They turned the island into an outpost for Arctic weather forecasting in 1921. In conclusion, Jan May is not famous in his own country and people assume he’s Norwegian.
We were given strict instructions to steer clear of the buildings at Batvika Bay and instead focus on the curved shoreline and rocky cliffs where kittiwakes were nesting. Their calls were the only sounds on the island, aside from the occasional rumble of an engine as a van drove up the mountain slope. We disembarked onto a beach with shiny black ash, dodging driftwood that may have drifted all the way from Siberia decades ago. Scattered Bow head whalebones added final touches to the dramatic atmosphere, suggesting dreadful events that took place on the island.
We spent a few hours walking around the island watching birds circling around foggy vistas exploiting fishing resources, the only resource readily exploitable. We eventually climbed to a viewing point that offered a stunning panoramic view glistening under fleeting light. Some people waited in anticipation for a glimpse of the summit. They almost saw it, only to be denied before it vanished.
Back on the ship the unpredictable weather turned against us as we sailed along the rugged volcanic cliffs crushing our last hope of seeing the crater and whales from the ship. The last of the seabirds slowly disappeared just as visibility vanished and the wind began to howl. We occasionally caught sight of northern fulmars gliding alongside the ship or on the bow, as we continued our journey north towards the Greenland Icepack.
CRAYSCAPE 
Curious to see if you had some nicer weather when reaching Svalbard. It’s on my list of places to visit but would want to choose a period with a better weather than what you have encountered so far. Summer is supposed to be the best time to go though…I was in Northern Norway on the Norwegian Coastal Express in early June and got overall a good weather. Still nice to read your xperience!
Thank you for stopping by and reading! The weather got better when we reached Svalbard and sailed through the ice pack. Svalbard was very short, we stopped at two islands and I’m not sure if it was because we missed a day as a passenger broke her back and we went back to Iceland-
I’m writing about the following days and will post soon. It wasn’t as impressive as my experience in 2022 though. I wrote about it here – I went end of May early June and had great weather.
I do intend to go again and focus on polar bear and foxes with a smaller size group.
This is from Day 1- https://crayscape.net/2022/08/02/arctic-fever-days-1-2/
What a fascinating bit of history, Sarah. These days with knowledge at our fingertips, it is wonderful to still discover something on the fly while travelling. I’m glad I’m still sitting in bed catching up on your posts, as just looking at your photographs chill my feet. Not to mention reading about that storm! Phew. These trips of yours sound magical, although I much prefer experiencing it through your words and photographs than for myself. 😁
Thank you!! I’m so glad you like to experience it through my posts – it really means a lot! The experience is fun but I do like to say it as it is so people don’t feel misled or like they’re missing out. It’s part of the travel journey..
That is so true, and I love that both the pleasant and less pleasant experiences that are part of travel is highlighted, Sarah. I far prefer, honest descriptions.