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Sailing holidays in Spitsbergen

The best way to see the Svalbard Archipelago is by sea, but there’s a big difference between a cruise ship and a small sailing boat. Learn what it’s like to sail in subarctic conditions around these northerly islands, from being on deck mere metres from spouting whales, to remote moorings where you can go ashore and ski.

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Sailing holidays in Spitsbergen

Don’t just learn about explorers past: sailing in Spitsbergen is an opportunity for your very own expedition.

In 1897 the Swedish explorer Salomon August Andrée set off from Virgohamna (Virgo Bay), on Danskoya (Danes Island), 79°N in the Svalbard archipelago, in a hot air balloon made of 600 pieces of fortified silk. His party were attempting to reach the North Pole. The expedition proved fatal: their balloon was forced to land, and they spent two months walking back across the ice. They died on White Island, close to Svalbard.

Today Virgohamna doesn’t look much changed. There are still old blubber ovens on the beach – remnants of 17th-century Dutch whaling operations – whalers’ graves, and rusted petrol drums – the remains of expedition bases. Sailors on our remote Svalbard sailing expeditions can moor in the bay and step ashore – with permission from the Governor of Svalbard. The bay was the starting point for not one, but two failed North Pole expeditions – Walter Wellman, an American, also attempted to reach it from here via airship in the 1900s. Sailing here you often come across tales of explorers past – Svalbard’s location, striking distance below the North Pole, has made it a land of expeditions.

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A land of expeditions

Situated halfway between Norway and the North Pole, the archipelago has more polar bears than people, the world’s most northerly post box, and is so frozen that bodies are often transported to be buried on mainland Norway. It’s a place where it’s easier to explore by boat than by land: there are very few roads, and overland sledders must travel armed, in case of polar bears. Historically Svalbard was used as the springboard for Arctic explorers, but there’s plenty of adventure to be had right here.

When you sail here, you aren’t just following in the wakes of famous adventurers, but making adventures of your own. You’re prey to the whims of the winds, dodging ice, calculating the tides, navigating changing sea conditions, keeping watch for whale spouts, and trying not to fall prey to one of Svalbard’s perspective tricks.

Travellers often report a funny phenomenon in Svalbard: the air is so clear and pollution-free that everything looks closer than it is. It’s a strange feeling, thinking you’re sailing next to massive mountains, free of trees, houses or other familiar landmarks that might give you a sense of scale. It’s only when they never get closer that you realise that they are miles away.

You might even notice it on your flight in: “The aeroplane turns between mountains and the air is so pure that you have a feeling that the aeroplane will hit the mountain,” says Marcin Sanetra, founder of our partner for sailing adventures, Sail Arctic. Add in the strange lighting effects you get in the north when sun meets snow – days that stretch into nights in the summer, nights that reach into the days in winter – and you have an adventure that borders on the surreal. That’s before we’ve even mentioned the skiing.

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Sail past massive mountains, free of trees, houses or other familiar landmarks that might give you a sense of scale. It’s only when they never get closer that you realise that they are miles away.

Going ashore: skiing, strolling, spectating

In the right season, Svalbard’s snow reaches from the tops of its hills all the way down to the sea –the perfect conditions for an unusual Arctic activity: sail and ski.

“Our idea is to climb directly from the seaside and go down to sea level,” says Marcin. On their expeditions, groups go ashore with an experienced ski touring instructor and climb up into the hills on skis before skiing down – all the way back to the boat, making some satisfyingly tracks down the mountain as you go. It’s a world away from a chairlift-clad ski resort: “On Svalbard you are ski touring on the roof of the world”.

There are other reasons to go ashore – to shadow explorers, to learn about whaling, and to explore some of Spitsbergen’s settlements, like Pyramiden, a former Russian mining town that was abandoned, has only a handful of residents, and remains enigmatically frozen in time. “It’s amazing because you have the feeling that all the people have just vanished,” says Marcin.

Going ashore often requires permission, as 65 percent of Svalbard’s land area is protected. “There are some restrictions on being close to the cliffs and to closed areas like reserves,” says Marcin. “We know what we can do and what we can show.”

Marcin’s Svalbard expedition aims to reach Edgeoya, fittingly anglicised as Edge Island. Edgeoya is on the southeast of the archipelago, its third largest island, uninhabited, and very rarely explored. Going ashore here brings you face to face with Arctic tundra – where reindeer roam, Arctic foxes hunt kittiwake colonies and polar bears den with their cubs.

Great guides

An expedition of this nature relies on seriously experienced guides. Our trips bring guides on board with amazing backgrounds as polar scientists, explorers, and authors. Marcin has previously used a guide who was a technical base operator on the island, and one of the rare people with permission to hunt on the island – “It’s very rare to be able to do so, less than a dozen people in total have that permission. Taking a person like that on board gives you great knowledge. They can tell you stories about the past, the region and the people.”

Spitsbergen sailing map

Where to go sailing in Spitsbergen?

You can get a fantastic taste of Svalbard simply by sailing in Isfjorden. Spitsbergen’s longest fjord has many arms to explore, the human settlements of Longyearbyen and Barentsburg vie with walrus and seabird colonies, and there are glacier-blocked bays and massive mountains.

Most expeditions start in Longyearbyen, before sailing out of Isfjorden and heading north along the west coast of Spitsbergen, which is famously scenic. From here you can sail between Prins Karls Forland (Princes Charles Forland, named after English king Charles I), a narrow island, and the coast of Spitsbergen. Heading further north along the island of Spitsbergen you reach Danskoya, or Danes Island, the basecamp for those two ill-fated polar expeditions. It’s a short hop to Ny Alesund, a settlement with the world’s most northerly post office. Shorter expeditions may return from here along the coast to Longyearbyen. Longer trips make the jump to other islands in the archipelago.

Beyond Spitsbergen, you reach Nordaustlandet, the archipelago’s second largest island, and famous for its glacier: the Austfonna ice cap is one of the largest in Europe, covering most of the island. Under sail you can approach and spend hours watching the ice. Even fewer people make it out to Edgeoya, the third largest island, in the south-east. Smaller islands, like Hopen and Bjornoya (Bear Island) make useful stopping points if you are aiming to head to mainland Norway.

What does sailing in Spitsbergen entail?

You don’t need to be an experienced sailor to go sailing in Spitsbergen, but you do need to be prepared for a participatory adventure. This means that you are participating, as part of the crew, in the sailing of the vessel. You’ll be taught how to do this when you step on board. You’ll sail in an expedition yacht that’s been kitted out with a reinforced metal hull and below deck insulation, and heated by the engine. With many islands in the archipelago uninhabited, your boat is entirely self-sufficient, travelling with all the food, fuel and fresh water you need. Boats tend to provision using local suppliers in Longyearbyen, and most encourage you to be frugal on board with resources. True wilderness sailing in Svalbard is dictated by the weather and the ice conditions. Sometimes, you won’t be able to access a bay because of phenomena like katabatic winds – forceful gusts that come barrelling down the mountains around the bay – and because ice blocks the way. Other times, the sea conditions are too rough to make safe passages. It means you don’t know where you’ll be going – all part of the adventure. The start of your trip will be briefing-heavy – not just to show you the ropes, but to discuss safety, responsibility and environmental concerns. This is remote sailing in polar bear country – to be forewarned is to be forearmed – and your guide being armed is important. Get the talking out of the way early, and the rest of the trip will be plain sailing (with some skiing thrown in). You’ll be given the right gear for the job. For sailing you’ll be given foul weather gear – a full suit, plus boots, to keep you warm. The landscape up here might be cold, but you don’t have to be.