The archipelago of Svalbard, which belongs to Norway, lies “way up” in the North Atlantic. In Norwegian, the archipelago is called Svalbard, which means “cool coast”. The more than 400 islands and skerries lie north of the Arctic Circle between 74 and 81 degrees north latitude and between 10 and 35 degrees east longitude. The climate around Spitsbergen is arctic. It is cool all year round with regular but low rainfall. The coastal regions are only free of snow for about six weeks in summer, and the fjords only freeze over occasionally in winter. With cool summers, the winters are very mild despite the northern location, as the West Spitsbergen Current, an offshoot of the Gulf Stream, transports relatively warm water along the west coast into the Arctic Ocean. In the summer, which starts sunny at the beginning of June and ends with fog, rain and snow at the end of September, temperatures range between -2 °C and 17 °C. Experience this unique adventure on our exclusively equipped expedition yacht POLARIS. An experience you will remember for a long time to come.

Expected course of the trip:

Our expedition starts from Longyearbyen, the capital of Spitsbergen, and heads north along the western coast. On numerous stops in the countless fjords, but also in some of the local settlements, we discover the unique nature of this lonely archipelago. A rich fauna can be marveled at, as well as the constantly calving glaciers, which reach as far as the water of the North Sea. Our destination will then be Longyearbyen again, from where you can take a comfortable flight home. Depending on the weather and the schedule, it may be necessary to cover longer sections of the journey under engine power. Total distance: approx. 250 nautical miles.

This extraordinary trip will be led by our professional skipper Guido Dwersteg.

IMPORTANT information:

Svalbard is also known as the largest polar bear enclosure in the world. After all, over 2000 of these impressive white giants live here. Due to the resulting dangers, the respective skippers will carry a long gun and one or more signal pistols with special ammunition when going ashore. It goes without saying that all our skippers are trained and instructed in advance as part of an appropriate certificate of competence. We will also take additional measures to ensure the maximum safety of our guests. In addition to the aforementioned weapons and signaling devices, this includes extensive medical equipment, additional redundant safety equipment (such as additional inflatable boats and another special plastic dinghy), Iridium and Starlink communication and much more. However, such an expedition cannot be carried out entirely without risk. Please bear this in mind when booking. The advertised trip takes us to a remote area and therefore has a certain expedition character. This includes not only limited and sometimes cost-intensive supply options, but also a lack of maritime infrastructure such as ports and marinas. Up here, we will be on our own most of the time. In this respect, we will also send all participants a waiver of liability and a medical questionnaire before confirming the booking.

Personal equipment:

In addition to the usual requirements for warm and waterproof (sailing) clothing on sailing trips to the high latitudes, a survival suit is also mandatory for everyone on this trip. This is primarily due to the low water temperatures even in summer and the associated risks. We will have an appropriate number of suits on board for all our guests. If you prefer to bring your own survival suit, these can also be rented from the relevant providers or purchased from specialist retailers by each fellow traveler.

Services included:

• Stay and accommodation on an ultra-modern and exclusively equipped expedition yacht from GARCIA. A ship in a class of its own, which you will not find anywhere else in the world for bookable sailing holidays.

• Accommodation in a spacious berth with double occupancy in the respective cabin category (aft cabin or owner's cabin in the bow). Cabin description and pictures.

• Alternatively, all cabins can also be booked for exclusive single use (1 person), subject to availability. Cabin description and pictures.

• Provision of a high-quality and regularly maintained automatic lifejacket with integrated AIS transponder.

• Provision of all prescribed and standard safety and rescue equipment. Naturally as good as new and regularly serviced.

• Professional ship management and supervision by two experienced professional skippers. All crew members receive a comprehensive on-board and safety briefing.

• Use of all on-board facilities of our expedition yacht POLARIS, e.g. central heating, bathrooms, WI-FI, satellite telephone (only for offshore trips), water maker, generator, 220 V on-board power, area guide, nautical charts, etc.

• Not included are Costs for travelling to and from the destination, costs for provisions, drinks, diesel, demurrage, fees incurred and other undertakings. With the exception of travel costs, these expenses are allocated to the on-board fund, to which all guests contribute equally. The main skipper is also catered for from the on-board fund. The catering costs for the co-skipper are covered by HS-Segelreisen GmbH.

• If you have any further questions, please read our Frequently Asked Questions or get in touch with us.

Information on arrival and departure:

You can reach Longyearbyen quickly and easily by flight via Oslo. Oslo (OSL) itself can be reached by direct flight from Frankfurt, Munich, Amsterdam and Brussels. The return journey from Longyearbyen is also via Oslo as a stopover. In this respect, we recommend the usual booking portals for your research. Sometimes it also makes sense to search for flights directly on the websites of the relevant airlines to obtain additional allotments or a cheaper price. For Norway, this is usually the airline SAS. You can also find an overview of all Norwegian airports, including the connections available from there, at Avinor.