Wednesday 11th July - Skansbukta to Pyramiden via Nordenskjoldbreen (Glacier)

Awelina of Sweden
James Collier
Fri 13 Jul 2012 09:56

78 39.78 N, 16 23.00 E

 

After our ridiculously long day yesterday we managed to wake at a not unreasonable hour and get sailing again up towards Pyramiden - the abandoned Russian mining settlement at the head of Billefjorden. On the way we took the opportunity to have a much closer look at the local glacier and another abandoned settlement of far older origin, the Scottish settlement at Brucebyen.

 

Glacier approach

Description: Glacier Compressed

 

Our luck with the fine weather held although wind chill while tacking up the fjord was impressively severe. We saw a RIB moving scientists about but otherwise we had the place to ourselves. We approached the calving face of the glacier with caution. To reduce speed we furled all the sails and crept forward under engine although hitting a ‘bergy bit’ could damage the propeller beyond repair.

 

There were many bits of ice nearer the face of the glacier and we elected to go no further when we realised that there were very many more rocks as well and we were in an uncharted area. Instead we spun Awelina round and headed to the anchorage at Brucebyen. Eddy demonstrated his fishing ability by attempting to catch an ice berg. We sidled up to small bit (maybe 10 tons? – James) of floating ice watching out for surfaces projecting out under water. Eddy walloped the berg with the boathook and knocked a lump off then tried to harvest some of the bits with a basket on a rope. It proved impossible and when the boathook attached itself to the iceberg and floated away James quickly jumped into our dinghy and rowed over to retrieve it as well as retrieving a huge lump of ice.

 

Rowing back with a cargo of ice for the G&Ts

Description: Ice fishing Awelina style compressed

 

Our iceberg – you wouldn’t think it weighs about 10 tonnes!

Description: Iceberg Compressed

 

BruceByen consists of two standing huts and one burnt out collapsed shell next to a tiny narrow gauge railway line. The huts were built by a Scottish scientist in 1919 as part of the Scottish Spitsbergen Syndicate ltd. The scientists were looking for coal seams in the area. The huts today are used by the governor of Svalbard and visiting scientists. The settlement sits on a wide shingle plateau overlooked by the magnificent glacier above.

 

Brucebyen rRailway: curiously small guage

Description: Brucebyen compressed

 

The glacier is visible all the way across the inlet towards Pyramiden - our destination for that evening. In true "lets forget the time again" fashion we arrived here after 6pm. Pyramiden was finally abandoned by the Russians in 1998. Previously it was a thriving coal mining community with a purpose built town of accommodation blocks, power stations and even a sports hall and swimming pool. A tiny copy of some of Mother Russia, Bresnev style, there’s even a bust of Lenin.

 

The mine overshadows it all and there are many many rusting cranes, vehicles, machinery and collapsing structures left behind in the rushed exodus. Six Russian custodians live next to the decaying quay in converted shipping containers. They provide guided tours of the site, manage a bar and souvenir centre in a few rooms of the old hotel and have restored some of the the power plant and a few other key installations, one of which we noticed was a very large satellite dish facing east. As we arrived so late in the day all tours were over and buildings locked however Eddy had made a friend on his previous visit and Dimitri was persuaded to let us roam off on our own - after 200 NOK had changed hands. We left Awelina tied up on the quay next to one other yacht and took ourselves off.

 

Pavements over grown with grass still showed the street plan quite clearly. The accommodation blocks resembled a huge barracks, gently crumbling away and being used by the local gull population as a ready made bird cliffs for nesting. The noise was deafening. Evidence of the rush to leave was still visible; On a doorstep rested an abandoned plastic doll, peering through windows we could see patched and tatty wall paper, old iron bedframes with stained mattresses, computer paper on the floor, a lone hanger swinging inside a half-shut wardrobe. All dusty and decayed and eery as though Armageddon had struck and we were the only people left on the planet looking at the remnants of a civilisation. Meltwater streams criss-cross the complex and are being constrained by Klondike like wooden banks and troughs to direct hem away form the buildings. It was all too sad so we scurried back to Awelina for a barbecue on the back of the boat washed down by a nice bottle of red wine to chase away the ghosts.

 

Abandoned buildings in Pyramiden

Description: abandoned pyramiden compressed

 

Gantry by our quay

Description: Pyramiden Gantry Compressed

 

Only the seagulls left in the playground

Description: swings compressed

 

Old Boats in Pyramiden

Description: Old Boats Pyramiden Compressed

 

Eddy in Charge of the BBQ

Description: BBQ Pyramiden compressed