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Boat Surrounded by Arctic Whales - Sailing Florence Ep.217
23 October 2025 · 25 min · 49K views · West coast of Svalbard
Beluga whales circle sailboat Florence in Arctic waters
What this video covers
The crew of the Oyster Marine 37 HERITAGE sails north from Longyearbyen, Svalbard, to explore the archipelago’s wildlife and glaciers during the 24-hour daylight of mid-June.▶ 0:56 Navigating light, fickle winds, they encounter a pod of over 50 beluga whales while anchored in a calm fjord.▶ 3:11 The crew later observes a walrus haul-out, noting the importance of maintaining distance to avoid disturbing the animals and the strong odor that necessitates adjusting their downwind course.▶ 11:22 While transiting the narrow Foreland Sundet, they time their passage to account for tidal currents reaching four knots, relying on the Norwegian pilot guide and GPS charts to navigate a shallow shelf.▶ 16:37 Upon reaching a planned anchorage near a glacier in Crossfjorden, they find the area choked with ice and choose to anchor three miles away in a gravel-bottomed bay to avoid hull damage.▶ 22:19 The crew relies on satellite communications for weather and tracking while operating off-grid in the remote Arctic environment.▶ 1:39
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