Last night, we made stops in Rørvik and Brønnøsund, Sandnessjøen and Nessa in the early hours. At approximately 07.40, we crossed the Arctic Circle, marked by a small globe. The weather was overcast, but presented a lovely landscape of cloud-topped mountains.
Following our passage across the Arctic Circle at 7.40 am this morning, we visited Ornes, a location of exceptional beauty.
Due to unfavorable weather conditions this morning, we performed the ice sacrifice to the Sea God, which proved worthwhile as the sun emerged and clear blue skies appeared.
Evening photographs taken around the Lofoten area.
Molde was visited late on Saturday night, followed by Kristiansund around 3 am. Today’s port of call in daylight hours was Trondheim. Due to insufficient participation, my first and second choices for excursions (kayaking and a hike with Capercaillies) were cancelled, leading me to join a guided city walk, which was not particularly engaging.
After Trondheim, we were fortunate to navigate through the Stokksund (Eng: Stokk Sound) due to a combination of favorable conditions including minimal wind, no swell, high tide, and the expertise of a Stokksund- accedited Senior Captain. This narrow Sound presented a remarkable challenge, and it was impressive to observe the Captain skillfully maneuvering the 400ft long, 11,000 ton MS Richard With through the Sound and under the bridges.
Following overnight visits to Florø and Maløy, the ship has arrived in Torvik, its first daylight port. However, passengers are not allowed to disembark due to the short 10-minute stop. The weather is beautiful and the scenery is stunning.
Following our visit to Torvik, we sailed towards Ålesund for a 20-minute stop and then proceeded to Urke in the impressive Hjørundfjorden.
En route, we passed waterfalls, green mountains reaching up to 5000 ft with snow-capped peaks.
A short yet steep hike afforded us a breathtaking view of the fjord and our ship, MS Richard With.
The day’s events culminated in a 2-hour stop at Ålesund (our second visit of the day). In contrast to my previous visit last August on MS Trollfjord, I did not disembark.
Just boarded Hurtigruten’s MS Richard With (the ship line founder) at Bergen for my 12 day solo round trip to Kirkenes on the border with Russia – way up beyond the Arctic Circle (trip is known as BKB).
This ship is one of a number of car ferries used by locals that call into 34 ports on the round trip. I did a similar trip August 2024 to Svalbard but that was on a non-car cruise ship ie more like a traditional cruise. The benefit of the car ferry is that it goes to a lot more of the smaller towns/villages/ houses located in the smaller, less accessible fjords.
I have lots of shore excursions planned inc hiking, dog sledding and cross country skiing so hopefully you will follow along with me on my trip and see some stunning sights!
Nome marks the end of our remarkable, succesful expedition on HX’s MV Fridjtof Nansen through the Northwest Passage from Nuuk, Greenland to Nome, Alaska.
I hope you enjoy this compilation video of our voyage on YouTube:
HX is to be highly commended for this excellent expedition. I’ve also sailed with them to the Antarctic, twice, and their level of safety blended with adventure is very well balanced.
There are, as in any challenging business of this nature, opportunities to improve the Arctic shore excursions and I’m confident these will be one excellent in a short time.
It has been a winderful experience over the 7350 km (4500 miles) from Nuuk to Nome. As of the today, we are only the 450th vessel to have successfully transited the Northwest Passage in either direction, ever, with 298 different vessels completing at least one full transit. This count includes various vessel types like expedition ships, cargo ships, and icebreakers, with the number of transits increasing in recent years due to melting Arctic ice *.
HX’s MV Fridjtof Nansen
* Of note While we made it through the ice, it was a very close call. The day after we ploughed through the increasingly dense ice near to Cape Parry, the passage became blocked. We would, I guess, either have to stay it out, wait for a higher class of ice breaker or turned around.
Consolidating sea ice near Cape Parry
So, it is a very, very uniquie privilege to have completed this crossing and I am very grateful to have been able to have this experience.
The trip has profoundly impacted me, evoking Carl Sagan’s insightful saying, ‘Preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve got.’
The small blue dot – enlarged
On September 9, I will fly to Seattle and overnight there before flying to Florida, arriving the evening of September 10.
Thank you very much for following, liking and commenting on my posts.
Up Next on my Travel Blog:
September – Summary of May 2025 Hurtigruten BKB Cruise
September – Summary of May 2025 Mejdi Uzbekistan tour
Cruising through Bering Strait, Alaska, USA and Crossing The International Date Line.
The Bering Strait is a narrow waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean’s Bering Sea with the Arctic Ocean’s Chukchi Sea, separating the Russian Chukotka Peninsula from the Seward Peninsula in Alaska, USA. This shallow strait, approximately 85 km wide at its narrowest point, is renowned for its rich marine life and serves as a vital migration corridor for whales and birds.
Our cruise took us through the Diomede Islands, comprising the uninhabited Russian Big Diomede (Tomorrow Island) and the inhabited (~80 souls) American Little Diomede (Yesterday Island), situated in the middle of the Strait, with the International Date Line passing between them.
As we navigate the Islands, the Russian border lies in close proximity, yet remains elusive as the dense fog that pervades this area approximately 90% of the time comes and goes. However, it did lift long enough for us to catch a glimpse of both Tomorrow and Yesterday Islands as well as a yatch that was stalking us.
Big Diomede (Tomorrow Island)Little Diomede (Yesterday Island)Sneaky Yacht
We crossed the International Date Line for the first time on September 8, 2025, at 12:00 pm, and immediately transitioned to September 9, 2025, at 12:00 pm. Subsequently, we recrossed the Date Line on September 9, 2025 and reverted to September 8, 2025, effectively engaging in ‘time travel’ thanks to HX.
In the second we crossed the Line I managed to get a photo of myself taking a photo of myself – Tomorrow and Yesterday Paul – freaked me out! Must say, I looked pretty good..
Scottish Time Traveler!
We saw a number of birds including my favorite, puffins.
We now head for Nome – hopefully the mist will lift for our final evening at sea.
One of the challenges of daily posting is the inability to include all photos from guides and guests.
This post is dedicated to the HX Kayak Experience, comprising photos from my own collection, as well as those from guides and guests.
Our lead guide, Juan, kept a tight team together, assisted by Andrew and Clarisa.
Following our safety briefing, we set out on the zodiacs, with the kayaks being launched behind us from the ship and tied to the zodiacs – a formation reminiscent of goslings following mother goose.
Getting into the kayaks from the zodiacs was easy despite a slightly choppy sea.
We then gathered for a group photo, showcasing a cohesive team.
Then we were off paddling, maintaining a safe distance from the shore as it was a bit choppy.
We gathered for individual shots with the ship in the background.
We then ventured a bit further to view the other side of the island.
Then it was back to the zodiacs and return to the mother ship for tea and scones with butter, jam, and clotted cream.
The experience was truly unforgettable.
Special thank you to my kayak partner, Jonas, for his excellent paddling and steering skills.
One of the challenges of daily posting is the inability to include all photos from guides and guests.
This post is dedicated to the HX Kayak Experience, comprising photos from my own collection, as well as those from guides and guests.
Our lead guide, Juan, kept a tight team together, assisted by Andrew and Clarisa.
Following our safety briefing, we set out on the zodiacs, with the kayaks being launched behind us from the ship and tied to the zodiacs – a formation reminiscent of goslings following mother goose.
Getting into the kayaks from the zodiacs was easy despite a slightly choppy sea.
We then gathered for a group photo, showcasing a cohesive team.
Then we were off paddling, maintaining a safe distance from the shore as it was a bit choppy.
We gathered for individual shots with the ship in the background.
We then ventured a bit further to view the other side of the island.
Then it was back to the zodiacs and return to the mother ship for tea and scones with butter, jam, and clotted cream.
The experience was truly unforgettable.
Special thank you to my kayak partner, Jonas, for his excellent paddling and steering skills.
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