![ADVENTURE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5164/533003/5f89345cee47f/ADVENTURE-A-WALK-ON-THE-WILD-SIDE.jpg)
Our hand-held VHF burst into life. Esa’s excited voice came over the radio.‘There’s a polar bear attacking the dinghy!’ Petri and I hurried back to the beach, abandoning the tea and pancakes we were just about to tuck into with some Russian geologists who had a research camp nearby.
The rocky terrain was slippery due to the rain, making it difficult to stay on our feet. On the beach the sad sight of a deflated dinghy lying on the sand greeted us. With relief, we saw the polar bear was gone, but evidence of the predator’s teeth and claws could be seen on the dinghy. Luckily we were able to patch the holes.
We were in Sallyhamna, a reasonably sheltered anchorage on the northwest tip of Spitsbergen, and two months into our voyage around Svalbard.
We had planned our trip to the Norwegian archipelago carefully, waiting for the favourable ice reports: good for us, but not for the polar bears.
The edge of the Arctic ice pack had withdrawn to the north, and even the critical Hinlopen Strait, our gateway to return south from the northern shores of Spitsbergen, seemed to be navigable.
The plan was to sail around Spitsbergen, the main island of the Svalbard archipelago, situated about midway between continental Norway and the North Pole. Depending on the ice situation this passage can be a challenge even for steel boats. We would be attempting it in a small fibreglass boat, my Bavaria 300, Ruffe, and there was certainly some anxiety in the air as we prepared to continue north from Longyearbyen, the capital of Svalbard.
Bu hikaye Yachting Monthly dergisinin November 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Yachting Monthly dergisinin November 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
![Mile-long RNLI flotilla for 200th anniversary](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5164/1739376/-2v5LtgKL1718881145146/MILELONG-RNLI-FLOTILLA-FOR-200TH-ANNIVERSARY.jpg)
Mile-long RNLI flotilla for 200th anniversary
As the RNLI celebrates its 200th anniversary this year, more than 40 rescue vessels formed a flotilla more than a mile long in Poole in May.
![Ella Hibbert to sail to Norway and Russia in Arctic preparation](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5164/1739376/E3G0F2Fs51718881012756/ELLA-HIBBERT-TO-SAIL-TO-NORWAY-AND-RUSSIA-IN-ARCTIC-PREPARATION.jpg)
Ella Hibbert to sail to Norway and Russia in Arctic preparation
Intrepid 27-year-old sailor Ella Hibbert has made the difficult decision to delay her departure to sail solo around the Arctic circle until next year, but will instead depart this summer on a training expedition to Norway and Russia in preparation.
![Orcas sink a yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5164/1739376/rLxDtZ4Hk1718880901966/ORCAS-SINK-A-YACHT-IN-THE-STRAIT-OF-GIBRALTAR.jpg)
Orcas sink a yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar
A pod of orcas attacked and sank a 15m yacht in Moroccan waters in the Strait of Gibraltar in May, the latest in a series of encounters in the area that have sunk five yachts in the past four years, the Spanish maritime authorities reported.
![Why Pip Hare needs you now](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5164/1739376/cnT7bg6Jj1718880702586/WHY-PIP-HARE-NEEDS-YOU-NOW.jpg)
Why Pip Hare needs you now
Sailing with Pip Hare last week reminded me of my father’s sailing mantra: ‘It’s all about drag.’
![ADVENTURE THE CALL OF THE SOUTH SEAS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5164/1739376/zlhV7hPak1718879999815/ADVENTURE-THE-CALL-OF-THE-SOUTH-SEAS.jpg)
ADVENTURE THE CALL OF THE SOUTH SEAS
What is the call of the South Seas? The Hoiland family were curious to find out, so they set off west to explore. This is the story of their year sailing through the islands and atolls of French Polynesia
![HOW TO DODGE GALES IN THE ISLES OF SCILLY](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5164/1739376/3rzhbFBv01718877876066/HOW-TO-DODGE-GALES-IN-THE-ISLES-OF-SCILLY.jpg)
HOW TO DODGE GALES IN THE ISLES OF SCILLY
Ken Endean tries a two-anchorage strategy
![Picking up fore and aft moorings](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5164/1739376/XOgxFzDfe1718877103072/PICKING-UP-FORE-AND-AFT-MOORINGS.jpg)
Picking up fore and aft moorings
Mooring fore and aft can be a fiddly process, never more so than in Cornwall's Polperro. If you can do it here, says Rachael Sprot, then you can do it anywhere
![TECHNICAL PURCHASING POWER](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5164/1739376/qm03c0e5I1718876210132/TECHNICAL-PURCHASING-POWER.jpg)
TECHNICAL PURCHASING POWER
Sam Fortescue explains how to check you have the power needed to handle your running rigging safely - and how to fix it if you don't
![NEW GEAR](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5164/1739376/CBwfsgkkm1718875776429/NEW-GEAR.jpg)
NEW GEAR
Dennis O'Neill reviews the latest products designed to make sailing safer and easier
!['NEVER BEFORE HAVE I SAILED IN SUCH WILD WEATHER'](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5164/1739376/aU9GDliyz1718875329454/NEVER-BEFORE-HAVE-I-SAILED-IN-SUCH-WILD-WEATHER.jpg)
'NEVER BEFORE HAVE I SAILED IN SUCH WILD WEATHER'
When Jeremy Edwards and his sister were hit by a 'weather bomb' en route to Tonga it gave him a new-found respect for his sister's skippering ability