torstai 15. elokuuta 2013

August 15th 2013



Restless in Dikson


We are still in Dikson waiting for the ice around Taymyr Peninsula to thaw or disperse enough so that we can continue our voyage. I must confess that after ten days in almost total idleness, we are gradually getting a little restless.



Although Dikson is a nice little town, there is not much to do here. For us, the town's most valued asset is the library and its friendly staff but the only service we are interested in, i.e. internet access, has continuously been in an ON - OFF mode, and regrettably mostly OFF.


The best way to pass the time in Dikson is to go fishing. But we can't do even that because every time we pass a local fisherman, he insists on giving us some or even all of his catch. Since coming to Dikson, we have had fish every single day, fried, grilled, smoked or raw-pickled. But I am not complaining by any means!


Our stay here has not been totally uneventful, however. The other day, a Russian ship anchored on the other side of the wharf, and we saw a group of people go ashore. Later the same day, we heard someone on the wharf call “Hyvää päivää!”. He was Pål from Norway, a (Finnish speaking!) member of a group of Norwegian and Russian scientists on a cruise commemorating the centenary of Nansen's expedition to the Kara Sea when he was investigating a trade route from Western Europe to the Siberian interior.


Despite all this waiting, there is one thing we won't have to wait for any longer and that is our paper charts! Three days ago, a Russian yacht named Apostol Andrey arrived from Archangel with the charts mailed from Finland at the beginning of July. Now, we finally have everything we'll need to traverse the Northern Sea Route, except for an open passage!

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