Revontulirintamalla on hiljaista näin keskiyön auringon aikaan, mutta firman geologeilla ja etenkin biologeilla on täysi kuhina päällä. Isompia ja pienempiä remppajengejä haluaa Longyearbyenin lähiympäristöön kaivelemaan kiviä tai keräämään vesinäytteitä puroista tai keskeltä vuonoa. Turistilaivat eivät liikennöi kaikkiin paikkoihin, joten lähikuljetukset hoidetaan pienemmillä veneillä. Biologiksi minusta ei ole, mutta venekuskina voin toimia joutessani. Suurin ero vapaa-ajalla veneilyyn on se, ettei juuri tule pysähdeltyä ottamaan valokuvia. Taskukamera olisi silti järkevä olla aina mukana: viimeksi unohdin kameran konttorille ja sitten tuli tietysti "lunniennätys" ja ryhävalaita piti oikein pysähtyä katsomaan...
"Pleasure craft" is a term for small boats mainly used for recreation. Well, small is relative, because the maximum hull length for such a boat is 24m and the larger UNIS boat is about 10m and weighs over 5000kg. Technically, all UNIS boats - we have three bigger ones in addition to a number of small zodiacs - are registered as pleasure crafts, even though they are used for work. The main difference is that if such a boat is used for work, there are many more requirements for both the training of the crew and the equipment onboard. And the shipowner needs to have everything documented and ready for inspection by the authorities when needed. Nevertheless, I do have the pleasure to occasionally help the other UNIS departments by being the designated boat driver. The "day in the office" becomes quite different and one really learns new things. Such as that our microbiologists may know their small stuff inside out, but don't really know the local birds. We did, however, all agree that it was a humpback whale that we spotted near our boat. I did not continue by saying that the birds were mostly kittiwakes and glacous gulls with some northern fulmars: instead I slowly advanced the dual throttle levers and let the engines roar their joy... I am becoming a petrolhead when it comes to boating, aren't I?
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| Jos jatkaa vasemmalle, niin pääsee Grönlantiin... / Transporting students to Isfjord Radio |
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| Vähän keinutti välillä / Splashy ride |
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| Keskellä vuonoa keräämässä vettä / Water sampling from the depths |
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| Rööööörr....! / Two 250hp engines is better than one, right? |
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| Ensin tankataan, sitten ajetaan ja sitten tankataan / My own arctic pleasure craft (photo: Marika) |
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| Adventfjorden |
