Fwd: Trip Log #12: scenic cruising by Jan Mayan Island July 29, 2009

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From: <JYETKE@aol.com>
Date: Mon, Aug 3, 2009 at 3:26 PM
Subject: Trip Log #12: scenic cruising by Jan Mayan Island July 29, 2009
To: JYETKE@aol.com

 

Dear Friends,

 

This little island is between Norway and Iceland.  We were to have a "scenic" cruise by between 7am and 9am.  We had coffee delivered to our cabin at 6:45am, got up, opened the curtains to enjoy the view.  Oh dear, mostly all fog!!!  Ship's fog horn was blowing all the time.  We did get a glimpse of the highest mountain (see in photo) and a few more glimpses before it was totally engulfed in fog.  So much for scenic cruising that day.

 

Jan Mayen Island has two parts: larger northest Nord-Jan and smaller Sor-Jan, linked by an isthmus.  It lies 400 miles northeast of Iceland and 300 miles east of central Greenland.  It is part of the Kingdom of Norway and is an integral part of the country.  Since 1995, it has been administered by the County Governor of the northern Norwegian county of Nordland; however, some authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Logistics Organization, a branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The only inhabitants on the island are personnel working for the Norwegian Armed Forces or the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.  There are 18 people who spend the winter on the island, but the population may double (35) during the summer.  Personnel serve either six months or one year, and are exchanged twice a year in April and October.  The meterorological station is located a short distance from the settlement, Olonkinbyen, where everyone lives!  The first known discovery of the island was in 1614.  The first meterorological sation was opened in 1921 by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, who annexed the island in 1922 for Norway.  During WWII continental Norway was invaded and occupied by Germany in the spring of 1940.  The four-man team on Jan Mayen stayed at their posts and in an act of defiance began sending their weather reports to Great Britain instead of Norway.  We also learned that the USCG built a Loran Station there.  (Any of our Coast Guard friends know more about that?)

 

We continued to have heavy fog for the rest of that day and night.

 

Jan and Dick

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