Magnus Reteike has worked on board our little gem M/S Stockholm for 10 years. He made his first trip to Svalbard in 2008 and has returned every summer since. Read his exciting story about life as a sea captain on Svalbard and see some pictures from the 2017 season.
You're celebrating your 10th anniversary this year, but how did you end up on the M/S Stockholm?
- It's quite a long story, but I grew up on Donsö in the Gothenburg archipelago, and out of fifteen boys in my class, there was only one who didn't want to go to sea. Either in shipping or in fishing, and I wanted to fish. Throughout my childhood, I took every opportunity to go on trawlers, and when I left the ninth grade I was eager to go, but my parents insisted that I should also finish high school first. I spent two years on the maritime program, which was then housed in the premises on Packhuskajen, where there is now a casino, and on board the ship Barken Viking. The ice-strengthened pilot and lighthouse keeper ship Origo was also used as a training ship and was then owned by Per Engwall (M/S Stockholm owner and captain) who made his first expedition cruise to Svalbard in the summer between my first and second year of high school. Of course, it became a sensation! But some time after I graduated, a couple of friends and I bought our own trawler and spent ten years fishing in the North Sea and the Atlantic - from Iceland all the way to Morocco. In 2007 we sold it and I didn't really know what to do next when a friend of mine told me about the M/S Stockholm that he worked on, and I quickly got a job as an engineer and later mate and captain on board.
So working at sea has always been a dream for you?
- Yes, it has been! There have never really been any other options, it has more or less always been obvious because my interest has been with me since I was very young. My father worked at sea, my grandfather too, and I never had a job on land. It was so easy to get a job in those days too. All ships flew the Swedish flag and there was never any problem getting on board as a seaman.
What is the best thing about your job? What is it that keeps you coming back to the wilds of Svalbard every summer?
- The best thing is that you meet so many amazing people. Our guests are always very happy and grateful to experience Svalbard's magical nature and wildlife, and even though many of them have traveled around the world and seen incredibly beautiful and exciting things, they are still very taken. The guides are fantastically talented and lovely, the crew as well, and together we live like a family. I have done about 50 trips with PolarQuest but none has been the same! Therefore, it is also difficult to get tired. The ship is our common home and for us, it is more a way of life than a job, which leads to an incredible commitment and a fantastic cohesion that comes in handy in Svalbard's sometimes a bit extreme environments. It takes a lot of knowledge and experience to maneuver a ship so far north, but thanks to the small size of M/S Stockholm, we can not only take shelter in inaccessible fjords if necessary but also explore places that cannot be reached by a larger ship.
What do you remember from your first trip to Svalbard?
- Like many others, I was struck by the magnificent nature and quickly fell in love with all the exciting history connected to Svalbard and the Arctic. The voyages of discovery, the trapping periods, and the mining. I was also surprised by how mild and beautiful the weather was. I had expected blizzards and a barren, grey landscape, but instead, we were greeted by sun, blue skies, and calm waters. There wasn't a lot of snow, but there was a lot of ice despite it being the middle of summer. And of course, I remember my first encounter with a polar bear! I will never forget it.
Do you have a favorite place in Svalbard?
- Actually the whole north-west corner. There are many very nice places with a lot of history and exciting wildlife. Raudfjorden, Holmiabukta, Smeerenburg, and Virgohamna are examples of such places. Then I always think it's cool to come to the Seven Islands and Karl XII Island, north of Nordaustlandet. They are so exposed and harder to get ashore on, due to harsher weather conditions and often there are a lot of bears.
Apart from Svalbard, do you have any other favourite destinations?
- The trips to Tromsø to see the Northern Lights and killer whales are awesome. You get so close to the animals, and if you've spent most of the summer in the midnight sun, a night sky in vibrant colours feels extra magical! And I also really like the British Isles. They are so beautiful and the atmosphere is very cosy.
Below is a selection of pictures of M/S Stockholm from the 2017 season.
Please note: Depending on the lens used for a photo or video shot an animal may appear to be closer than it is. We always follow strict wildlife guidelines to ensure that we do not cause any disturbance.