Svalbard mini-cruise Blazing an eco-friendly trail in the Arctic

Passengers enjoy the Arctic silence at Trygghamna, a sheltered bay at the tip of Isfjord, the second longest fjord in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard

seaweed stew if we can gather enough juicy bladderwrack when going ashore.

In tune with Jacobsen, he intends to serve a sustainable menu, foraging where possible, and trading with trapper families stationed in Svalbard. Even his shiny sealskin coat is eco-friendly, he argues; once belonging to his grandfather, a naval officer, its tatty tears evidence years of good use. Carrying just 12 guests, the Linden doesn’t need to book landing sites, meaning itineraries can be flexible. During our visit to a walrus colony at Poolepynten peninsula on Prins Karls Forland island, for example, not a single ship passes by.

Hulking mounds of blubber create a chaos of flippers as the animals grunt and lock tusks, jostling for a comfortable position in a huddle onshore. Exhausted, they roll lazily into the surf, where these beasts become beauties, moving like mermaids and whistling more hypnotically than the Sirens of ancient Greece.

The Arctic soundtrack is equally alive in Trygghamna, a sheltered bay at the tip of Isfjord, where we snowshoe up to a ridge. We pause to savour the melodic melting of ice, the pealing laughter of little auks and ghostly screeches from Arctic foxes, who are nowhere to be a seen.

As days grow longer, any proof of our presence will disappear, and that’s the aim of responsible travel in the Arctic: leave no trace – on land, sea or even borrowed soil.