Rekvedbukta (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: ''Driftwood Bay'') is an open bay on the central southern coast of the island of

Jan Mayen Jan Mayen () is a Norwegian volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean with no permanent population. It is long (southwest-northeast) and in area, partly covered by glaciers (an area of around the Beerenberg volcano). It has two parts: larger ...

, about eight nautical miles long. Jan Mayen topography-fr

Geography

The bay extends from the point Kapp Traill to the south and northeastwards to the peninsula of Eggøya. It has a length of about eight nautical miles. The only inhabited site on Jan Mayen,

Olonkinbyen Olonkinbyen (literally ''The Olonkin Town'') is the only settlement on the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen (aside from isolated cottage huts such as Puppebu). It was named after Russian-Norwegian explorer Gennady Olonkin. The only inhabitants o ...

, is located at the plain Trollsletta at the southern part of the bay. South of the settlement is the harbour Båtvika. The aerodrome

Jan Mayensfield Jan Mayensfield is an aerodrome serving Olonkinbyen in Jan Mayen, Norway. Operated by the Norwegian Armed Forces, it serves the island's only population at the combined military and meteorological station. It has a dirt runway numbered 06–24 ...

is located northeast of

, along Rekvedbukta. Further northeast is the shallow elongated lake

Sørlaguna Sørlaguna is a lagoon on the island of Jan Mayen Jan Mayen () is a Norwegian volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean with no permanent population. It is long (southwest-northeast) and in area, partly covered by glaciers (an area of around ...

, which can extend up to eight kilometers in the spring, separated from the bay by the sandy bar Lagunevollen. Eggøybukta at the northeastern part of the bay is a suitable harbour under favourable weather conditions. The bay contains the islet of Losbåten and the shoal Losbåtrevet to the southwest. In the northeastern part of the bay is the shoal Nansenflua, named after the ship HNoMS ''Fridtjof Nansen'', which was wrecked and sank after striking the rock in November 1940.

Name history

The oldest reference given by

Orvin Orvin is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura (''Jura Bernois''). Above it, there is a small year round resort, called les " Prés-d ...

in his 1960 paper ''The place-names of Jan Mayen'', is a description from 1614 by Dutch cartographer

Joris Carolus Joris Carolus (–) was a Dutch cartographer and explorer who was employed by the Noordsche Compagnie and the Dutch East India Company. Career Carolus apparently was a native of Enkhuizen. After he lost a leg at the Siege of Ostend (1601–04) ...

. Carolus introduces the name ''Gouwenaers Bay'' after captain Jacob de Gouwenaer. In

Joan Blaeu Joan Blaeu (; 23 September 1596 – 21 December 1673) was a Dutch cartographer born in Alkmaar, the son of cartographer Willem Blaeu. Life In 1620, Blaeu became a doctor of law but he joined the work of his father. In 1635, they publish ...

's '' Atlas Major sive Cosmographia Blaviana'' from 1662 the bay is called ''Groote Hout Bay'', while in a publication from 1720 Zorgdrager uses the form ''Groote Hout baay''. Other names used over the time are ''Grand Baye au Bois'', ''Great Wood Bay'', ''La baie du Grand-Bois'', ''Treibholz Bucht'', ''Rækved Bugt'', ''Baie du Bois-flotté'', ''Dirvtræbugt'', ''Drivtømmerbugt'', ''Driftwood Bay'' and ''Drivvedsbugten''. The first part of the name ''Rekvedbukta'' means "driftwood", while ''bukt(a)'' means "bay", "bight" or "cove".

References

Bays of Jan Mayen {{JanMayen-geo-stub