I have visited East Greenland on my North Pole + East Greenland voyage on
Le Commandant Charcot back in Sep 2022. Last summer, I visited West Greenland as part of Ultramarine's Epic High Arctic voyage.
A complete Greenland adventure is always high on my wish list. I was so excited that this will come true soon. I am heading to Reykjavik next week and will board Sylvia Earle for a 16 Nights Greenland Odyssey from July 6-22 2024.
Please check the page often as I will update daily as long as the starlink wifi onboard works as expected :-)
Cheers,
Frank
July 7 2024 (Sunday)
It was a fabulous day to start the trip!
The three buses took us heading to visit Golden Circle at 8 am sharp. Our local guide Thorn was a great person with humor and deep knowledge of iceland. He offered a lot of insights and stories for the three places we visited today: Geysir, Gullfoss waterfalls, and Thingvellir National Park. For those who don't have time to make your own self driving arrangement, the included tours offer a great taste of what Iceland has to offer.
Finally boarded Sylvia Earle at 3 pm in the afternoon. Two USB ports and multiple outlets are available in the cabin without the need for converters. Each guest receives a complimentary water bottle and a parka to use. It is worth to mention that a hair dryer is not stored in the bathroom but one of the drawers:-) The swimming pool, hot tubs and gym are impressive. Cannot wait for the expeditions to start!
July 9 2024 (Tuesday)
After a full day of sailing across Denmark Strait yesterday, we were approaching Greenland this morning. Pieces of floating ice started to be seen around the ship. The snow covered mountains on the land can be seen on the horizon. It was still pretty foggy in general.
Around 3:30pm in the afternoon, it suddenly cleared up. The voice of expedition leader, Howard could be heard from the broadcasting system - "We are ready for zodiac cruising in 15 minutes!"
The pack ice along East Greenland this year is much more severe compared to previous years. The current brought down these pack ice from Svalbard (rather than pushing them up to the Russian Arctic). Although I have seen pack ice many times in Antarctica and the Arctic, it was still very refreshing to let my imagination fly on the zodiac...
Today turned out to be a big day for whale watching. From early morning until noon, there are multiple groups of whales passing by the ship. The grand finale came towards the end of the zodiac cruising, when a big blow was seen right in front of our zodiac. It was a group of 4-5 sei whales who decided to put a show together for us. They were only less than 100 meters away at one point!
During the recap, we were told that we have seen at least four types of whales today: Long-finned Pilot Whales, Fin Whales, Sei Whales and Humpback Whales.
What a day - cannot wait for whatever tomorrow can bring :-)
July 11 2024 (Thursday)
Due to the continuous ice and fog along the coast, the original landing plan yesterday was cancelled. The entrance to Prince Christian Sound was blocked by pack ice. The weather forecast said that there would be strong winds in the area on Friday. The captain and expedition leader Howard decided that we would try to visit a small town of Nanortalik in South Greenland on Thursday instead.
After getting up in the morning, the fog began to dissipate, and large pieces of floating ice passed by both sides of the ship. Our paddling guide Pat gave us a lecture about her solo kayaking experience of in Greenland for a month last summer. During one foggy day while paddling, she suddenly found two yellow fluffy dots on the shore. Luckily it turned out to be just two sheep, not polar bears. After getting off the ship after this voyage, she will start a new journey of paddling in Greenland for a month. I asked her if her gun was ready this time :-)
Before lunch, our ship slowly approached Nanortalik. The fog completely dissipated and the sky was completely clear. Surrounded by mountains, colorful houses were scattered on the shore, like a fairy tale world. The peaks here are all made of granite, with snow on the top, which reminds me of Chile's Torres del Paine National Park.
The population of the town is about 1,200. The local tour guide offered us a tour. Hospitals, police stations, hotels, etc. are all available. There is even a formal artificial turf soccer field. The guide proudly told us that their soccer team just won the championship in the tournament last week.
The sun shone warmly, and wild flowers bloomed quietly. The sea water was as calm as a mirror. I sat on the bench on the shore , and can only hear the sound of the breeze. I was completely immersed in this paradise...
Back on the boat, it was still early. Finally I had the chance to jump into the heated pool on the top deck and then relaxed in the jacuzzi with everything around me …
During the evening meeting, expedition leader Howard told everyone that our ship was entering the Tasermiut Fjord from Nanortalik. Tasermiut is a 70-kilometer-long fjord in southwest Greenland, famous for its magnificent peaks, huge glaciers and countless waterfalls.
Soon after entering the fjord, the fog quickly dissipated. In the evening, the sky was blue and the sun was slanting. Any words seemed pale and powerless, and only by seeing it with your own eyes can you appreciate the wonders of nature.
Everyone gathered on the observation deck to enjoy and chat. Several expedition members and I all agreed that the best adventure project for the next day was to land in a valley and then march towards the mountain.
The ship finally reached the end of the fjord. The wind suddenly became stronger. What was coming towards us was a huge glacier rushing down from two different directions. The melting ice and snow gathered into waterfalls and flowed into the fjord. Birds danced in the wind in groups of three or two. It was a true paradise!
July 12 2024 (Friday)
My wish yesterday actually came true. Today's excursions are to hike in the fjord. Southwest Greenland is known as a hot spot for rock climbing. I was told that the difficulty of climbing here is even higher than that of Torres del Paine in Chile.
Hiking excursions were offered once in the morning and once in the afternoon. In the morning, I chose the long walk. Three expedition members took 8 of us and arrived at the target location in just 25 minutes. Our expedition leader Howard got ambitious and decided to challenge and see if we could reach a ridge that seemed not far away.
Ideals are beautiful, but reality is cruel. Although it seemed not far away, we had to go in and out of the bushes three or four times. We crossed a few streams and drove away countless mosquitoes that came out of nowhere. At noon, we took a selfie and decided to return to the ship.
The amount of exercise in the morning was significant, and I was tired. In the afternoon, I decided to take ii easy and join the medium walk. Howard led the team again. It seems that great minds think alike:-) A group of 20 or so people walked steadily on the trail made by previous climbers. Along the way, we could clearly see the signs made of stones, and the camps and equipment left behind.
The weather in Greenland changes quickly. It was sunny in the morning. It became cloudy when we set out in the afternoon. It started to drizzle when we arrived at the destination. When we finally came back to shore and boarded the zodiac, it was already pouring. Thanks to the waterproof parka, I didn't get soaked!
July 13 2024 (Saturday)
Today's activities are to cruise Sandhavn on a zodiac and land in Herjolsnaes. Both places have many relics from the early Viking (Norse) rule of Greenland.
In the summer of 985 AD, the Vikings came to Greenland. Herjolsnaes was founded by Herjolf Bardsson and lasted for more than 500 years as part of South Greenland settlement. A marriage certificate in Halvsey Church in 1408 is the last written record of the Vikings in Greenland. The fate of these explorers is still a mystery today.
I wandered around the Herjolsnaes Viking ruins, while listening to the wind whistling in my ears. I cannot help imagining the harsh conditions of the immigrants starting from Norway to Iceland, and then to Greenland for better lives.
