From Prins Christianssund to Qaqortoq
Prins Christianssund (August 11, 2024)
We hoped for a good night’s rest, but it was soon interrupted late in the evening. Several small icebergs had drifted against the stern of the boat. Unfortunately, the chunks were too large to push away. Around 1 a.m., the largest iceberg finally broke free, and by the next morning, they had all disappeared. However, we had some visitors alongside us. In Húsavik, we met the crew of the sailing yacht Glant. During our conversation in Húsavik, we discovered that we were following the same route. We exchanged contact details and kept in touch throughout the crossing, keeping each other informed of any notable occurrences. They arrived in Prins Christianssund at around 6:30 a.m. Later in the morning, we invited them over for breakfast.
Glaciers
We left the weather station just before 11 a.m. The weather station is on the east coast of Greenland. Our destination for the day was Nanortalik, located on Greenland’s west coast. These locations are connected by a fjord that runs through southern Greenland. It’s a stunning route. We soon encountered several glaciers and couldn’t resist launching the drone. We managed to take some beautiful photos. A little later in the fjord, we encountered a lot of ice that we had to slalom through. This was near the village of Aappilattoq, situated right between Prins Christianssund and Nanortalik. Due to time constraints, we only sailed past it slowly.
West Coast of Greenland
At the end of the fjord, we came across several boats, including a cruise ship from Hurtigruten Expeditions. This cruise ship had lowered its tenders, and the passengers were getting up close to everything, such as the glaciers, icebergs, waterfalls, etc. when we came out of the fjord we saw icebergs that were much larger than those on Greenland’s east coast. We passed them quite closely, but not too close, as you never know where the rest of the iceberg lies underwater. Approximately 90% of an iceberg is submerged.
Nanortalik
Before arriving at Nanortalik, we spotted a whale. It was quite active in the water but unfortunately too far away to get good photos. Nanortalik is one of the larger towns in southern Greenland, with a population of about 1,200 people.
Route to Qaqortoq (August 12, 2024)
After a good night’s rest, we set off for Qaqortoq. This town is larger, and refueling with diesel would be easier here. We left the harbor at 9:30 a.m. Just outside the harbor was the Volendam from Holland America Line. We set course north, and what a beautiful day it was. The water was like a mirror, and the Greenland coast never ceased to amaze us. The gigantic icebergs, each with a unique shape, were extraordinary. Later in the afternoon, most of the icebergs had disappeared, but they reappeared as we approached the entrance to Qaqortoq. There were also many smaller chunks, so we had to be careful not to hit them. For now, it’s time to refuel and head to Canada. You’ll read about that in the next blog.
For those interested in following our journey, you can track us via Marine Traffic using our MMSI number: 232044857.
