Neptunes Vow

Already in the old legends and sagas powerful gods had a knack for making grand or surprising entrances, just to rub in the fact that they are great and we are oh so little.

When good ol' Neptune promised a "full storm" the other day to bring down over the heads of us "pale faces", he didn't say when.

Now we know.

After leaving Nuuk everybody was prepared for a gentle ride towards the South of Greenland, at least this was what the forecast had in store for us. Didn't happen...In the course of the night FRAM started heaving and rolling, the world outside was putting on a battle armour, with white crests being blown away horizontally off the growing waves that kept pounding our ship right against the bow. The windspeed mounted and mounted until we had over 33 m/s. That is a little stronger that Beaufort 12...

Thank you, Neptune, this is not only a storm but a serious hurricane!

So the front decks were out of bounds, and the inner decks went pretty silent; these were heavy seas and not ever stomach can take it. Our speed dropped down to 6-7 knots against the fierce storm, which made it impossible to reach our afternoon's destination, Ivittuut. 

A quiet ship was gliding through the night, hoping for better weather the next day. But hey! - this is exactly what two people promised: Anja mentioned it in the beginning, an expedition cruise will always be subject to changes, so expect the unexpected. And then there was that smug old bearded guy with the trident who practically made a vow to serve us storm.

Why, thank you, old Man of the Seas!
However, quite many made it up to the Panorama Lounge where our galley wizards showed their skills with chisel and knives and created the most beautiful decorations in just no time. Don't try this at home...