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...

No Internet Connection for Over Two Days. Sorry!

Ahh, the wonders of hi tech.  We have internet service on a ship that wanders the globe.  We can get current weather forecasts, up to the minute news reports, post updates on Facebook, stay in touch with loved ones, check the stock market and a myriad of other things. Except for when we can't.  Like the last two days for example. It can be frustrating when you're on board Fram and we don't have an internet connection. Perhaps it's slightly frustrating for you at home if you're trying to keep track of Fram on a daily basis.  It is always our intention to post a few words about our adventures on board Fram, every single day, 365 days per year, but s--t happens.  This time we had technical difficulties of some sort. I'm not exactly clear what they were.  Sometimes we lose our internet connection when we are high in the Arctic.  At high latitudes, the satellites from which we get our internet connection are low on the horizon.  Frequently we will lose the signal when we duck into a fjord.    The signal is blocked by the mountains.  For example, we lose the connection every time we enter Kangerlussuaq Fjord.  So if you don't see a new blog every day it is most often because we do not have an internet connection. Generally, it is written and the pictures are ready.  We always post it as soon as we can! 

Fram at the pier in Nuuk

We arrived at the pier in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, at 09:00.  As soon as the gangway was prepared the 23 participants on the 4.5 hour  Lille Milene hike, hopped on their bus and off they went.  The hike begins just behind the cities' airport and then meanders along streams and waterfalls through the rocky terrain so typical of most areas in Greenland.  The wildflowers are still in full bloom with Trailing Azaleas and Blue Heath in profusion.  While the hikes were exploring the hinterland others chose to see what the administrative, economic and art centre of Greenland had to offer.  There was a city tour by motor coach.  One could choose to visit the museum or just wander about Nuuk on your own.

500 year old Greenland Mummy on display in the national museum

The Greenland art and cultural centre in Nuuk

The past few days were very rainy in Nuuk but it seems the sun has been following in our wake.  This was the first day of sunshine in four days and tomorrow in Nuuk?  Well, the forecast is for storms with high winds.  But not so much where we are going.  The forecast for Ivituut is for scattered showers and low winds.  We'll see what the morrow brings.

Heading South

Fog in the morning

Humpback in the way

Wildflowers are taking over

After this unreal ice experience we had yesterday it seems that there is something missing in the ocean now - not a single piece of ice is in our way as we steam towards Sisimiut. Dense fog has settled on the sea instead, only revealing about 30-40 meters of surface at a time. The foghorn sends its mighty sound into the misty world around us, it feels like being suspended in the Great White Void.

Children painted a welcome sign for Assaqutaq

What would have cause any ship in the old days to drop anchor and wait until the visibility comes back is not a problem anymore in the 21st century, where GPS and radar give us a fairly good image of landscape and position. So with practically no delay we arrive at the second biggest city in Greenland and - go to pier, which is a real treat, no boat shuttles needed.

And, like pre-arranged, the fog is lifting considerably. So all the excursions are a Go: The long distance hikers take off to conquer Palaasip Qaqa, a steep viewpoint mountain on the northern side of Sisimiut Fjord. Shortly after the various other activities are launched, like the city tour by bus (which is such a rare thing in Greenland!), the tasting of Greenlandic food, including the legendary fish soup, and the really charming tour to the abandoned village Assaqutaq , which was crowned by the sighting of whales on each and every single trip.

We leave under the silver glow of the late afternoon light, sighing in front of so much beauty. 

And just before midnight there is an announcement...this can only mean one thing - whales again. But not just the odd whale in the distance, this time it is a whole pod in a feeding frenzy, breaching, bubble-feeding, moving back and forth just in front of our bow. The decks are swarming with people in shear awe, some moments in life are so significant you will always carry them with you...

We made it to Ilulissat!

Our guests on an ice cruise to Kangia Fjord

Yipee!   Ilulissat, in many ways, is the centre piece of Greenland, so  if we can't get there, it's tough to tell our guests that we are not going to one of the major highlights in all of Greenland.   Although we have excellent alternatives planned just in case we are stopped by ice, we know there will be disappointed people if we don't go.  

We cruised through miles of dense ice, chock-a-block full of icebergs!

Very early this morning Fram steadily moved her way through increasingly dense ice towards Ilulissat.  We bobbed and weaved and zigged and zagged through several miles of ice and for the first time in three voyages, we made it to Ilulissat.  And unbelievably, we arrived at our customary anchorage spot right on time.  Bravo to Captain Arild Hårvik and our other navigation officers!

When you go to Ilulissat you absolutely must visit Kangia, the Icefjord.  It is incredible.  Not for no reason is it a World Heritage Site.  Kangia Fjord is one of the most stunning displays of ice on the planet.  Sermeq Kujaleq Glacier dumps 35 million cubic kilometres of ice into Kangia Fjord every year and then that ice gets dumped into Disko Bay about 15 months later.  It is impressive.  

Plaque marking the border of the Unesco World Heritage site.

We offered our guests four different ways to see the fjord.  You could opt for a short hike of about two hours, or you could choose a long hike of 4.5 hours that follows a path paralleling the fjord.  There was also the opportunity to take a small boat to the head of the fjord and venture in amongst some of the giant bergs.  And finally,  there were several helicopter departures that flew the length of the fjord.

To get from the pier into town there was a shuttle bus running all day long.  Ilulissat itself is quite pretty. As one would expect in the major tourist town in Greenland there are cafés, gift shops, restaurants and even a micro brewery to visit.

Greenland Kayak at entrance to Kangia Fjord

After a wonderful day of ice, at 18:00 everyone was back on board Fram.  We lifted anchor and slowly came about to make our way back out through the ice. We had miles of tough sledding to get to Sisimiut.   It is now 21:00 and as I look out the window, I see that even though we have been underway for almost three hours, we have several more miles of ice to go through.  It is a gorgeous evening.  It is overcast and hardly a breath of wind stirs the surface of the sea.  There is ice 360˚ around the ship.  

Ten of our guests have opted for our program of sleeping on deck under the Arctic Sky with the mid-night sun.  There could not be a better night for it.

An hour from now we will have a fashion show in the observation lounge.  The Expedition Team and all available officers usually join in.  I'm afraid that this time the Captain will be rather busy on the bridge. 

Good Speed, Good Day, Good Haven

The magnificent scenery of Qeqertarsuaq

In the middle of the night the ship starts to move a bit to both sides, rolling gently. Those who work here exchange glances - it seems to be mighty early to be already out of the Søndre Strømfjord. But indeed, the currents have been very favourable, the tide going out together with us, not only making up for the delay caused by the later incoming flight but also giving us a nice advantage of more than an hour ahead of schedule. 

So the evening excursions in Qeqertarsuaq can start on time or even before - a nice thought to have in mind during the day, after the first night on board, when lectures and briefings are given, excursions are booked first lunch is taken in our splendid restaurant.

Shorthorn Sculpin

In the afternoon there is a bell ringing out on deck 5, wielded by a large bearded visitor: Neptune has come to welcome us at the Polar Circle, and to baptise all those who have never received a heavy gush of ice water down the neck. Some come away with the impression that Neptune actually gets a lot of pleasure doing this. Definitely the creatures of sea take notice, more and more dark little heads pop out of the water - seals are curious animals...

Not many places on Earth where you have that backdrop at soccer

And then there's the first blow! We have humpback whales in front of the ship, the decks rapidly fill again with people, pressing cameras to their eyes. For a little while we follow the giants, before we resume our original course to Qeqertarsuaq.

Down there, in this paradise, we took our dinner

And there is so much to do: a lot of things start almost at the same time in Godhavn, as Qeqertarsuaq is called in Danish. The long hikers set out to marvel at the beauty of basalt, flowers and ice, the Kayakers get into the small boats, all neatly dressed up in dry suits, eager to go. The Polar Cirkel boats fuel up to go ice-hunting with the strong hope of spotting whales while they are feeding on the Ammasset (a Kaplan), which occurs in enormous quantities at the moment. We know now they are there, don't we??

The path along the coast is marked in yellow

A city walk is guided as well as the pretty walk into the Valley of the Winds. 

Late at night everybody returns to FRAM, red in the face from fresh air and excitement, a lot of talking among the various groups: Yes - the fog has lifted on the long hike, beau-ti-ful it was! Yes - there were whales close to the Polar Cirkel Boats, our first humpbacks!

What a magnificent first day...

Lapland Bunting

Get To Know Your Ship Mates!

Doh!  Things were going so well, right until we got to Copenhagen.  The final leg of our grand journey, the flight from Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq, was delayed by two hours.  Technical difficulties.  Ah well.  The ship, MV Fram, wasn't going anywhere without us.

Eventually we were able to board the Coca-cola red Air Greenland charter jet.  In short we were cleared for take-off and zoom, we were on our way once again.  Flying over Greenland, we had excellent views of the immense Greenland ice cap.  1.7 million square kilometres of ice.  Sapphire blue, icebound lakes dotted the surface of the ice sheet.  It was even more beautiful than what we had imagined. As we approached Kangerlussuaq ,we circled above the fjord and those on the left side of the aircraft were afforded views of Fram anchored at the head of the fjord.

Polar Cirkel boats at Kangerlussuaq Fjord pier.

And then, at 17:30 we landed in sunny Kangerlussuaq.  It was a short walk of about 70metres across the tarmac and into the small terminal.  Inside we were greeted by some of the members of the Expedition Team who immediately escorted us out to the buses that would take us to the ship.  No muss.  No fuss.  No waiting for luggage to arrive. It took about 15 minutes for the buses to drive to the small marina at the head of the fjord where more of the Expedition Team was waiting with a huge stack of red life jackets.  Aslo eating for us were five Polar Cirkel boats and their drivers.  We were quickly ushered into the boats.  Eight people per Polar Cirkel boat and then whisked over to the ship.

Once onboard we were issued I.D. / cruise cards and were shown to our cabins.  It was all so easy!  

Before Fram weighed anchor we all took part in a mandatory safety drill outside on deck five.  Very quickly we were gathered at our muster stations on deck five on both the port and starboard sides of the ship.  We were then given a demonstration of how to don an exposure suit and life jacket should an emergency situation occur.

Luggage barge alongside Fram.

We have journeyed from all over the globe to realize our dream of an arctic adventure in Greenland.  We come from; Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.  206 people from 18 disparate countries and cultures unified in the common goals of exploring Greenland, of meeting Greenlandic people and experiencing their culture, of seeing the midnight sun, of seeing glaciers and icebergs and arctic wilderness.    When else will you have so many people from so many different places gathered together under one roof sharing a common interest?  Our advice to you is, don't be shy! Get to know your ship mates.

Mandatory safety drill.

 

The place to cross over

Hello? Anybody out there?

Hard to tell - the fog that started to roll in during the night is getting thicker and thicker, a soft shroud on the white giant's shoulders. Beautiful as it may be, it also deprives us of the view AND we have to go slower.

Not a problem, though, since we have another round of lectures going on in the morning. Then there is the packing to be done, the last souvenirs to be bought, the last landing to be prepared. And everybody is heaving a sigh today - this week just zoomed by, wasn't it just yesterday we took the bus down to the fjord where FRAM waited for us...?!

Well, ok, it isn't over yet: Around lunchtime we reach Itilleq, a charming place set on a tiny peninsula just around the corner of Søndre Strømfjord, at the end of which lies Kangerlussuaq, point of departure tomorrow night(Blimey, everything reminds of leaving!).

Not only is Itilleq well protected and full of fish, it also features a topography that made it very attractive in the old days: It is flat in the background, so flat that you could carry an Umiak (the bigger boats that were also used for whale hunting) from here right into the Great Fjord - a wonderful shortcut, saving days of travel. Hence the name: Itilleq means "the low part where you can cross".

Heaving boats, that's exactly what also our kayakers do for the last time (Darn!), getting them from fjord to lake and back.

At the same time the Norwegian officers took a small group out for fishing. Go fishing with those guys and you can't fail! About 400 kilogram of cod and a few others came out of the sea, food for days!

Speaking of food, on this final day we were invited into the houses of the inhabitants of Itilleq for Kaffemik, that is coffee and cake. There even was a party going on - Inuuinni Pilluarit, Happy Birthday!

With so much cake in the belly it is obvious that you get a little slower, and that was reflected by the result of the soccer game, 6:3 for Itilleq, FRAM's winning streak is over. But what a fun that was!

Captain's Farewell was followed by the Charity auction, "crown jewel" being the nautical chart adorned by five wonderful water-colour paintings by Miki Jacobsen, the famous Greenlandic artist.

Thank you everyone for participating, you are helping the Greenlandic Children with it.

And this is the moment where the expedition team would like to extend a big thanks to all of you who made this voyage such a good-spirited one. THANK YOU!

An Ice Alternative

Ice Barricade in Front of Ilulissat

07:00 

Bing-Bong. 

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen.  The time is 7am. We are now at our closest possible approach to Ilulissat but we are still between 7 and 8 nautical miles away.  If you look ahead you can see that our passage is completely blocked by ice.  Therefore we will have to cancel our planned stop in Ilulissat and now switch to our backup plan which is to pay a visit to the town of Qasigianguit.  We will reach Qasigiannguit at approximately 10:00.  The town folk have prepared a variety of activities for us which will be available throughout the day."  And so started our day.

The best thing about Ilulissat is the ice.  The worst thing about Ilulissat is the ice.  When we come to Greenland we want to see ice and lots of it.  Ilulissat is the ice capital of the northern hemisphere.  Actually it's the ice capital for most of the planet because Sermec Kujaleq glacier located right beside Ilulissat produces more calved ice than anywhere else in the world, outside of Antarctica.  Sometimes all of that ice can be problematic, especially when winds and tides conspire to push the ice into a massive barricade in front of Ilulissat.  

What can you do?  Get over it and switch to the backup plan and Qasigiannguit is an excellent plan B.  First of all, the town is beautiful, situated on the ocean's edge and surrounded by lots of icebergs (but not too many like in Ilulissat)!

Youngsters of Qasigiannguit Music Demonstration

And here's a list of the activities that occurred throughout the day: Museum (open all day), peat house (open all day), "Experience Thule Culture" a reenactment with clothing and tools from early Thule culture, Music by youngsters at the museum at 13:00 and 15:00, dog sled talk and demonstration at 12:00 and 15:00, Greenland folk dance exhibition at 14:00 and 16:00, Arnat Illuat (the women's house) where the women offered traditional craftwork for sale as well as coffee, tea and cake,  and finally the choir performed at the church at 17:00.

Dog sled talk and demonstration

As you can see there was a lot going on and we had all day to do it.  And once again our luck continued with this amazing streak of good weather.

Qasigiannguit choir

At 19:30 we cast off our lines and waved goodbye to the great people of Qasigiannguit.  Tomorrow is the big soccer match in Itilleq

Oh, what an ice day...!

A deep rumble is filling the ship in the morning, heads are lifting during breakfast, people stop reading and look around. But not to fret, this is just a necessary growl of the bow thrusters to better get around one of the many, many icebergs that we meet on our way back through the Vaigat Sound.

MV FRAM is one of the most manoeuvrable ships in the business, using two Azipod propulsion engines that can swivel full circle. Together with the tunnel thrusters we can literally turn on the spot, go sideways or in any required angle.

A useful feature in these waters, where you sometimes have a surface ice coverage of 8 out of 10...

Approaching our destination for the day, the glacier Eqip Sermia, we have not so many reasons to be optimistic, the whole fjord seems full with ice. But our captain shows determination beyond measure and - ever so slowly - we get closer and closer until, like a miracle, the huge glacier appears on our port side.

Point of fact, it is two glaciers we see, both having a very wide collar made of brash ice. Just a few hundred meters further inland they both will join their Big "Mother", the Greenlandic Ice Cap.

Just before we get to our favourite beach the conditions improve even further, hardly any wind, free passage to the landing site, and surprisingly few mosquitoes. Oh, and did I mention the perfect blue skies...??

In the following hours everybody hoped to see the distant glacier calve big, some from the little peninsula above the beach, some from the beautiful hike onto the "Domino" Mountains (whenever you reach a peak, there is another one behind), some even from the Kayaks - but it only shed a few minor pieces. But we heard the voice of the ice, the deep thunder from within, all the time. That was impressive enough. With glowing eyes everybody returned on board to bolt down some dinner (nobody actually noticed how hungry we were until we sat at the table...)and have a blast at the fashion show. Late at night there was probably the chance for the most exclusive overnight ever: Under the impossible golden light of the evening sun the beds were made out on deck 5. Can you imagine lying there, seeing this...??!

Yep, it was an ice day. More than that.

Farewell Ukkusissat

This was the busiest day of our Greenland itinerary.  We visited two communities in one day.  Our first stop was at the picturesque town of Uummannaq. We dropped anchor at about 09:30. The excursions to the famous archeological site of Qilakitsog and ice cruising in the Polar Cirkle boats were underway thirty minutes later. 

Santa's Cabin Uummannaq

Our nearly perfect weather for the cruise thus far continued, making for ideal conditions for our hike in the afternoon.  Approximately 80 people rendezvoused with the Expedition Team at the pier to begin the hike at 13:30.   The objective was to reach the summer home of Santa Claus on the opposite side of the island.

Alpine Mouse Ear

It is now the peak of the season for wildflowers in Greenland.  Arctic Campion, Moss Campion, Alpine Mouse Ear, Lapland Rosebay, Cassiope, Blue Heath, Alpine Arnica, Arctic Poppy, Entire-leaved Mountain Avens, Arctic Rock Cress, Hairy Lousewort, Snow Whitlow Grass,  Three-toothed Saxifrage, and various Cinquefoils grew in profusion, dotting the largely monochromatic rocky landscape with vivid splashes of pink, yellow, green and white.

The museum in Uummannaq is one of the nicest in Greenland and features information on the "Greenland Mummies" from the Qilakitsoq site.  Lots of folks availed themselves of the opportunity to visit both the museum and the church.

By 16:30 the last Polar Cirkel boat departed from the pier and shortly after Fram weighed anchor and turned her bow northwards in the direction of Ukkusissat. 

Ukkusissat is our most significant cultural stop in that we always invite the people from the village on board Fram and then afterwards we join them in their community.  It is the best opportunity to get to know some of the people of Greenland.  At 19:30 one of the Polar Cirkel boats started shuttling 39 of the local people to Fram.  By 20:00 everyone had rendezvoused in the Observation Lounge where the people from Ukkusissat entertained us with Greenlandic folk singing and dancing. 

Folk Dancing

After the singing and dancing they modelled traditional and formal Greenland clothing.  The workmanship and detailing in the clothing was a marvel to behold.

Traditional Clothing Observation Lounge Fram

Ukkusissat is our northernmost destination.  Even though it was 21:00 by the time we went to shore, the sun was still about 40˚ in the sky and of course, at this time of year, would not dip below the horizon.  The evening sun bathed the pretty town in golden summer light.

Pretty much everyone meandered over to the community centre where a large crowd gathered to watch Miki play his guitar and sing and to avail themselves of coffee, tea and cake. 

All too quickly it was 22:30 and time for the last Polar Cirkel boat to leave shore.  It is nearing the end of our Greenland season and this was our last visit to Ukkusissat and the last time to see our friends until next year.  It is always a little sad to wave goodbye to our good friends of Ukkusissat at the end of the season.