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Passage to Northwest Greenland
- christinerex7
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
From Halifax, we'll continue along the east coast and stop at two anchorages (Owls Head and Fisherman's Harbor). These are peaceful places to arrive after strenuous legs with lots of wind, waves, and lobster buoys. We'll encounter the Arctic Turns again for the first time. Fisherman's Harbor is a good place to quickly wash and dry your clothes in the sun and wind. Without time pressure, we complete a few tasks before the next visit.
The next day, we set sail towards Newfoundland through the fog and rain, accompanied by a curious seal and a few lobster buoys. Trepassey. Unfortunately, we still had to tack with a strong wind of 20 to 30 knots, and the waves were annoying. In between, we sailed wing to wing to calm the seas. After two and a half days, we reached our anchorage shortly before sunset and treated ourselves to a beer.
On our way to St. John's, we pass two icebergs and see lots of humpback whales. We were all treated to their impressive jumps and fin strokes. There was even a whale resting right next to our boat that then dived down—we had probably woken it up. We took in the Ferryland anchorage and watched as the village's sheep were taken to a nearby island in a small boat. When we reach land, we pass the excavations of an early English settlement called the Colony of Avalon. The weather was summery, and we enjoyed the warmer temperatures.
The sunny summer continues in St. John's. The conditions are very calm, so we are moored at the public pier with no swell. There, we are joined by our friends, Béatrice and Alain. After running a few errands, we set off with a full tank of fuel.
We sail along the coast in daily stages and moor at the fishing jetties in Old Perlican, Catalina, and Bonavista. We usually really like being close to the fishing boats. We meet interesting and helpful people. Lobster is organized for us, and we share our stories with each other. In Bonavista, we unexpectedly met up with friends from last year, Kathryn and Harald. What a pleasure! We had met them in Lewisporte on their sailboat, but now they are traveling with a tent. Next, we find a fantastic anchorage in Puddingbag Bay. Using the forward scan, we carefully feel our way across the shallow entrance and along a few buoys into this secluded bay. With temperatures over 20 degrees and water temperatures at 15 degrees, we quickly climb the bathing ladder and go for a swim.
The next stop is the island of Fogo. After 12 hours of sailing with a wonderful beam wind that turns into a strong headwind towards the end, the sailors reach the island. With only a little sail, we make our way along the coast and find a good mooring at the fishing pier. We all experience two highlights here: First, the bistro Bellybang offers us a fine four-course menu. Second, the next day, we hike up to Brimstone Head, where we enjoy a great view. From there, we spot three more icebergs.
After stopping overnight, we reach St. Anthony and walk to an abandoned fishing pier. We are a little surprised by the location. Our group had expected more of a touristy atmosphere, since cruise ships also arrive here. The town's main attraction is a walk to the lighthouse, followed by climbing a 400-step staircase up the “house hill.” Our friends are lucky enough to see a cow moose with her two calves. Next, we head to L'Anse aux Meadows, where a great guide helps us imagine the Vikings' landing and the first settlements. Our group spends another day driving along endless highways and through endless forests. Unfortunately, the forests are so dense that they don't allow for hiking. Where it would be possible, we are attacked by mosquitoes. Sadly, we are ill-prepared without mosquito repellent, so we cut our walk short. Finally, we drive to the "Salmon Pond" in our rental car. There, we watch salmon swimming upstream through an underwater river and happy fly fishermen who are glad that the fishing season has begun.
We make the final preparations for our crossing to Greenland on board and set sail on June 27, aiming to land north of Nuuk. After 7.5 days, we reach Disko Bay and drop anchor at Kronprinsens Ejland in northwest Greenland. In total, we cover 1,151 nautical miles. Our group sailed most of the way with moderate winds. The predominantly upwind course felt great thanks to the pleasant waves. Thanks to our fit crew, we maintain a relaxed waking rhythm with plenty of rest periods. We celebrated mealtimes and enjoyed the sunny weather and ever-earlier sunrise. Pilot whales were a highlight of the crossing. We spotted icebergs and fishing buoys with radar reflectors up to approximately 100 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland. Sometimes, we can see the ice giants with the naked eye. They are also visible on the radar. Other than that, we are completely alone. About 100 nautical miles off the coast of Greenland, the first icebergs appear on our radar again. They are far away, and there are virtually no growlers.
We drop anchor in a sheltered spot between two islands and spend the evening in absolute silence. The next day, we go ashore to visit a 'ghost settlement'. We find almost ten houses, some dilapidated and others demolished, as well as a kind of schoolhouse. The small cemetery, with just a few graves, bears witness to the fact that people once lived on this barren little patch of earth. A hungry Arctic fox howls heartbreakingly at us. We then sail into a neighbouring bay, but decide to return to the first bay due to a strong wind forecast. The wind arrives during the night, and in the early morning, we realise that we are lying across the waves. They crash beneath us. Are we on a rock? There was nothing here yesterday and we still have five metres of water under our keel. We suspect that the long chain got caught on the rudder during a wind shift in shallow water. We wake the crew. Fortunately, the chain comes free again. After an early breakfast, we move on to Disko Island/Qeqertarsuaq. This is a village of 700 people which is also visited by tourists. The ferry from Ilulissat picks up interested people and brings them to the island. There are great ice sculptures piled up off the coast and on the beach. The next day, after an exciting refuelling manoeuvre on a mini jetty, we sail across Disko Bay to Oqaasut on the mainland. Gliding past the icebergs and growlers is an incredible experience.
The weather is improving all the time, and we navigate through a narrow entrance in sunshine with hardly any wind. A dangerous rock and lots of icebergs make us hold our breath for a moment. We deliberately approach a large growler to avoid the rock. After passing through, a large bay opens up on one side of which are the colourful Greenland houses. There is lively fishing activity, with people catching herring and cod. We are greeted by a chorus of howling dogs. Four groups of dogsleds belong to the village. In glorious sunshine, a huge iceberg passes by outside the bay. Towering far above the rooftops, we watch its slow journey. What a beautiful place! To round off our stay, we go on a hike, collect mushrooms and mussels, and treat ourselves to a dinner of a mix of local and modern cuisine at the local restaurant.
Some boat work also needs to be done in between. The engine oil is changed on rainy days. A day like this is also ideal for sewing. Unexpectedly, we also have to take care of our autopilot. Initially, bleeding the system and adding new hydraulic oil makes the 'no rudder feedback' error message disappear, but it reappears two days later and the pump no longer starts at all. The cause is the worn and dirty carbon contacts. Fortunately, the autopilot works again after cleaning, and new carbon contacts are immediately added to our shopping list.
Another stage of the journey takes us to Ataa. Here, huge icebergs drift along the coast with the current. Many of them are stranded. There are also a few in our planned anchorage bay. We decide to anchor in a small side fjord and carefully make our way there. There are some icebergs and small growlers in this bay, too. We drop anchor right next to an iceberg that doesn't move. We watch the 'ice voyage' with the current, and we also observe an iceberg capsizing. It's an ideal place to wash and dry clothes in the midnight sun.
On our last day together, the wind picked up unexpectedly, so we enjoyed a fantastic half-wind sail between the icebergs to Ilulissat. At the anchorage in front of the harbour, we set the Ridingsail and immediately feel calmer despite the 20-knot wind. Béatrice and Alain disembark here, and we say goodbye over a meal and a Greenland beer. A great time with superb weather and unforgettable experiences comes to an end. We now have five days to sail further north to Upernavik. A friend will join us there. The weather is fine, so we continue our journey!
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