Greenland was great

Day 61 - 31 July  - at sea
I did wake last night at 11.00pm as we pushed off the wharf and set sail.  As expected, it was quite bright outside, but the low sun was hidden by clouds.  Today is the day we start heading south, which means that we won't be having afternoon sun on our balcony.  The temperature this morning is just 11° and it is overcast.   Happy to report that as the day progresses, the sky is clearing and sun shining.  In his midday announcement, the Captain told us that there are now 2  iceberg expert navigators on board, specifically to spot both large & small icebergs before they get us!  If it's not pirates, then it is icebergs - what next?

Day 62 - 1 August - at sea
I forgot to mention that we lost an hour yesterday & yet another hour overnight,  so we are currently 14 hours behind NZ.  It is about 10.00am and the temperature is a balmy 7° as we continue southwest at just 12 kts.  The fog that surrounded the ship most of last night has returned, as has the foghorn!  Although we are purportedly just over 200 kms from the coast of Greenland, we can't see either land or 'bergs. We reached the Polar Zone just after 2.00pm and the Captain is sure we will begin to see icebergs through the fog.

10 fun facts about this area:
1. Iceland is green (relatively) 
2. Greenland is mostly icy (85% permafrost)
3. The Gulf Stream from the Gulf of Mexico flows up the eastern seaboard of US and part flows across to Iceland, keeping it warm(er).  It does not flow around Greenland.
4. Greenland is the largest island in the world
5. 85% of Atlantic Icebergs originate from the western side of Greenland
6. An iceberg is a block of ice with a width greater than 5 metres
7. Bergy bits are blocks of ice between 2 - 5 metre wide
8. Growlers are blocks of ice less than 2 metres wide
9. 90% of an iceberg/bergy bit/growler are under water
10. Maritime law requires ships to sound their whistle (foghorn) every 2 minutes when in areas of low visibility (aka fog), irrespective of any other sea traffic.

Day 63 - 2 August  - Greenland
Today we are due in Nanortalik at 7.00.  Just after 6.00 the fog lifted and I was surprised that we are steaming along at 13kts in a westerly direction.  We also spotted the first of a number of icebergs, a few hundred metres away.  7.00 came and went and clearly we are not at our destination.  Just before 7.30 the Captain came over the intercom and advised that due to expected deteriorating weather conditions,  anchoring and tendering would not be safe.  So instead we are steaming to our next port, Qaqortoq, scheduled to arrive at 9.30.   If weather permits tomorrow we will retrace our course and visit Nanortalik then.

Certainly it is a clear sky, although the wind is whipping sea spray off the whitecaps.  Temperature is expected to reach 12° but considerable wind chill.  I am actually wearing my thermals,  bought 4 years ago for our first Alaskan cruise and never worn.  After breakfast we have entered the fjord which protects Qaqortoq and the water is perfectly smooth.  All the cloud/fog/mist has gone and the views are magnificent. 

Because this is an "emergency" port, the ship has different rules regarding tender tickets.  You can now get tickets and adjourn to any of the lounges to wait for your number, rather than being trapped in the dining room.  I got ours (950 & 951) when the first tender was leaving the ship.  We had our usual morning coffee and went to get our gear sometime after 11.00.  The tender transfer is only 5-10 minutes, so we were ashore before 12.00.  

It is actually warm in town (up to 18° at one stage) and a layer or two of clothing were shed.  We walked town as far as we felt we needed to, including the fish market.  They had just bought in a minke whale which they were cutting up.  The locals were swarming to buy big chunks of whale meat, as apparently they only catch 2 or 3 each year.  Some ship people tried the raw product, but not for us.  Qaqortoq is quite a tidy town, with brightly painted houses.  Our main problem was that the locals continue to drive as though there is no one else using the road - including some 1,800 ship passengers.  Not that I am complaining, just that many passengers "thought" they owned the road.

Whale for sale

The rest of the whale

Looks better the 2nd time!!!

We eventually found the hotel (as had several hundred others) and managed to get a table.  That was the easy part as it was then necessary to line up for service.  The queue was the length of the bar and then out the door!  Yes, it took just over 30 minutes to order 2 beers & 2 fish meals.  This came to 236 Danish Krona,  but they took Euros, so was just under €40, with some local change, which I may use tomorrow.   The good news was that the meal arrived within 5 minutes and the beer was good.

After lunch, which had taken the best part of 2 hours, we decided to head back to the ship, which was a good idea as there was a bit of a swell coming in.  Sure enough, the last couple of tenders had a pretty bumpy ride home.   One of the smaller icebergs we'd seen on our sail in, came floating over our way, but not too close to cause any problems.  The ship was holding position using the thrusters, so we were very maneuverable.  

Once everyone was onboard, the Captain made his announcement that while everyone was onboard, we had to wait until the arrival of the ferry at 7.00, as 3 guest entertainers were joining the ship.  Of course we were supposed to be here tomorrow,  so normally they'd stay in the hotel overnight and board tomorrow.  The opposite applied to tonight's scheduled entertainer - she had to disembark today (or stay on until Canada in 4 days time).  Funny how you don't think about some of the implications of missing/rescheduling ports.  

The Captain was confident about our chances of getting into Nanortalik tomorrow and we had heard from the locals in Qaqortoq  that they too had experienced bad weather the day before our arrival, so it seems that the weather is moving eastwards.  A great port and a great sail out with plentry  of icebergs along the way.

Day 64 - 3 August - Nanortalik 
A much better approach today, no fog, no wind and smooth seas.  It is all looking good when I looked out just after 6.00am.   We are really close to land (well, little islands) and there are numerous icebergs too.  While watching one as we went past,  I actually spotted a small whale,  but barely caught a photograph of it's tail.  As we came to anchor, a moderate sized iceberg came to visit and stopped outside our balcony- well that's what it looked like anyway.  During the day both ship & iceberg moved, with the iceberg ending up in front of the ship.

Outside our balcony

Now in front - note relative size

Tender process is back to normal, so we headed down to the MDR and picked up tickets but were almost instantaneously sent on our merry way.  It is cloudy today, but no wind so it did not seem too cold.  I "down layered" my clothes and remained comfortable.  This town is a lot smaller than Qaqortoq and not as developed.  Most of the houses were in need of repair and there are numerous what appear to be housing apartments, a lot of then boarded up.  Fishing once again seems the main industry, although there was no recent catch to look at.

We walked down to the large open-air  museum, which was really interesting.  It is a well preserved area of town with numerous cottages and other buildings and a great range if history is available.  It only cost €5 each, but we were a little disappointed that there were quite a few people who refused to pay and others who tried to get in without paying.   Looking at the locals, they are more deserving of our dollars (or Euros).  Probably one of the best complexes I have visited and the beauty was that it was spread out and there were none of the usual crowds, so we could take our time.  We even climbed the wooden tower on the rock for great views.

We then pretty well walked the length of town before going back to the tender.  We passed by the hotel, which is now derelict, and also the cafe - Cafe 44, which was less than inspiring.  Later feedback from someone who went into the cafe confirmed our instinct.  The last thing we want is to bring back any bugs to the ship.  Talking of bugs reminds me that both towns had these really annoying little flies which refuse to fly away (if you get my meaning).  Very quickly back to the ship and a proper coffee.  Lunch was available in the MDR  today and it was quite surprising the number of passengers who did not bother to go ashore today.  For many, I think the glorious day yesterday was enough to mark Greenland off their bucket list.

While it has been clear but cloudy all day, a sea fog suddenly rolled in just before 4.00 and it is now quite chilly and damp.  We are due to sail away in a couple of hours, but we are not on the side of the ship facing the shore, so don't know how many are left ashore- not many I would suspect.  We all got a *very* good dose of Greenland yesterday and it has really spoiled us.  The fog is here to stay and when sailaway came, it was an interesting manouver as we had to reverse out of the inlet we were in.  As we set sail for Canada the ship's whistle is back in full force.