Disko Bay - Day 11

It was a day when we made significant progress south towards Ilulissat.  Initially we experienced significant difficulties because of the density of the ice, the dense ice pack we had seen from the hill the evening before had moved away from the ice front and blocked our route south.  We detoured to the west to follow the coast of Arve Prinsens Ejland, having lunch on some delightful slabs before crossing back to the main coastline and continuing our journey south.

John entering the ice.  It became so thick that it blocked our progress towards the opposite shore.

The eastern shore of Arve Prinsens Ejland was relatively ice free, allowing some reasonably quick progress south.

A great lunch spot and it was clear that our crossing to the far headland was going to be relatively easy.

The settled conditions encouraged Alex and Toby to take leave of their senses.  The ice which had blocked our progress earlier in the day was still visible to the north.

The perfect lunch spot.

Sadly evidence of how fragile the environment is often visible.  16 years later some thoughtless scratching in the lichen is still clearly visible.

After lunch the slight northerly wind aided our crossing of Ata Sund and we were soon heading south along the Greenland shore.

Although impressive by European standards the cliffs were not as tall as those slightly further north.  These were "only" 600 metres high.

Approaching the campsite for the evening.  This was somewhere we had used before and knew that there was an easy landing and a great water supply.  It was probably when we reached here that we started to think about the finish of the trip.

Coasteering Starts

Sea kayaking was off the menu today as we took advantage of the warm weather for the first coasteering session of the season. Gorselands on the south coast of Jersey was selected as the south facing granite cliffs capture the heat more than almost anywhere else on the island.

After the first swim is was a welcome relief to scramble over some rocks to the next jumps. As soon as I hit the water I regreted leaving the neoprene gloves in the car.

Early in the season we mainly stuck with the lower jumps as our technique was somewhat rusty.

The helmets helped to prevent severe ice cream head. Pete didn't suffer at all as he was the only member of the group with a neoprene hood.

A simple swim across the gully before scrambling around the headland to the next jumping location.

Scrambling along to the jumping spot. Corbiere lighthouse is behind and to the right of the jumpers. The anticipated sunshine hadn't materialized at this point.

This is one of the safest low water jumps on the south coast. The flat topped rock provides a safe jumping platform and the water is deep. From here it was a simple swim across the bay and a scramble up the cliffs to the cars.

It was good to get in the water again after the winter months but the sea temperature has a long way to go before we are able to comfortably spend several hours exploring the stunning Jersey coastline at sea level.