Disko Bay - Day 17

Your final day on a long trip is always a time of conflicting emotions.  We had taken part in a really memorable paddle through some stunning scenery.  There was far more ice around than I had experienced on my 5 previous trips in Greenland, which at times had presented a significant challenge and even up until the last we weren't sure how things were going to go.  The French paddlers we had seen a few days earlier had taken 2 days to get out of Ilulissat because of the ice, if we took two days to get in then we would miss our flights home.

There was quite a special feeling, this was the conclusion of a project which had started over 2 years earlier.  At the Scottish Sea Kayak Symposium in 2013 we came under some pressure to run another event in Jersey in 2014.  It was eventually agreed that we would go ahead with the event but the aim was to raise enough funds to be able to buy a number of sea kayaks to place in Greenland, which would be available for the participants at the event to use.  Effectively we were aiming to re-invest in the sport.

2015 was the first year that the kayaks were available and they were used for 40 days, which was a successful year from the Jersey Canoe Club's perspective.  We already have bookings for 2016 as well as tentative inquiries for 2017.  A successful legacy from the Jersey Sea Kayak Symposium, which will hopefully allow more paddlers to experience the memorable kayaking off the west coast of Greenland.

The final morning.  We had lifted the kayaks up quite a distance the night before as there were a number of large bergs just offshore and we didn't want to risk losing the kayaks on the final night.

Eric heading south through the ice towards Ilulissat.

Our first glimpse of Ilulissat.  We were still concerned about whether we would be able to reach the town.  There was a significant amount of ice, the only indicator which gave us hope were the number of small boats going past.  They had clearly been able to force their way out of the harbour.

 The last few hundred metres and there was a hint of open water between the ice floes.

 The final slabs on which we pulled the kayaks.  At this point we knew that in 36 hours time we would be on the flights home.

Disko Bay - Day 15

Today was just a short day, but we needed to build in quite a large margin of time to allow for our exit through the tidal narrows.  As it turned out we were able to eddy hop and use ferry gliding to exit the inner part of Pakitsoq a couple of hours earlier than planned.

Almost as soon as we left the narrows we were re-united with our constant companions, ice bergs, something that we had missed for the last few days.  We were able to relax as it was just a short paddle to the slabs at Anoritoq, where we had camped 14 days earlier, at the start of our journey north.

Leaving the campsite.  It really was very pleasant apart from the swarms of insects.

Nicky heading out through the narrows.  Through the application of some appropriate ferry gliding we were able to exit the inner part of Pakitsoq a bout 2 hours earlier than anticipated.  As we left the narrows we had stunning views of a white tailed eagle, which had been perched on the shore.

Almost as soon as we left the inner part of Pakitsoq we returned to the world of ice.

Conditions were pretty much perfect.  We had distant views of whales, so we kept up our 100% record of seeing whales every time we have paddled in this area.

 Entering Anoritoq, for another evening of camping on the slabs.

 Always a spectacular backdrop for cooking the evening meal.  If everything went to plan the following evening we should be eating on the H8 restaurant.  Always an indication that the trip is drawing to a close.

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.

Disko Bay - Day 10

Today's target was very simple, paddle around the spectacular island, Qeqertakavsak, and then find somewhere to camp before we turned south towards Ilulissat.  I had looked longingly at this island over the years, convinced that it would be a memorable paddle and I wasn't disappointed.

 It was in perfect conditions that we crossed from the inlet at Anoritoq towards the island of Qeqertakavsak

 Marcus passing some bergs in almost perfect conditions.

 The island of Qeqertakavsak lies ahead and to the left, its north coast looked particularly dramatic.

 Heading along the north shore.

Lunch was in a small bay on Arve Prinsens Ejland.  The slabs on the opposite side of the bay provided a delightful place for a quick after lunch sleep, whilst the stream allowed us to top up water bottles.

 There wasn't much ice around but most of the time there were several glaciers visible in the distance.

 Nicky paddling down the east coast of Igdluluarssuit-nunatat.  A small island with a big name that we had camped on before.  This evening we selected a small bay close to the southern tip, somewhere we hadn't camped before.

In the evening we walked up to the small summit on the southern tip of the island.  There were good views towards a couple of glaciers, including the one close to Eqi.  Little did we realize that the ice we could see here was going to cause quite a few problems the following morning.

Disko Bay - Day 9

This was to be a day of significant ice ending with a bug free camp and a swim.  We decided to head towards the glaciers at the head of Torssukatak, even though the weather was decidedly unfavourable.  As we headed east though the clouds started to rise, revealing to the tops of the mountains and allowing the sun to break through.

Within less than 2 hours we were paddling in perfect sunshine but an increasing amount of ice.  The way forward wasn't always obvious and we were concerned about the consequences of an increase in wind speed.  The ice was already starting to move with an alarming frequency and we didn't relish getting trapped.

At lunch time we decided that we were close enough to the ice front so were looking for a route south, across the fjord.  We climbed a small hill for a better view but it wasn't good news, there appeared to be no way through the ice, which was backed up when we tried to cross to the south.  Ice floes and smaller pieces of ice blocked our path and even with the advantage of height, from standing on a berg, no route was visible.

We retraced our route and headed slightly west before trying the crossing again.  This time entering the ice had a more positive feel and within about 30 minutes we were through to more open water and heading towards our camp for the night, on the south shore of Anoritoq.  This was a really special place, the sun remained warm, encouraging us to have a quick swim and we were able to sit for hours watching the Arctic sky without the inconvenience of insects.

An almost perfect end to an almost perfect day.

It wasn't a particularly inspiring day as we headed away from the camp, low cloud obscured the tops and the headland blocked the view towards the ice cap.

The clouds gradually lifted whilst the ice cap came into view.  The glacier coming down to sea level is clearly visible to the right of Nicky.

The light, ice and water combined to create some pretty memorable views.

 Another day in paradise.

 Alex in the ice, it was at times like this that you were please that we had pretty robust equipment.  We all used Werner paddles and had Rainbow Laser kayaks.  Both items of equipment were more than up to the task.

 The ice continued to increase in density until our way forward was blocked and there was nothing left to do but to retrace our paddle strokes and look for another route.

At one point I climbed out on a berg to look for a route through the ice but all progress was impossible, but it was fun looking.

 It doesn't matter how many times you have been out kayaking in Jersey nothing prepares you for situations like this.

 We had identified this bay as a suitable campsite but rather than paddle into the rear of the bay we camped on the southern headland.  There was just enough breeze to produce an insect free evening.

 There were some very large ice bergs around so that evening we made sure that we lifted the kayaks far enough above the high water mark to be free of problems created by rolling bergs.

Disko Bay - Day 4

After the monochrome landscape of the day before it was somewhat more pleasant to be launching into a more colourful landscape.  The cloud was off the top of the mountains and patches of blue sky promised better things to come.  Today's targets were Brunnich's Guillemots and abandoned settlements.

We headed north skirting some reasonably sized bergs, which every now and again gave off some warning cracks, ensuring that we kept our distance.  Entering into a small cliff backed bay it was clear that we had arrived in a bird watchers paradise.  Thousands of birds were circling above the bergs, including some Brunnich's Guillemots, which were particularly pleasing to see.

We turned west, meeting some French sea kayakers, who were heading back towards Ilulissat.  They had been out paddling for over three weeks and amazingly hadn't seen any whales, whereas we were only on our fourth day but we had already seen these amazing creatures on two separate occasions.

The campsite for the night was in a delightful bay on the south eastern corner of Oqaitsut, a place we had stayed on previous visits to Disko Bay, but somewhere well worth returning to.

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 Some small bergs in the channel to the north of Agpat

 Nicky skirting one of the more interestingly shaped bergs.

 Paddling towards bird cliffs.  Kittiwakes were the dominant species, and numbered in tens of thousands but for me the Brunnich's Guillemots were the most exciting species.

 Looking along the bird cliffs.  It is difficult to convey in words just how many birds were wheeling around above our heads.

 Every berg seemed to covered in Kittiwakes

 Lunch was in small bay we had visited on previous visits.  It was clearly a location, which met the needs of people over numerous generations.  There was evidence of an old settlement, whilst some local fishermen had their tent in the corner of the bay.

The fishermen whose tent was in the corner of the bay returned with some of their catch.  Not Nicky but the Greenland Shark, which is in the water behind her.  This was probably a small specimen of what may be one of the longest living vertebrates.  Their flesh is toxic and when eaten by sledge dogs can induce behaviour similar to being drunk.

Crossing towards Oqaitsut but keeping a healthy distance from some particularly large bergs.

John entering the bay on the south east corner of Oqaitsut.  Some pretty interesting geology behind.

Preparation for the evening meal.  Note Toby by the kayaks, he had just been for another swim!  It was great to witness the enthusiasm of youth.

Disko Bay - Day 1

Last year the Jersey Canoe Club ran its 11th Sea Kayak Symposium, which generated some funds for the development of paddle sport.  It was decided to purchase a number of sea kayaks and place them on the west coast of Greenland, which is truly one of the great places to go paddling.

The kayaks were used for the first time by a Breton group at the beginning of July, read Peter's blog of some of his experiences in Greenland, and then we flew out to start our 18 day journey.  Its very easy to tun out of superlatives when describing the kayaking in Greenland, but hopefully the photographs give a sense of what its like.

Ilulissat Ice fjord, the most productive glacier in the northern hemisphere lies at the head of this fjord.  Anybody visit Ilulissat, the tourist capital of Greenland should walk to the edge of town to view one of the wonders of the natural world.

Looking north across Disko Bay.  Our route was heading through all that ice, this was my sixth trip in Greenland but I had never seen this much ice before.  Luckily some of the ice dispersed overnight so the initial part of the journey was slightly easier than we anticipated.  A French group of paddlers leaving a few days after us, took 2 days to get away from Ilulissat because of the ice.

 Alex threading his way through some of the smaller pieces of ice.  The hanging draw is one of the most useful strokes to master in this type of environment.

Generally when kayaking the ice the water is pretty smooth.  If the wind does pick up and the ice starts to move then a much more challenging situation develops and it is essential to avoid getting trapped by the ice.

 

 Nicky passing the small village of Rodebay.  In 15 days time we will be back to eat at one of my favourite restaurants to be found anywhere, the H8.  Today though we just wanted to press on north to reach the slabs at Anoritoq, where we knew there was a good campsite.

 There were some bigger bergs around and as general rule you need to keep away from them or if you were forced to pass close by be ready to paddle flat out.

Toby is not as close at it looks, the use of a telephoto lens can completely change the perspective.

 Ice bergs and blue skies eat the memory, of the camera, faster than almost anything else.  As we came towards the end of our first day on the water little did we realize that we wouldn't have a day this warm for the rest of the trip.

 Arriving close to our first nights camp.  The glacial scoured slabs make a great place to camp.  Easy to exit from the kayaks and lift them up above the high water mark and hopefully less bugs because of the reduced amount of standing water.  Also perfect for sitting on and sipping an after paddle Pernod.

 Toby was the youngest member of the group and the person who swam the most, I am not sure the two facts are related.  The sea temperature is barely above freezing.  A memorable end to the first day.