Qasigissat

Early morning before departure from Aappilattaq

We left Aappilattaq on Saturday, August 23, after being anchored there for five days, which afforded us the opportunity to observe a lot about how the small towns on the coast of Greenland survive. Other than what they can hunt, fish or gather, the residents rely on bi-weekly shipments direct from Denmark for food, clothing, household goods, diesel, outboard motors, fishing gear and everything else they might need in the summer. We don't know if or how often supplies arrive in the winter. The store is the busiest place in town. The school is closed for summer break, and we never saw the church open, although almost everyone attends services on Sundays.

Dead ringed seal which had been tied there for three days; not sure why

We awoke that morning to a glass-like sea state and a knot or two of wind. Micha (not Michael, as I have written in previous posts; I was introduced by Peter and Enis, who didn't discern the difference) on XTrip was the first boat out, and we soon followed, finally getting our bow anchor and chain, which were covered with sheets of seaweed and mud, free and then our stern anchor. It was great to be moving again, even if the lack of wind meant we had to motor. 

Seaweed on the anchor

Shalako hauling in the stern anchor

We entered Prins Christian Sund and passed a small cruise ship and a 237 foot (72  meter) Danish navy ship. The weather was perfect for photograhy in this extraordinarily beautiful fjord system.

Western end of Prins Christian Sund

We noticed that Micha had stopped before reaching the next anchorage and was backtracking. When we reached us, he alerted us to a solitary humpback whale that was alternately hugging the northern shore and then swimming freely toward an iceberg near the opposite shore. We spent a half an hour moving back and forth, watching for his spouts of water and his dives.

Humpback whale blowing

Humpback whale

Tail flukes of the humpback whale

Another dive

Rock that was inside a glacier before being transported to sea by this iceberg

XTrip with Mantra circling the iceberg

We then moved on, flanked on both sides with steep slopes and boulder debris on the shore. Enis tried out the new fishing devise he bought at the store that morning with no success. Then the two best buddies decided to catch some ice. They found a small piece much heavier than they anticipated, but they got a line tied around a hole and then used a hammer to break off several large chunks. With this success, Shalako decided to try for a bigger one. 

Enis and Shalako with the ice they secured

Hammering off chunks

Shalako ready to lasso an iceberg

The exposed rock above tundra greenery is bold and colorful, scraped and fractured, shaped by enormous glaciers. Dikes of darker hues, up to 6 feet across, are easy to see among the monoliths. 

Dike, waterfall and glacier

Striated rock

Dark vertical dike in the granite

We anchored just before 3 p.m. at Qasigissat, a sheltered bay off the sound. After lunch, we went to shore, finding a place to pull up the dinghy at the mouth of a glacier-fed river. With advise and a lure from Micha, Enis began fishing there. Peter went to find a way up from the steep river valley to the plateau above. I joined him when I saw him at the top, leaving Enis and Shalako behind to angle. Foolishly, we left both backpacks with them, which meant they had both hand-held radios and all the water and snacks. Luckily it was not a problem for Peter and me as we hiked higher and higher, bushwhacking through the tundra, finding the tufts of grass gave the best footing. We found ponds and lovely flowers but never made it as far as the lake. It was the first time in a while that we have heard or seen avians other than pelagic birds. The northern wheatear did not seem to mind our presence. 

Peter admiring the view

Northern wheatears

Cascading water

Clusters of mushrooms, each about 6 inches wide

Small pond

Harebells and tufted grasses

Wildflowers by the stream

As we spent 2 hours hiking, Enis and Shalako enjoyed great success, catching seven arctic char. Luckily, they were on the shore, because the tide rose quickly, and by the time Peter and I returned from our hike, the rock to which we had originally tied up was underwater.

Shalako and Enis on the shrinking peninsula, fishing

Enis and Shalako with the fish they caught

We stopped by XTrip to show Micha the bounty. Enis, when he was harvesting ice, began to dream of whisky over ice, but on board we only have a small amount of Panamanian rum. So, he asked Micha if he had any, which he did, and we invited him over for raw fish and whiskey over ice. (We also invited him to dinner, but he had already eaten.) 

Aerial view of Mantra and XTrip at Qasigissat (photo by Micha)

As soon as we got back on board Mantra, I indulged in a hot shower, a luxury that we use once a week or less often. We have plenty of hot water, but we are conserving water by not taking showers often or doing laundry at all. We have been using the same sheets and towels for several weeks now, and we seem to always be wearing the same clothes in layers. Luckily, there is not a lot of sweating when the outside temperature is in the low to mid-forties, and the inside temperature has been as low as 50°F, although it is usually just above 60°F. 

Micha came by about an hour later, after Enis and Shalako had gutted the fish. Since we had the luxury of ice, I pulled out another Diet Coke from my diminishing supply to enjoy it the way it is supposed to consumed.

Enis and Micha enjoying whiskey over ice

Diet coke over ice

The next morning, we raised anchor in fog and still waters. The banks of fog shifted and swirled and finally lifted, and we were amazed to see even more magnificent scenery surrounding us.

Fog obscuring the mountains

Enis as captain for the day

Fog across the water

Shalako, Enis and Peter in the pilot house 

Every high glacier and the Greenland ice sheet are melting at this time of year, and we delighted in waterfall after waterfall plunging down to the sound. Although the rock is much older than those in the Sierras, we made connections to what we have seen here to the landscape of Yosemite. Several half domes rose up from the U-shaped valleys sculpted by glaciers.

Glacier with a terminal moraine by the water

Half dome shaped rock face

Mantra slowly passing a forking waterfall

Growlers and bergy bits at the mouth of a stream tumbling down the rocks

We stopped to watch and listen to several glaciers that come down to the water. Low level creaking and moaning could be heard all the time. Several times we heard loud cracks, like a gun being fired. Ocassionly, we saw pieces of ice break free and splash into the water. As we observed and had our iPhones recording video (much of it deleted because nothing happened), with Peter at the wheel and the three others huddled around the windless. I took the position of figurehead on the bowsprit.

Approaching Sermêrúnerit Glacier

Wet area showing where a part of the glacier collapsed into the water

Sherri on the bowsprit as the figurehead of Mantra

Ice floating in the water from the glacier in front of a series of similar peaks

In between the many glaciers there were more and more waterfalls. 

Another waterfall

Part of the waterfall with a huge and constant spray of water

More about this place and the next 3 anchorages tomorrow.