Greenland 2015 - Sailing Expedition "Over Green Islands"
Leg: 15.10
Cruise rout: Ilulissat - Upernavik
Cruise starts in Ilulissat (Jakobshavn) (69 ° 12'59 "N 51 ° 06'00" W) in Disko Bay, specifically in the area of Isfjord entered into the World Heritage List. This fjord is approx. 40 km long and 7 km wide and up to 1200 m depth. At its base is Sermeq Kujalleq (Jakobshavn Isbræ) - the fastest moving glacier in the world. It moves at a rate of up to 19 meters per day in a westerly direction. A huge icebergs break away from it, which can be up to several kilometres long and up to a kilometre in height. Extend up to 150 m above the water surface. Along with the sea tides they move along the fjord until they hit the bottom elevation at the mouth of the fjord with a depth of approx. 300 m.
In Greenlandic (innuit) language - Ilulissat means "iceberg". The town and port at the same time are located in the world's greatest northern area - Disko Bay, popular with boaters and tourists, approx. 295 km north of the Arctic Circle With its more than 4,500 population (as of 2010), Ilulissat (in Danish – Jacobshaven) is the third largest settlement in Greenland, after Nuuk and Sisimiut. The village was founded in 1741 as a trading post by Jacob Severin and named in honour of his name. Zion Church (Zions Kirke, eng. Zion Church) was built in the late eighteenth century and at that time the largest structure built by man in Greenland.
We will try to approach eqip Sermia in Atta Sound, if ice conditions allow, where you can get close to the glacier. In Isfjord large icebergs can be found as well as humpback whales.
Disko Bay. Depending on the weather, especially wind and ice conditions, we will choose the location in Disko Bay, where we are able to land. There are plenty places to choose from: Saqqaq - village lying northwest of Ilulissat at the entrance to Sullorsuaq Strait, which is famous for the remains of settlements living there more than 4,000 years ago, ancestors Inuit, Qeqertarsuaq (Disko Island), Qeqertaq and many others.
The biggest icebergs settled at the mouth of the fjord at a depth of 225-250 can release only at high tide, or as a result of erosion changing the centre point of gravity. In 2004, the Ilulissat Ice Fjord was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Sermeq Kujalleq is one of the fastest (moves at a speed of 19 m per day) and most active glaciers in the world. In the process of calving annually produces more than 35 km3 of ice, ie 10% of all the ice in the Greenland caused by calving and more than any other glacier outside Antarctica.
Full day trip to the glacier with its incredible views, is a paradise for photographers and nature lovers.
Then we will sail north around the Nuussuaq peninsula through the Sullorsuaq Strait that separates the Nuussuaq peninsula from the north-east and Qeqertarsuaq island in the Southwest. Strait connects the Disko Bay in the south east of Baffin bay. Qeqertarsuaq is also the port and the city located on the southern coast of Disko Island.The city was founded by whaler Svend Sandgreena in 1773. Whaling has always been very important to Qeqertarsuaq, also known as Godhavn in Danish. Hunting and fishing are still the primary occupation of the inhabitants of the island, of which nearly 900 lives in Qeqertarsuaq, and about 40 in the settlement Kangerluk, a few hours of sailing to the northwest. In 1999 scientists have discovered a "galloping" glacier that moves up to 100 meters per day. The city is now the location of the campus of the University of Copenhagen.
Heading further north we will try to reach the whalers bay called Rhoden Bay. Place hidden in a small bay, often separated from the pitched ice fjord sediments. With any luck, we'll try a whale steak in a unique restaurant run by Danish couple..
Sailing further to the north about 200Nm we will reach Uummannaq, located on the island of Uummannaq which is located in the south-central part of the branch of Uummannaq Fjord, approx. 590 km north of the Arctic Circle. Numerous archaeological sites and ruins in the surrounding sediments provide evidence that hunters and trappers lived in the area for millennia. One of the most remarkable archaeological findings discovered in Greenland in 1972, is an old settlement in Qilakitsoq. Here were found a well-preserved mummies from around 1475 years. On the island there is also a mountain Uummannaq 1170m height. Climbing on it requires professional skills.
Uummannaq (70 ° 40'N 52 ° 07'W). We circumnavigate Nuussuaq peninsula, where we can also find some interesting places to land, among others, Qilakitsoq where the fifteenth century Inuit Mummies were found. In Uummannaq still live people for whom the seal hunting and fishing is the primary source of income. Around Uummannaq is a labyrinth of fjords and straits dotted with icebergs. Along the way, we can also visit such as Kangersuatsiaq where Wegener ended Greenland glacier crossing either Perdlerfiup Sermia.
Cruise finishes in Upernavik (72 ° 47'13 "N 56 ° 08'50" W)
Entrance to Upernavik, located approx. 693 km north of the Arctic Circle, runs through fjord Inukavsait of sprouting at 2000m slopes and glaciers. Along the way we will look into the bays and islands to search for birds and musk oxen. 1500 inhabitants of Upernavik still live from hunting seals. Upernavik is a wildlife area, which also includes the world's largest bird cliff Apparsuit. Another famous landmark is Qaarsorsuaq - 1100 meter mountain peak. Hunting still plays a significant role. Narwhal are still caught in the traditional manner, kayak in Melville Bay, where they also hunt belucha whale and polar bears. Greenland hunting is a tradition but is allowed only for local needs. The sale and export of meat and fur outside the Greenland is strictly forbidden.
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