Journey justified

The approach to Greenland presented a stunning panorama. Completely smooth sea and a view of rows of high jagged peaks. The colours ranged from black rock through shades of grey and cream to snow white, highlighted by shafts of sunlight. There were no apparent flat areas to be seen, as everywhere was steep slopes. The first iceberg drifted past the ship. A shape could be seen on the horizon, and TSH used his zoom lens to verify that it was another iceberg.

This part of Greenland is below the Arctic Circle but some definitions would include the whole area within the Arctic region.

TSH took a picture of a small brown bird which had hitched a lift on the Silver Whisper.

The ship slowed down because of the increasing number of icebergs, one of the largest of which appeared to be blocking the entrance to the Prince Christian Sound. We were all reassured because there is an ice pilot on board, assisting the Captain with the safety of the ship. Also, the water in the Sound is very deep everywhere, so there is no problem with finding the correct channel.

Just before entry to the Sound, a number of whales appeared. White ones appeared to be floating on the surface but darker coloured ones could also be seen on the surface at times and a lot of water spouts dotted the water around the ship.

Lunch was taken on deck as the ship sailed for six hours through spectacular mountain scenery and innumerable icebergs. The bergs were a variety of shapes and textures, like sculptures in an outdoor park. Many were smooth white, with a metallic shine, but a few were rougher, with a regular pattern of ridges.  It was (sorry) some of the Texans who appeared on deck in shirt sleeves for the outdoor lunch. They lasted outside for less than two minutes. TSH and Diva each had about four serious layers of clothes.

At one stage, a small iceberg disintegrated just in front of the ship and the speculation was that the ship’s heat had caused this to happen.

The general scenery, below the snow line, consisted of steep rocky surfaces, a bit like Wastwater screes, punctuated with the occasional glacier. It all looked extremely inhospitable but in one place where the Sound widened out and a few waterways met, there was a village whose means of transport was solely on the water. The village looked typically Scandinavian, with brightly painted wooden houses.

Like in a well organised firework display, some of the best was left until last, and the Silver Whisper exited the Sound through a large number of larger bergs.

Everyone on board agreed that it had been a spectacular day with ideal weather. The only thing missing was a polar bear. And one woman was hoping to see a penguin (!!). TSH took 400 pictures.

During the night, the ship’s spotlight could be seen in constant operation, scanning for icebergs. This is really continuing the Titanic theme which began in the exhibition in Belfast, or earlier this year in Cherbourg, which was Titanic’s first port of call after Southampton.

The next morning was when TSH and Diva set foot on Greenland soil, in the small town of Qaqortoq. The houses here were also brightly coloured, but this settlement is large enough to have a school, church, supermarket and more police than you ever see in a UK town of much greater size. No trouble was apparent so maybe they were there because of the ship. A lot of 4 wheel drive vehicles for a place with no roads out.

The captain has cancelled his dinner with guests tonight. Many large bergs are expected and he wants to be on the bridge with the ice pilot. No weather forecast for the Labrador Sea yet.