Ilulisat Icefjord

Cruising Disko Bay, home of the Ilulisat Ice Fjord, was going to be one of the highlights of our Greenland visit. However, as the days ticked on, we realized that our original plan for a circular tour of the Bay wasn’t going to be possible. It would take us a few days to get all the way around and we could also get temporarily trapped in a harbour, or, anchorage, by ice which would cause a delay we weren’t willing to accept. So, as we approached the southern shores of Disko, we debated what to do. In the end, we decided to head into Aasiat, one of the largest towns in the area in the hopes that we could arrange some kind of tour to the Ice Fjord as we really didn’t want to miss it. We were in luck as there was a once a week local ferry to Ilulisat and it was on Sunday, the very next day. The trip would only take 4-1/2 hours each way and we would have 4 hours to sightsee while there before returning.

The ferry, along with helicopters and STOL aircraft, are the only means of transport between towns in Greenland. I don’t know how the local people afford it though because the return trip, for both of us, was about 2300 DKK (about $450 CAD). Somehow they do though because it was packed with local people and very few tourists. Ferry arrivals/departures are big events where it seemed half the town turns out to wave hello/goodbye.

Was it worth it? An emphatic yes!!! The Ice fjord has to be one of the most spectacular sights we have ever seen and we have seen many. 

Viewed from the ferry

Viewed from land. For scale, note the little black dot at the top of the picture which is a helicopter

The lonely icebergs we saw on the way from Aasiat paled in comparison to the outflow of ice and bergs from the fjord. Leaving the driving to someone else was wise. The captain just ploughed through bergy bits and growlers that Gjoa would have had to dodge and weave through. We got a much better, more relaxed, view of the spectacle in a lot less time and with a lot less stress.

It didn’t look like there was even going to be a way through into Ilulisat harbour, but, eventually the ice thinned out and we got in. It’s a very small, extremely busy harbour. If we had brought Gjoa, there would have been absolutely nowhere to tie up, or, even turn around and anchoring out would have meant somebody on berg watch at all times.

View from the hiking trail

From the town, it is possible to hike easily to the ice fjord, the first Unesco World Heritage site in the Arctic. The view was just as spectacular from land, the day was warm, the bugs few and not biting and we enjoyed the day very much. It has been the highlight of our cruise so far.

After our hike, we arrived for a 1700 departure and joined the crowds boarding and seeing off the ferry. We

The captain and engineers having a look

pushed off , the captain put the boat into gear and we headed for the harbour exit. Right away we could tell there was a problem and sure enough, we started to reverse back into the tight harbour and against the wall. The ferry had a ‘prop wrap’! Just goes to show even the big boys encounter the same problems. We were delayed three hours while a diver was found and the offending net was removed. The view on the way back was, if possible, even better, as the light had changed to a golden glow on the ice. Reindeer was on the menu for dinner and then we crammed into the aft lounge with the locals and listened to the Greenland indoor soccer team, fresh from a tournament, playing guitar and leading a singalong.

 

Removing the net

The ice field at midnight

We will leave tomorrow, July 29, for Canada and the coming challenge of the North West Passage. The ice has cleared from Baffin Bay and we should be able to go straight across from Disco. Pond Inlet is still plugged up with ice, but, the far eastern end of Lancaster Sound is open. We’re hoping for a straightforward passage just having to dodge a few icebergs coming from Ilulisat. They flow north from Ilulisat, on the West Greenland Current, to Melville Bay and then back south along the shores of Baffin Island, Labrador and Newfoundland. The passage will probably take us between 5-7 days.

What sled dogs do on their summer vacation in Ilulisat!

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Aasiat 28/7/2014 12:00 68°42.4'N 052°52.6'W