Finally the day has come for kicking off the first leg of Sailing to Siku – our voyage to the Last Ice Area.
The crew for the first leg – nature photographer Thorsten Milse, researcher Tim Dowson, biology student and interpreter Sascha Schioett and myself, Greenland Policy Officer with WWF Denmark, travelled to Upernavik, Greenland for our first meeting with the Arctic Tern and its crew, already onboard.
Sunny and calm weather with temperatures around 8 C gave us a very pleasant introduction to Upernavik. From the airstrip overshadowing the town from the island’s central hilltop, we saw the harbor and the Arctic Tern, our home for the next 16 days.
With all our gear onboard Grant, Pascale and Valentine, the Students on Ice boat crew, gave us an introduction to life onboard a sailing boat – how to deal with a ‘man overboard’ emergency, how to fight a fire onboard and or to evacuate the boat if necessary. More importantly we learned that life on board the Arctic Tern includes good coffee and snacks and that a very nice dinner can be prepared with Greenland Halibut, a tad of white wine, a few fresh carrots and potatoes and lots of spices.
We discussed the days ahead and decided to start with only 3 miles on the first day, taking us to the north-east shore of Upernavik island. Here Tim had was excited to have identified an inlet containing a salt marsh, early this morning – with the help of the midnight sun.
Tag Archives: Last Ice Area
Shopping in Greenland
Since our arrival in this country, we’ve discovered a new culture and a new language – because few people speak English, we’ve learned some useful words, like how to say hello and thank you in Greenlandic. I practice my ‘thank you’ whenever it is needed: qujanaq, pronounced ‘Kru-Ya-Nak’. Half the time, it makes the locals laugh out loud! But I don’t despair. We always make ourselves understood for the important things (fueling, getting water, finding a grocery store, shower, etc..). People here are very friendly and smiling, and the assistance is appreciated in these isolated villages halfway around the world. Everyone takes the time to answer our questions in half-English, half-Greenlandic, half-sign language.
The biggest challenge for the crew takes place at the supermarket: stalls full of meat and fish all look equally delicious. Fishing is an important part of the country’s economy. The only problem: we have no idea what’s what! ‘Allatooq’, ‘eqaluk pujuugaq’ or ‘Tuttu’, the choice is yours! (based on our understanding, those translate to ‘seal’, ‘Muskox’ and the name of a delicious smoked fish that still eludes us to date). The crew is divided: Pascale has a soft spot for seal meat, Grant and I definitely vote for muskox. Note also that it is very easy to find whale on the menu here.
We return to the boat, get a few hours of sleep and it’s off to the north via the east side of Disko Island. A superb second day with full sun and a slalom between the icebergs. The coast of Disko Island is beautiful, we see even the Greenland ice cap. Heading out of the bay, we have a small setback: head wind and fog. So we make a last stop before Upernavik, in Arfertuassuk, a fjord that offers a quiet shelter for the night.
Ice in Ilulissat, Greenland

Students on Ice / WWF-Canon
The next day we decide to circle Disko Island to the east to see the mythical Ilulissat glacier. It’s the source of nearly 10% of Greenland’s icebergs, and is often considered one of the most productive in the northern hemisphere. We are not disappointed.
The villaqe of Ilulissat is already active, with many people in the streets (in proportion to the village’s size, of course!). A few stores open (even though today is Sunday), and a few restaurants. It is after all the third largest municipality in the area, with about 4,500 inhabitants.
Our captain is already here. He guides us for a short hike (the crew was initially divided on which direction to follow – women on one side and Grant on the other – the reader will have to guess who won) and we finally made it to the Jakobhavn glacier and an unforgettable view! Icebergs, bergy bits, small ice cubes, whites, blue, transparencies and so on, an ice field so compact, no doubt, this is the right place!
Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland

Students on Ice / WWF-Canon
Being a little ahead of schedule, the crew takes the opportunity to make a few useful, but enjoyable, stops. Names like ‘Arfertuassuk’ or ‘Nugssuaq’ are unpronounceable at first but we have no choice, the map is full of them! So we become apprentices in Greenlandic. And believe me, it’s worth it. All crew members attempt to pronounce the same word, and we all say it differently!
Each stop we make reveals a different face of this incredible country: Qeqertarsuaq (formerly Godhavn) is primarily a landlocked harbour well south of Disko Island. Arriving at night, we’re struck by the tranquility of this place. The people live to the rhythm of humpback whales and icebergs coming from the Jakobhavn glacier and rejoining the sea.
Sisimiut, Greenland
Our stop in Sisimiut allowed us to complete some routine maintenance, stock up on a few fresh supplies, and indulge in much needed hot showers for all! Shopping missions in town proved to be the most entertaining (for us and the locals) as none of us aboard speak Greenlandic or Danish. Despite our best efforts to learn, sign language naturally becomes the international language of choice in these situations, leading on one occasion to Pascale and Valentine imitating various wild animals, including Seals and Musk Ox, in an effort to purchase some meat at the fish market! Sorry, no pictures were taken of these animal antics.
After a couple of days in Sisimiut we all feel well fed, watered and rested. It’s now time to continue our journey North to Upernavik. Fair weather, sunshine, calm seas, and a light northerly breeze great us as we leave the harbor. Our “at sea” routine naturally recommences, although we will be making relatively short hops along the coast from now, stopping to anchor at night at a couple of spots before arriving in Upernavik.
By the way, no sign of Bob since our arrival, despite the crew continuing to call him day and night. We suspect he jumped ship, or hopefully made his own way ashore.
Approach to Greenland

Midnight sun off the coast of Greenland.
It’s only been a week at sea, but it feels a lot longer, probably due to the almost constant fog that has engulfed Arctic Tern since our departure from Canada. A South Easterly gale is now pushing us north. Daylight hours are rapidly increasing as we pass the Arctic Circle, the line of latitude north of which one enters the land of the midnight sun. More light makes “night” navigation easier, but also adds to our warped sense of time when combined with the ever-present fog, and our 9 hour routine of 3 hours keeping watch followed by 6 hours off, eating and sleeping.
It’s with great excitement that we approach Sisimiut, our first port of call in Greenland, as landfall promises to break this cycle.
Greenland and fog

Fog, fog and more fog.
We’re headed for Upernavik where we’ll meet the WWF team and scientists on July 24th.
Since yesterday, the wind has been south-east between 20 and 25 knots. Goodbye southern summer and hello Arctic summer: long johns, jackets, fleece, mittens, waterproof jacket and pants, everything comes out … and everything is quickly soaked! But we move at about 6/7 knots and almost on a direct route! One mystery remains, however: the fog does not seem to dissipate or leave us. Either we are in an unimaginably huge fog bank, connecting Newfoundland to Greenland … Or the fog has taken a liking to the Arctic Tern 1. Whatever the wind and outside temperature, it sticks around. When Bob is not there, the fog is our fourth crew member!
We can’t see the horizon, but the Arctic Tern seems happy to sail in these northern lands. Yesterday we crossed the 60th parallel. Yesterday? Or maybe it was this evening. The days and nights are starting to look more and more alike.
Bob, the new crew member

Students on Ice / WWF
We do some things at sea that we would never do on land but here, they seem normal: wake up every 6 hours for a 3-hour shift whether it’s noon, 6pm, or midnight; sleep on a berth wedged between pillows, the boat’s hull and an anti-roll plate at a 45 degree angle; flush the basic toilet with a hand pump, do the dishes with sea water, pull up the table to access drinkable water, raise the sails, lower them, raise them again, and do it over and over according to the weather… and we seem to enjoy all of it!
Unfortunately the wind dies down quickly and we must turn the motor on to continue our journey, against the fog that seems to keep us company! The outside temperature drops slowly, and we trade shorts, T-shirts and flip-flops for warmer clothes. Sometimes there’s a ray of sunshine, and the summer clothes come out again!
We’ve improvised some new crew members along the way: fulmars, shearwaters, two fin whales and even a Pine Siskin that we’ll call Bob. He returns every day around mid-day, does not look very fit and is very far above the earth for such a small bird! He finds the door of the boat and begins to go in and out for a while. He must find it very hot inside! The crew falls in love with their fourth team member and does everything to keep him on board: even imitating his distinctive cry (“ti-iiii”)… you can imagine the scene! But sorry, no videos…
Heading for Greenland

Our first icebergs!
The stopover in Blanc Sablon lasts a total of 26 hours: we arrive July 2 at 1am, we encounter some local fishermen the next morning and have the usual conversations at port (weather, planned route, presence of ice or not, etc.). We sometimes have a little trouble understanding the local accent… but soon realize that means our New Zealand, Quebec and French accents finally make us “foreigners” here! A day of call flies quickly. Thank you again to Trish Nash and Rudolph Jones for their help and availability!
We rejoin the sailing world on Tuesday morning at 3 am. This time, we’re headed for Greenland unless the presence of too much fog or ice prevents us from sailing safely at night. It’s still foggy, but when we leave Belle Isle the sun finally appears and we rediscover the horizon at last! The wind is a fine addition and we enjoy a few hours of sailing.
We’re overjoyed: the first icebergs! Massive and so impressive. We’re excited but must be cautious — vigilance will be needed during the shifts now, with the radar on almost constantly.
Blanc Sablon
We arrive at Blanc Sablon on the night of July 2.
Each crew member has a 3 hour shift every 6 hours. Cooking is done in turns, small jobs here and there too. We also become familiar with everyone’s little habits: hot water at the beginning of each shift for Pascale (and candy on the bridge), two teaspoons (and no more!) of powdered milk in Grant’s tea, A half-ball of jasmine tea (and no more either!) in mine. At the end of each shift, we fill the logbook, describing the situation at each specific time (course, compass heading, wind conditions, sail or motor, remaining distance, etc.), everything is compiled.
Madame Velcro continues her rampage. The cereal box is her latest victim. This week, we have the appearance of “Mr. Spiderman ‘(Grant). At any time of day or night, he emerges from his berth at the slightest suspicious noise.
Returning to the land means the return of on board lists of things to buy, do, find, repair, consolidate, rebuild, improve… The boat is full of sticky notes.
Our departure from Blanc Sablon depends on the weather for the crossing. We look forward to hitting the open ocean (and getting out of the fog!) Then, to reach Greenland and welcome on board the WWF team and scientists.