The Adventure Begins
After three days on our own, it was time to meet the other photographers and the crew of the two sailing boats and set out for our nightly adventures, sailing with icebergs. Over the next five nights the group would board the boats at 9 PM and sail for hours, arriving back at the dock anywhere from 3 AM to 5 AM.
Why did we sail at these strange hours? Because, as I mentioned in my previous blog post, it was during the night when the icebergs came alive, displaying beautiful colors and many moods. It sure did not disappoint.
During the day, before the first night of sailing, we moved to the Hotel Arctic where we would meet up with the other photographers and guides, have our first dinner with them at the hotel, and set sail in the evening. By the way, the dinner at the hotel’s restaurant was excellent.
Note: This is the second in a series of four blog posts about last year’s trip to Ilulissat, Greenland. Part 1 of this series is:
where I described our first three days in Greenland prior to us joining the main adventure my wife and I had signed up for. This blog post will cover the first three nights of the main adventure.
The First Night – Ilulissat Icefjord
We boarded the boats late in the evening on the first night and set sail. The Sun was still up, but because of the heavy overcast skies, you would hardly know it except for the fact that it was still bright enough to see.
It was after midnight when we arrived at the icebergs at the mouth of the icefjord. Though the boats had sails and were fully qualified sailing boats, the captains used motors to maneuver us through the ice.
The low hum of the engines was almost the only sound to hear, except for the occasional loud crack, like a rifle shot, that would pierce the silence and slowly fade away. Apparently, when the ice cracks it makes that loud bang, but it is usually impossible to see what caused it.
In every direction were massive icebergs. From the sky to the icebergs and to the water, everything was just various shades of blue. You could easily make out details in the icebergs and admire their odd shapes.
Sometimes the captains would cut the engines and there would be almost total silence, only the soft sound of water gently lapping against the side of the boat. Or perhaps the cry of a seagull as it takes off from an iceberg, startled by our presence.
The captains would take turns, maneuvering the boats, so first one boat would be in front of an iceberg, then rotate so the other one would be. That was to give everyone a chance to photograph the boats with icebergs.
It was surprisingly comfortable given that the air temperature was just around 37 degrees Fahrenheit. The thick down jacket helped a lot to keep the breeze out and the warmth in as we moved from place to place. When it got too much, there was always the galley downstairs in the cabin where the crew kept hot drinks to warm up with and cookies to sustain us.
But honestly, what self-respecting photographer wants to stay inside when there is all that beauty outside. Although the boats were only about 40 feet long, we probably racked up miles of walking every night going back and forth on the boat chasing the wonderful shots.
Some icebergs had weird looking shapes like the one in the photograph below that vaguely resembles an Elephant Seal lifting its nose in the air.
The Sun would be below the horizon that night for less than 3 hours, yet it would remain light twilight the whole time. But because of the heavy overcast, we would return to the dock for an early end to the night before sunrise at 3 AM. The Sun would have risen by the time we were back in our rooms.
The Second Night - Disko Bay and Oqaatsut
My wife and I awoke in time for lunch at the Hotel Arctic. It turned out we would only get lunch as we would always sleep through the free breakfast. Normally, we would have dinner at the hotel before going out for the night, but this second night we would get an early start because we had a special dinner planned. So, we departed from the dock before 5 PM.
The special dinner was at a restaurant known as Restaurant H8 Explorer, in a tiny fishing village known as Oqaatsut. There is an interesting back story as to why it is called H8. During World War 2, the U.S. had painted these designations on the roof of one building in each town so the pilots could navigate as they flew over Greenland on their way to Europe. The building that is now the restaurant had H8 painted on its roof.
We would travel north out of Ilulissat for approximately 12 miles at the blazing speed of a few miles an hour, as fast as our little engines could move. It would take us 2 hours.
Along the way, we encountered icebergs, with a lot of character, and even some Humpback Whales. (I will write about the whales in a later post coming soon.) These icebergs originated in the icefjord, but are traveling north now in Disko Bay with the current. They have had more time to melt and form interesting structures.
Chasing the whales had actually put us behind schedule for our arrival at the restaurant, but who can resist whales! They still held the reservation for us, however, as we were their only customers that night. Did I mention this place is pretty far out of the way?
Before and after dinner, we had time to explore the village for a bit. Look closely in the first photo below. On the right in the foreground are fish hanging out to dry in the traditional manner. In the second photo, are a couple canoes belonging to the villagers with icebergs out in the water.
For dinner we had Musk Ox at H8. It was a delicious meal and enjoyed by all! After the meal, we explored Oqaatsut some more. Then at midnight, with good light still around, it was time to head back out to sea.
Within 20 minutes of the photograph above, the sunset color changed from yellow to red, as seen in the photograph below. That night we saw a great sunset.
Soon, however, the clouds thickened. But in the distance the guides spotted an iceberg with a magnificent arch and we made our way towards it. There was so much structure in the iceberg that it would have been fascinating even without the arch. The boats circled this arch several times before moving on.
We could have explored icebergs all night, but it was already after 2 AM and it was a long way back to the dock. So we settled in for the slow return trip. After two days of sailing, my back was so achy that at one point I went down to the sleeping quarters for the crew and borrowed a bed.
That’s when I learned of Olga’s tuck in service. While I laid there with my eyes closed, resting, one of the Russian crew members, and captain’s wife, came in and pulled up the covers over my shoulders. Her name was Olga. How nice. I said “thank you” as she left.
It felt so good to rest my achy muscles. Then, finally, we arrived back at the dock at about 5 AM, already an hour after sunrise.
The Third Night – Back to the Icefjord
Refreshed from the day’s sleep, we were ready to go for our third night out on the water. We were well underway by 11 PM and heading back towards the Icefjord. The sun was shining bright as we headed south along the coastline with the town of Ilulissat in the background. After two nights of overcast skies, it was a hopeful sign to see the sun.
Turning around and looking out to the bay, we got a great view of the sunset. It was still an hour and a half until sunset, but the sun was already low in the sky and the scene was blazing with warm golden colors. Small icebergs dotted the water with larger ones in the distance. High clouds were visible in this direction. On the horizon, a thick layer of clouds hung out off the coast. Would it come in and envelop us later?
In fact, just a few minutes after the photograph above, that thick layer of overcast did rapidly approach. Within half an hour we were enveloped by it, and even some fog. All the scenery in the icefjord became much more muted. Muted, however, does not mean boring. By the third day I had become accustomed to shooting in these conditions and how to take advantage of the wonderful moodiness it created.
When the boat would stop, the water would become very still. Only a few light ripples were seen on the surface. It was eerie to be on a boat in the ocean with such still water. But then, this is technically an icefjord inside a bay and not the open ocean. I also have to think that the huge icebergs must dampen any waves as well.
The smooth water created beautiful reflections of the icebergs. Just like the first night, an occassional loud bang would pierce the silence and fade away as somewhere nearby an iceberg cracked.
Sometimes the boat would pass through a thick field of small icebergs. Crunching sounds created by the hull of the boat sliding by the floating ice, would then disturb the silence. Most of the time, it was a constant, but not loud noise. But every once in a while an uncomfortably loud crunch would occur.
Sometimes the boats would maneuver into an alignment that provided a great view of the other boat with a row of huge icebergs in the distance as in the photograph below.
By now, it was 2 AM. Time to make our way back to the dock. Passing by more icebergs along the way, we caught glimpses of small waterfalls trickling off the ice into the water. It was a reminder that even in the arctic, it is summer.
Stay Tuned
Stay tuned for blogs posts parts 3 and 4 of this amazing trip to the Ilulissat Icefjord, coming soon.
- Part 3, Ilulissat Icefjord – Pink Sky, Thick Fog, will cover the last two nights of sailing.
- Part 4, Ilulissat Icefjord – Whales, will cover the Humpback whale sightings during this adventure.
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