Wednesday 21st August 2024
Another foggy night with regular blasts on the foghorn. Woke up while the ship was moving very slowly into the fog just approaching a narrow fjord. Sun trying to break through above the fog. Most wonderfully long foghorn echos in the closely confined spaces in the fjord. Already steep rocky sides rising to high peaks, looks very promising for a great day.
Sun steadily clearing to a clear blue sky sunny day revealing a spectacular scene.
Ship moving very slowly through the fjord, all part of a passage through the southern part of Greenland between the Labrador Sea and the Irminger Sea. Some very sharp corners to negotiate, hardly looked like a ship of this size would fit. All around us high peaks, steep cliffs topped with the Greenland icecap melting into waterfalls.
Sailed past the tiny settlement Aappilattoq, just a few houses isolated alongside the fjord, no roads!, access only by boat whist ice free and then only by helicopter.
Several small glaciers along the way and a couple of larger ones discharging small ice into the sound.
The geology of south Greenland is made up of Palaeoproterozoic supracrustals - rocks that formed original as stratified rocks on Earth's surface (sediments, volcanics) before being dunked down into Earth's crustal interior and subjected to intense metamorphism and ductile deformation.
Impressive folding of the rocks alongside the sound together with minor glaciers and the calm weather made for some great reflections.
Spent some time near the biggest, once a couple of other ships had vacated the best viewing spot. All around the ship lots of bits of ice slowly melting and releasing air bubbles in the ice to the accompaniment of a popping sound.
It took all day to pass through the sound. Small group of seals spotted as we left the last of the sound. Back out at sea on our way to Iceland lots more icebergs scattered about near the coast.
A fantastic day, doubly so being an unexpected addition to the cruise, can’t imagine why any cruise to Greenland doesn’t include this passage in the itinerary, it’s certainly would be much better than having two similar days in port. I wonder if the fine weather helped?
Dinner tonight in the Island Dining Room, better choices on the menu for tonight.
Back to the cabin to relax.
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