Day 13 - Reykjavik, Iceland

Sunday 25th  August 2024

Already berthed when we woke up this morning. Weather looking promising, sunny periods, light winds and cool.

As usual too late for dining room breakfast, so it’s the buffet, no great loss judging by the one time we did make it.

Off ashore today, ship berthed at Skarfabakki Cruise Terminal, rather remote from city, this seems to be becoming the norm with many ports.  Sensibly the city put on a free shuttle bus for transfers to the city.

We picked up the shuttle bus after not too long a wait, about a 10 minute drive to the Harpa Concert Hall dropoff.

Just a bit of a walk planned for today.  A leisurely fairly short stroll up the hill via the rainbow pavement to the Hallgrimskirkja Cathedral.

Only external access to the cathedral due to a Sunday service being in progress.  No chance to visit the tower for panoramic views over the town.  Just a few photos to try to capture the Cathedrals’s interesting architecture and construction and of the Lief Ericsson statue.

A return back down the hill and as there is nothing else around the town to attract us it’s back on the shuttle for a return to the ship.

On our return we are happy to see a quiet ship, plenty of seats in the atrium, perfect for a coffee and a snack.

The afternoon spent in our cabin and balcony with a decent cup of do it yourself tea.  Definitely a slight sulphur smell on the balcony and a strange looking cloud in the distance, must be from the volcano near Grindavik on the Reykjanes Peninsula.

Dinner in the buffet.

Late sailaway today, 9:30ish.

Captain announced there will be chance to view the volcano at about midnight as we sail by.

Almost immediately an announcement that the volcano was in view already at 10:15.

As usual we are on the wrong side of the ship and we needed to go up to the top deck for views over the port side.

Great views, plenty of activity, bit distant but still amazing.  It’s rather cold so we watched for a while then back for a warm up.  Out  again to enjoy the views for a bit longer before time for bed.

Day 12 - at Sea

Saturday 24th  August 2024

This morning notification of another change, the expectation is that later today there will be high winds around Isafjordur which would compromise the use of tenders.  Even though it’s OK now where we are in the approaches to Isafjorur the the call has been cancelled and so a reverse of course to start our cruise to Reykjavik.

The change of plan means no rush at all today, leisurely breakfast in buffet, weather starting to brighten up a bit, but sea a bit rougher out at sea.  Not as windy and rough as it was for a while during the night.

Up to Skywalkers lounge in search of a seat, any seat!  Found a space, not in the best position, but make do for now.  Ordered a coffee to be delivered, still waiting, a bit slow!

Again chose to go back to cabin for a bit more comfort and space.

Today’s lunch buffet Mexican themed.  Very disappointing, not much Mexican about the choices.

Back to cabin for the afternoon, called in to Skywalkers for snacks and a cocktail before dinner in the Island Dining Room, Italian theme tonight.

Relaxing evening still hoping for a call to Reykjavik tomorrow.

Day 11 - at Sea

Friday 23rd  August 2024

Considering that hurricane Ernesto has caused our itinerary change and we are following it across the Atlantic the weather stays calm, clear, sunny  and with only light winds.  The third fine day in a row.

So it’s another relaxing sea day mostly in the sun on the balcony following our preferred routine.

Distant sightings of whales today, need something nearer for photos, perhaps another day.

Once more managed to fit in a lecture, today by the ice pilots who had been onboard since Cobh to ensure our safety (and the ship’s) whilst in possible ice areas.  Years of experience in icy waters, satellite surveys and forecasts with a knowledge of all the different types of ice and their dangers to ships, particularly when the ice cover exceeds 10% which stops cruise ship entering the ice.     (Perhaps a bit late for us, but I guess they have been busy).  Everything from this seasons ice to blue ice from the lower levels of glaciers.

Tonight it’s dinner in Steamers, a fish speciality restaurant option.

Day 10 - at Sea

 Thursday 22nd  August 2024

An amazing clear sunny day cruising steadily following the distant Greenland coast in light winds and calm seas.

A really nice relaxing day pretty much following the standard at sea routine for nice weather days.  Buffet for breakfast, trivia, coffee on the balcony, snack for lunch, relax on the balcony watching for wildlife in the sun.  Actually really warm with clear skies and sun all day, despite being mid-atlantic and more or less at the Arctic circle.

Fitted in a nice walk around the promenade and attendance at todays enrichment lecture on whales and dolphins which may be seen on this voyage, should be all sorts around particularly in Icelandic waters, lets hope.

Dinner tonight in the Crown Grill.  Really delicious Surf and Turf, excellent.

Time to relax and digest

Day 9 - Prince Christian Sound, Greenland

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.

Spot the village

Ah, there it is

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.

Day 8 - Nanortalik, Greenland

Tuesday 20th  August 2024

Nanortalik in Greenlandic means “place of bears”.  Polar bears are occasional seen offshore on the flow ice, the waters also teem with seals and Humpback and Minke Whales.  Ashore brightly painted houses cluster to a rocky peninsula.

Already at anchor as we woke this morning, light winds broken cloud and sun.

Tenders already well under way getting folk ashore as we breakfasted in the buffet.

Our shore excursion for a boat ride to get up close to icebergs not being until the afternoon allowed for a leisurely morning on the ship.  

Plenty of time for trivia and to enjoy the spectacular scenery and the icebergs floating nearby, weather cool but sunny.

On with the cold weather gear, just in case, and down to catch a tender into town.  At this time tenders into town not at all busy.  But there being only one dock for tenders in the town it was causing a very long queue for returning passengers and a bit of a wait for those going ashore.

Checked about the pick up point for our boat ride, only a short walk to the pier.  Booked ourselves in and got a group number.  Whole thing a bit vague as to which boat we were allocated, not quite as expected when booking.  Bit of a shambles really.  Some folk were being kitted out in waterproofs for what was obviously going to be a cold wet ride on open boats, ribs, etc.  Not at all suitable for us. Luckily there was just one nice little boat which we had noted amongst the collection of mixed boats taking people out.  A little persuasion with the lone shore excursion rep got our group number changed to match the boat we needed, this happened to be just discharging the previous group of passengers.

So almost immediately (much sooner than our original group projected time) we boarded the “Nina” with about 10 others on a boat with a capacity of about 35, and we were very soon away on our trip.

A very nice little boat, two decks, lots of outside space for photo opportunities, a warm inside space to get out of any inclement weather, coffee available, a toilet and of course lots of space with so few passengers.

Just a short cruise down the estuary to the target iceberg, amazing colours, we circled several times up very close, lots of time to absorb the experience, fantastic.  This berg apparently grounded, with about 60m of ice below the water and 10m above.

The onboard naturalist who was living and studying in the town saw but didn’t point out some passing seals but she did have a photo of two polar bears which had very recently wandered through the town, rare but not unusual.

The Captain also had a photo of the sea around the town which showed that, only a couple of weeks ago, the sea ice completely filled the estuary, this prevented any of the cruise ships due to visit.

Soon back in town to stroll back to the tender, the queue now pretty much cleared, and back to the ship.

Up to the buffet for a hotdog and then back to the cabin for a cup of tea.

The Captain came on with an announcement that due to hurricane Ernesto there would be a change of our itinerary.  To delay our arrival in the affected area around Iceland that tomorrow we would sail through the Prince Christian Sound for the day and the call to Akureyri was cancelled, our call to Reykjavik rescheduled, all subject to more possible changes.

Sailaway about 6:30, time for some photos of icebergs dotted about the estuary, before getting to the theatre for tonights show, a second show by Chris Ritchie.  This one songs by various artists, Johnny Cash, Tom Jones, etc. very good again, very versatile (and without the wig tonight!).

At last, a few minutes relaxation before bed.