First Town

From Igdlorssuit Havn we motored 40 miles to Nanortalik where Gerd could make arrangements to get back to Tromso. The wind was against us so there was not much hope of being able to sail but the jagged mountains and large number of icebergs helped make up for it. Fog periodically closed in around us making the icebergs invisible and us more reliant on radar. Even shrouded in fog with only a ghostly image visible, the icebergs were still spectacular. When the visibility improved we were able to take in the detail of their intricate shapes and admire one berg that was tall enough to be seen above the line of receding fog.

We arrived in Nanortalik late in the evening and anchored in the harbor. The next morning we ventured into town and went to the tourist office to buy maps and get information about flights. Luckily there was space on the helicopter the following afternoon to Narsarsuaq, the main airport for southwest Greenland. Gerd would still have to spend the night in Narsarsuaq before flying to Copenhagen where he would have to spend another night while he waited for his connecting flight to Norway. It was the most direct way to get back so Gerd booked the tickets.

The tourist office mentioned that a cruise ship was coming in the following morning and that we needed to move our boat. Instead of tying up to the quay, we moved to an anchorage in the next bay where Gerd and Frances were able to have a relaxing pre-dinner hike. It was nice being out of the town. Though the people were very friendly it had an unpleasant vibe, we suspect caused by a combination of a high level of unemployment and the impact of cruise ships that flood the community with large number of tourists for short periods.

Everything went smoothly the following morning until Krystina's computer was drowned by a spilled cup of coffee, while we were working on a DVD of photos for Gerd to take back with him. The computer objected to the liquid and refused to shutdown properly or turn back on. This put both Frances and Krystina into a panic. Not only were all the photos and posts that had not yet been put on the blog stored on her computer, it was the only one onboard that could handle the large file size of our photos. If we could not get it working we either needed to purchase a large number of memory cards for the camera or a new computer, neither of which were likely to be available in a small Greenlandic town. When a session with the hairdryer and propping it vertically to dry did not show any promise, we began seriously thinking about having a new computer shipped in.

Gerd's Senic Way To The Airport

Before making a decision we needed to get Gerd on his flight so we motored back to the harbor and dropped anchor long enough to get him ashore with his luggage. We watched Gerd's helicopter take off, slightly jealous of the spectacular aerial view that he would get during the flight. After picking up a few things from the grocery store, we returned to the boat and gave the computer another session with the hairdryer which released a little more liquid and a distinct aroma of coffee. After leaving it vertical for another hour, Krystina tried turning it on one more time and to her relief it started normally.

That evening we sailed to Kangerdlua (60' 21N 45' 14W), an open bay on the north side of Sermersoq island. It was a lovely downwind sail using only the main. By the time we arrived it was fairly dark and we used the radar to double check our distance from shore before anchoring. There were several large icebergs outside the bay and various smaller refrigerator size pieces in the anchorage but we managed to find a spot that was relatively ice free and enjoyed a quiet night.

For more photos please click on Prins Christain Sund To Nanortalik Album.