Greenland: Qajartalik Blocked By Ice

The rain cleared and the blue sky returned as we left Qutdleq to continue south. Once clear of the island we sailed with a double-reefed main and a staysail in wind up to 18 knots and uncomfortable 3-4 meter seas generated by gale force winds offshore. The motion as we tacked away from land was jarring with the swell abeam. Things improved when we were finally able to tack back towards shore and have the seas behind us. We were able to sail close to the shore, admiring the mountains that rose out of the sea.

Our intention was a day sail to Qagssidlik, Avarqat Kangerdluat. We made good time and there was still enough daylight and fast sailing conditions to continue on to Qajartalik, Kangerdluluk Fjord. The approach to Kangerdluluk Fjord was stunning and we were disappointed when all 3 possible entrances to Qajartalik were blocked by ice. There wasn't enough light left to go back to Qagssidlik and we briefly poked around Kangerdluluk to see if we could find a place to drop anchor for the night. After watching the rough swell breaking on uncharted submerged rocks, we decided our only realistic choice was to continue. Sad to be leaving a magical place, the mountains shinning in anticipation of sunset. The combination of headwinds, ice and land, forced us to set a course taking us away from shore.

After sailing through the night, we reached Kangerlussuatsiaq (Lindenow Fjord) in the early evening of the following day and anchored in Kuugarmiut, a well-protected bay surrounded by walls of granite. Before we entered the fjord, we saw a cruise ship and talked to 2 other sailboats on the VHF, bringing the total number of vessels we encountered in 2 weeks on Greenland's east coast to 5.

Though Kuugarmiut provided exactly what we needed from a protected anchorage, it lacked the charm of Qajartalik. When we once again woke up to rain, we decided to skip a shore explore and make our way to Prins Christian Sund. This time the sky did not clear and it continued to lightly rain and we opened a water tank to collect rainwater as we motored in the calm sea. With only a few scattered icebergs, we were finally in open water and were able to spend more time scanning the horizon for whales than ice. A dolphin and a male orca both made a brief appearance but neither of them approached Snow Dragon.