Wow! The photos do not do it justice and I could compose a thesaurus of superlatives when trying to describe this landscape.
We continued along the Inner Lead Route north of Maniitsoq, which took us around the island of Kekertarmiut and we did the 5 nm (nautical mile) detour down Sermilinguaq - a fjord with towering mountains on both sides with their hanging glaciers perched in the cirques above us. At the end of the fjord, the glacier toe was pushing down, almost reaching the water.
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| Wow, just wow.... |
These are scenes we are very familiar with, mountains rising from turquoise water, glaciers and waterfalls. What is so surreal is that we sailed here! Imagine being on a sailboat in Lake Louise ... but without any ... other ... people. Outside the communities, we have seen two cruise ships (but they are the small ones) the odd cabin, some small runabouts and fishing nets pulled up on the rocks. So we have this glorious world all to ourselves. Oh, and the mozzies! With the lack of wind, we have discovered the infamous bugs. Despite the sun pouring into the cockpit and the jaw-dropping views, we were driven indoors spending the evening hunting the pesky bugs.
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| Taking in the views! |
The weather was stunning. The climate in this part of Greenland is cold desert and polar tundra. There is no permafrost because it is simply rock. There are a few small plants and lichen but hardly anything you would classify as a shrub. It is a harsh environment and how people managed to survive here is a testament to the adaptability of humans.
The further down the fjord we went, the more turquoise and silty the water became - just like a glacier-fed mountain lake.
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| You could be mistaken for thinking we were canoeing on a mountain lake |
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| It was even warm enough to unzip the foulies! |
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| The number of glaciers puts the Icefields Parkway to shame! |
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| Can you believe we sailed here? |
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| So much to take in, you are not sure where to look |
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| Believe it or not, that is TIDAL water on the shore! |
This glacier has a moraine in front of it so it doesn't feed directly into the fjord - it feeds into a glacier pond that, in turn, feeds into the fjord. This moraine did not stop bergy bits from floating out. We drifted and enjoyed lunch with this stunning vista before continuing north to an anchorage recommended by a fellow sailor.
And check out Marisa and Adriano's video @our_tern on Instagram:
Chapter 84 - Glaciers and Fjords
Stunning
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