Prinz Christian Sund, Greenland

Day 8,     Link: Prince Christian Sound

Sunrise at 0430 also brought my rise. The ship had stopped in calm waters outside the western entrance to Prinz Christian Sund. 0515 I spotted a berg. The weather was clear and sunny and soon we were slowly entering the sound. The next 12 hours were passed slowly moving along several of the channels crossing this southern tip of Greenland. With the sheer rock faces just outside the ship and mountain peaks, some 3,000' high, there was much to look at. Lots of waterfalls, several glaciers, ice bergs and rock formations demanded attention. This entailed dashing about ship port-starboard-front, aft, up and down decks to get the best views of everything. The best viewing was from the fore deck for a 180 degree view ahead and unobstructed view of the towering ridges and peaks alongside as we passed. From our deck and cabin we could sit comfortable in our chairs and watch this pass by. A running commentary from the bridge was provided so we wouldn't miss anything. Here are some of the oldest exposed rock formations of our Earth; 3 billion years old and older. The channel is too deep to anchor running about 1,000 feet deep in most places. We surprised a seal sunning on an ice slab which didn't notice the ship until it was alongside. Whales were spouting and diving. We saw only one small village, named for sea anemone, remote, with a population of 160 and accessible only by boat. We spotted one lone fishing or sealing boat.

Entering sound from the West

Glacier

another glacier

seal upon awakening

whale diving

Rotterdam's route this day

At 1710 we emerged from the East end into the Denmark Strait which runs between Greenland and Iceland. Several bergs were grounded and a few floating nearby. The sky closed in but the wind and temperature remained tolerable.

Huge berg at sea

berg aground next channel

 Next it was time to dress for the evening and as this night is a Gala Night, tuxedos and gowns or coat-and-tie and evening wear were the dress code. (Although some ignore that and wander about in dress-down attire looking quite out of place.) The crew worked hard to prepare the dining room for a special dinner.

On this day the ship and company were fortunate weather wise. The previous visit was blocked by ice at the channel and other visits had rain, clouds or fog.

The noon report shows position 60º 09.94'N, 049º 07.95'W. Wind SW 1. Clear conditions. Seas flat. Temperature 46ºF 8C. Speed 7.2knots (varied throughout the day from stopped to 7.2, mostly 3 knots) Humidity 79%. Sunrise 047, Sunset 2136. Noon to noon mileage 152 nm. Total voyage 1,922 nm. Next port 676 nm.