Vagabond (Groenland2015)

Disko Bay encounters

France et Eric — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 10:00:00 GMT

For three weeks, nature has been good at bringing discoveries of small bays and wild fjords, whales, glaciers and explosive icebergs. Nature is also generous to treat our crew with plenty of black crowberries (coulis or fresh by handfuls), northern bilberries, mushrooms (delicious when fried), mussels, sea urchins and cod! Aurore and Leonie learned about rock climbing, using ropes on pretty long and steep cliffs. "I love climbing, de-climbing and top-roping!".

Aboard the Soleal, brand new liner from La Compagnie du Ponant, we meet again with Stephane Niveau, the expedition leader (also director of Paul-Emile Victor center in Premanon), and with captain Patrick Marchesseau (also captain of Planet Solar, world tour with solar energy), requesting us a lecture for their 200 passengers. Our friends Babeth and Laurent, and their two daughters Ondine and Lison, on holidays on board Vagabond, join us to enjoy the little swimming pool on board the cruise ship, a good meal and a great time with our hosts! All this is happening at anchor in front the Eqip glacier, where we can find the French polar expeditions base camp (1948-1953).

In Ilulisaat harbour, we share an evening with Atka's crew (former Periple), and with Gildas Flahault, who has been tingling our spine for long with his brushes. The aluminum boat was bought by Ben (François Bernard, polar guide), who visited us last winter.

Then Nanuq came along Vagabond. The project of his captain, Peter Gallinelli, is to winter without fossil energy (Passive Igloo). Professor at HEPIA (Engineering School in Geneva), he had organized a meeting "Energy and Far North" with Eric. Reunion and warm meeting with his family crew en route to northern Greenland.

Chance also allows us, in Ilulisaat, to meet again with:

Frank Bruno and his team of four young trainee trappers,
Mike Beedel, guide and photographer who asked our help to rescue equipment last April,
David Reid, who had camped near Vagabond with his bike in winter on the ice...

Happy moments in the most visited town in Greenland!

This is when the Blue Soul's team, filmmakers and freedivers, boards Vagabond. At once in the water, despite the cold, they enjoy the surroundings of icebergs, touching various type of ice, and getting close to whales. On August 23rd, in front of Ilimanaq, Leonie is going snorkeling for the first time, discovering starfish and sea urchins: "It's amazing, the bottom of the sea!".

France, Leonie and Aurore take off from Aasiaat (Greenland), the next day, to be on time for the start of the new school year in France.

From Sisimiut to Ilulissat

Eric Brossier — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 20:00:00 GMT

Sisimiut is the northern most harbour in Greenland not freezing in winter. What a difference with Qikiqtarjuaq, on the other side of the Strait, at the same latitude!

France: "Once in Sisimiut, together with our friends Celine, her son Guillaume, her mother Eliane and her cousin Anne, we enjoyed the swimming pool: the girls were expecting it for one year! It is outside, with sand at the bottom and mosquitoes as much as you want! It was fun."

Heading North. As we keep looking for the narrowest passes between islands, Vagabond hit the seabed twice! Getting over. At anchor in a little fjord, the crew enjoys fresh mussels. Fog continues, hiding the landscape.

So what a surprise to see Le Manguier right in front of us! Boats manoeuvre, and while Celine (tugboat captain) is keeping Vagabond close to the tugboat, we are happy to share some news. It's been a long time since we sailed the Northeast Passage, in 2009! France was pregnant, Leonie was two years old... Short but nice and unexpected encounter.

France: "Wonderful navigation between a lot of islands, we enjoyed seeing from very close some quiet whales, and South of Disko Bay, we also enjoyed the quiet village of Ilimanaq in the midnight sun. Then, we took the opportunity to spend time in between the impressive barrier of icebergs overflowing from the Ilulissat fjord, with a happy girl in the crow's nest. Hurray for Greenland!"

It's the ninth season for Vagabond around the big island, but it is our first stop in the most visited place in the country. When entering Ilulissat harbour, another surprise, Vagabond gets to moor alongside Peter 1st and Lady Dana 44, Russian and Polish sailboats: colleagues! Peter 1st sailed around the Arctic in 2010, in one season, the same year than the trimaran Northern Passage. We meet again, in the Russian way, but not too much as they have to go to sea around midnight.

Across Davis Strait

Eric Brossier — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 04:00:00 GMT

Thursday, July 23rd, south of Broughton Island. Nice weather, fair sea, no ice around, Vagabond sails by GreenEdge ice camp location and reach the open sea. Eight days ago, we were here by skidoo!

We are expected in Greenland, weather forecast is good, but still a lot of ice ahead. Not long before midnight, we decide to stop Vagabond against a big ice floe, in order to sleep for a few hours, while drifting south with pack ice. The next evening, we have to stop because of the fog, we cannot see a way out of this giant maze.

The net is tightening due to wind and current. We are mainly drifting south, up to one knot. Every day, we check ice charts and weather forecast. Two or three times, Vagabond try to force her way through, in vain. So we carry on various work onboard. In the end, this drifting family time is like a privilege, relaxing, after a long and interesting but tiring season. A polar bear comes, not too close. Lots of seals and birds.

On Monday, pack ice seems to open a little bit. With France in the crow's nest, Vagabond pushes, breaks, finds her way to more open water. When we go through the last drifting ice strip, there are only 60 nautical miles to go to Sisimiut. Sea is fine, wind is enough to fill the jib, fog is thick. Using GPS and radar, Vagabond reaches Greenland and, at 3 am, finds the harbour!

Not long after, we learn that close to us, while Vagabond was drifting, a Russian pilot was surviving from a helicopter accident. Read articles from Nunatsiaq and CBC.