Nuuk4: Crew and bunkering

The past two days we spent with further preparation, crew arrival and some sightseeing.
Yesterday, Joerg arrived. I went to pick him up with the hand cart at the airport - just a 1.5 km walk. Well, Joerg’s luggage didn’t make it. Bummer. Yann picks up us up with the dinghy at the beach.

I am confident Iceland Air will manage to bring the luggage quickly, Joerg is less confident. In the luggage is the kind of special equipment for the NWP, like the floatation overall and neoprenes. We continue with the preparatory work. We stock up provision, Yann mounts a lifeline that I judge actually beneficial to safety. For the evening we invite the crews of Vanuily and Nunatak for dinner. The arctic char and two freshly caught cod are the main course. The evening is wonderful with sun and good folks.

Today morning as soon as the wind died and the tide was up, we moved Hafiz to the fuel dock around the corner. Bunkering time. Unfortunately a power-outage strikes and gasoline for the dinghy cannot be tapped but the diesel pump runs off the backup generator. First we fill the bladder so that in case of problems here, we can still transfer its content into the main tanks. The 20 minutes filling time for the 600-liter bladder pass awkwardly. The wobbly thing is not confidence instilling. What if it leaks, chafes, the filler cap pops open…. As the bladder fills, it attains posture and we deem it good enough to go for it.

All in all we bunker 1,450l diesel and also fill both water tanks. Hafiz is heavier than ever before. The water line is a couple of cm higher than usual. I am very curious to see how that will impact sailing performance…

After some more work on the trampoline and a nap, we head out to town for a touristic tour. The dinghy parking options have further reduced since the previous year. No floating dock for us. We raft up to some wildly tied fishing boats and climb from the fourth row across random boats to the harbor wall and then up the ladder. Of course we pass by Qalut Vonin on the way to town one more time. I buy some rope and we check the clothing options for Joerg in case his luggage should not arrive.

Old town Nuuk is beautiful with historic site, sculptures and board walks. Just next to it tower modular apartment complexes that are reminiscent of eastern Europe. After a restaurant visit, Joerg takes a cab to the airport, while we take the dinghy back to the mother ship. As we arrive, we see Joerg descending to the beach with his big yellow bag on his back., His smile visible from a km away. We are ready to go, no more blockers!

I catch two more cod for the fridge, tomorrow some final procurements. Mosquito head nets seem sensible—each day of good weather seems to bring more of these pesky creatures.Read more