To Disko 2: A day without flow

With the tide trapping us in our awesome anchorage until ~08:00, we have a relaxed morning. Weather is drizzely but no wind in our protected place. The route out takes us through very narrow passages, which look alright, they are deep and the charts show rocks only off the route. However Andrew Wilkes’ guide to the “Arctic and Northern Waters” mentions uncharted rocks and generally recommends to avoid this passage all together. With full attention we steam out slowly at around 3 knots over ground. The setting is staggering.

As we reach open waters we have wind of almost 20 knots and I decide to hoist the main into its first reef and set the genoa. And then a game began that should carry through all day: shortly after, the wind died again. We head out offshore to catch better wind, which eventually works. Vanuily is making an excellent pace and is passing us under Spinnaker, a nice sight. Our Gennaker is still somewhat fouled in its bag since my incident off Newfoundland, so we refrain from hoisting it in 20 knots of breeze.

The crew is beginning to form, most maneuvers we do are firsts. Things are falling in place, stomachs are adjusting to the movement, we are moving in a good direction. Give us a week and I will be laying in my bunk while sails go up and down.

As the day progresses, we keep changing our plan. The variety of options reaches from sailing through the night, docking in Maniitsoq, and anchoring in places near and far. In the end we opt to follow Vanuily into an anchorage that seems challenging but both rewarding and strategically located for continuing the next day. Vanuily shares valuable reconnaissance on WhatsApp. The charts are totally wrong in several places. The anchorage is at the foot of Kin of Sal or Ummannassuaq in the local language, ETA 00:30. There will be light, that is not the problem, but the area around the mountain is uncharted. Echo sounder for the win!

We drop 45 meters of chain in 12 meters of water souraounded by enormous rocky islands. Wow.Read more