Greenland – Day 8 can be found here.
We woke to placid waters and rugged mountains – and breathed a sigh of relief.
We’d reached Evighedsfjord.
We hadn’t been certain that would happen. The previous night, Darryn had warned us that the pack ice was building up to the north of us and would be joined by 40 knot winds. Far from ideal cruising conditions.
But there was a gap in the ice close to shore, so we’d hoped to get inside Evighedsfjord before conditions worsened. We made that narrow window.
The plan for the morning would be a zodiac cruise of nearby bird colonies and the glacier itself, followed by a polar plunge. The afternoon promised to be pure ‘expedition territory’ – the team would have a look around and see what looks interesting.
We are, in fact, so remote that there are no soundings for this area. So our options with the Cloud itself are limited – but our zodiacs are many. We’ll see what the day holds.
Our usual morning routine – buffet breakfast at La Terrazza, followed by sunscreen and warm clothing. We opted to leave the backpack behind this time, as the kids have not yet asked for a drink of water on any previous zodiac cruise. (Famous last words.)
Departure was bumped back slightly from 7:40 am to 7:50 am, but otherwise everything went according to plan. By 8 am we were pulling up alongside the nearby nesting colonies of Guillemots and Kittiwakes:
It also began to rain. Lightly at first, then harder. But not enough to dampen our spirits.
Despite the rocky terrain, the birds’ guano makes for fertile conditions. Some of the flora looks like it would be equally at home in the tropics.
Then we swung closer to the glacier to get a better look. We had to be careful not to get too close, as there was a very real chance that the glacier would ‘calve’ – that sections of it would break off and fall into the water.
Smaller hunks of ice could create waves. Larger sections could create tsunamis large enough to swamp our zodiac – a dangerous prospect when we were surrounded by glacial icebergs.
Whether due to the warmer weather, the rain or some combination of factors unknown, sections of the glacier began to drop into the water. Small at first, but then larger ones started calving.
Video from our zodiac, shot by a fellow guest
was truly spectacular to behold, but the moment was also bittersweet. Just a decade ago this glacier had extended several kilometers further into the fjord. But as the climate changes, it is receding rapidly.
Sitting here with our children, we wonder what Greenland will look like for future generations. Or even 5 or 10 years from now.
The water around us is a soft milky blue, not unlike the colour of the blue lagoon. Our zodiac driver explained that – as sections of the glacier break off – they scrape along the rocky fjord and grind it down, forming a kind of “rock flour”.
She then turns off the engine and we sit for a time, listening to the calls of the birds, the creak of the receding glacier and the occasional deep boom of a calving.
Silversea has another surprise for us – a supply boat outfitted with champagne, vodka, chocolate truffles, and chocolate-covered strawberries. It is unbelievably decadent, and an experience we’re unlikely to forget any time soon. (Strawberry stems were deposited into the champagne glasses so as not to contaminate the ecosystem.)
It was at this point that our children began to get thirsty themselves. (Of course, the one time we didn’t bring the water bottles.) Thankfully, Silversea was better prepared than the parents – they passed over paper cups of water, which we also carefully returned to the Cloud. We were soon racing towards the ship at breakneck speed so that other guests could experience the wonder of what we’d just seen.
Back aboard, we took a brief break in the Observation Lounge before heading to the Panorama Lounge for trivia. Smaller groups this time due to the ongoing tours and the questions were quite difficult – we only managed 15 out of 20, one of our worst showings to date. But still good enough to take first place!
Then a dash back to the room to get ready for the polar plunge – only for it be postponed until 2 pm that afternoon. So instead, we spent some time in the Observation Lounge, Panorama, and at the Restaurant.
Another fabulous meal – I had the fried seafood platter, as well as the pork vindaloo. Both delicious.
It wasn’t an entirely leisurely morning, however, as we were still trying to find out whether the kids would be allowed to join the polar plunge.
We’d visited expedition desk enough times that they were beginning to hide whenever they saw us (kidding… mostly) and the latest rumour was that the kids could do the polar plunge provided they saw the medical officer before they made the jump.
However, we’d tried to visit the medical officer twice without result – so we went back up to the expedition desk one more time to get their thoughts on the matter.
And… Darryn agreed they could do it. He spoke to both kids to make sure they wanted to do it, and he checked that we knew what we were getting ourselves into. But once he felt confident that it could be done safely, we were set to go.
We had about 15 minutes to spare at this point, so back to the room to change into swimsuits and bath robes – just in time for the fateful call. The dive platform was ready for us.
My wife and daughter were at the front of the line. They dropped off their robes, marched up to the dive platform, and leapt into the water to raucous cheers from the Silversea guests and crew.
According to my wife, the hardest part was waiting while the Able Seamen figured out how to tie the safety belt around my daughter’s smaller frame. Apparently it required doubling up and custom knots.
My son and I let a few other guests go ahead of us, so as to maximize the chances that our showers would be free once we finished. We duly dropped off our robes, walked out to the platform, had the safety lines attached – and leapt.
The polar plunge is quite the experience. There’s an intense shock as you first enter the water – particularly if you do so via a dive or cannonball, as I did – but you quickly adapt. (With this being our first one, we elected not to try to swim to the end of the tether and just got out immediately after jumping in.)
Shock soon gave way to euphoria, which was aided by a small shot of tequila provided by a helpful crew member. My son had hot chocolate, and jokingly asked what the strange feeling coming from the cup could be: “Is it… wor… war… warmth?”
We then settled in to watch some of the polar plungers from our verandah, safe in the knowledge we would not need to do it again – at least not this cruise.
Our children were minor celebrities for the rest of the day, with a succession of guests and crew alike coming up to congratulate them – the youngest and second-youngest polar plungers, respectively – on taking the leap. They also generously shared some fantastic photos, and we took a few of our own too.
Then came the announcement – due to the time required for the zodiac cruise and the polar plunge, there would be no further expeditions that afternoon.
We were fine with this, as we had already had a very full and adventurous day – though it did mean we would be missing our trip to the village of Kangamiut. Maybe next time.
Off for another power nap, and then up to Panorama for a bit. We’d scarcely sat down, however, before another announcement was made – humpback whales had been spotted off the starboard side. We rushed up the stairs to Deck 9 and took in the splendor of two whales playing and feeding. It was a lovely sight, and my iPhone’s video does not do it justice. Thankfully, the ship’s photographer got this shot:
Back to Panorama where we chatted with some of our new friends – and discussed future trips – before heading down to the Explorer’s Lounge for our final briefing. Weather was not looking tremendous, but the Captain was hoping to sail us between two incoming storms so that we could reach Sisimiut before setting sail for Kangerlussuaq.
There would be both a Strenuous Hike and a Relaxed Hike on offer tomorrow, but the Strenuous Hike looked like it would be quite exploratory (read: unpredictable) so we opted for the shorter option. We’re also keeping our ears to the ground in case we can find the children’s other favourite travel pastimes – playgrounds and ice cream.
Then off to the Restaurant once more, where I had a leisurely meal of softshell crab tempura and Maine lobster, followed by Arriba Equador and a glass of warmed cognac. The softshell crab had a rather strong, fishy taste to it, but everything else was delicious.
Finally, off to our suites to prepare for the day ahead. We would be berthed in Sisimiut, which meant we would have a later wakeup – and time enough for a glass of champagne overlooking the Labrador Sea before heading off to an early(ish) bedtime.
A replica Viking ship cruises alongside the Silver Cloud
Continue reading Greenland – Day 10 here.