Landfall and Icebergs
Where Next?
Bob Williams
Fri 4 Jul 2008 23:59
Course: North Speed: 7 knots
Wind: Southeast, moderate breeze
Weather: Partly cloudy, sunshine
Day's Run: 162 miles
First, for my American readers, Happy Independence Day. I shall let of a
skyrocket tonight - just before midnight, even then it won't be dark. The
sun set at 10.50 last night and rose at 2.06, it hardly seems worth turning
the navigation lights on.
The wind picked up as forecast but fortunately not as strong as my weather
charts indicated, I was very happy about that. Noentheless by 10 p.m. we
had two reefs in the mainsail and about 50% jib and were stilling making
better than 6 knots. Overnight the wind increased slightly and early this
morning we were touching 10 knots as we surfed down a few waves. And at 3
a.m. we raised Greenland. Initially I thought I must be seeing cloud as the
land was 60 miles away, then I thought maybe an iceberg, but sure enough as
we made more ground to the north more peaks became visible. Landfall -
Greenland!
At 10 a.m. I sighted our first iceberg - the sea temperature has dropped to
2 C - and since then we have passed at least 10 of them, so I am going to
have to keep a good lookout between now and Nuuk, not much sleep tonight.
We made a good day's run of 162 miles, it seems my self set record of 164
miles is going to be hard to beat.
We are slowly closing the coast and the wind is easing, but I won't get too
close because there looks like fog closer inshore; icebergs and fog doesn't
sound like a very good mix to me.
The sun is shining, the coastline looks fantastically rugged with jagged
peaks rising high to the sky, where signs of our civilization cannot be
escaped. Greenland lies on the great circle route between the USA and
Europe, consequently many aircraft pass high over Greenland, leaving
numerous contrails behind them.
Now as the wind appears to be rapidly waning we are rolling around in the
left over seas and the sails are starting to slat. I had best go and see
what I can do about it.
P.S. I just went on deck to look around, a few large chunks of ice went
close by, not much I can do about those. A metal hull is a very good idea
in these waters. Apparently the Vikings in their voyages of explorations
lost quite a few of their thin hulled ships to ice.
Bob Cat:
Well we've had worse so I won't complain. I retired to my den when it got
really bumpy, and now I am sure there is a mouse in the house. There is
this squeaking and definite mouse smell in the air back there, beyond my
den. I think this mouse might be trying to tell me something. It had
better be careful. I may be a mature cat but I'm still a cat.