The sailboat Arthur sets off on a month-long peregrination along the east coast of Greenland, heading for Cape Farvel. Here's a look back at the conditions encountered during this emotionally-charged voyage.
Ports and anchorages
There are very few villages on Greenland's east coast. In these conditions, you can't count on large port facilities. Small wharves in the villages are not necessarily equipped with water or electricity. There are often a few small pontoons for very small local boats.
In Tasiilaq or Isortoq, the quay can be used only temporarily, for example, for refuelling. In Nanortalik, traffic is heavier. Nevertheless, it is possible to find a place on the quay at any time.
Conversely, sailboats will find anchorages everywhere. However, it's not always easy to find an ice-free, well-protected spot with enough shallow water to anchor.
You'll regularly need to anchor at depths of fifteen metres or more, and don't forget to use a mooring rope on rocky bottoms. Seaweed can also make anchoring difficult. Near rivers and waterfalls, you need to pay close attention to depth, as the bottom can rise very steeply.
In general, however, there are plenty of anchorages all along the coast.
Supplies and water
During the summer months, villages are often well-stocked with mini-markets. Flour, pasta, rice, UHT milk, dried products, canned goods, cookies - you name it. Fruit and vegetables, however, are in short supply. On the fresh side, there are eggs, butter and blocks of Gouda cheese. Meat and bread are often frozen. Provisioning in the villages is therefore not a problem.
Outside the villages, it's possible to go fishing, collect mussels in large quantities, blueberries, edible seaweed or a few mushrooms.
As far as water is concerned, there are two solutions. In the villages, there's always a tap to drink from. However, the water may be heavily treated and have a pronounced taste. The other solution is to take water from waterfalls and rivers. It's generally very pure. Sometimes there's too much algae, and it's best to avoid filling tanks with it.
Diesel and the Internet
Diesel is available in the villages. In some places, you have to make transfers with cans. In Nanortalik, however, a pontoon allows you to fill the tank directly.
The telephone network is only available in the immediate vicinity of villages. Depending on your mobile package, the cost of SMS is not always exorbitant. There is also 4G, but you should avoid using Internet data, as the price of data is particularly high. Furthermore, there is very little Wifi available, if any at all. Don't count on it to check the weather or send e-mails.
It is, however, possible to buy a local SIM card that allows you to use the Internet. As an example, we bought a 20G data card, valid for two weeks and rechargeable, for around 70 euros. It's important to remember, however, that 4G is only available in the vicinity of villages.
Satellite phones are the only option outside the villages.
The threat of bears
Polar bears are everywhere on Greenland's east coast. We saw three during our trip. So it's essential to be equipped to protect yourself from their possible threat.
It's not easy to find repellent bombs or other equipment in the Tasiilaq region. It's best to anticipate this question carefully before arriving in Greenland.
We had to buy a gun on the spot to be able to go ashore during our stay. In the middle of nowhere and with children, we felt more reassured.
