Upernavik Greenland Travel Notes

August 5^th 2009

Gail Ferris

August 5^th 2009 I awoke to a quiet sunny morning but the tide receded dropping my kayak over night in a nasty precarious position on top of a sharp rock.

I became cold during the night because I did not have enough insulation, so I resorted to using my lifejacket with some air injected into its air bladders to stay warm during the night.

I finally figured out, why, yesterday my kayak paddled so slowly. I had dropped my rudder completely down. I had forgotten to raise my rudder back up just to the point where I could maintain control without doing any extra paddling on either side for steering so that I could get some speed out of my hull.

Today after I figured this out I was shocked how much faster my kayak paddles. I could not believe the difference, all this time I was dogging along exhausting myself but when I jacked the rudder the kayak just sprang along. I can really cover ground with that kayak when the rudder is only partially submerged.

In the photo below you can see the rudder. Attached to the top of the rudder across the top of the deck is black line. This line can be adjusted from the cockpit while underway to any level by the paddler. I adjust the depth of the rudder just enough to control my kayak in the wind conditions. There have been some dicey moments when I came around a corner into a very powerful wind and have had to drop the rudder all the way down. This rudder is not a barn door rudder instead it is a modified sailing rudder. I have found this to be a more flexible and better design than the barn door rudder. I am able to change direction and maintain control the kayak in a good 25 knots of wind.

#108

I happened to come across some interesting views going westward down what worked out to be not a passage between islands but instead an inlet.

I found some interesting mineral bands as igneous and metamorphic layers on the cliffs photo below.

#109

Farther along I came across this most sight of a spherical boulder just sitting there on the rock apron of a peninsula. It looked like somebody had just left it there. Actually it was one of those delightful examples of a glacial erratic which just happened to be spherical shaped.

From a distance it was one of those “Oh no! Do you believe that, look what somebody left over there, a giant basketball”?

#110

While I was paddling today I came across several clusters of moon jelly fish floating by on the incoming tide. I always find these round little transparent creatures ethereal to look at.

I also love viewing the ctenophores or comb jelly fish particularly the box comb jelly with their iridescent cilia rhythmically beating making them glint in the sun.

#111

As I was paddling along, the current was carrying a mass of the moon jellies, like this one, toward me.

Little did I know I was padding into tide which was coming out of a cul-de-sac?

I deluded myself into thinking that I was padding in a tide that was going through a passage. How interesting imaginary circumstances can be!

I scared myself thoroughly today by paddling into a matrix of islands I could not find on my map at that time.

I cannot forget the horrible sensation when I came around the corner of an island and found myself facing a hunters’ cabin, labeled fangsthus on the map, located on a beach.

I had no idea where I was.

I wound up realizing I would really be in trouble if I could not get back out.

The beach with the hunters’ cabin on it was actually between me and my goal of approaching lower Laksefjord.

If I had realized what I had done it might have been worthwhile to carry the boat over the beach instead of paddling miles back around to be where I had planned to be.

Disorientation is really effective on your adrenal system when you realize that you are just plain lost. All I can tell you is that I was so overwhelmed with fear that I began to shake.

Below is a map where I actually did paddle.

Looking at my enlarged Saga map on my computer screen I could see where I had actually been. I saw this group of islands and the hunters’ cabin illustrated on the map which was so unique it could only be where I had been paddling.

As I am writing this account I was able to finally without doubt confirm where I really was by comparing my GPS readings after put them onto a Google earth map with my Saga 1:250.000 paper map.

I find that Google earth maps are not clear and there is too much shadow this far north in the arctic so all shorelines on north sides are just as black as the water. They are unusable in the field.

Below is an enlargement to show you what the Saga map shows.

#112

Once I emerged from being lost in a cul-de-sac, I made post-haste for the island. I set my eyes on an island that looked like it had a low coastal landing area on the north end.

I paddled my kayak with incredible dispatch to put it lightly! I made the poor thing literally fly, so to speak.

It is amazing what a good dose of adrenalin could do to me when it came to escaping from being lost!

I arrived at the island on the left side of the photo below and you also see much to my relief the entrance to Laksefjord. Was I ever glad to have that view!

That view would be my goal for tomorrow.

#113

I made it back out and to an island at 47’37” on the left in the photo above where I found I could easily camp once I found a place up to rocks to land my kayak.

The landing was tricky because I encountered rounded yellow granite and I needed some sort of slab to get up. I really had to scout around to find just the right place to get out of my kayak but not have to risk stepping on some small submerged rock platform.

After scouting around I finally figured out a safe place to land among the rocks, which I could also launch from hours later without having to resort to dumping my loaded kayak over the rock precipice.

Unfortunately I took no photos of the island. What I did notice on the island were some bare rock peninsulas large enough for one or two summer tents to have once been.

One thing I noticed while being lost was that down in the cul-de-sac was that conditions on the water were really hot. This made me change my mind about paddling down to Orpit because I know from past experience that it can be absolutely stifling down there.

I had a wonderful time climbing around on this island looking at details and the plants. I noticed what was really interesting were lush and especially tall examples of birch and blueberry bushes indicating rich soil, protection from the wind and plenty of warm sun. I suspect the presence of people probably living in summer tents enriched this soil.

I thought about paddling strategy for the next day. The issue was how to paddle many miles make some crossings and avoid the wind and scorchingly bright sun.

The wind kicks up as the fjord temp rises.

I wound up realizing that I have to be on the water as early as possible to avoid this.

I need to get up very early at about two of three in the morning, eat breakfast, break camp and get on the water.

My moment of thanks for being okey rested on my being able to see and recognize this landmark.

#114