Exploring the Ice: A Journey Through Disko Bay

The Adventure Begins

Arriving at Asiaat in Disko Bay, we set about planning our next adventure. Our plans were influenced by local weather, access to ports, fuel availability, and the presence of ice. We aimed to test Vanguard in conditions for which she was designed. Our ice pilots, Nick and Estella, were instrumental in this journey. They not only ensured our safety but also trained us on how, why, and where to navigate successfully through large ice formations.

Disko Bay stretches from 66 to 70 degrees North. Two passages carry ice from the interior out into the Labrador Sea. From there, the icebergs flow north until the current shifts south, taking them west and then south along the coast of Baffin Island and out into the Atlantic. These icebergs are massive, weighing thousands of tons each. Remarkably, about 7/8ths of each iceberg is submerged below sea level. They drift with the currents and remain unaffected by wind or waves. As they slowly disintegrate, they give birth to smaller growlers, which can weigh anywhere from 10 to 1000 tons each. Growlers move with the wind and current and are generally found downwind of the icebergs. Any contact with these ice formations can ruin your day and potentially end your voyage. Thus, thoughts of playing billiards with them are completely off the table.

Navigating the Ice

The first two days of ice navigation were relatively straightforward as we charted a route north to Qeqertarsuag. We hopped from one massive iceberg to another, investigating and marveling at these natural giants. We began to learn what to look for, listen for, and how to sense their menace through the ever-present fog. Afterward, we headed east toward Illulissat, located at the seaward end of the Sermeq Kujalleq Glacier. Each day, millions of tons of Greenlandic ice cap slide seaward and are expelled from the mouth of this glacier into Disko Bay.

Navigation in the fjord is both prohibited and perilous for those without a death wish. This is no exaggeration. The ice moves into the bay in a mix of large icebergs and thousands of smaller ice floes. It creates a floating delta of frozen water. The larger icebergs ground near the shore, providing more sheltered waters for inshore navigation. However, to reach that shelter, every vessel must navigate through a brutal moving ice wall, which can be 5-10 nautical miles wide.

When approaching the ice wall, you encounter a chaotic landscape of smashed ice with no apparent access. As you inch slowly forward, leads or paths through the ice become visible, albeit in a serpentine manner. "Inching" poses a problem, as you have no steerage. Instead, you must rely on thrusters and prop wash over the rudders to turn your hull. Your bow becomes your total focus, and you must position it with less than a meter of error. A glancing blow may be acceptable, but a head-on collision is not, often resulting in a complete stop.

The icebergs that are not aground move chaotically as the current swirls around. If you find yourself caught between two medium-sized icebergs, you may survive, but your boat likely will not. Considering backing out? That could lead to ice getting into the propellers, ruining your day. Similarly, stabilizers are vulnerable, which is one advantage we have with our Magnusmaster units, as they can be mostly stowed out of harm's way. We were fortunate to have calm weather, but the wind was unpredictable. Progress was slow, stressful, and uncertain. Our first attempt failed because the ice was too dense to provide the necessary leads. However, further up the coast, we had better luck. After a nerve-wracking four hours, aided by the midnight sun, we made it through to Rode Bay. Our anchorage was sheltered, with a shallow shelf at the inlet, protecting us from larger floating icebergs as we slept, despite the perimeter alarm and anchor watch we set.

The Return Journey

After two days exploring Illulissat, we set off again, this time heading down the coast to the glacier front and then west through the ice wall again. Our destination was Asiaat, followed by a remote anchorage at Satue. This experience mirrored our earlier journey, but this time we faced dense fog. Our direction came from the chart plotter—generally heading west as conditions allowed. Warnings came from our radar, which was often unreliable. Turns were organized by line of sight; if you could see a lead, you could navigate it. What you could not see, you dared not enter. All the while, the glacier moaned and rumbled as it slowly made its way to the sea, surrounded by an array of frozen disintegration.

All the boats in the area are ice-hardened in various ways and are sheathed, strengthened, and modified to survive in these harsh Arctic conditions. Vanguard is designed for this environment, toughened for it, and has passed a severe test. As a testament to that, we noticed that much of the antifouling on our forward hull had been ripped off by unavoidable ice. When we first entered the ice wall, a voice in my head reminded me that there was no profit in panic. By the time we departed a few days later, it felt like a lesser event. Our small crew experienced something unforgettable, and we will all be better for it.

A Community of Ice Pilots

While in Illulissat, we were joined by two friends, Magnus Day and Julia Prinselaar. They are also ice pilots, having been effectively stranded up the coast due to ice conditions, which caused an abort on a Northwest Passage transit west from Pond Inlet. They provided excellent company for the 450 miles down the coast to Nuuk and their flight home to New Zealand. We discovered a small yet highly competent sailing community, characterized by its own rules and behaviors in response to one of the toughest marine environments on Earth.

Upon arrival in Rode Bay, we celebrated at dawn with a fine single malt on the rocks. The ice hissed and crackled as it released its trapped gases. The ice that had fallen on deck came from a passing glacier. Ice from a fast-moving glacier originating from the Greenland ice shelf takes 5000 to 10,000 years to reach the sea. Thus, our drinks were chilled with ice laid down long before the Egyptian Pharaohs built their pyramids!

Chris Leigh-Jones