Voyage of the Vikings, Day 36 - Homecoming

Keith is up at 4am, anxious to see our night approach to Boston, worried about visibility in a light rain.

Topsides at 4:30, coffee in hand. Didn't see anybody in the lounge, but a voice called out when I turned out the lights, saying it made it difficult to read. Rude Keith told him that there are numerous other lighted spaces to read by a window, but only one observation lounge. He apparently didn't know where to turn the lights back on, nor to engage in fisticuffs, so bad Keith prevailed.

Other early risers soon arrived, and we spent a glorious hour watching the lighted shoreline approach from the darkened Crow's Nest, whilst Mr. Grump continued to make nasty comments. Keith went out in the rain to take a few pictures, but they didn't turn out real well, as I am sure you can see.

Our Approach to Boston Harbor

Boston By The Dawn’s Early Light i.e.,

The New England Power Grid

Keith descended at 6, when we were firmly tied to the dock, to bring Kathy Coffee and to do the final packing. Up for breakfast at 7am. We have scheduled a 9:30 departure, to give Jennifer time for a decent sleep before arising to drive into Boston to pick us up. We hope we don't get tangled up in traffic from the Kennedy funeral. Our only remaining obligations before debarking are to finish breakfast, to go through shipboard customs, to collect all of our carry-on luggage from the stateroom, to cross the gangplank to the terminal, to find our checked luggage in a large pile, to exit the terminal building with carry-on and checked luggage in hand, and to find our Kindly driver, and Turo. Sounds simple, don't it?

A Leisurely Last Breakfast

The Perpetual Blogger Makes One Last Entry

at 7:30am, Eating and Waiting.

8:am announcement: "Please do not congregate in the stairways or around the gangway. It is creating a safety issue."

8:15am, and they are out of Danish. Outrageous!

10am, through customs and ashore, waiting for our Turo.

Walking the Gangplank, Exiting the Ship

Home At Last

10:15, in the car with all our luggage, glad to see our kids. Jennifer asked if we were glad to be on dry land. The answer is no, but we are glad to see her and Turo. In the best of all possible worlds, she and Turo, and the rest of the family, should re board for another 35 days on the high seas.

It would be nice to say that we are on the way home to relax for a few days, but family obligations intervene, so we are on our way to to Nancy's house for a family get together. Tomorrow we relax, and start editing out journals. Unless something comes up, that is...

Voyage of the Vikings, Day 35 - At Sea, Bound for Boston

Up late, at 7:30 (6:30 after setting the clock back. Continuing to steam for Boston at 14 knots. Skies overcast (a for-runner of hurricane Dennis, or just local weather?), wind somewhere at 8 knots. Calm sea, the kind we prayed for on summer weekends in southern New England.

I didn't catch our geologist speaker's pitch a few days ago on Inuit culture, so I watched a bit of it on channel 29 before going up for first breakfast.

8am, relaxing in the Lido over a cup of coffee, while reviewing our shipboard account. Prior to embarkation each passenger must register a valid credit card. The cruise company immediately places a $1000 hold on this card, to cover anticipated shipboard charges.

It's hard to believe how we could accumulate over $1100 in charges, just sitting watching the world spin by. Most of it ($770) is the $22 per day daily gratuity for the help. Why this is levied as a separate charge, instead of being built into the overhead, is a mystery to me. Tradition, I guess. Most of the rest is Kathy's daily drink, plus a few miscellaneous charges such as SD cards and Internet service.

It's a constant battle to keep from charging stuff to the room. They make is so easy! The most egregious example is the opportunity to charge as much as $1000 per day in the casino. I haven't investigated their policy, but it is my guess that they check your registered credit card limit at embarkation, and cut your gambling off at that limit. I must report that Kathy has been scrupulously careful about this booby trap. It's not easy for her, because she loves to gamble so much.

8:30 and the southern tip of Nova Scotia is in view on the far horizon.

1pm. Our morning was filled with fun activities like a disembarkation lecture, and a session on backing up and sorting photos.

Room Boys Displaying Towel Creatures

Deck Crew Wishing Us a Fond Farewell

Proper Way To Fold A Napkin

(What Everyone Needs To Know) NOT!

Wind is variable at 3 knots, seas placid. This is the calmest I have seen on this trip. The skies have cleared for a bit, so Keith ran out and took a photo.

“Blue Skies, Nothing But Blue Skies, Do I See”

Lunch was a mixed theme buffet by the pool, featuring carved lamb accompanied by a diversity of ethnic dishes. All topped off with an excellent blackberry - blueberry crumble, a la mode.

The kitchen staff also displayed their creative and artistic talents with food.

Eiffel Tower Crafted With White Chocolate

Bread Artist Displays His Masterpiece

Bread Animals

Fruit Artists Display Their Skills

This Watermelon Looks Just Too Good To Eat

Our captain was just on to announce that Denny has spluttered out, and is no longer a hurricane. Our next question is, will we be able to get home before it rains.

This afternoon promises to be the most fun we have had so far. It's time to pack. Our luggage must be outside the cabin by 1am tonight. Not wishing to stay up that late, we shall pack this afternoon, except for the carry-ons.

4pm, all packed, and in the Crow’s Nest for Kathy's daily double. Except it won't be a double today, since we are not in port. Must run. Kathy is expecting me to play cards and chitchat with her, and she is worth the effort.

7pm, our last supper aboard is done, and Keith is showered & in bed. Kathy is in the library puzzling, and e-mailing. We are meeting the pilot boat at 4:30am tomorrow morning. Keith hopes to be in the Crow's Nest for the sail-in. I hope it's not raining. The weather here, 130 miles east of Boston, is starting to cloud over and look threatening. Wind is still light at 8, so the ride continues smooth.

Stay tuned.

Voyage of the Vikings, Day 34 At Sea, Bypassing St. Pierre, bound for Boston

Awake briefly at 2am. The boat is moving about a bit. Channel 40 says the wind is blowing out of the south at 40 (again), on our port beam. We are proceeding west ar 14 knots. I thought we were through with this nonsense!

5:30am, showered and waiting Danish at 6. I am anxious to watch our approach to St. Pierre.

In the Lido Awaiting 6am Donuts

6:01am, in the Crow's Nest, alone. It's pitch black outside. The GPS says sunrise is 6:58am. The interior lights are dimmed, but there is enough artificial light to completely destroy night vision. Oh well, daylight can't be that far off.

We are still almost two hours from port, and there is a good book to listen to. I am currently listening to a series of Teaching Company lectures, on the history (not the content) of Darwinian theory.

Surprise! Kathy is awake and has joined me for the arrival in the Crow’s Nest.

7:45am ABORT! ABORT! ABORT!

Our morning advisory group is sitting in the Crow's Nest watching our supposed approach on the GPS, when it became obvious that we were sailing away from, not toward St. Pierre. David is the first to make note of this.

At 8am, our intrepid captain came on the PA to announce a strikeout. First strike, dense fog. Second strike, a broken down pilot boat and no pilot. Third strike, a combination of 40 knot breeze and substandard dockage which is judged inadequate to securely hold this vessel in this breeze.

We Bypass St.Pierre Harbor in the Fog

Since there is no port and few scheduled activities today (it was supposed to be a port day), we thought this would be a good point to include some shots of our room.

Our Boudoir, With Excellent Mattress

Foggy Day View From Our Cabin Window

Sitting Area, Where We Dump All our Stuff

Desk and TV Monitor Where Cable Appeared Sporadically

Ship Navigation Information Was on Channel 40, 24/7

Keith Takes His Own Photograph in The Necessary Room

Deeply Set Bathing Facilities

Are Challenging for Us Shorties

Commodious Closet Space, Sufficient For All the Clothes Kathy Brought

We currently are on a course for Boston, hi-tailing it at 20+ mph. We are trying to beat Hurricane Denny to port.

Room TV Monitor Shows Ship Position and Course

11am, still boosting 20+ knots, straight for Boston. We were informed earlier about hurricane Denny, lurking off the US east coast, and threatening to move north. I believe our intrepid captain may be trying to make port early, Friday night instead of Saturday morning, to avoid a schedule delay. I'm told that one thing HAL doesn’t mess with, schedule-wise, is turnaround day. Fine by me, as long as we don't get kicked off early. Kathy is disappointed. She was looking forward to getting off in France.

4:45pm in the Crow's Nest, looking for Nova Scotia on the starboard. Beautiful sunny day. Wind is down to 25, on the port beam, but we now are sheltered in the lee of Cape Breton Island, so we have a smooth ride. Two downsized drinks for the price of one full size drink.

Kathy in the Crow’s Nest For the Last Hurrah

Choppy Seas Homeward Bound

The captain announced we will be docking in Boston at 4am Saturday, just a tad early. The approach in the dark should be spectacular. It will seem plus strange to awake to corn flakes Sunday morning.

Formal dinner 5:30 to 7:30. Escargo was on the menu, as well as baked Alaska. Kathy wanted both. I believe she secretly wanted to dress up one more time. Curmudgeon Keith has warned her that he will be leaving the blazer ashore for our next cruise.

The Presentation of the Baked Alaska

Farewell From Our Chef

Who Apologized For an Ageing Vessel

Keith to bed at 8. Kathy out partying to 10.

Nite-nite.

Voyage of the Vikings, Day 33 - St. John's, Newfoundland

Up at 5, crusing south at 17 knots (just about as fast as this tub will go), wind W at about 10, seas calm. Beautiful ride.

Shave, brush teeth, and dress, then stall around in the room 'till 6, when danish are served in the Lido. Up to the Crow's Nest at 6:01am, coffee and danish in hand. Just a glimmer of light on the eastern horizon to port, town lights in view ashore to starboard. Keith just loves this time of day!

Overnight Passage From St. Anthony to St. Johns

Map of St. John's Harbor

Sunrise Approaching St. John’s

We were an hour late departing St. Anthony yesterday, because of late tours. We hi-tailed it all night and didn’t slow down until about a mile off the entrance to the St. John's harbor, where we picked up the pilot boat, a bit past 7am, when we were supposed to be tied up in port.

Approaching St. John’s Harbor

Note Signal Hill Tower on Right

Close Up of Signal Hill Tower

Shot Over the Stern

View of St. John’s Harbor Channel

Photographed by K&K From Signal Hill in 2006

St. John’s Harbor, Photographed by K&K From Signal Hill in 2006

Proceeding Through The Narrows Into St. Johns Harbor

The entrance to the St. John's harbor is very impressive. It is a narrow opening in the hills, which debauches into a small but commodious harbor surround by the hills.

The town marches up the hill on the northwest side of the harbor. The architecture spans about three centuries, ranging from simple colonial homes, to late 18th century Victorian grandeur, to modern glass and steel.

Example of Colonial Architectures

Gingerbread Victorian Homes

Modern St. John Skyscraper

About a block or two from the harbor are two imposing granite churches.

St. John’s Abounds With Churches

Another Beautiful St. John’s Church

A Mix of Religious and Secular Buildings

Up the hill another block is a modern looking building (another church?) and two more granite buildings. One is a twin-tower church. The other looks like a 19th century municipal building.

Keith went down to breakfast about 7:30 to wait for Kathy, who showed up about 8:30. This gave Keith time to go out on the aft deck and take a few pictures before the sun disappeared.

Keith lingered over breakfast and the NYT crossword 'til 10:30.

N.Y. Times Puzzle Expert

Kathy went ashore briefly, seeking retail therapy, after which we met in the puzzle room. Kathy did what one does in puzzle rooms.

“The Puzzler”

Keith listened to the last chapters of the seventh Harry Potter book. He has read it previously, but he enjoyed s listening to good stories more than once.

There was excellent "crab" salad on the salad bar today. Crab is in quotes because it really should have been labeled seafood salad, but there was crab in it, and it was good enough that Keith had two helpings. Keith also had a large serving of blue cheese, a cup of lentil soup, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream with crème de menthe sauce.

Some of the soups are very good, and some not so good. This was in between; a good flavor, but there was no broth. I'm guessing there was another pot with all broth and no beans, poured off the top of the mother pot. The soups that aren't so good are the "cream of ---" soups, which are thickened with too much corn starch. Just like the soups served in the company cafeteria twenty years ago.

We both had long naps after lunch, and are now in the Crow's Nest at 4:30, watching sail away. The exit from the St. John's harbor is every bit as impressive as the entrance, except for the conspicuous absence of sunshine. But then, this is still the North Atlantic.

As we exit the narrows we turn north slightly, then cruise east until we are clear of Cape Spear, after which we turn right and head south toward our next port.

Approaching the Narrows From the Harbor

We Must Squeeze This Giant Tub Between

The Lighthouse and the Green Buoy

We Graze By the Green Buoy

Then We Graze by the Rocks Exiting the Narrows

This Captain is a Truly Good Boat Handler

Cape Speare is advertised as the most easterly point in North America. We fondly recall visiting this and many other sites in St. John's three years ago with WIT.

Cape Spear Visitors Keith & Kathy, Photographed On Our 2006 Visit to the Area

The Sign Proclaims This to be the Most Easterly Point in North America

We Sail By Cape Spear in the Maasdam

It's about 5:30 and we are steering south at 15 mph in a light breeze, with what appears to be about a 10 foot swell on the stern. We are riding very comfortably, with very little pitching.

This would be a good point for me to apologize for mixing units in these blogs. Being lazier than the average bear, Keith reports whatever is to hand. In Europe, where the tour guides talk SI, Keith reports in SI. When reporting from the channel 40 navigation channel, where speeds are reported in knots, I report knots. When reading from my GPS, which I have set to statute miles, I report mph. I could reset the GPS to read nautical miles, but I am too lazy. If this bothers you, read somebody else's blog.

Excellent dinner at 6:30; prime rib (Kathy) and tuna (Keith). An excellent seafood soup, and apple thingy (Kathy) and chocolate eclaire a la mode (Keith). After lingering awhile over tea, Kathy puzzled 'till 8, when she went to the show. Keith kept her company 'till 8, then to bed.

We currently are cruising comfortably at 15 knots. Wind 20 on the nose. Outside air temperature a balmy 55 deg. This southern air has a much balmier feel than the cold, biting wind further north. I sincerely hope we do not feel any more 65 knot winds before we disembark in Boston Saturday.

More tomorrow, when we visit St. Pierre, the only remaining French possession in North America.

Voyage of the Vikings, Day 32 - St. Anthony, Newfoundland

6am, 50deg., wind NW 9, sea calm, "steaming" SSW across the mouth of Belle Isle Straight and along the east coast of Newfoundland. I use the word "steaming" advisedly, as a traditional nautical term, although our propulsion is actually more modern diesel-electric.

Fall is approaching, with later sunrises and earlier sunsets. Sunrise today is 6:45 ship's time. The sky is just beginning to glow on the eastern horizon. It's a beautiful sight, with the nascent sunrise reflected from the lowering clouds.

Very Early Morning in the Crow’s Nest

Sunrise Over the Labrador Sea

Keith has sort of lost track of time, including clock time, as well as day of the week. That's one of the reasons to go on a journey like this. He thinks we are two hours ahead of Boston, but he is not sure. As an aid to the perplexed, the elevator carpets are changed daily to tell us the day of the week, and to keep us glued to the daily program.

6:45, we are approaching St. Anthony, and sunrise is upon us. Keith has been wondering if our intrepid captain will attempt to take this ark into the inner harbor.

Approaching St. Anthony, Newfoundland

7am - Not. We are dropping the hook just outside the inner harbor entrance. Good judgement! As with Red Bay, I am astonished how close we bring the bow inshore before letting go. The captain must have complete confidence in the capability of his azipods to keep us off the rocks all day.

We have been in port a couple of places with a Princess cruise ship. Keith has noticed that the Princess ship will anchor far enough out to swing, whereas our captain brings it in close, backs down to set the hook, then uses the azipods through the day to keep tension on the rode, and to kick the stern around as needed to maintain a constant heading. I believe he does this to maintain a stable, wind sheltered platform for the tenders, and to shorten the ride to shore. I guess Princess doesn't care so much.

Starboard Side Prop Wash From the Maasdam Azipods

9:45, still sitting in the Lido café, working a crossword and looking at the scenery. We contemplate going ashore, but definitely will wait for open tendering. We must be careful here, as the ship leaves on the early side (about 2:30?).

St. Anthony Lighthouse

Whale Watchers

Suddenly noon, after a late morning nap. We have been in St. Anthony on a Motorhome caravan with WIT three years ago, so decided not to get off the boat.

Keith had just a touch of the cruise crud this morning. Lunch seemed to help that problem. Keith ate a salad, to encourage regularity.

Kathy Puzzles Away the Morning

Kathy Protects Her New Voyage of the Vikings Shirt at Lunch

After lunch another nap, then up to hear the geologist talk about Newfoundland and Labrador. He spoke first about glaciations and it's effect on the local landscape, then about the Cod fisheries, which collapsed totally in the early 1990s.

Up to the Crows Nest at 3:30 to watch sail away. The weather is beautiful. Kathy is down below working in a puzzle. Keith is ready for bed already. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s exciting journey.

Early Afternoon Sail Away

Voyage of the Vikings, Day 31 - Greenland to Newfoundland

3am and it's blowing 62 knots, dead on the stern, fortunately. The ride is surprisingly smooth for such a bluster. I don't know if this is the outer fringes of Bill, or ordinary Labrador Sea weather. Stay tuned.

6:00am and the breeze has plummeted to 20 knots, clocked arounnd to 250 deg. It must have been a localized storm we transited last night, nothing to do with hurricane Bill. We are high -tailing it across the Labrador Sea at 17 knots, almost as fast as this tub will go.

The captain stated that his intention was to make tracks overnight, allowing us the option to slow down later in the day if seas kick up. While the locally generated wind driven waves have pretty much subsided, there are beginning to be a few rollers. The sun is up and it is a beautiful day!

Another Beautiful Morning on the North Atlantic

Being a sea day there's not a lot of touring activity to talk about (except Bill, maybe), so I thought I would branch off to the subject of stuff we brought, and what I left behind that I wish I had brought. I have italicized this rant, so you can quickly scroll through it if you wish.

The only major item we miss is our laptop. I left it home because I didn't want to deal with the luggage, but it was a mistake.

Another minor item is lanyards for our room keys. Keith made one from parachute cord, but Kathy thinks it looks tacky and didn't want one.

Finally, a very small item is insulated coffee cups with handles. Keith brought two cups, but they don't have handles and are difficult to carry through the corridors.

The reverse category is stuff we brought that we didn't need. This is a longer list.

At the top of the list is formal clothes. They are truly optional, needed only if one is anxious to dress up, just for the purpose of dressing up. Kathy thought she did, but has changed her mind. Keith knew better, for himself.

Keith brought too much warm clothing in anticipation of the North Atlantic climate. A sweater, a sweat shirt, a heavy denim jacket, a windbreaker, and a heavy storm jacket. None of this will go to the Pacific with us in October.

The next category is toys. The material in italics is a rant about Keith’s toys. You are welcome to scroll past it if you wish.

Keith brought, a scanner, two MP3 players & spare headphones, a GPS, two cameras plus spare memory cards and batteries, the PDA on which this is being composed, various battery chargers, and an power strip to plug them all into.

The only thing that didn't work out very well is the scanner, which is bulky and difficult to understand. Keith may shop for a miniaturized high quality, ultra high speed (read not Radio Shack) scanner for our next cruise. However, even a higher fidelity audio circuit won’t help interpret the heavily accented English heard on the scanner.

The MP3 players worked exactly as advertised. We use them all the time at home, as a sleep aid, and to listen to in the middle of the night when sleep is elusive. Keith also listens to audiobooks during the day. He reads a lot less than he used to do, as his eyeglass prescription has gotten stronger.

The GPS also works as advertised, more or less. It is a handheld Garmin with a worldwide base map that includes land outlines, major roads, and, surprisingly, major navigation markers. It does exactly what I want, which is to tell us about where we are when approaching and departing harbor. It also tells us where we are in the open ocean, but this duplicates the navigation display that is available more or less continuously in our room on channel 40.

The two cameras work quite well. One is a small, pocket size Canon PowerShot A 720 IS. Eight megapixels, 6X zoom, image stabilization (necessary with 6X zoom), and a smallish but acceptable lens. Most of our photographs are taken with this camera, because it's always with us.

Our other camera is a Canon Powershot S3 IS. Six megapixels, 12X zoom, image stabilization, and a large, high quality lens (for a point & shoot camera). We bought this camera to photograph wildlife and soccer champions, and it works very well for this purpose. Because of the larger lens, it takes better pictures than the smaller camera, despite having less megapixels. But it is bigger and clumsier, and it doesn't fit conveniently in purse or pocket. Most of the pictures in our blogs are taken with the smaller camera, because it's the one thats always with us.

The last gadget is the PDA, on which this journal is being composed. It is a 2003 Hewlett Packard IPAQ h4300 series, purchased second-hand specificly for this cruise, so that we would have something to keep a digital journal without having to drag along a laptop. When Keith started to shop for this gadget a couple of years ago, he was surprised to learn that PDA's are passé, having been replaced by smartphones like the Blackberry and the iphone. Keith didn't want one for two reasons. First, he wants a miniature telephone that he can carry conveniently in his pants pocket, and smartphones are not small enough. Second, the smart phones do not have legitimate word processors. They have notepads, which are not adequate for journaling. This PDA has pocket Word, and a removeable SD card to which the Word documents can be saved, for easy download to the desktop.

The PDA keyboard is just under 3 inches wide by a bit over an inch high, with 39 triple function keys about 3/16 inch diameter, separated by somewhat more than 1/4 inch. Keith bought a more or less full size Bluetooth keyboard, but was never able to link it to the PDA. He had envisioned using this device in the cabin, or in the library, but he finds himself using it all over the ship, and on tour busses, where a portable keyboard really would not work out. Keith has learned to use the miniature keyboard reasonably well, so does not really miss the Bluetooth keyboard.

The bottom line is, Keith can generate more words on this miniature device than you probably want to read. On this cruise he is downloading the saved word documents to a second SD card in the computer lab, for backup. When we get home, Keith will download the documents from the SD card to the laptop, edit them, then use the words to construct the daily Blogs.

As I said, I regret not bringing the laptop, for backup of text & photos, and for photo editing. We are fortunate to have access to laptops provided by Bill Gates for educational purposes. We bought a couple of 4GB SD cards and are using the Microsoft provided computers to sort our photos, and to backup to the cards. We will not go on another cruise without a laptop, although Keith will probably buy a smaller unit for this purpose. Keith likes to shop just as much as Kathy, just for different stuff.

Enough about Keith’s toys. It's 9am, the sun is well up, and the seas are moderate. Could it be that our captain's mad dash will get us across and under cover before Hurricane Bill arrives off Newfoundland? Only time will tell. Stay tuned.

10:30am, Kathy is puzzling, and Keith is waiting for the computer lab to open. The computer guy is in the lab teaching a course just now. Kathy wants to attend a display buffet at noon in the main dining room.

Kathy Puzzles Away the Morning

Noon at the buffet display. It looks elegant, but not worth the mob scene. We head upstairs to the Lido to enjoy a good steak, served with zucchini, string beans, and really good fries. I think they must have new oil in the cooker, because the fries have been especially good the last couple of days.

Mob Scene in the Main Dining Room

Keith spent an hour in the computer lab this morning. Believe it or not, he is about caught up sorting photos. It's a really good feeling. It would be a daunting task, sorting through thousands of photos when we get home. We faced that task after our China trip, and it almost didn't get done because of the monumental effort required.

4pm, and Keith is relaxing over a cup of tea in the Lido Café. Kathy is watching a movie. It's blowing about 25, and there is a bit of a swell running, maybe 10 feet on the starboard beam. We are bouncing a bit, but not bad. Nothing compared to what it could have been, had we had a closer encounter with Hurricane Bill, which seems to be headed off to the British Isles.

8pm, supper is history, and we are in the showroom, instead of in bed, as we ought to be. Surf & turf for dinner for Keith, lamb shank for Kathy. If this keeps up, we shall be big as houses. Keith doesn’t know what the show is tonight, and don't care. Keith has his MP3 to listen to. Keith doesn't really care for live entertainment, buy attends occasionally to please Kathy.

Turns out the 8pm entertainment in the showroom is a tribute group called The Unexpected Boys. They are Frankie Vallee and the 4 Seasons impersonators. Kathy says they are quite good. Keith & Kathy attended, and Kathy enjoyed it very much.

9pm, and we are in bed, anticipating our sail-in to northern Newfoundland tomorrow morning. In the meantime, since there really wasn’t much by way of activity photographs this day, I have included below a few random shots taken around the ship over the course of four weeks.

Enoy!

Art is Everywhere

Delft Accents the Dutch Theme

Oceans Bar

Piano Bar

Casino Bar

Retail Therapy Zone, Jewelry Department

Watches That Fell Offa the Baka Da Truck Department

Discount Luxury Department

Gambling Inducement

This One is Truly Scary!

Gamble on Your Credit Card,

Up to One Thousand Dollars per Day

The Explorer’s Lounge

Dutch East India Company Legacy

Maasdam Defensive Armament

Would This Canon Repel Somali Pirates?

Don’t touch that dial!

Voyage of the Vikings, Day 30 – Qaqortoq,Greenland

Up at 6 to shower and ascend to the Nest for our approach to Qaqortog. As with all other Greenlandic approaches, the shore is dark and foreboding. However, as we approach the town we are greeted with a colorful mix of architecturally interesting homes and buildings. They are not displayed to best advantage in the early morning sunlight, but they appear very pleasing nonetheless. Keith will attempt to take more photographs later in the day, providing it stays partly sunny.

Qaqortog Harbor and Approach

Early Morning Approach to Qaqortog

Early breakfast was danish; late breakfast was a mix of nuts, raisins, and oatmeal in yogurt.

Qaqortoq is a tender port, so after breakfast we stopped by the oceans bar for tickets, and were ashore by 9:30. Fortunately we don't need to walk very far to reach the retail therapy zone, which keeps Kathy happy.

Tenders Transport Us to Ashore in Qaqortog

Qaqortog Retail Therapy Zone

Qaqortog Retail Therapist

Keith Types this Blog In the PDA While Kathy Shops

Kathy went into the souvenir/tourist Center and contributed to the local economy. During our trip we have dealt with a variety of different currencies . In many of the small villages we have visited your need the local currency. Kathy thought she had done a pretty good job of keeping track of each type of currency, when she tried to use Icelandic money instead of Greenland.

Thank goodness they took Visa.

Since it was Sunday all other shops were closed. There were 5 or 6 shore activities available such as kayak racing, folk dancing and the Qaqortoq Choral Society but we did not choose to attend.

This is a really pretty little town. Like every town in Greenland, there are no roads in or out. Transportation is mostly by ferry. There are paved streets in town.

A Pretty Little Town

Qaqortog Fishing Fleet

One thing that sets this village apart is the Rock art, which is everywhere in Qaqortoq. Some of which is very well done. A few examples are provided below.

Fishy Qaqortog Rock Art

Faces in the Rock

Dodge Ram Hood Ornament Immortalized in the Qaqortog Rock

Granite Critter

Our vessel is anchored quite close in, and also quite close alongside a sizeable chunk of ice. I am assuming we have the ice pilot's permission to be this close. Just on the other side iof the berg is the Tahitian Princess, which has been shadowing us several says.

Maasdam Shares the Qaqortog Harbor

10:40am, back aboard, Kathy $80 poorer. Up on the Lido deck to relax over a cuppa, while watching the tenders shuttle back and forth.

Smiling Attendants Welcome Us Back Aboard the Maasdam

Overcast is spreading up from the southeast. I believe we are way too far away for these clouds to be from hurricane Bill. I believe it to be typical local weather. Must rush topsides to get a few sunny day pix.

Front Desk Poster Projecting the Track of Hurricane Bill

1:00pm and lunch is history. Nothing memorable. Kathy is puzzling while Keith is journaling. The geologist is lecturing at 2; Keith wants to stay awake to hear him. In the meantime the weather has definitely turned cloudy, but no appreciable wind. We are wondering what tonight and tomorrow will bring, weather wise.

3:30pm and we just finished with a lecture about Greenland ice sheets, given by the geology guy. He is very interesting and knowledgeable, although it was clear that he was not quite as comfortable with ice as with the core geology stuff.

Professor Smith Lectures About Ice and Geology

Professor Smith’s Slide of Greenland

We are Anchored in the “Banana Belt”,

The “Warm” Red Zone On the Southwest Tip of Greenland

Keith cornered Prof. Smith after his talk to ask a question that has been puzzling Keith for over 30 years. The question is, do we know what causes hot spots, and the convective circulation, which in turn causes continental drift? The answer, in a word, is no.

Current speculation involves inhomogeneous distribution of the suspected heat source, radioactive uranium, in the earth's interior. I did not have time to ask the follow-on question, which is what would cause such inhomogeneous distribution. I don’t think anyone knows.

Since the earth is thought to have formed by accretion of space junk, I suppose there is no reason to think that the elemental distribution would be anything other than inhomogeneous. I guess I just never really thought it through. I hope I live long enough for a definitive answer to be developed.

4pm in the Crow's Nest waiting for Kathy, and for sail away. The weather has reverted to the standard North Atlantic overcast. We were just incredibly lucky to have had sunshine all day yesterday for our transit of the Prince Christian Sound.

6:45pm in the cabin. Wind on the port beam blowing a steady 45 knots. A rough wind driven sea running, but no swells (yet), so the ride is smooth (recall we have stabilizers).

Tonight there is a special dessert buffet at 10:30. Kathy thinks she wants to go. I told her I will join her if she can stay awake that late, and if she can wake me.

Stay tuned for the outcome of this exciting episode.

9pm and the wind is up to 55 knots. We are beginning to pitch about a bit. Kathy is not saying anything about going out...