Saturday, September 21, 2019, Cruising Prince Christian Sound, Greenland

Due to high NE winds along the eastern coast of Greenland, we sailed slower than needed to get to Nanortalik on time so our captain omitted this port call. We arrived at the eastern mouth of Prince Christian Sound at 8 AM so we were able to sail through it at daylight. What a delight; enjoy the ride and pictures.

Greenland

The world's largest island, located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe (specifically Norway and Denmark, the colonial powers, as well as the nearby island of Iceland) for more than a millennium. The majority of its residents are Inuit, whose ancestors migrated from Alaska through Northern Canada, gradually settling across the island by the 13th century. Nowadays the population is largely concentrated on the southwest coast of the island while the rest of the island is sparsely populated. Greenland is divided into five municipalities — Qeqertalik, Qeqqata, Sermersooq, Kujalleq, and Avannaata. It has two unincorporated areas — the Northeast Greenland National Park and the Thule Air Base. The last one, even if under Danish control, is administered by the United States Air Force.

Three-quarters of Greenland is covered by the only permanent ice sheet outside Antarctica. With a population of about 56,480 (2013), it is the least densely populated territory in the world. About a third of the population live in Nuuk, the capital and largest city. The Arctic Umiaq Line ferry acts as a lifeline for western Greenland, connecting the various cities and settlements.

Greenland has been inhabited at intervals over at least the last 4,500 years by Arctic peoples whose forebears migrated there from what is now Canada. Norsemen settled the uninhabited southern part of Greenland beginning in the 10th century, having previously settled Iceland to escape persecution from the King of Norway and his central government. These Norsemen would later set sail from Greenland and Iceland, with Leif Erikson becoming the first known European to reach North America nearly 500 years before Columbus reached the Caribbean islands. Inuit peoples arrived in the 13th century. Though under continuous influence of Norway and Norwegians, Greenland was not formally under the Norwegian crown until 1262. The Norse colonies disappeared in the late 15th century when Norway was hit by the Black Death and entered a severe decline. Soon after their demise, beginning in 1499, the Portuguese briefly explored and claimed the island, naming it Terra do Lavrador (later applied to Labrador to Canada).

In the early 18th century, Danish explorers reached Greenland again. To strengthen trading and power, Denmark–Norway affirmed sovereignty over the island. Because of Norway's weak status, it lost sovereignty over Greenland in 1814 when the union was dissolved. Greenland became Danish in 1814, and was fully integrated in the Danish state in 1953 under the Constitution of Denmark. In 1973, Greenland joined the European Economic Community with Denmark. However, in a referendum in 1982, a majority of the population voted for Greenland to withdraw from the EEC, which was effected in 1985. Greenland contains the world's largest and most northerly national park, Northeast Greenland National Park (Kalaallit Nunaanni nuna eqqissisimatitaq). Established in 1974, and expanded to its present size in 1988, it protects 375,292 square miles of the interior and northeastern coast of Greenland and is bigger than all but twenty-nine countries in the world.

In 1979, Denmark granted home rule to Greenland, and in 2008, Greenlanders voted in favor of the Self-Government Act, which transferred more power from the Danish government to the local Greenlandic government. Under the new structure, in effect since 21 June 2009, Greenland can gradually assume responsibility for policing, judicial system, company law, accounting, and auditing; mineral resource activities; aviation; law of legal capacity, family law and succession law; aliens and border controls; the working environment; and financial regulation and supervision, while the Danish government retains control of foreign affairs and defense. It also retains control of monetary policy, providing an initial annual subsidy of DKK 3.4 billion, which is planned to diminish gradually over time. Greenland expects to grow its economy based on increased income from the extraction of natural resources. The capital, Nuuk, held the 2016 Arctic Winter Games. At 70%, Greenland has one of the highest shares of renewable energy in the world, mostly coming from hydropower.

(more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland)

Scenic Cruising: Prince Christian Sound

Glacier in the distance.

Named for the 19^th century king of Denmark before his coronation, Prince Christian Sound depicts all the majesty of a royal. This narrow passageway connects the Labrador and Irminger Seas, separating mainland Greenland from the Cape Farewell Archipelago, a magnificent island group of soaring mountains. Its 60-mile length sometimes decreases to just 1,500 feet wide, made more dramatic by the barren rock slopes rising fjord-like on either side. Waterfalls careen down the mountain sides and glaciers spill right into the sound, sometimes breaking icebergs into the water. Only one village calls Prince Christian Sound home: The hunting and fishing settlement of Aappilattoq. This makes for a spectacular passage amid a starkly beautiful and hushed landscape.

Iceberg pushed by wind into the cliffs.

Medium size of glacier for this area.

Close-up of glacier. Note colors in the ice.

Closer-up with better colors.

Closer-up-up of glacier. Better view of colors in the ice.

Large glacier for this area.

Close-up of glacier.

Closer-up of glacier with more colors.

Note moraine (large gravel) left behind a glacier that melted centuries ago.

Waterfall from melting glacier.

Small iceberg.

To the left of center of the above picture is a village only accessible by boat and helicopter. Due to our mile+ distance from the village, it is difficult to see.