The Dagmar Aaen is ready to set sail. We’ve taken on plenty of provisions. Nuuk was our last chance to buy fresh vegetables. We won’t have another opportunity to visit a supermarket on the Labrador coast for at least three weeks. The fresh-water tanks are full to the brim.
We’ve also stocked up on diesel. Incidentally, most of the fuel for Greenland is supplied by the Bremen-based shipping company German Tanker Shipping. The Seacod is a 40,000-tonne ice-class product tanker that calls at the capital five times a year. Kerosene for the airport and diesel for the power station’s generators are the most important types of fuel.

On deck of the Dagmar Aaen, all movable items have been lashed down securely. We also made the most of the last few sunny days in Nuuk to finish off various paint jobs. A culinary highlight for us all was a visit to our Danish friend Claus (he is the sole representative of the tool company Würth in Greenland) and his friend Anette, who grew up in Colombia. Anette is a vet with the Danish Fisheries Inspectorate and has been living in Nuuk for the past six months. For our visit to her flat with a sea view, she specially conjured up an authentic Colombian chilli con carne. Delicious! A cheerful evening with good conversation around our hosts’ large table.
When asked about Donald Trump’s desire to buy up the country, we’re met with vigorous head-shaking. Anette reckons that Trump probably thinks of the Greenlanders as a horde of uneducated people, but in her opinion the locals are smart and clever – and extremely polite. That’s the only reason things haven’t escalated yet.
It’s no coincidence that many shops sell T-shirts bearing the slogan: ‘Greenland is not for sale!’

We spend the last few hours before setting sail having a long shower at the Seamen’s Home in Nuuk. And then we’re off. We set sail in calm seas. Under a double-reefed mainsail, jib and jib, we sail a west-south-westerly course. Our original plan was to head for Baffin Island.

But that’s not going to happen. Up there, the ice cover is 9/10. No chance of getting through. So we’ve now set our course for the northern tip of Labrador, where the ice conditions are said to be manageable. We’re heading straight across the Davis Strait, the stretch of sea between Greenland and Canada. We’ve got around 440 nautical miles ahead of us. On the very first evening, the increasing swell is rocking the boat quite a bit. Some of us are struck by the dreaded seasickness. Me too. It’s sickening… Every movement is a struggle. Putting on all those layers of clothing before a watch becomes a real struggle, and for the whole four hours you dream of getting back into your warm bunk as quickly as possible. But that’s just part of it. As I write these lines, it’s extremely foggy all around us. The sea has calmed down, and our spirits have returned. We’re looking forward to Labrador!

Matze