Zodiac cruising into Perlerfiup Kangalua, Greenland

by Troels Jacobsen Expert review

It was an afternoon in July 2012 and the s/v Rembrandt van Rijn slowly sailed into Perlerfiup Kangalua, Greenland, just south of the Wegener Peninsula.

Ship: s/v Rembrandt van Rijn

Regions: Arctic

Destinations: Greenland

There was no wind and with fog that lay heavy around the ship. As Rembrandt van Rijn approached the massive glacier front of Perlerfiup Sermia, at the end of the fjord the fog started to lift somewhat as it so often does when deep inside fjords and near the dominating ice cap. Despite the ever changing conditions we set out for a zodiac cruise along the glacier front.

At times on the approach we could not see anything at all but as we came nearer the mysterious shapes of the towering front appeared. It was as spectacular as any zodiac cruise I have ever done as the glacier slowly appeared out of the fog. It is wise to keep your distance to glaciers and it is no exception on a Greenland cruise as their size is so much greater than elsewhere in the world Oceanwide Expeditions normally cruises glacier fronts.

The experience of the great ice bergs all around the area also bear witness to the power of these natural wonders. Luckily proximity is a relative term and even being several hundred meters away the incredible sight of the ice cap appearing out of the fog above the front was an awe-inspiring experience that will stay with me forever.

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