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Arctic peninsula
From Uummannaq
to Saqqaq
From July 21st to August 4th, 2009
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It is with regret that we
leave our small peat hut, its seal skins, its floor
out of wooden, its small very close torrent, and its
floor of wild flowers. Temptation to remain one day
more in this place is large. But, the last
information collected on Uummannaq gives a report on
conditions much less favorable over August. We
prefer to advance and turn the Nuussuaq peninsula
before this period. On this coast, currents and
winds
being reinforced at the semi-day, that currents and
winds on this coast, we begin our navigation earlier
than usually. We had many a priori concerning this
sector of our course. It was for us a point of
required passage, coasts by places hostile and badly
protected with interminable beaches with surfing
long D a been windy channel, with a navigation
mainly wind upright. In short an interesting contour
not very. |
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Chemin making, our a priori
grow blurred with each blow of paddles. The
landscape is attractive, it does not resemble
nothing known until now. On the North-eastern coast,
a high chapeauté relief of glacial languages
finished gradually soft inclined to the sea.
Announced by a water chestnut, many rivers unroll
torrents of rollers. Of an impressive width, the
prospects go back to the vertical to the solid mass,
letting imagine what the place can be at the time of
the large flows of spring. The beaches follow one
another thus throughout the day. Of point at a peak,
the bays follow one another the ones after the
others. It is necessary for us regularly to oblique
on port side in order not to find itself in full
water, with several miles of the shore. A stopover
in the small village of Qaatsut very close to the
airport of Uummannaq, and we take again the sea. The
ends of course are systematically made wind and
current of face. In spite of the drive, the physique
feels some, and it is with satisfaction that one
sees the objective of the day gradually approaching.
July 21st at the evening, like a remake of a
situation already seen, the latex collar of my
combination, yields again beside repair already
carried out. This time, more hesitation, it is
necessary for us to replace it. In spite of
tiredness, the late hour, the weak luminosity, it is
in the tread that we tackle the intervention. At two
o'clock in the morning, the operation is finished we
can finally go to lay down us. The following day, in
spite of one day radiant, the alarm clock is late.
Tiredness and a short night encourages us to take
one day of rest. The time of drying of our repair
will be thus largely respected. With final, a
replacement correctly carried out. |
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We embark on July 23rd in
the morning, for the small village of Niaqornat,
which we think of reaching in end of the afternoon.
Walking on vis-a-vis the wind, each buildings of ice
is favourable with the pause. Arrived for Niaqornat,
whereas we seek to pose to us on the Northern beach
sheltered of the wind, we are made roast the
courtesy by an immense ferry. Good players, we
accost on the principal beach on other side of the
peninsula, on the Southern part of the village.
Since when the ferries do accost on the beaches? In
fact, the village accommodates this day, a group of
croisierists. Without unloading dock, the only
possible access for them is an accosting in zodiac
on the sector more protected. For the 60
inhabitants, this double unloading, is also a
spectacle, on a side a herd of tourists advancing in
Indian file, other two kayakers disguised as
spationauts. For the reception of the first
envisaged of long time, the whole of the village is
present. Some are vêtus traditional dress; jackets
of pearls bordered with the colors chatoyantes, and
shorts and boots in seal skin, for the girls. More
sober, a white jacket with cap
plain and black pants for the boys. Ilannguaq, a
guide, speaking usually English, that we take
initially as being part of the organization of the
ferry, but which is in fact an municipal employee,
invites us to join to us to the visit, and to take
share with various animations. Being done, everyone
is found on the small port where coffee and cake are
at our disposal. The intention heats us in all the
directions of the term. Within this authentic
framework, environment is relaxed. To decorate the
ordinary one, the buildings propose on tables drawn
up for this purpose, some artisanal objects of their
clothes industry, that the tourists
hasten to buy. Three hours later, our small group of
tourists, accompanied back by the buildings, takes
again the way of the ferry. In the village, all is
calmed, only remain two kayaks and our assembled
camping, well with the shelter between the three
buildings of an old Danish counter now unused. The
two following days contrast with the euphoria of the
arrival. |
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The village is peaceful,
one meets there that little world. Ilannguaq (the
guide) organizes us a visit with Karl Kristian Kruse,
the Mayor of the commune, in order to give a medal
to him memory of the town of Monaco. Large hunter,
this last, within sight of the number of its
trophies, (quantity of horns of narval, seal skins,
wood of reindeers, heads of Morses, and an imposing
skin of bear assembled on a framework), us tells the
life with the daily newspaper of its small community.
Main concern is the recent closing of the power
station of fishing, that in spite of abundance and
the quality of fish in the neighborhoods of the
village. The primary reason of this event is the
lack of profitability taking into account the
transport costs and the distance compared to the
town of Uummannaq. A private solution is being
studied, that could bring back many inhabitants to
return on Niaqornat. Last village before starting to
it tower of the peninsula of Nuussuaq, and new a two
week old course in autonomy. Accompanied by our
guide, two days during, we share the life of the
village which we leave the 26 in the morning. With
the program, the crossing of the course, which like
says it our friend Paul is likely to be part of
pleasure. Nevertheless, this first day occurs under
the best old people's homes. A calm sea, sees us
still walking on with the foot of cliffs in the
shade to the North-western point of the peninsula,
which we cross without encumbers, on a sea curiously
calms. There, as a reward never arrives only, a
splendid cod comes to be caught with our line. |
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The 27, on a sea dug by
the swell and the undertow, skirting the coast, of
great
quantities of ice do lot of mileage reverses with
ours. To the approach of the course Kangeq, on the
North-eastern end of the peninsula, to the white of
the ices the white of a sea is added which rises.
Impossible to cross it under these conditions. We
make half-turn on three kilometers, in order to join
a long beach of large rollers, where an exit of
river is being able to shelter us. There, all the
afternoon, the heights overhanging the beach, we
watch for but in vain an improvement. And it is in
the canyon, at the edge of the torrent, that we
assemble the camp Us midnight suppers early, this 27
in the morning in order to take delivery of the
email of Searout, where Michel our router, like each
morning, informs us of the evolution of the weather.
It envisages a reinforcement of the wind on the blow
of the 11:00 with a more important swell. The first
observations give him reason. The day is morose,
under a sky gray and been windy, equipped with our
combinations, avoided to embark, we watch for the
lull which would enable us to turn the course.
Finally, towards 20:00, the idea to see us going up
the camp and to spend a new night in this place,
encourages us to launch to us. A rapid briefing as
for the way of passing surfings of the departure,
and here us are in the bath. The sky is low, the
wind decreased, the sea is completely broken, with
cross swell and pyramidal waves. We advance as far
as we go up and go down. Left no share, a small
Greenlandic boat with three people on board comes
right on us (this meeting will be worth us an
invitation three weeks later on Qeqertaq). We try to
obtain information as for the last conditions the
course, but in vain. In answer, they photograph us
with their cellphones. The answer comes to us
quickly, the conditions grow bigger, in way
incoherent, with zones of lulls and zones of strong
movements. We are on high funds. The wind of North
forcit and pushes us three back quarter. We are in a
hurry to cross the course, and to reach the calm
part where a hut is located. Twenty minutes later,
it is made thing. Well with the shelter in this one,
we enjoy one of the most tended passages of this
tour. |
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They is the 29 in the
morning, that truly our projection in the channel
Sullorsuaq Vaigat starts. With an average width of
twenty kilometers, this one separates the Nuussuaq
peninsula from the island of Disko. The landscape is
imposing and surprising, I qualify it rock
Greenlanders. High mountains with the colors and the
surprising forms, skirt the channel giving an
unusual depth to our navigation. At the exits of
river, the nuances bluish of the ices are based on
water color ground. We start our navigations in
middle of day in order to benefit as well as
possible from the current. We benefit from the
favorable conditions of the moment to advance as
much as possible. Each afternoon, gentle breeze
bearing encourages us to hoist the veils. |
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The 31, with the turning
of an exit of river, we are attracted by an assembly
of gulls, flying over water surface. That it is not
our happiness to see closely our first humpback
whales. The opened mouth, they spout out water. The
scene is repeated, this time, it is a fin which
points the sky. One moment, they disappear. Around
the kayaks, bubbles go back to surface. Suddenly, a
powerful breath emerges in our back to a few meters
of us. The spectacle is imposing. When they leave
us, we take again our navigation still disturbed by
the beauty of the scene and these magic moments. The
landscape which one thought monotonous is varied,
offering to each projection, from the more beautiful
point of view the ones than the others. |
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This first August is the
opening of the shooting season to the caribous. Many
a speed boat furrow the channel. Remote detonations
and empty boats, wet with a few meters of the edge
to the foot of narrow valleys, testify to the
beginning of the activity. One afternoon, way making,
on the bank, a man challenges us by large signs.
With the first access, one imagines it in distress,
having probably lost his boat. The made meeting, it
in is nothing. Curiously, it is about Jeff, French,
accompanied by his group, of a person. Attaching
character, accustomed places, it organizes since
many years of the stays in the sector. After a
coffee break improvised on the beach, time to
exchange some information, we take again our way. We
re-examine Jeff twice, the first, the following day,
when, pagayant of our better, to progress vis-a-vis
one supported wind, a Greenlandic boat approaches
us. On its board, our friend Jeff, forcing the voice
to give us information on the protected sectors. The
second, a few days later, at the time of our arrival
on Saqqaq, where making with two immense kayaks, a
road reverses with our, we separate on one from its
distributed of which it has the secrecy: "Good, one
goes there! because after one sticks and that
becomes difficult. ". Before that, a strong venturi,
on the southern mouth of the channel blocks us, one
day during. Passed this difficulty, we arrive at
Tartunatq. In this place, old civilizations lived.
There remain today only the ruins, two cemeteries,
but especially an atmosphere and a single framework.
As posed in the middle of an ECRIN, a small hut of
trap door accommodates us, overhung by a long basalt
chain dominating a rocky plain and a long sand beach
white. Impossible to arrive on such a site without a
beautiful cod for the dinner. Without delaying, we
find it under a small rock projection, near. It is
by an arrival at the small village of Saqqaq on July
4th, ten days after our departure of Niaqornat, and
the now famous good-byes of our friend Jeff that
this tower of the peninsula of Nuussuaq is completed
which will remain one of the most beautiful passages
of this tour. |
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