Day 173 – Sail the North Atlantic Ocean

The Captain had warned us about the very rough seas we would encounter overnight, but the reality still came as a bit of a shock. Tim and I were rudely awakened around 5:25 am by the sound of falling objects. Just a few small things fell then, but less than an hour later, our ice bucket and carafe full of water, among other things, hit the floor. Luckily, nothing was broken. Although it was difficult to see outside since our windows were covered with salt water and raindrops, I was able to glimpse the largest waves we had experienced so far.

The Waves Were Huge

There was no way that I was going to be able to get back to sleep, so I cleaned up the mess and sat in my chair at the desk to learn about weather conditions in this part of the world. Walking around was not a good idea.

I checked the CruiseMapper app and noted that we were sailing around the southern tip of Greenland, known as Cape Farewell, where the waters around it are known for rough seas. In fact, the Irminger Sea, located between southern Greenland and Iceland, is considered one of the stormiest and windiest stretches of water globally. Maritime conditions around southern Greenland are therefore challenging due to their exposure to harsh Arctic weather systems and strong winds.

Although everything was much calmer by mid-morning, Tim and I decided to delay going to breakfast and instead watched Dr. John Haywood’s lecture on “Ancient Arctic Peoples: Inuit Ancestors.” He explained how these people flourished in the harshest environment on earth and created ingenious technology and art. I was amused when he talked about objects with no discernable use that had been discovered. In that case, he said, archeologists simply categorized these items as ones for ritual use.

Ancient Peoples of the Arctic

In his noon announcement, Captain Markus talked about the weather we had experienced this morning, which was rougher than he had expected. In fact, the seas were rougher than rough – they had reached the threshold for violent! The next level is hurricane!

Tim and I watched two other lectures this afternoon. First up was Dr. Haywood’s previous talk on “The Norse Greenland Colony,” where he spoke about Europe’s first trans-Atlantic settlement and the theories about its mysterious demise. We then caught Dr. Robert Cribb’s talk on “Icebergs: Towers of Ice.” That was certainly an apropos topic since we were beginning to see the icebergs along the western coast of Greenland.

The Norse Greenland Colony

Icebergs

Although It Was Foggy, We Could See Icebergs in the Distance

Later in the day, Cruise Director Cornelia announced three surprise events scheduled for the pre-dinnertime hour, and I stopped by all of them. Resident Pianist Liza performed in the Explorers’ Lounge for a change; Guitar Entertainer Alan accompanied singers Gabby and Marylyn in the Atrium; and wildlife photos and other images from the cruise were shown on the large screen on the Pool Deck. Of course, various special cocktails, as well as popcorn for the “movie,” were served.

Three Simultaneous Special Events in the Explorers' Lounge (left), Atrium (center), and Pool Deck (right)

While Tim and I were at dinner, Captain Markus made another announcement. Any announcement outside of his scheduled one at noon is never a good thing. He let us know that a medical emergency would preclude our stop in Paamiut. Instead, we will head farther north to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. As always, we will just go with the flow and hope the passenger will receive the necessary medical attention he or she requires.