It must have been the end of 2019 when I first reached out to André Speet. While researching options to explore the Greenlandic coast, I came across his website about his sailing ship Mae West and his plans to cross the North West Passage. While preparing for the passage, he was planning to spend the summer of 2020 around Disko Bay and invited people to apply to join one of these expedition-style sailing trips. Not long after mailing André, we met at a café in his hometown Gouda, to discuss the options. After a few cappuccinos we had a rough sketch of what would be a combination of sailing with photography workshops. Majestic icebergs and abandoned villages, all bathing in the endless light of the midnight sun. There was a lot to look forward to.
However, 2020 was not the year we expected it to be. A few months in, the outlook of a trouble-free summer of sailing went up in smoke. The pandemic introduced some major issues and it proved to be extremely difficult to visit Greenland in the first place. The midsummer sailing trips were no longer realistic and the chances of being allowed to do the North West Passage also reduced to zero. We thus decided to push the trip to the autumn. Meanwhile, the participants and enthusiasts for the photo workshops dropped out one by one. Fortunately, two guests from Germany demonstrated great flexibility and willingness to just go with the flow, hoping for the trip to eventually proceed. And it did. In September of that same year we were able to explore Disko Bay. It was not without problems though.
Adventure #1: Getting to Greenland
In order to be allowed into Greenland, we needed a negative COVID-19 test performed by a test center that was approved by the Greenlandic government. After some communication with the Greenlandic authorities, all three of us had planned a test at a certified test center. To minimise the risk of additional complications, we drove to Copenhagen Airport instead of flying. Well on time we arrived at the Air Greenland check-in desk. After handing over our negative tests we were treated with some questionable looks. Our tests were not ‘on the list’. Apparently, the test itself also needed to be pre-approved by the Greenlandic authorities. We were refused boarding and rescheduled for the flight three days later. In the meantime, we needed to run by the hospital downtown for an approved ‘Nordic’ test. At the hospital it proved to be quite complicated to actually get the test performed without a Danish ID. We ended up with a temporary ID, hoping for all administrative processes to go well to actually get the results on Air Greenland’s passenger list. With a processing time of up to 72 hours, a flight within 60 hours and no direct communication on the test result, we had a nervous two days ahead. Luckily, we were in Copenhagen. There are worse places to get stuck and Copenhagen was actually a perfect backdrop for some first photographic lessons. Eventually, we ended up having a great time in Denmark’s capital.
Three days after our planned flight from Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq in Greenland, we were back at the check-in desk. At first, we were required to wait for another hour, because the COVID-19 results were not in yet. While the time of departure was moving closer and closer, we were slowly getting nervous. Eventually we were called back to the desk, to finally receive the words we were desperately hoping to hear: “Your test is negative, let’s get you checked in.” I don’t remember being more relieved than that simply by stepping onto a plane. At Kangerlussuaq we had a quick stopover before flying to Ilulissat. At arrival in Ilulissat, the first thing we need to do was another COVID-19 test. One of which we actually never received the results. The fact that we needed to perform this test also required us to stay in Ilulissat for the next three days. All to make sure we would not pose a threat to the more remote communities.
Adventure #2: A treacherous kind of calmness
After all these experiences getting into Greenland, the real adventure – the one that brought us here in the first place – still had to begin. We met André and his s/v Mae West at the harbour of Ilulissat. We started off with a tour around our home for the next 10 days and the necessary safety instructions. Next up was shopping for groceries. Even though that does not sound too interesting, it actually was. We could benefit from André’s experience in stashing the ship with supplies, while keeping the costs as low as possible. Even though almost all products are heavily subsidised by the Danish government, grocery shopping in Greenland is still extremely expensive.
Later that night we departed for our first tour through the waters of Disko Bay and the Ilulissat Icefjord in particular. Right after leaving the harbour, we were treated with an amazing spectacle: dark blue icebergs against the orange backdrop of the setting sun. In the meantime, the moon was hovering just above the horizon. I can vividly remember us being completely speechless – apart from incidental ‘wows’ – and only hearing the clicking of cameras. After an hour or so we returned to the harbour, accompanied by some faint northern lights.
The next few days we enjoyed the small town of Ilulissat and its surroundings during the day. In Greenland, the autumn season already starts at the end of august. Since we were there in the middle of September, we had some spectacular coloured landscapes along the shores. Shades of dark orange, brown and red in front of the blue icebergs of Disko Bay. These were some excellent conditions for a photo workshop. At night we ventured out into the open waters, in search for the best compositions between the icebergs.
It is only when sailing between these big lumps of ice that their immense size becomes apparent. One can only feel small and humble as a human being, knowing that only a small portion of these icebergs is visible to the eye. One night we lingered within a hundred meters of these towering giants. They seemed peaceful in these still and calm waters. However, it’s a treacherous kind of calmness. Once an iceberg starts shifting or crumbling, the chance of telling the story afterwards is zero to none. In that sense, this has been one of the most dangerous situations I’ve ever found myself in.
Adventure #3: Breaking the ice
We planned the adventure to end in Aasiaat, just south of Disko Bay. In order to get there, we needed to cross an immense field of ice that had gathered just outside of Ilulissat. The Mae West is not an ice class vessel, but it does have a strengthened bow. It makes it easier (and often better) to take a hit right on the bow than on the side of the ship. Of course, not hitting anything at all is always the best. It seemed André was in quite an adventurous mood that week; after an hour or so slowly navigating through the ice, he decided to give the hammering a go. Years later he would describe this as “a crazy thing he did once but decided to never do again”.
I used this opportunity for my own photographic adventure: trying to capture a frontal view of the bow, from just above the waterline. I mounted my camera to my tripod and lowered it upside down to just above the water, just like I did a few years ago on one of the journeys aboard s/v Noorderlicht. While clinging onto the tripod I used my wired remote to shoot in accordance with the movement of the ship. It was a process of a lot of trial and error to get both the angle and timing right, but I succeeded to get some nice unique shots.
On the route to Aasiaat we stayed the night at Hunde Ejland, a small and barely populated island in Disko Bay. It gave us a nice taste of more remote life in Greenland, even though this island is still quite close to Ilulissat or Aasiaat when using a speedboat. From Hunde Ejland we proceeded towards Aasiaat.
Adventure #4: Urban Exploration in Aasiaat
We moored against an island within the harbour of Aasiaat. The island was once the domain of a fish factory and housed the storage of Aasiaat’s museum. The remains of both provided ample opportunities for still life photography. It was our own ‘cabinet of curiosities’. There was a lot to discover within the scenes that might as well be a decor of a horror movie.
We spent the last few days with an overnight sailing trip to a nearby bay with a great anchoring spot and some hoovering around with the dinghy. The very last night in Aasiaat I received the most amazing farewell gift Greenland could offer me: intense northern lights.
When the lights started to appear, I immediately sprinted from the Mae West to the small wreck of a fishing boat, almost tripping over the fishing nets that were scattered around the island. I had already photographed the wreck a few times during the previous days, so I knew exactly where to set up my tripod. At first, I was disappointed by the fact that the floodlights of a big cargo ship lit up the entire scene. But a few minutes later, the northern lights got so bright that it actually turned out to be excellently balanced foreground lighting.
Visit the following link to see my photography portfolio of Disko Bay, Greenland.