Richard leaves and I get chips
Saxon Blue's Blog
Harvey Jones and Andrea Stokes
Tue 3 Aug 2010 00:33
We're back in Spraglebugt on Umanak island - we were last here the day we dropped Jamie and Paul off. We had a good day in Umanak village, starting with a big breakfast in honour of Richard who was leaving us just after midday. We had a quick walk around town with him and then Andrea and I walked to the Heliport while the others came around in the tender with all Richard's luggage. The Heliport is tiny and very hot so we sat outside in the sun and chatted until it was time for him to board. It was a very smart red helicopter with natty white spots painted on the side. It took 8 passengers and their luggage crammed in as well. Suddenly, it took off and Richard was gone. Very sad. He's been the perfect shipmate and a great teacher and we all hope he enjoys being a dad.
Andrea and I then went to the harbourside cafe for a Latte and then back to Saxon Blue to pick up our gear for an internet session at the hotel. You always have to pay for web access in Greenland so we prepare everything first and make a list of all the things to do, then pay and log on. We paid for 1 hour and finished all our chores with 10 minutes to spare so not bad. One of the jobs was to download the latest ice chart and that shows that we still can't cross to Canada so we'll be around here for another few days at least.
While we were in the hotel, we heard a massive crack and looked up to see that a chunk had fallen off the colossal iceberg just outside the harbour. We could see a wave heading in our direction and I tried to get Kali on the VHF to warn her but they were on shore and were watching the wave as well. Thank goodness it dissipated before entering the harbour but it certainly made me think about staying where we were.
We wanted to take advantage of being able to eat ashore and give Kali a break but the hotel had the same menu as last night(chicken, beef or halibut) and the cafe didn't do anything that Andrea could eat - apart from chips. We went back to the boat and decided that we would have Kali's already prepared Salmon en Croute with take-away chips from the cafe. By this time, the wind had got up from the East - the only direction that blows straight into Umanak harbour - and it was getting decidedly choppy. We were only 20 meters off a lea shore with just our anchor holding us there. Not good.
Magnus and I set off for the cafe to get our chips while Kali got the salmon underway. We returned with half the Greenland chip mountain and we all enjoyed our posh fish and chips. As soon as that was finished, we made our escape. We knew that Spraglebugt anchorage was totally sheltered from the East and only about a mile away. Kali wanted to go for a run so Magnus took her ashore in the tender, then we hauled the tender onboard and Kali cast us off from the shore. Andrea raised the anchor and we motored out into about 25 knots of wind. As we left, we towed our mooring warps behind us as we needed to wash off the festering seal intenstines that had got tangled up in them while we were in harbour.
We were soon anchored up in the familiar bay - a much more sheltered place. As we finished up, Kali came into view over the hills jogging and waving. Then she stopped and we thought she was going to moon at us - surely not. In a few seconds, all became clear. She was now standing on her head and waving to us with her legs. Unconventional but distinctive. I picked her up from the shore in the tender and we all sat around enjoying the peace and beauty of the mountains and the ice on a lovely soft evening.
Harvey
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com