Superstars and polar bears running scared.
Since I went to the Antarctic in 2009 I have had a bit of a ‘thing’ for the polar regions. So when I was offered seven weeks work in Greenland, working for Tangent Expeditions, I jumped at it. I was originally going as a boat coxswain but as things developed I was asked if I would lead a two week trip into the Southern Stauning Alps with 3 clients – more about that in another post. Tangent have a base at Constable Point (CNP) in Hurry Fjord, Eastern Greenland. Hurry Fjord leads into another fjord – Scoresby Sound Fjord which is the largest fjord in the world. 50k at it’s widest and some 230k long. The main part of the job was taking the clients and gear in the boats from CNP to the head of Scorseby Sound fjord in the two 5m RIBs (rigid inflatable boat) – 250k is a serious distance in any boat never mind a 5m RIB, but I do like an adventure…..
Our first clients were a team of 3, a father and son being led by mountaineering superstar Kenton Cool. Our Job was support them with the boats and transport equipment. The winds tend to be calm during the ‘night’ so we set off at 10mp for a 230k (7-10 hour) boat journey. Keeping warm is a nearly impossible task when travelling at 30mph in single figure temperatures, so several flasks of hot coffee/tea/hot chocolate are essential.