Greenland & Wild Labrador 2014 Aboard the Sea Adventurer Day 1 — Thursday September 11, 2014 "Traveler, there is no path, paths are made by walking." —Antonio Machado Kangerlussuaq From our charter plane you will catch your first glimpse of the magnificent Söndre Strömfjord, one of the longest fjords in the world. The fjord boasts a staggering 168 km of superb scenery. Kangerlussuaq, the town at the eastern end, means 'the big fjord.' Although the fjord crosses the Arctic Circle, like the oceans here, it does not freeze. Locals can thank ocean currents for this; they make this part of Greenland a centre for whaling and fishing year-round. The USA built an air base here in WWII due to the relatively mild weather and strategic location in relation to Europe. Although the military base closed in 1992, the strip is now Greenland's main international and domestic airport. The area is distinguished by fantastic nature and rich biodiversity. There is nowhere else in Greenland where the country’s interior may be so easily accessed. The landscape features enormous glacier formations, which have ploughed deep into the dramatic tundra. On the plain between the fjord and the inland ice you will find Greenland's biggest herds of musk ox, reindeer, arctic foxes, the highest concentration of peregrine falcons in Greenland, and more than 250 species of plants. 0500 check out from the Sheraton Gateway Hotel, proceed to Terminal 3 with your luggage to check-in counter #303 – 306 - - Check in is by surname - Group A-H 0530hrs / Group I-M 0600hrs / Group N-Z 0630hrs 0700 proceed through security to await your boarding call for Miami Air #611 0800 flight departs from Toronto 1400 expected arrival to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, join coaches for our Kangerlussauq programme. 1630 transfer to Pier for our zodiac ride to our vessel MV Sea Adventurer Welcome aboard the MV Sea Adventurer, you will be met at reception and shown to your cabins, take a moment to check your luggage is in your cabin, if not please advise our reception staff. Then it’s your time to familiarize yourself with your cabin and throughout the ship, your home away from home for the voyage. Listen to announcements for the programme on board 1930 Dinner is served in the dining room - take a seat where ever you choose, your wait staff will take your order. For your onboard beverages Greenlandic Viking, Viking Explorer and Arctic Adventure wine packages are available Officers and Expedition Staff of M.V.Sea Adventurer Captain: Master Peter Gluschke Chief Officer: Donael Soto Chief Engineer: Marinko Hrabar Bartender: Eladio Bajan Purser: Willie Lirio Head Housekeeper: Winston Smart Maitre D’hotel: Narendra Seeram Chef: James Salmon Expedition Leader: Matt James Bradley-Swan Hotel Manager: Siegfried Schober Adventure Canada Host: Cedar Bradley-Swan Adventure Canada : Gay Peppin Culturalist: Maria Dicker Archaeologist/ Historian: Callum Thompson Archaeologist/ Historian: Jane Sproull Thompson Naturalist: Holly Hogan Author: Michael Crummey Artist / Culturalist: Pete Barrett Musician: Marshall Dane Culturalist/ Musician: Leander Baikie Photographer: Grant Stovel Artist: Rob Saley Expedition Team: Jason Edmunds Adventure Canada: Michael Strizic Inuit Art Specialist: Heather Beecroft Photographer/ Naturalist: Dennis Minty Geologist: Scott Schillereff Culturalist: Derrick Pottle Naturalist: Janet Bradshaw Musician: Daniel Payne On behalf of Captain Peter Gluschke, his Officers and Crew, and Adventure Canada we would like to warmly welcome you onboard the Sea Adventurer on our Greenland and Wild Labrador expedition. Greenland & Wild Labrador 2014 Aboard the Sea Adventurer Day 2 — Friday September 12, 2014 "No, no! The adventures first, explanations take such a dreadful time.” - Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass Evighedsfjord & Kangaamiut Kangerlussuatsiaq Fjord (old spelling: Kangerdlugssuatsiaq, Danish: Evighedsfjorden) is a fjord in the Qeqqata municipality in western Greenland. Taking its source in the tidewater glaciers draining the Maniitsoq ice sheet, the fjord flows in a deep canyon through a mountainous, uninhabited region, emptying into Davis Strait near the settlement of Kangaamiut. Kangerlussuatsiaq Fjord is 75 km long and 700 m deep. The forbidding nature of the fjord surroundings preclude settlement for the majority of its length. Kangaamiut is the only settlement in the vicinity, located on a small island at the northern end of the fjord mouth. Kangaamiut had a population of 357 as of 2010, and has experienced a steady decline in population over a long period of time. In 1990, the population was 552, and in 2000 it was 481. Kangaamiut is located on an island off the coast of Davis Strait between the mouths of two long fjords. South of the island, the long and twisted Kangerlussuatsiaq Fjord empties into the sea, while immediately to the north, the Kangaamiut Kangerluarsuat Fjord flows into the sea between skerries. The mouth of the long Kangerlussuaq Fjord is located approximately 26 km north of the island. 0630 Early Bird Breakfast in the forward lounge 0700 Wake-up Call 0730 Breakfast is served in the dining room 0830 MANDATORY ZODIAC BREIFING and to discuss the plan for today 0930 Even Cabins passengers disembark for zodiac cruise at Evighedsfjord 0945 Odd Cabins passengers disembark for zodiac cruise at Evighedsfjord 1100 All aboard the Sea Adventurer 1130 From Snap Shots to Great Shots! Part one with Dennis Minty in the forward lounge 1230 Lunch is served in the dining room 1400 Odd Cabins disembark for Kangaamiut 1415 Even Cabins disembark for Kangaamiut 1730 Last zodiac departs Kangaamiut returning to the Sea Adventurer 1815 Join us in the forward lounge for Captains Welcome Cocktails and our Daily Briefing 1915 Dinner is served in the dining room 2100 Join us in the forward lounge to become aquatinted with the AC musicians! Inuktitut word of the day: Siku = Ice German saying of the day: Alles oder nichts = All or nothing Greenland & Wild Labrador 2014 Aboard the Sea Adventurer Day 3 — Saturday September 13, 2014 "I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied." —John Masefield Nuuk Nuuk is the seat of government for the Sermersooq municipality. It has a population of 15,469 (as of January 2010), making it one of the smallest capital cities in the world by population. Nuuk is located at approximately 64°10′00″N 51°44′00″W at the mouth of Nuup Kangerlua, some 10 kilometres from the shores of Labrador Sea on the southwestern coast of Greenland, and about 240 km south of the Arctic Circle. The area around Nuuk was first occupied by the ancient pre-Inuit, Paleo-Eskimo people of the Saqqaq culture as far back as 2200 BC, when they lived in the area around the now abandoned settlement of Qoornoq. For a long time it was occupied by the Dorset culture around the former settlement of Kangeq but they disappeared from the Nuuk district before AD 1000. Viking explorers in the 10th century inhabited the area; shortly thereafter, so did the Inuit peoples. Inuit and Norsemen lived with little interaction in this area from about AD 1000 until around AD 1500, when Norse settlement ended, probably due to changes in climate and vegetation. 0600 Early Bird Breakfast in the forward lounge 0630 Wake-up Call 0700 Breakfast is served in the dining room 0800 Even cabin passengers disembark Sea Adventurer for Nuuk 0815 Odd Cabin passengers disembark Sea Adventurer for Nuuk 1130 Shuttles commence from museum back to Sea Adventurer 1230 Last Shuttle departs museum to Sea Adventurer 1300 All aboard the Sea Adventurer as we depart fro Canada! 1300 Lunch is served in the dining room 1430 Join Scott in the forward lounge as he speaks on Bedrock Geology in Ancient Lands 1545 Identifying Seabirds at Sea with Holly Hogan 1700 Jane delivers her presentation: Keeping warm in the Cold in the forward lounge 1830 Join us for a daily recap in the forward lounge and a look towards tomorrow! 1915 Dinner is served in the dining room 2100 Join us in the forward lounge as we dance while Marshall Dane rocks! Inuktitut saying of the day: Kinauvit? = What is your name? German saying of the day: Darf ich Bitten = May I have this dance PLEASE SET YOUR CLOCKS BACK BY ONE HOUR WHEN YOU GO TO SLEEP Greenland & Wild Labrador 2014 Aboard the Sea Adventurer Day 4 — Saturday September 14, 2014 "Regions mountainous and wild, thinly inhabited, and little cultivated, make a great part of the earth, and he that has never seen them, must live unacquainted with much of the face of nature, and with one of the great scenes of human existence." —Samuel Johnson At Sea: Davis Strait Our presentation series will kick into full swing today as we steam across the Davis Strait towards Canada, and more adventure. Davis Strait is a wide, northerly arm of the Labrador Sea, separating Greenland from Baffin Island and containing some of the deepest water (as deep as 3360 m) in the Arctic. It is named for the English explorer John Davis, who explored the region from 1585-1587. Davis's explorations renewed awareness of Greenland among Europeans. Davis charted much of the region in his search for the Northwest Passage. By the 17th century, whaling had begin in Davis Strait, and by the peak of the industry (1820-1840) as many as a hundred vessels worked the Strait each year, taking as many as a thousand whales annually. Take advantage of a day aboard the Sea Adventurer to explore the nooks and crannies of our vessel, take in one of the many talks offered by our expert expedition staff. While out on deck, keep your eyes peeled for Minke and Orca whales, as well as a variety of other marine wildlife.