SEBASTIAN BARRETT AND XIARA SCOTT SHARED A MEMORABLE EXPEDITION EXPLORING THE MOUNTAINS OF GREENLAND ABOARD A GUNBOAT 68
It’s hard to imagine what life is like beyond the borders of our imagination. Sometimes, when you’re lucky enough, life presents itself with opportunities that take you into the realm of the unknown. That’s what our voyage to Greenland was.
The trip came about through the combination of one man’s imagination, a crew hungry for adventure, and a remarkable boat to take them there. Sea Tilt’s owner had a dream to explore the wilderness of Greenland, and we – skipper Sebastian and chef/crew Xiara – were excited to make it happen.
The first things that come to mind when thinking of Greenland are impenetrable ice sheets, towering mountains and the vast unknown. To this day parts of Greenland’s borders remain undefined due to constant shifts along its fluid coastline. In order for us to even begin planning for this endeavour, Sebastian began cross-referencing navigation charts with ice charts from previous years, looking for correlating patterns of iceflow in June and July, so we could get a sense of what to expect. With little available in the ways of traditional cruising guides we had to get inventive, and our most valuable information came from getting in touch with people who’d made similar trips before, and hearing their first-hand experiences. As well as sharing practical information that wasn’t available elsewhere, they reassured us that it wasn’t as daunting as it seemed.
We originally considered the east coast of Greenland, but soon came to the realisation that a 68ft carbon hull versus the volume of ice in those waters would not be a good match. Eyebrows were raised, plans were changed, but everyone involved was happy to discuss what would be both possible and safest for boat, crew and guests.
We set off from Halifax, Nova Scotia, then sailed to Newfoundland. Gradually the landscapes became more remote, and the temperatures started to drop.
We made our final preparations before departing for Greenland from the city of St John’s in Newfoundland. Sea Tilt’s sleek lines made quite the impression in this large commercial port, moored up on industrial docks alongside massive offshore support and rescue vessels.
We were warmly welcomed by the St John’s community, the locals helping us prepare for our trip. They took us cod fishing, where we hauled seven large cod that became a key element of our supplies, and even gave us different cuts of a moose they’d hunted the season before.
We enjoyed great sailing along the southern coast of Newfoundland, with its constantly changing scenery and dramatic fjords. From Nova Scotia up to Conception Bay there were broad reaching condition
