Wednesday, September 17, 2008

ABC Wednesday - I is for Icebergs


The first iceberg I ever saw in person was at about 4pm on Sunday 14th July 2005. We were in an area of the North Atlantic known as Irminger Havet. One of the party had a portable satellite navigation gizmo which put our location at 58° N, 42° W. The iceberg was still about 17 miles away.


We passed by it and continued sailing towards Greenland.


As we anchored off Qaqortoq we could see several bergs towards the North.


There was even one floating in the small harbour where a girl was kayaking.


The next day on the way up to Nuuk we passed more icebergs. The vertical marks, incidentally, are streaks on the outside of the glass through which the photograph was taken.


We saw fewer on the return journey. Greenland's icy mountains peered above the coastal fogbank.

We were not able to navigate Prince Christian Sound which cuts a sort of South-East passage across the end of Greenland.

If you want to know more about life among the icebergs, check out North, Chris & Jane's blog from Uummannaq.

You can read our 2005 cruise journal or access all 27 high-res photos from Qaqortoq.

More I posts can be seen on the ABC Wednesday Anthology blog.

Others can be found via the ABC Wednesday with Mister Linky which carries a registry of participants.

33 comments:

  1. I liked this post! Icebergs are majestic, don't you think?

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  2. Wow, cool :-) And did you know that normally just see 10% of the iceberg? About 90% is below the surface. Thats because the density of a icberg is ca 920 kg/m3 and for sea water it is 1025 kg/m3 (m3 is cubic meter).

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  3. these icebergs are amazing - ivar's comment also helps to understand thier magnitude!

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  4. Excellent choice, Gerald.

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  5. Majestic and interesting. I love how many have a blue cast to them. I remember seeing icebergs as we flew over Greenland. Awesome.

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  6. oooow wow! This is interesting Gerald, I never saw an ICEBERG before, very n-Ice :)

    www.joannwalraven.blogspot.com
    JoAnn's-D-Eyes

    visit my ABC-I

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  7. I envy you that trip - I have always wanted to visit Greenland - it looks just as I have imagined. So far I have only seen it from above.

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  8. Very good choice! Yesterday I saw a documentary about the Titanic and your post reminds me of that event.

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  9. Icebergs can be beautiful or deadly, as in the case of the Titanic. This is fascinating travel post. I especially like the photo of the girl in the kayak next to a miniature berg.

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  10. Oh yes, icebergs are fascinating. We saw some on our cruise to Alaska and in the sunshine, the colours are amazing!

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  11. 'Greenland's icy mountains!' A poetic phrase. And the photograph looked very misty and majestic too. All very atmospheric. (And I now know how to link!)

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  12. How beautiful. What a fun trip : ). I can't think of an I yet. Hope you are having a fabulous week! God bless.

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  13. Very wonderful! I have never seen an iceberg as well!

    My "I" picture is posted here. Happy Wednesday!

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  14. "Cool" (no pun intended) post, Gerald. I have seen one iceberg in my lifetime, from about 25,000 feet above the North Atlantic. It must have been huge at sea level!

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  15. iceberg...and didn't expect to learn facts about it here, thanks. A nice choice you've made.

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  16. My husband knows that one of the top things on my lifes-to-do-list is to visit a place where I can view icebergs myself.
    Not this year but hopefully next year I will be able to realize my dream.

    Bear((( )))

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  17. Great post Gerald, so many facts i did not know. Thanks so much.
    Dx

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  18. wow. those are amazing images. nothing remotely like that over here. :O

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  19. How exciting this sighting must have been! I have never seen an iceberg yet but hope to when I visit Newfoundland some day. A great I choice.
    ann at Gallimaufry Gleanings

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  20. One might be tempted to consider the berg in the harbour "smallish" but - like Ivar already pointed out and as many have found out too late - most of the ice is out of sight.

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  21. I can't imagine an iceberg floating
    in Ramsey Harbour. It's just occured to me I have never seen an iceberg in the flesh.

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  22. I have never see an iceberg
    I imagine they must either feel threatening or absolutely majestic

    Brrrr I can feel the cold from here!

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  23. Your iceberg reminds me of the Titanic. I'm reading the book right now and a few weeks ago we went to the Pittsbugh museum to see the display they had of actual items they recovered. Nice photos.

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  24. I'm chilly now I've read this Gerald.. neat posting for the letter 'I'

    Mine's Here

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  25. Lovely!

    Icebergs are incredible things, just incredible. It must be quite awe-inspiring to see one for yourself!

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  26. Thanks for sharing the photos. I've never seen an iceberg in real life. Eerie I imagine.

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  27. Excellent photos of iceburgs, I will read all about your cruise tomorrow (its a bit late now!)

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  28. Wow...these are beautiful and somehow frightening.

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  29. A threaten species. Great capture.

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  30. Oh I want to see an iceberg, too! None here in Rwanda I suspect.

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