Log Entry No 2 - 13th August 08. (Discoverer)

FROM THE CAPTAINS CABIN

Discoverer Travelling Around Large Icebergs.

Scoresby Sund Village is perched on the foreshore astride a stream and gully. It is named after the Scoresby family of Whitby North Yorkshire where in the late 1700s and early 1800s father and son were famous whalers who visited these waters. There are memorials to Mikelson and Charcot, famous Danish and French explorers. Charcot of course also visited the Antarctic in his ship “pourque pas” (why not). Today its population of 350 still live a largely traditional life based on hunting and fishing. However the vestiges of modern life are making their impact, a post office, internet access, motor boats to name but a few of the modern trimmings. The tourist office will arrange husky and sledge trips into Liverpool land and beyond. Polar bears we are warned are not adverse to a human brunch.

Having visited the village our immediate aspiration was to travel about 100 miles into the Sund (At 200 miles long and over 20 miles wide it is the world’s largest fjord) This would allow us to take in some stunning scenery as well as complete some overnight trekking and camping trips on Danmark Island, the site of some old Inuit ruins and over an early over winter by Lt Ryder of The Royal Danish Navy in 1891. Danmark island would also allow us the opportunity and prospect of coming face to face with the Arctic’s most feared killer. In preparation for which we revised rifle drills and even test fired the weapons. In the event the rifle proved ineffective against the mosquitos and we never saw any signs of Polar bears.

ANYWAY THE STORY IS NOW BEST TOLD BY THE SOLDIERS

ATPR THOMAS STANLEY:

Discoverer Leaving Danmark.

It all started on the 27th of July 2008 we set off from the airport on the Sunday night and flew to Iceland. When we got to the yacht I was surprised how small it was, I share a bunk with two other guys, the bunk is about 8 foot high and 9 foot long with three beds and some storage boxes underneath the bottom bunk. On the 2nd day we started training which lasted for two days. Then it all went wrong!!!, I found out that the food doesn’t taste as good the second time round, yes I was sick for about two days, I was the first but not the last. Once we had overcome the dreaded sickness we could finally do some sailing so at last I started to enjoy myself doing the jobs required to sail an ocean going yacht through Arctic waters, like sail changes and tacking and putting reef in the main sail. Our leg of the expedition started in Iceland and would finish in Norway after sailing via Greenland. We were split down into three watches red, blue and white. These comprise of four people in a watch. Mine is red watch, there is me, Alex, Lou and Andy. On the 5th of August 2008 we arrived in Greenland at a place called Scoresby Sund which is the biggest ford in the world. It’s like a different world over here with ice bergs the size of houses and some were even 12 times larger.

LANDPARTY A ON DANMARK ISLAND

(SIG) ALEX COUPE ROYAL SIGNALS AND GNR CHELSEA HAMPSON:

Returning Trekking Party.

We anchored in a bay on Danmark Island and sailed ashore with the medium inflatable boat (MIB) to start our exploration of the small unmanned island. All we had with us was our 24hr ration packs, 2 tents, 2 gas cookers and a L96 sniper rifle.

We sighted a small shed while sailing to anchor, so we began our journey there. The small shed was used by people who would come to the island to fish or hunt polar bears, muskux (arctic cows) and the other small amount of wildlife on the island. As we walked down the shore line, we saw two people canoeing into the bay, so we went and introduced ourselves. It was a father and son from Danmark that had been canoeing for 10 days solid and that had been their first break. While we stopped and had a chat we also took pictures.

As we left the Dane’s, we started to walk across the island and look at the amazing scenery. We were on the look out for an old Inuit settlement and also keeping an eye out for polar bear’s on the island. We took several breaks drinking from the fresh stream on the mountains and to plan the easiest route ahead. Seven miles into our exploration we found a piece of flat land that could be used as a base camp for the night and a stream close by. It had been a long day and all the party were hungry and tired so we decided to erect the two tents and settle down to a hot meal prepared from our 24 our ration packs. We had a problem with the mosquitoes and couldn’t seem to get rid of them. After our late night meal we got in our tents and crashed out for the night.

Waking up late in the morning was nice as we haven’t been able to do that in a while, we were happy to find the mosquitoes had died down and after a hot breakfast we set off to find the yacht which was 4-5 miles away in another small bay, but to our dismay within 15 minutes the mosquitoes were back and eating us alive.

After an hour of walking over the mountainous terrain we saw the yacht anchored just offshore in the bay, which was about 2miles away from our position. Now all we had to do was make our way over the few remaining ridges to safety. But as we picked up the pace the mosquitoes grew in number. As we climbed down from a steep ridge we found a flat rocky area near the shore line so the MIB could collect us. We’d radioed into the yacht to let them know where we were and that we were ready for our taxi back to the mosquito free zone.

Imagine trekking through the wilderness hunting for polar bears, sniper rifle at the ready waiting for the golden shot. Luckily we didn’t get attacked by any bears but target practice at 400m was just as cool. Camping over on a tiny island in the middle of the Arctic Circle was a once in a life time opportunity which we would do again given the chance. The scenery we saw was the stuff you see on T.V, with giant snow capped mountains to our left and on the right was the ocean dotted with huge icebergs. Drinking ice cold water from the streams really hits the spot; even the mosquitoes didn’t ruin the experience of a life time.

A trip like this doesn’t come along everyday and if you get the chance do it.

LANDPARTY B

(SPR) ANTHONY SHAW ROYAL ENGINEERS RECALLS HIS EXPERIENCE:

Scorsby Sund Village.

I woke up after about 3 hours sleep after coming off watch to the sound of scraping along the outside of the yacht right past my birth (that’s a bed for normal people). I went and put my life jacket on and could see out of the window above the navigator’s table large white lumps, small and very large-we had hit ice that was travelling from the Arctic down the East Greenland current. It was a hell of a novelty to be in the Arctic Circle itself but to be this close to Arctic ice was a pretty amazing feeling. No iceberg was the same, all sorts of shapes and sizes; short, tall, wide, slim, round, square and just plain irregular. The colours were remarkable; from white, turquoise, blue to black. Just on the horizon was a sight that I won’t forget; it was our first glimpses of Greenland.

Very large rock faces which were laden with ice and the sun at a slight angle, which mapped out the ridges and textures, made me realise how good this trip should be after being quite seasick on the way in from Iceland. After travelling for a long time I was looking forward to stepping onto land so I was relieved and excited to see the Inuit settlement which was a little different to what I expected as all of their houses were wood and painted either blue, red, yellow or green. We got ashore and it felt a bit wobbly from being on the yacht for days. There was a shop, a bank, some sort of religious building which broke the traditional Inuit image I had in my head of igloos, there were loads of husky dogs and sledges about that reminded me of how it must be in the depths of winter, dark and the fjord totally frozen. Matt Evans, Badger and myself came across a small steep hill covered in snow and Matt came up with the idea of snow bagging. At the bottom of the hill there was a really bad football pitch that looked like the bottom of a quarry; there where loads of 5- 12 year olds having football lessons so we asked if we could join in and they let us. It was nice when one little girl asked my name so I said Taff as Anthony might be a bit of a mouthful and there was about 8 or 9 kids shouting Taff Taff Taff because I was in goals and they all wanted me to save their shots but it turned out I had 4 or 5 balls flying at my head at any one time, but it was cool to be the outsider and getting a big wave as we left that was the highlight of Greenland so far.

We travelled westerly through the Sund later that day and it took all night to get to Danmark Island. I was really looking forward to the 24 hour walk across the island but once we anchored up about 50 meters away from the shore we were plagued with mosquito’s which dampened the spirits of the walk. We were shown the list of who was going out that night and I wasn’t, but I was on the MIB (Medium Inflatable Boat) that was going ashore to pick up the walkers 24 hours after we dropped them off. This wasn’t a good sight as the lads and lady had mosquito’s all over them and you could see just how much they had been bitten by the grotesque amount of bites on their faces reminding me that I was about to do exactly the same thing. I covered myself head to toe; hat, sunglasses, scarf up over the nose and gloves but this was my bane as once we started walking I was very hot but covering was essential.

For me a really big highlight of the walk was being on polar bear stag which for a young lad is pretty cool in itself-left alone there with a L96 sniper rifle and, for a last resort, a box of mini flares. We were allowed 1 shot each as part of weapons’ handling and it was unbelievably accurate. What was on everyone’s’ mind was the infuriating mosquito’s constantly bouncing off the eyes and wandering into mouths and brews it was soul destroying which was frustrating as the island was remarkable with the really big mountains and glaciers in the back ground. The relief of getting back on the yacht, having a shower and applying bite cream was sensational not to mention the hot brew/wet awaiting us when we arrived. I was relieved and disappointed when we set off because of the fact that the island was so nice to trek but it was spoiled by the mozzies. I am looking forward to the leg ahead stopping off in Jan Mayan Island which is said to be an active volcano. Overall my expedition so far has defiantly been worth the vomiting and mosquito’s.

EXPEDITION LEADER:

Discoverer with another glacier.

Last night on watch one Mat Page one of our coastal skipper watch leaders told me that what ever the soldiers were getting out of this, he was getting more. Comments like that and writings such as those above spurs one final thought from me; experiences and enthusiasm like this from the very people whose lives we sought to influence makes it all worth while. I will have I hope opportunity to say this again but on behalf of them all, I am privileged and delighted to thank all of our supporters without whom none of this could have happened.

Richard Pattison