Visual Journal - Greenland's Disko Bay V13

23 rd – 28 th of August, 

2019 

Volume 1, Issue 13 

Visual Journal 

Disko Bay, 

Greenland 

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF

The 

Albatros 

Editor-in-Chief: 

Staff Writers: 

Layout & Design: 

Expedition Leader: 

Assistant Expedition Leader 

Shop Manager: 

Expedition Photographer: 

Zodiac Master: 

Hiking Master: 

Kayak Master: 

Expedition Guide/Lecturer: 

Front Cover Image: 

Back Cover Image: 

Photography Contributors: 

Aaron Strahlke 

Steve Egan 

Ursula Tscherter 

Rashidah Lim 

Gregers Gjersøe 


Laali Berthelsen 

Gaby Pilson 

Sam Gagnon 

Ted Creek 

Anne Dorthe Jacobsen 

Nadine Smith 

Renato Granieri 

Steve Traynor 


Steve Egan 


Rashidah Lim 

Ursula Tscherter 

Mikaela von Koskull 

Jakob Schytz 

Laali Berthelsen 

Mayumi Brazil 

Hideaki Hirose 

Sarfannguit © Renato Granieri Photography 

Qeqertarsuaq © Renato Granieri Photography 

Renato Granieri Photography 

Gaby Pilson 



© Renato Granieri Photography 

23-28 August, 2019 Volume 1, Issue 13

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

The Voyage 

By the Numbers 

Day 1: Kangerlussuaq 

The Seven Sisters of Szczecin 

Day 2: Sisimiut 

What makes an Expedition Guide? 

Day 3: Qeqertarsuaq 

Ice is Nice – Glacier Fun Facts 

Day 4: Ilulissat 

Through the Lens 

Day 5: Sarfannguit 

Becoming an Expedition Guide 


A Brief History of the Zodiac 

A Final Note 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

Now you can hear the stories and 

adventures of the women and men who 

make our expeditions. Listed to our podcast, 

Ocean Waves, recorded onboard Ocean 

Atlantic during our current Arctic season. 

Available on most podcast providers and on 

our webiste: 

www.albatros-expeditions.com/podcast

The Voyage 

Page 4 

The following map traces the approximate route that the M/V Ocean Atlantic took during our 

voyage From Svalbard to via Greenland . You can find more information about our day to day 

activities, landings, and excursions on the following pages. We hope that this magazine serves as a 

reminder of all of the wonderful memories you made while experiencing the Arctic with us at 

Albatros Expeditions. 




By the Numbers… 

Page 5 

Voyage Statistics: 

Northernmost Point: 69 o 47’30’’N 

Total Distance Travelled: 792 nautical miles 

Number of guests: 82 

Number of guides: 15 

Kangerlussuaq: 

Sisimiut: 

Qeqertarssuaq: 

Eqip Sermia: 

Ilulissat: 

Sarfannguit: 

Excursion Locations: 

67 o 00’31’’N, 50 o 41’21’’W 

66 o 56’20’’N, 53 o 40’20’’W 

69 o 14’50’’N, 53 o 32’00’’W 

69 o 47’30’’N, 50 o 18’03’’W 

69 o 13’00’’N, 51 o 06’00’’W 

66 o 89’78’’N, 52 o 86’01’’W 




23 August 2019 - Embarkation Day 

In the early hours of the morning, M/V Ocean 

Atlantic glided the final stretch of her long passage of 

almost 200 km, along the Kangerlussuaq Fjord, 

connecting the sea beyond to the main international 

airport for Greenland. Here a small township nestles 

in the glacial hills, existing entirely to support the 

associated tourism that uses the airport & services 

the ships that sail into the nearby port. 

Kangerlussuaq was established by the USA as an 

airbase, firstly in WW2 and then further reinforced 

by Cold war tensions and most of the infrastructure 

was designed and built almost a century ago. In more 

recent times with the fall of the Soviet Union, its 

importance diminished and the population waned. 

While tourism and air transport keeps the town alive, 

plans to relocate Greenland’s air hub to the capital of 

Nuuk, may forever change Kangerlussuaq’s value as a 

destination, that supports the local economy. 

Port days are busy and intensely organized days for 

the ship’s hard-working crew. 82 guests flying in to 

join us from as far afield as North America, Asia and 

from nearby Europe, we had much to prepare to 

welcome them all in the best way. As the warm 

northern summer sun beamed down on us, we 

cleaned our good ship & prepared ourselves for the 

journey ahead. Soon enough it seemed, our guests 

Page 6 

From the Voyage Log 

© Aaron Strahlke 

began to arrive from their airport; it’s always an 

exciting time to meet new faces that would share 

the journey with us. Ahead of us, some good days of 

exploring some highlights of Greenland. There was 

much to look forward to! While the warm afternoon 

sun had become the cool breezes of twilight, we 

made our way by zodiac from jetty to ship. 

With formalities completed - luggage placed in 

cabins, passports collected for safe-keeping, our 

newly arrived guests had a few moments to become 

accustomed to what would be their home for the 

next days of adventures. In the Viking Theatre, a 

safety drill cleared us to sail away from port, and it 

was already time for a social dinner in our Vinland 

restaurant which we enjoyed as MV Ocean Atlantic 

sailed for the distant horizon. After a lengthy day of 

travel, it was time to rest and enjoy the deep sleep 

that naturally follows. 

“ 


We can only ever experience true 

beauty in nature when we are 

brave enough to seek it out… 

” 

As we’re on an expedition, we know full well that 

there are no guarantees. We are at the mercy of the 

weather, the wildlife, and the landscape of this cold 

place. But, as explorers know all too well, we can 

only ever experience true beauty in nature when 

we are brave enough to seek it out amongst the 

mountains and the seas in the world’s most remote 

places. It is with that sentiment in mind that we 

venture away from Kangerlussuaq and north, to the 

future and all the wonders it holds. 


The Seven Sisters of Szczecin 

David MacDonald, Lecturer (Geology) & Expedition Guide 

M/V Ocean Atlantic was launched in 1986 as the 

last-built of the ‘Shoshtakovich’ class of icestrengthened 

passenger vessels, alongside six sister 

ships, together known as the “Seven Sisters of 

Szecsecin”. 

Her original name was Konstantin Chernenko 

(Константин Черненко), after the President of the 

USSR (1984-1985). She was renamed Russ (Русс) in 

1989, and spent much of her life working in the 

Russian Far East. 

She was purchased by Albatros Expeditions and 

completely refitted in 2017. She is now a 200- 

passenger expedition vessel and is one of the 

strongest polar cruise ships afloat. Here are some 

fun facts about the “Seven Sisters”: 

• All seven ships were built by Stocnia Szczecinska 

shipyard in Szczecin, Poland between 1979-1986 

• Main engines: 4 x Skoda Sulzer 6LZ40 total power 

12800 kW, giving a maximum speed of 18 knots 

• Most of the class have one bow thruster (736 kW) 

and one stern thruster (426 kW); however, two 

ships, including ours, built in 1986, have two stern 

thrusters, each of 426 kW 

• Feature Siemens stabilisers for seaworthiness 

• Although built as ferries, they have a 

strengthened car deck for transport of tanks 

• Two of them had diving chambers 

• MV Mikhail Sholokov had hull demagnetising 

Page 7 

equipment so it could operate in minefields 

• All of these ships have been scrapped except ours 

and Konstantin Simonov – now Ocean Endeavour 

Our ship has had a complex history: 

1986-1987 In Baltic traffic, then Vladivostok to 

Japan & S Korea 

1989 renamed to Russ 

1997-1999 In traffic Stockholm-Riga; 2000 

Odessa-Haifa; 2002 back to 

Vladivostok transporting cars from 

Japan 

2007 Sold to Sea Ferry Shipping in Majuro 

and renamed 2010 to Atlantic; 

renovations in Italy and in traffic 

Stockholm-Helsinki-St.Petersburg 

during summer and laid up (October 

2010) in St Petersburg 

2012 Sold to ISP in Miami and renamed to 

Ocean Atlantic under Marshall 

Islands flag 

2013 Used as a hotel ship in the German 

bight wind farm project 

2015-2017 Laid up in Helsingborg and taken to 

Gdansk in Poland, where totally 

refitted 

2017 Chartered to Quark Expeditions 

2017-present Chartered to Albatros Expeditions. 



Day 2: Sisimiut 

24 August 2019 – Our First Settlement 


Page 8 

After a good and healthy breakfast in the morning, we 

all met in the Viking Theatre to get briefed about our 

day in Sisimiut. 

Sisimiut, the capital of the Qeqqata Kommunia, has 

5500 inhabitants and is the second largest city in 

Greenland after Nuuk. The city was founded in 1764 

but the area of Sisimiut has been inhabited by people 

of the Saqqaq and Dorset culture as well as the Thule 

people, whom the current population is descendants 

from, for nearly 4500 years. First established as a 

trading station Holsteinborg, which mainly traded 

reindeer hide, the city is today one of Greenland’s 

education town with an Engineering school and a 

foreign language school to name a few. 

We had guided walks into the town to visit our very 

first Greenlandic settlement. From the ship we headed 

to the oldest part of Sisimiut which is a museum today. 

There we were offered a variety of Greenlandic food 

to taste. For example, seal blubber, reindeer soup, 

dried cod and dried Minky whale. Well fed, we 

continued towards the Blue Church, which is one of 



After our guided walk through Sisimiut we had the 

opportunity to visit the different shopping possibilities 

before most of us headed back to the ship for lunch. 

In the afternoon, a guided hike was offered to a nearby 

island from which we had a new point of view towards 

the colorful painted houses. The sunny weather with 

the blue sky in combination with the beautiful scenery 

made this hike to something really special. 

Back on board and departing from Sisimiut we all went 

to the Viking Theatre to listen to a mandatory Zodiac 

safety briefing to prepare ourselves for our landing on 

the next day. Before dinner, we met again to listen to 

our plans for the following day in detail and to be 

officially welcomed by our Hotel Manager Oliver who 

introduced the services on board. Then it was time for 

the Captains welcome cocktail party and the 

introduction of the senior officers of our home far from 

home for the next days. 

the oldest churches in Greenland. The Blue Church was 

constructed in Denmark and then shipped to Sisimiut 

after the citizens bought it from the Danes for 60 

barrels of whale oil. As the town grew, there was not 

enough space in the church for all citizens. Therefore 

in 1925, a new church was build, the “Red Church”. 

We couldn’t enter the church during our guided walk 

but right after it some of us enjoyed it as the baptism 

which was held in the morning was over. 

While we continued our guided walk in the morning 

after the museum, we also saw a couple of 

Greenlandic dogs. These dogs are working dogs and 

not used to be pet. Admirable animals, they enjoyed 

with us this gorgeous sunny day. 



What Makes an Expedition Guide? 

Brian Seenan, Lecturer (Geology) & Expedition Guide 

A good expedition guide wants you to enjoy as much as of your 

destination as possible. You’ve chosen it carefully and you’re 

hungry for information: what do penguins eat, what kind of bird 

is that, is that a volcano, why are beluga whales white, does the 

sea go all the way around that island? So, we’d better be ready. 

Page 9 

“ 

We each have a personal style and 

specialization, but one thing unites us all: 

our curiosity for the natural world. 

” 

We find it so fascinating, we do it for a job. If we’re not guiding, 

you’ll find us checking out new and interesting places and 

things. Every day, we look forward to learning something new, 

like how people lived 5,000 years ago or how seals can delay 

gestation, so they only return to shore once to give birth and 

mate. This kind of thing fascinates us all. 

We want to share this stuff with you, so expect us to be 

enthusiastic. We’ll fess up if we don’t know every answer, but 

we’ll aim to find it – we don’t like uncertainty any more than 

you. We enjoy being with people, and talking about what we 

see and feel, even if it’s 2 o C below, with a biting wind. 

We take care of you, but not like your mom, and we make sure 

you don’t fall out of the Zodiac trying to get a perfect shot of a 

puffin. We take courses to drive our Zodiacs well. We learn first 

aid, so we can handle the unexpected. 


More than anything, we want you to enjoy your adventure. 

Everything is there in front of you - the scenery, the wildlife, the 

plants and the geology; as guides, we hope we bring them to 

life for you. 

© Gaby Pilson 

© Gaby Pilson © Gaby Pilson 


Day 3: Qeqertarsuaq 

25 August– The Disko Island with Polka Dancers 

This morning we stepped foot on the pier of 

Qeqertarsuaq, also known as Godhavn, located on the 

South coast of Disko Island. Although it was a bit chilly 

at first, the sun got stronger with the hour creating 

ideal conditions for the hikers as well as the guests 

exploring the town. But first we all went to the 

community centre to join a Kaffemik. The locals offered 

us cake and coffee before the local dance group 

offered us a performance. 

Page 10 


Lynda was wearing her colourful kamik made of seal 

skin and created by her mother-in-law. Over her 

shoulders, she carried the nuilarmiut made of hundreds 

of colourful glass beats moving with the rhythm of the 


music. Her partner Jakob as well as other man were 

dressed in the more simple costume for men with black 

pants and kamik and a white long leaved shirt. It was 

impressive to watch the pairs spinning faster and faster. 

Then it was our turn and some of us found themselves 

dancing on the floor. Afterwards we started hiking and 

climed the nearby ridge to enjoy a fantastic view over 

the ocean. 

Back on board we set sail towards our next destination, 

Eqip Sermia, and our hotel crew spoiled us with a tasty 

BBQ on the back deck. After a relaxing break Ursula 

gave an introduction to marine mammals and the 

humpback whale. She explained how they evolved from 

a land living mammal and that engineers work on a new 

design for airplane and windmill wings based on 

humpback flippers with unique humps along the edges. 

At the end Ursula presented her life-sized humpback 

whales; a year-old of 8.5 m and a tiny new-born of 4.5 

m. They gave a real impression of how big the adults of 

up to 16 m are. Ursula produces these mock-ups for 

education as part of her project 1:1 with animals. 


Next Jakob shared his knowledge on the history and 

culture of Disko Bay. He is a descendant of the Thule 

people who lived from 200 BC to 1600 AD and were 

followed by the Inuits of today. Beside Western Eskimo 

and Eastern Eskimo a third language not 

understandable to the others exists and is named 

Aleut. Jakob also explained that Disko Bay was 

“discovered” in 985 AD by Eric the Red and followed by 

whalers and traders. To date traces of the Saqqaq, 

Dorset and Thule Eskimos can be found at various 

sites. 

During the afternoon the Ocean Atlantic sailed through 

the fjord to reach our evening destination, Eqip 

Sermia. The impressive glacier offered the ideal 

scenery for our polar plunge as six brave guests and 

one staff member took on the challenge, watched and 

cheered by the others. 

Finally another day filled with very diverse and unique 

experiences came to an end with a glass of mulled 

wine served on the top deck. 



Ice is Nice – Glacier Fun Facts 

Gaby Pilson, Hiking Master & Expedition Guide 

Page 11 

Glaciers have, quite literally, shaped our world. Without glaciers, the rolling hills and wide valleys we know 

today would look very different, but it turns out that these icy giants have a much longer and more storied 

history than many of us would initially suspect. Here are some of the best fun facts about glaciers: 

2 

4 


Glaciers are formed by snowflakes. Although it’s 

crazy to think that a tiny snowflake can create 

something as large as a glacier, without snow, 

glaciers would never exist in the first place. To 

form a glacier, massive amounts of snow must 

accumulate and persist in a single location all 

year-long for hundreds, if not thousands of 

years. During this time, the individual snowflakes 

found in the snowpack change in a process 

known as snowflake metamorphosis, where 

individual ice grains fuse together and get bigger 

and air bubbles get smaller. Once the icepack 

builds up enough mass to start flowing downhill, 

then voila! We have a glacier. 


1 

3 

Not just anything can be a glacier. In fact, there’s 

a size requirement that a piece of ice has to 

meet to become a glacier. Anything considered a 

glacier must be at least 0.1 km 2 (nearly 25 acres) 

in area to be worthy of the name. Although 

there’s a minimum size requirement to be 

considered a glacier, there’s no upper limit to 

glacierhood. The longest glacier on earth is the 

Lambert Glacier of Antarctica, which measures 

out to some 434 km (270 mi) long. The world’s 

largest non-polar glacier is the Fedchenko 

Glacier of Tajikistan, which measures a 

respectable 77km (48mi) long. 


Glaciers are found all over the world, not just in 

the polar regions. While the majority of glaciers 

and glacial ice is concentrated in high northern 

and southern latitudes, glaciers are found even 

near the equator, such as on Mount Kilimanjaro 

in Tanzania and in the mountains of Ecuador. 

That being said, about half of the world’s 

200,000 glaciers are found in one place: Alaska. 

There, glaciers cover a whopping 72,500 km 2 

(28,000 mi 2 ) of the US state’s total area. That’s a 

lot of ice. 

Glaciers are basically really, really, really slow-moving rivers. To be considered a glacier, a large mass of ice 

must be physically moving downhill. This movement downhill is driven by gravity and is the main reason 

why glaciers also act as major agents of erosion. Since glaciers move downhill, they often remove and 

transport large boulders and chunks of rock, depositing them much further downhill then where they 

started. 


Day 4: Ilulissat 

26 August 2019 – Icebergs and Whales 

Our day started with a great breakfast and a view 

directly to the icebergs of Ilulissat contrasted by the 

colourful houses of the town. With a view this 

magnificent it was hard to get to shore, but the promise 

of better views lured most on land. 

Page 12 


Ilulissat is Greenland’s tourism capital. It is easy to see 

why with its neighbour being a huge iceberg field, from 

which the city got its name. 

Nearly all guests took the beautiful sightseeing boat 

tour, as many others who come to Ilulissat do. The 

serene look is broken only by the thunderous cracks, 

reminding us of the inevitable melting. 

Even before the first zodiac arrives, the harbour is busy 

with fishermen and hunters walking around. Housing 

the main administration for the municipality of 

Avannaata Kommunia the city is truly the capital of the 

North. 


The city also felt our arrival, and the handicraft shop 

sold out their goods, which they quickly restocked for 

later visits. 

The city started as a small missionary station for the 

large Inuit population in Sermermiut. Today the city is 

quite large in Greenlandic standards with 4500 people, 

who relies mostly on fishing, but tourism is becoming 

an ever-growing part of the economy. 

With most passengers on land the ship was quiet but 

laid outside of town waiting and dodging some of the 

stray growlers coming floating by. We went back to the 

ship to enjoy dinner before we set sail towards 

Sarfannguit. 


As the guests eagerly arrived at the harbour, it was a 

little chilly and cloudy. Thankfully, as the day 

progressed, the sun began to shine through the clouds, 

much to our relief. We were not the only guests on this 

day. Humpback whales have made this area their 

summer feeding waters. These majestic creatures 

frolicked and looked curiously towards the many tour 

boats flocking towards them. With their distinct fins 

these gentle giants are easy to spot, even our flight 

sightseeing guests could enjoy the. Humpback whales 

migrate here due to the waters around Ilulissat being 

rich in krill, capelin and other small fish. These are in 

turn here due to the constant flow of icebergs stirring 

the nutrients around, and since the glacier is the most 

active glacier in the northern hemisphere there is plenty 

of this! 




Through the Lens 

Gaby Pilson, Hiking Master & Expedition Guide 

Although he spends most of his time with his face hidden behind his camera 

trying to get that perfect shot, Expedition Photographer Renato Granieri is 

one of the best known members of the Albatros Staff. Whether you go to 

him for help with dialing in your camera settings or you just want to learn 

more about how to shoot an amazing image of a bird in flight, Renato is your 

go-to-photographer. We sat down with Renato to learn more about what 

makes him tick. Here’s what we learned: 

What’s the inspiration behind your photography? 

The beauty of photography is in how much you can 

learn from the environment around you. Every 

time I sit in front of a subject, I discover new things 

about it and the world that I never even thought 

about before. Much of this is because of how a 

camera works. The camera is much faster than the 

human brain, so it lets me freeze a moment and 

see something I wouldn’t otherwise notice. 

In your opinion, what is the most essential trait a 

wildlife or travel photographer needs to have? 

A passion for discovery, a thorough understanding 

of your subject, and a staunch determination to get 

the images you’re looking for are critical in this 

discipline. Photographers need to constantly push 

themselves to search for novel situations and fresh 

perspectives while experimenting with new and 

creative ways to use a camera. 

Page 13 

You specialise in wildlife and travel photography. 

What motivates you to get out and shoot in 

remote and extreme environments? 

I have always been drawn to the remoteness and 

silence of the wilderness. These places are both 

unique and remarkable as the lack of human 

presence, the extreme environmental conditions, 

and the amazing lighting make them unparalleled 

stages for photography. 

Renato’s Tips of the Trade 

1. Always shoot with a goal. Plan your shots 

carefully and take different factors, such as 

weather, location, subject, and light into account. 

2. Experiment as much as possible. Try to be bold 

and creative with your techniques. 

3. Don’t always look for sunshine. Often, dramatic 

skies and “poor” weather can make the most 

interesting photos. 

All Photos © Renato Granieri Photography 


Day 5: Sarfannguit From the Voyage Log 

27 August 2019 – A small settlement with a big heart 

Page 14 

Ocean Atlantic headed south after saying goodbye to 

the icebergs in Disko bay. The morning greetings from 

the bridge included the familiar words of every 

morning from the Expedition leader, Sam Gagnon: 

“Good morning, good morning”. Sam informed us of 

the ship’s position, where we were going and the 

weather forecast, which was looking good. We were 

heading to our last landing in the small settlement of 

Sarfannguit in the Qeqqata municipality, which we 

would reach in the afternoon. 

We joined Anne Dorthe for her presentation “Modern 

Greenland” and after the Recap and briefing on the 

next two days plan, we joined Aaron`s interesting 

presentation “Snow, Icebergs and Glaciers”. 

Sarfannguit settlement is located on the eastern end of 

the island Sarfannguit Nunaat, 36 km east of Sisimiut 

and 39 km north of the Arctic Circle. 

Sarfannguit is a cozy little village with 120 inhabitants. 

It was founded in 1843 and is located 36 kilometers 

East of Sisimiut, bottom of Amerloq Fjord. It is on the 

hiking route between Kangerlussuaq and Sisimiut 

which is on the UNESCO World heritage site. 

The inhabitants of the village mainly live from fishing 

that are processed at the local factory. Mainly cod, 

catfish and redfish, which is being exported from 

there. They only have the most necessary things like 

school, kindergarten, grocery, church and a dock. 

No connecting roads, and only reached by boat and 

ships in summer, while it is by snowmobile during the 

winter. There are only 6 dogs in this village, and is the 

most southern place for the greenlandic dog. 

Sarfannguit haven´t had visitors from cruise ships in 3 

years, so they were very happy to see us, and as we 

arrived at the pier many kids came to welcome us. As 



we walked up the road we met more locals who were 

sitting outside on a bench enjoying the weather, while 

some were selling some handcragfts. We were invited 

at Agnethe´s house for coffee and cake, and got some 

information of the village life. 

The village has no cars and only few ATV´s so it´s very 

quit and calm. We got a good walk as Sarfannguit is 

situated on a cliff. Up the steps we have the church, 

even further up is the kindergarden, elderly house and 

the school. 


On the top of the village you find the first wind turbine 

in Greenland which was constructed in 2010. The wind 

turbine is 10 m (33 ft) tall, providing 6,000 liter of petrol 

worth of savings per month for the village. 

Coming back to the ship in the afternoon we had 

afternoon tea in the Libary and before dinner we had 

the Captains Farewell toast in the Viking Theatre. 

The Ocean Atlantic set course for Kangerlussuaq, which 

we would reach on the next morning. 


Becoming an Expedition Guide 

Gregers Gjersøe, Snowshoe Master & Expedition Guide 

Page 15 

Back in 1999, I crossed Greenland on skis with two of 

my Danish friends. When we finally made it to the top 

of the ice cap, we decided to celebrate by flying the 

Danish and the Greenlandic flag. Unfortunately, we 

ended up placing the Greenlandic flag upside down 

because none of us was sure which way was correct... 

During the remainder of the expedition, as we made 

our way down from the top of the ice cap, I started 

thinking more about why and how three Danish guys 

could possibly know so little about Greenland, despite 

the fact that it’s a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. 

When I returned home, I decided to learn all I could 

about Greenland and the polar regions, travelling 

extensively, not only to Greenland, but throughout the 

Arctic and the Antarctic. The polar areas became my 

passion and have been for the last twenty years. I 

became so fascinated by the polar regions, that I 

wanted to share my knowledge and love for these 

places with other people. There is so much to love and 

experience in the polar regions, from great scenery 

and wildlife to the culture of the peoples who have 

populated the Arctic since time immemorial. 


I haven’t always worked in the polar regions, though. 

Since childhood, I was very interested in navigation, 

aerodynamics, metrology and aviation. I acquired my 

pilot’s license in 1985 and worked as a commercial 

pilot for Scandinavian Airlines during a 30 year career. 

There, I was able to satisfy all of my interests while 

learning how to work as part of a team, bringing the 

aircraft from point A to point B in the safest way 

possible. 

After ending my pilot career, I took up yet another 

dream of mine that had occupied my mind since 

crossing Greenland. In Danish schools, there is very 

little focus on the history and cultures of Greenland 

and the Faroe Islands; thus, there is very little 

awareness within the Danish population about these 

countries. I wanted to create a much better awareness 

and, therefore, I started the Polar School 

(Polarskolen). 

The school is run as a non-profit organization with a 

board of nine members. I am chairman of the board 

and there are members from the Danish government, 

from Greenland, the Faroe Islands as well as teachers. 

We have received funding from the Royal Crown 

Prince Frederik and his wife, Crown Princess Mary. 

Now, I travel Denmark, visiting schools with our 

educational materials. Presently we teach 7 th graders, 

but we are working towards having materials for 1 st 

graders and 4 th graders. 

Based on my background and experience in aviation 

and in the polar regions, I could not think of a better 

way to combine my passions for the Arctic and the 

Antarctic then to become Expedition Guide. These 

days, I spend five weeks of the summer in the Arctic 

and five weeks of the winter in the Antarctic, so I can 

show our guests all the places that I truly love. 




28 August 2019 – Disembarkation Day 

Page 16 


After last night’s end-of-voyage festivities, we awoke 

much too early for our final morning on the Ocean 

Atlantic. As the Ocean Atlantic pulled into its anchorage 

in Kangerlussuaq, we started the process of leaving 

behind the ship and the people we’ve come to know so 

well over the past few days. 

Our bags were packed and stowed in the corridors, 

ready for our early-morning busses and flights back to 

Copenhagen, and everywhere in between. After all of 

our days immersed in the landscapes and amongst the 

wildlife of the Arctic, it was time to return home or to 

wherever our life’s journeys bring us. 

And so – farewell, adieu, and goodbye. Together we 

have visited an incredible and vast wilderness. We have 

experienced magnificent mountain vistas, seen icebergs 

and glaciers, felt the power of the elements 

© Gregers Gjersøe 

On behalf of Albatros Expeditions, our 

captain and crew, the expedition team, and 

everyone else who helped make this 

journey a resounding success, it has been a 

pleasure travelling with you. 

We hope that you will come back and 

experience these wonderful places with us 

once again! 

© Gregers Gjersøe 

and seen how quickly they can change. We enjoyed 

wonderful food and comfortable surroundings aboard 

the Ocean Atlantic. We saw an icy fjord at the end of 

the Earth. We have shared unique moments, held 

engaging conversations, and laughed together over 

beers and coffees. We’ve made new friends and 

experienced the power of expeditionary travel. 

We hope the expedition team has helped make this the 

trip of a lifetime - one that will persist in your memories 

for weeks, months, and years, to come. Although we 

must say good-bye to these places we have come to 

know and love, it is a fond farewell as we are all true 

ambassadors for the Arctic and all the beauty it holds. 



A Brief History of the Zodiac 

Steve Traynor, Zodiac Master 

In expedition cruising, the most important tool we use is the Zodiac inflatable boat. These manoeuvrable, 

reliable, robust vessels are the workhorse of the expedition cruise industry, from the north of Svalbard to 

the southern end of the Antarctic Peninsula. They have a long history – as you can see from the stages 

below, many different inventions needed to come together to create the craft we use today. 

Page 17 


1838 Charles Goodyear (USA) discovered the process for vulcanising rubber (a US patent was granted 

in 1844) – this process is used for hardening and strengthening rubber. 

1843 Goodyear’s process was stolen by Thomas Hancock (UK) using the process of reverse 

engineering; less controversially, Hancock invented the “masticator” – a machine for re-using 

rubber scraps – this made the rubber industry much more efficient. 

1845 The first successful inflatable boat (Halkett boat) was designed by Lieutenant Peter Halkett 

(UK), specifically for Arctic operations. Halkett Boats were used by the Orcadian explorer, John 

Rae, in his successful expedition to discover the fate of the Franklin Expedition. 

1866 Four men made the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Britain on a threetube 

inflatable raft. 

1896 The original Zodiac company was founded by Maurice Mallet (France) to produce airships. 

1909 The first outboard motor was invented by Ole Evinrude in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

1912 The loss of the Titanic and subsequent shipping losses during World War 1 proved the need for 

inflatable rafts for use as supplementary lifeboats. 

1919 RFD firm (UK) and the Zodiac company (France) started building inflatable boats. 

1934 The airship company, Zodiac, invented the inflatable kayak and catamaran 

1942 The Marine Raiders – an elite unit of the US Marine Corps – used inflatable boats to carry out 

raids and landings in the Pacific theatre. 

1950 Alain Bombard first combined the outboard engine, a rigid floor and an inflatable boat (built by 

the Zodiac company). 

1952 Alain Bombard crossed the Atlantic Ocean with his inflatable; after this, his good friend, the 

famous diver Jacques-Yves Cousteau, started using them. 

1960 Zodiac licensed production to a dozen companies in other countries because of their lack of 

manufacturing capacity in France. 


A Final Note… 

Page 18 

As any good expedition comes to a close, many of us experience the 

effervescent excitement that comes when we immerse ourselves 

completely in an adventure. Although we all came into this voyage with 

our own expectations and personal motivations, on the ship, we quickly 

learned that the best plan is the one that we end up doing. 

While weather and the landscape 

can conspire against us in the 

northern latitudes, the right mindset 

can make all of the difference. 

Wind, rain, sleet, and snow make no 

difference when we come prepared 

for an adventure and all the 

excitement it holds. Whether you 

saw what you came for or you 

experienced something else 

entirely, when you set out on an 

expedition, you come for the 

mountains and the wildlife, but stay 

for people and places you meet 

along the way. 

Although we all eventually have to 

leave behind our beloved Ocean 

Atlantic, there are always a few 

things we can take home from an 

expedition: 

• An acceptance and embracement 

of adversity and uncertainty 

when the natural world alters 

our plans. 

• A fondness for the wild and a 

strong desire to keep remote 

natural locations as beautiful and 

free as they can be. 

• An insatiable interest in learning 

more about the people, places, 

and cultures in some of the most 

remote parts of the world. 

As you unpack you bags, you may 

find souvenirs and keepsakes from 

your journey. Your camera may be 

filled with countless photos, 

however blurry, of the many 

animals and mountains that have 

crossed our paths. At the end of the 

day, however, what matters most is 

the experience of, the journey to, 

and the memories of these wild and 

wonderful places. 

Best wishes from all of us on the 

expedition team as you continue on 

with your adventures! 

Sam Gagnon 

Expedition Leader 

Anne Dorthe Jacobsen 


Ted Creek 


Thank you for experiencing the Arctic 

with us at Albatros Expeditions. We hope 

to see you aboard the Ocean Atlantic 

again in the future!

Visual Journal - Greenland's Disko Bay V13

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