Ilulissat, Greenland

August 9, 2025

Ice blocked our way into Ilulissat today. The town, the third largest in Greenland, lies beside a magnificent ice fjord. It had been calving off a lot of ice which prevented our passage.

Out day began early, when we went up on the bow to see the ice in the sunrise.

We saw some minke whales in the distance when the ship turned to try and maneuver to a better position to get through the ice.

All through the day, the light was amazing and cast beautiful reflections on the water.

As the ship inched its way forward, we had fun finding unusual ice formations.

Northern fulmars dove and swam amidst the ice. If you look closely, you can sometimes see a little drop of water released from the tube nose above their beak. It lets them release the excess salt they accumulate spending so much time in the ocean.

Although we weren't able to make it to town, the small ice boats came out to us and gave us a short tour around the ice formations.

Our turn for the ice boat came at 3:00 p.m. We motored around the ice, getting close up views of the different natural ice sculptures.

While on the ice boat, we saw a trio of ruddy turnstones. These birds usually hang out on the shore. To help them climb the slippery rocks, they have spiky feet with sharp claws that give them a good grip.