The Far North, Thule and Hans Island

Among the Inuit and the great explorers to the northernmost inhabited polar regions in the Kennedy channel between Canada and Greenland. We are following great explorers like the Danish Knud Rasmussen and the American Robert Peary, who both explored these areas high to the north, where they learned to drive dog sleds and live as Inuit before their great exploits that led Rasmussen to the Pacific Ocean and Peary to Greenland´s northernmost point, Kap Morris Jessup and the North Pole.

Our strategic point of return is the small Hans Ø located precisely in the middle of the narrow Kennedy Channel. This island is famous for its most friendly border dispute in the world, also called the “Whiskey Wars”. We expect a lot of sea ice in these waters, and even though we sail with a ship of the highest ice class, the present weather conditions will be decisive for how far we reach.

On board our expedition vessel, Ocean Albatros, we sail from Kangerlussuaq in West Greenland, set a course towards Disko Bay, and from there, quickly further north. Crossing Melville Bay, we continue through the narrow waters between Greenland and Canada. The purpose is, first and foremost, to enjoy the magnificent polar nature and the distinctive Inuit culture. We will pass Kap York in both directions, which Peary visited in 1894.

Heading back south, we visit Qaanaaq, the northernmost town in Greenland, and the former Thule hunting station founded in 1910 by Knud Rasmussen. We continue along the west coast to Upernavik, Uummannaq and Ilulissat before returning to Kangerlussuaq after a voyage that covers a wide range of Greenland’s nature and its fascinating population.

Ocean Albatros has, through several years, developed a cruise concept that is particularly suitable for polar conditions, where ice, in combination with a limited infrastructure and inaccessible wilderness, provides travel of a more demanding nature. Many elements are unpredictable, and the route is primarily determined by wind, ice, and sea currents. The route description is the ideal plan and will most certainly be adjusted along the way.