While passengers enjoyed lunch, the bridge crew navigated Ultramarine from Perlerfiup Kangerlua to its tributary fjord. That set us up for an afternoon of kayaking Qaumarujuk Fjord (July 18, 2024). The beautiful sunshine we’d enjoyed while paddling Perlerfiup Kangerlua held all afternoon. While we kayaked, another group headed out in inflatable kayaks for a once and done paddling excursion. The majority of passengers boarded zodiacs for a short hike on the southern coast of Qaumarujuk Fjord.

Launch

This was our third zodiac launch for kayaking. And it turned out to be the only method of launch for the Gems of West Greenland itinerary. We found it to be quite an upgrade from our stern of the ship launches in Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands/Malvinas.

Thinking about it, I wonder if it comes down to expedition staffing. In Greenland, we had two expedition staff to support 8 kayakers. Aboard Aurora’s Greg Mortimer, we had three expedition staff to support 16 kayakers. So that meant pulling in another zodiac pilot to allow for zodiac launches. There was one zodiac launch for the kayaking group in Antarctica. But we were quarantined due to COVID at the time, so I’m unclear on exactly how it worked.

Ultramarine was anchored off the north coast of Qaumarujuk Fjord. We launched close to the south coast.

Paddling

For this outing, we paddled generally westward, along the south coast of Qaumarujuk Fjord towards where it branches off Perlerfiup Kangerlua.

We had a good view of Ultramarine across the fjord, and had a little fun with the fact that we were moving on the water relative to the ship and a large iceberg.

For this expedition, our new friends, Lee and Shirley, opted for single kayaks.

There were no bird colonies on this stretch of coastline. Scenic highlights were hanging glaciers, waterfalls and the fan shaped deposits of silt and sediment where drainages met the water line.

This pair of photographs, taken several minutes apart, gives a sense of the unseen, but fast-moving current towards the mouth of the fjord. A large iceberg is below the hanging glacier in the first shot, and gone from view by the time Mr GeoK took the second shot.

We also watched zodiacs running the main group of passengers to a good landing zone, where they disembarked for a short hike up to a rock plateau overlooking the fjord.

As we approached, Whitey asked if we’d like another abbreviated shore excursion. We unanimously voted to keep paddling! So on we went, around the corner from the zodiac landing zone into an arm of Qaumarujuk Fjord, where a few icebergs floated.

Here, we practiced “rafting up” and Travis, our dedicated zodiac pilot, took a group photo.

As we observed fully-loaded zodiacs heading away from the landing zone, we heard Whitey say it was time to head for the zodiac, for our own return to ship.

Qaumarujuk Fjord Fun(?) Facts

• The only tributary fjord of Perlerfiup Kangerlua fjord, itself part of the Uummannaq Fjord system
• Black Angel mine is located near the head of the fjord, with the now inactive mining town of Maarmorilik on the shore across from the mine’s entrance
• The mine entrance is 750 meters above sea level and reached by aerial tram
• It seems the site was originally a marble quarry, operating from around 1938 to 1945
• From 1973 to 1990, the mine produced zinc, iron, lead and silver using a “pillar and room” mining technique
• The mine closed in July, 1990, when it was exhausted
• In 2003, Black Angel Mining Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of British company Angus & Ross plc, obtained an exploration licence in the area and carried out an extensive drilling program in 2006
• The site remains inactive, with no search results showing plans to re-open
• Greenland’s Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum published a thorough report of the geology, ore and history of the mine
• It states, in part, that 2–3 million tons of “waste” rock containing zinc and lead had been disposed outside the mine in its first 10 years of operation
• One dump pile reached into the tidal zone, leading to high lead- and zinc values in seaweed and mussels in this area
• After mine closure this dump was removed, partly to the bottom of the Affarlikassaa arm of Qaumarujuk fjord
• Prior to abandonment, an environmental agreement was in place to ensure the ongoing monitoring of the fjords around Maarmorilik by the National Environmental Research Institute (NERI)
• Heavy metal levels have declined over the decades since.

We did not see the Maarmorilik mine site while kayaking. But we did see it from aboard Ultramarine. The aerial tram wires are still in place. There are a few buildings in the old townsite. And the mine’s entry is visible way up the side of the fjord.

SUMMARY

This third kayak outing lasted about 75 minutes, covering 5 km. Again, it was very warm: no gloves needed and just a light baselayer under our drysuits. We appreciated that Whitey gave us the option to paddle a little longer, rather than another abbreviated shore excursion.