Greenland Trip Route Planning - Ice

When planning a trip to Greenland from Maine, one has to deal with ice and icebergs.

Our route starting June 1 takes us from Portland, Maine across the Gulf of Maine, passing Cape Sable, Nova Scotia and clearing into Canada in Lunenburg, NS. From there we will transit to the Bra d'Or lake and stop in Baddeck, NS. Leaving the lake, our next planned provisioning stop is Saint Anthony, Newfoundland. To get there we have to cross the Cabot Straight then sail up the west side of Newfoundland through the Strait of Belle Isle. 

The SBI is notorious for ice this time of year. I've been watching the Canadian Ice Service charts which have the daily ice reports in many forms. Here are two Ice Charts showing the changes from April 17 to April 30.

Then there are icebergs. Canada has charts for iceberg observation with the number of bergs for each Lat/Lon grid square. Here is the May 1, 2022 chart:

Once we depart Saint Anthony, the route skirts the southern extent of the pack ice carried south by the Labrador Current then we cross the Labrador Sea to catch the northbound Greenland Current to help us  up the west coast of Greenland to Nuuk.

Labrador Sea Current Chart

In the Labrador Sea one finds icebergs. Navigating near icebergs requires diligence as the downwind side of a berg has truck sized bergy bits, smaller growlers and brash ice that could ruin your day. 

Bergybits and Growlers shed from iceberg

The planning continues.