8/29/2023

 

Farewell to Greenland.

 

It seems that there is a hurricane in the Atlantic.  According to the National Hurricane center, Hurricane Franklin is currently (11:00 AM EDT Tue Aug 29) located at 30.8°N 70.4°W (that’s off the coast of Savannah some hundreds of miles), with the following characteristics: Moving: NNE at 12 mph, Min pressure: 941 mb and Max sustained: 130 mph.

 

Here is the future-cast:

 

        

 

For this reason, our port of L’Anse aux Meadows has been cancelled. we will now be at sea for the next two days porting in Sydney Nova Scotia on September 1.  Although Franklin is expected to miss the Newfoundland/Labrador area, they are expecting strong winds.  As L’Anse aux Meadows is a tender port, the risk of life and limb versus the safety of the passengers has influenced the Captain to make this change. Good for him!

 

L’Anse aux Meadows, turned conventional wisdom of who discovered America on its head when proof positive of a Viking settlement was discovered by the Norwegian husband-wife team of explorer Helge Ingstad and archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad in 1960.  It would have been interesting to be there, but there is very little to see.  The main thing was to be able to say, ”Been there-- done that.”

 

So, as with all things, especially travelling, it is normal for plans to change.  The key is to be flexible. Viking has proved up to the challenges with redundant plans of several layers.  We are confident that our stop in Sydney will prove interesting.