Setting Sail /June 3, 2018 by Caroline Van Hemert

Launching soon! In summer of 2018 Caroline, Pat, and their two young children will be heading north from Washington to Alaska in a 32’ sailboat. Stay tuned for updates!

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Tasermiut Fjord, Greenland. Home to peregrine falcons, big wall climbing, and a small slice of heaven.

Read about the fleet-winged ghosts of Greenland & our family’s experiences exploring their stunning haunts in Hakai Magazine. Link in b

All good things must take a hiatus. Short of freezing in for the winter (although tempting!), hauling out in Nuuk, Greenland was the next best option.

With a 14-ton boat dangling in the air and our family onboard for half the ride, you’d bett

Occupational hazard (aka the four-eyed kids of a biologist!).

Rambles in the rain, dark nights, bright lights, hefty cod, and still more spectacular anchorages. Our season is winding down quickly and it will be hard to say goodbye—Takuss’—for now.

Celebrating 30 swims in Greenland…this kid beat us all for cold water dips! Air & sea temps are holding steady in the thirties so at least there’s no shock to the system 🥶

I couldn’t have wished for a lovelier birthday month or a more spectacular place to celebrate another trip around the sun! Greenland’s fall colors have been topped only by the generosity of its residents. Qujanaq.

Southern Greenland’s stunning palette. If I were a painter I’d never leave. As a writer, I might not either!

Love this place and the many kind people we’ve met.

Our 400 mile, 3-day passage turned into a 1,000 mile, 7-day passage when we realized the ice was still too thick along much of the east coast of Greenland to approach safely. Sailing from Scoresbysund down to Lindenow Fjord offered ice gnomes, pilot