Last days of the expedition – Sept 7th, 5am. We swiftly take down the camp and walk to « the container » where our equipment is stored. After a quick breakfast, we meet up with Jørgen at the pier. Ittoqqortoormiit nearest airstrip can only be reached by boat (or helicopter), and strong wind is expected by midday. Jørgen is in a hurry to leave.

A first group climbs onboard with the heavy bags, and, after a wild guess at the overall weight, Jørgen beckons the rest of the team to follow. Between us and the bags, the load is well over a ton and the engine struggles to plane. Nonetheless, in less than an hour we sail up Hurry Inlet and reach Constable Point.

The fresh print of a bear paw right next to Constable Point jetty.

At Constable Point jetty, Opal and Donna Wood, North Sailing's tall ships, are waiting a new group of passengers. The two boats will set sail and cross the ocean back to Iceland two weeks after our departure. The crew agreed to bring back all our equipment with them, making us save the prohibitive cost to have it flown by cargo plane from Greenland !

Opal and Donna Wood, North Sailing's tall ships, cruising every summer in the Scoresby Sund.

Every summer, North Sailing sends these two superb wooden boats for a round of cruises in the Scoresby Sund. The company, based in Húsavík on Iceland's North coast, built its reputation by organizing whale watching trips on traditional oak fishing boats. They just completed this year the renovation of the 10th boat – fitted with an electric engine – of their fleet !

Enjoying the unique settings of the Scoresby Sund just three days' sailing from Iceland, North Sailing leads there week-long cruises through the most beautiful fjords. They actually passed twice by our camp in Harefjord.

In line with their environmental approach (responsible tourism and carbon neutral activities), North Sailing was a key partner of our expedition in the Scoresby Sund. Donna Wood, a former Danish lighthouse ship, brought us to Ittoqqortoormiit after a lively sail. The equipment will return the same way to Iceland, whereas the team is getting onboard the planes chartered by North Sailing every week for their passengers and crew.

If you are planning future travels to Iceland or dream of setting foot in Greenland, check out their website : http://northsailing.is/

Constable Point airport, one hour away from Ittoqqortoormiit (or 15 min by helicopter).

A few hours later, the plane takes off, flies over Ittoqqortoormiit and the coast of Greenland before heading south towards Iceland. In just a few hours, we find ourselves in Reykjavik airport.

Internet, noises, electric lights, shops ...The contrast with the past 8 weeks is brutal and make us feel numb. We enjoy a last diner all together, then the team starts to scatter. Aurélie, Math and Laurent board a plane the same evening for Paris, whereas we wait for a flight to Lyon the next day. Less than 2 days after, we are all in France. The two months of expedition start to become a dream.