 Nanortalik (August to December) : Profile
Nanortalik is located on a small island (also called Nanortalik) on the shores of Labrador Sea, roughly 100 km north of Uummannarsuaq, the southern tip of Greenland.
Because of its location, this area was one of the first parts of Greenland settled, both by Inuit and by the Norse. Nanortalik was founded in 1770. In 1797, a permanent trading depot was set up in Nanortalik by traders from Julianehåb. Due to poor harbour facilities, the town moved in 1830 to a different location where it remains today. The only remains of the old town are the scattered ruins of Sissarissoq.
Nanortalik is the last substantial town on the way south along Greenland’s west coast before reaching the fiords and channels of the Prins Christian Sund area directly north of Cape Farewell (Kap Farvel). The coastal waters between Qarqotoq and Nanortalik can be thick with large icebergs and bergy bits with enough current to move them rapidly. Vigilance is required given the intermittent thick fog.
It is possible to berth on the northwest side of a small quay opposite the commercial docking facilities used by the Arctic Line container vessel. It can be identified by an attached floating dock used to bring cruise ship passengers ashore and a large open parking lot shoreward. If the winds are from the south through east, this dock would be quite exposed and alternative berthing should be sought.
There is a floating fuel dock about 200 meters further into the harbor.
There is a well stocked supermarket directly opposite the dock mentioned above. About 100 meters north along the road behind the dock is a tourist information centre, said to be extremely helpful with local knowledge regarding weather and current conditions.
Last updated November 2010.
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