‘BLACK HOLE SUN’ - TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE GREENLAND WORKSHOP

Below is a rougth itinerary. Remember we are in the High Arctic, where weather and ice movement determine our movements.

Day 1 Meeting in Reykjavik

You may arrive in Iceland at any time. We will assemble for a group dinner, have a meet-and-greet and discuss the days ahead.

Day 2 Flight to Constable Point and Embarkation

We will depart from Keflavik Airport and fly to Constable point, a small airfield on the west side of Hurry inlet in Jameson Land. We will embark our boats, meet the crew, hear a safety briefing and commence our sail with a visit to Ittoqqortoormiit, an Inuit settlement in the Sermersooq municipality in eastern Greenland. Its population is about 450, and it has been described as one of the most remote settlements on Earth.

 

Ittoqqortoormiit was founded in 1925 by some 80 Inuit settlers, who soon prospered on the good hunting conditions of the new area, which was rich in seals, walruses, narwhals, polar bears and Arctic foxes. Local hunters have made a living from whale and polar bear hunting for generations, and it remains, up to the present, a significant cultural-economical factor in the area.

Day 3 Sailing in Scoresby Sound

We will set sail in the early morning and head into the Soresby Sound fjord system, sailing between towering basalt peaks and floating icebergs, drifting in the water under the influence of water currents. We will likely anchor in the late evening at Hekla Havn, on Denmark Ø, the site of an old Inuit settlement and wintering camp of the first scientific expedition to Scoresby Sound over a hundred years ago.

 

Day 4 Føhnfjord and Iceberg City

We sail through the narrow Føhnfjord with the magestic basalt mountains of Gåseland on the port side and 2000-meter-high sheer granite cliffs of Milne Land on the Starboard side. At the end of the Fjord we will anchor at Red Island and even make landfall there. During the afternoon and evening we will take our zodiac into the magnificent Iceberg City to do some shooting where hundreds of huge icebergs get stranded.

Day 5 Røde Fjord and Harefjord

Our sail continues northward through Røde Fjord (Danish for Red Fjord), which is often filled with large icebergs and icey crust from the collpsing icebergs.This is the calmest and most vegetated part of the fjord, and will be in peak fall colors. Sailing the calm fjord we will see Muskoxen grazing in the hills. We will be able to take short hikes to photograph the vividly colored vegetation and perhaps some wildlife. In the afternoon, we will arrive at Harfjord and anchor there. If the sky is clear, there's a good chance of shooting the Northern Lights here.

 

Day 6 Harefjord

Depending on weather and ice conditions, we may stay another night in the Harefjord area to scout and shoot the diverse wildlife in the area, including Muskoxen, snow hares, geese, grouse and other wildlife, which graze on the south-facing slopes. Those of us who would like to hike are able to do a 6-7 hour climb to the top of a ridge with astounding views of the fjord, where the glacier tongue descends into the water. If you'd rather not hike, you may stay onboard or take a short walk on the coastline. In the evening, the crew will make a nice BBQ meal at the rocky beach.

 

Day 7 Øfjord and Bear Islands 

The sail continues eatward through the beautiful Øfjord, one of the most spectacular location in the trip. Jagged mountain peaks and Patagonia-like granite walls towering over 2000 meters straight from the sea. This day ends in the ultra-photogenic Bear Islands, where we anchor in the afternoon.

Day 8 Bear Islands to Constable Point

On this day we will traverse the channel between the Bear Islands and Milne Land with a breathtaking view of the archipelago. This area holds some of the largest and most spectacular icebergs we will witness during this journey. When we wake up the next morning, we will already be anchored next to the airstrip in Constable Point.

Day 9 Departure

On the last morning, after a last, filling breakfast together, we will disembark our boat and board the plane taking us back to Keflavik Airport, for goodbyes and your flight home.

 

The Eclipse 

The Aug 12, 2026 total solar eclipse is an absiolutely unique photographic event. Passing through Greenland, Iceland, mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands, it will present incredible opportunities in any location you shoot it from. In my personal opinion, though, the best opportunities will be in Scoresby sound, where the eclipse will happen at 22 degrees above the horizon, perfect for composing it with icebergs, perhaps even reflecting in the fjord's serene waters. Below is a map of the eclipse's path. The very darkest red is the path of totality - as you can notice, it passes straight through our sailing path.

 

Shooting a total solar eclipse isn't too hard but it requires some planning ahead and technical understanding. I will personally help you determine the correct parameters for shooting the eclipse, to make sure you get a properly exposed and composed image in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I highly recommend using both a camera and a drone to capture the eclipse, and you will receive guidance on how to shoot both in the 2-minute window in which we have totality.

Our Boats

Tilvera

Tilvera is one of the few Dutch vessels with license to sail around the world. Her strategic size is ideal to accommodate small groups. With a spacious deck and good access to the zodiacs used for landings Tilvera is the perfect platform for exploring the high latitudes and access remote places where other bigger ships cannot. The Tilvera is a comfortable ship with practical cabins, spacious main saloon with a cozy library with inspiring books and a deck house seating area with panoramic views.

Hildur

Hildur was built in Akureyri in 1974 by two shipwrights, Gunnlaugur and Trausti. Trausti and sons would later convert the schooner into a passenger vessel. It was in the summer of 2009 that Hildur sailed into Husavik Harbour but only for a rather short visit in the local shipyard for overhaul before a 10 day journey to Denmark where she would be converted into a two masted schooner with 250 sqm of sails in the shipyard of Christian Jonsson in Egernsund.