DAY 6: THE COD
TRAVEL LOG ENTRY 6: A WELL-EARNED BREAK
A night out in Narsaq
Aware that we were headed for a lazy day off, we used the evening wisely, enjoying a hearty meal and a few too many beers in Narsaq’s hotel and the local taphouse. In the morning (some of us fending off a hangover), we watched a bit of Greenland TV. We learned that Danish programmes don’t arrive here until 24 hours after their airing date in Denmark, but this didn’t bother us at all. We were here to make a programme of our own!
When we were ready, we made our way down to the harbour area in Narsarsuaq and lazed about in the Polar-tut café owned by Storch’s wife. To keep us entertained, Storch lent us some fishing rods and off we went to the pier.
We mostly lived on this Polar-tut Targa 33 - Finnish engineering at its best!
The harbour was positively teeming with cod of all sizes, just waiting to be caught. Having done a lot of fishing, I could see this wasn’t going to be much of a challenge, so I bailed out, but Ole stayed behind.
Off with the Cod
Ole the Fearless’ had never fished before, so he was determined to give it a try. Catching fish must surely be easier than catching a snow hare! Sadly, he found it really difficult, not because the fish were too big, but because the resistance on the reel was all wrong (not his fault of course).
This technical problem made it easy for the fish to swim off with the hook, line and sinkers. The cod he eventually caught - which by this time probably felt as heavy as a Blue Marlin - turned out to be way too small to even keep. He was mighty unhappy when I told him that!
Disaster in the sky
When Storch reappeared, we got talking and he showed us a photo of one of the aircraft he has flown: a Rans 6 Ultralight. He then told us a chilling tale about a flight that almost ended in disaster. His 4-year-old granddaughter was along for the ride, and the worst thing that possibly could happen did happen: the engine failed.
Mobilizing all his strength - both mental and physical - Storch fought with the control stick to keep the aircraft from dropping like a rock. There was no way he was going to let his grandchild come to any harm – not if he could help it. He managed to stay aloft, but the poor visibility made things difficult. Fortunately, as they emerged from a fog bank, he spotted a flattish area where he could land.
Safety on the ground
Storch's next problem was to let people know where he was. Communicating with the airport wasn’t an option because he was well out of radio range, so the only thing he could do was to walk towards the fjord, carrying the little girl on his shoulders, and hope for the best.
Rescue in a flash
It was dark, but Storch was confident that his family would send out a search party, and before long, boats appeared, scanning the water and the ice with powerful searchlights. In his desperation Storch totally forgot his emergency flares, so he used the flashlight in his cell phone to attract attention. Happily, one boat spotted him, and the rest is history.
Heavens, what a life this man has led!
Storch Lund - always ready for anything!