12/27/2024
DOING GOOD TIME IN THE GREENLANDIC GULAG
From the air, It looks looks like a cold remote maximum security prison in Siberia
However, as prisons go, Nuuk prison is an incredibly pleasant place. All the prisoners and many of the prison guards were mostly indigenous Greenlanders and all quite friendly. My cell was larger than my cabin on the ship and equipped with a small fridge, a desk, a television, a comfortable bunk and a side private bathroom with a sink, toilet and shower. The best feature however was the large, unbarred window with a panoramic view of the fjord, small bergs of ice, the mountains and on my very first day, not far offshore I saw a plume of spray and then the thrilling sight of a humpback whale lifting her tail out of the water and alongside of her a small calf emerging from the sea with a splash of joyful fun.
At night the sky was often illuminated with the dazzling dancing lights of the Aurora Borealis.
My first thought was that some people would pay good money for a room with a view like mine.
It was like being back in the Southern Ocean where this entire drama began years ago. I recalled something Samuel Johnson once wrote: “Being in a ship is like being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned.” Despite his sage observation, I preferred the ship.
My only hardship was separation from my family and I was only allowed one ten minute call once week to speak with them.
My time was occupied visits from so many friends and with the in person media interviews, it was an ongoing campaign to highlight the continued illegal operations of the Japanese whalers with the added benefit of attracting international attention to the vicious barbaric slaughter of pilot whales and dolphins in the Danish Faroe Islands.
A huge thank you to the over 4,500 people who wrote to me, from over 30 countries including Japan, sending cards and pictures of whales and dolphins. I read every single letter.
Photo: By Hugo Clement
