News
Latest News about the Cape Race
October 2025
The voyage with Cape Race along the west coast of Greenland from Ilulissat to the south offered an intense experience combining Arctic nature, moving history and lively encounters. After setting off from Ilulissat, the group immersed themselves in the atmosphere of Disko Bay, accompanied by icebergs, humpback whales and the special light of the Arctic. The route led to active glaciers such as Eqip Sermia, where calving and thunderous breaking ice could be observed, as well as shore excursions such as Pakitsoq, where the group hiked to waterfalls and enjoyed humpback whale watching.
Every day, the scenery changed between lonely wilderness and Greenlandic towns such as Sisimiut and Nuuk. There, tradition and modernity could be experienced in colourful houses, museums and encounters with locals. Settlements such as Imersoq and Assaqutaq showed the world of past generations, abandoned yet palpably steeped in history.
The journey was marked by experiences of nature: hikes along mighty glacial moraines, encounters with musk oxen, fishing attempts from the ship and culinary highlights such as Arctic sashimi and reindeer steak. On board, scientific lectures, shared sauna sessions and film evenings provided stimulating company and relaxation after long explorations.
August 2025
It was no ordinary journey, but rather a voyage into the heart of a world that is bigger, older and wilder than ourselves.
On our very first morning in Eternity Fjord, Greenland shows us its true colours: suddenly, the silence is broken as humpback whales shoot out of the water with thunderous leaps, flapping their fins with a power that seems otherworldly. A start that outshines everything else – and yet is only a foretaste of what is to come.
From Narsarsuaq in the green south, we travel northwards. Here, where lush meadows, moors and flowering shrubs can still be found, we hike freely among sheep and birdsong. The fact that polar bears rarely roam here gives us peace of mind on expeditions to abandoned mission posts or deserted mining sites. Traces of humans, long since faded but still tangible, lie like small footnotes amid the overwhelming nature.
July 2025
In May, we embarked on unforgettable voyages of discovery along the west coast of Scotland – expeditions filled with scenic beauty, moving history and culinary delights.
From the picturesque harbour of Oban, we explored the diverse island world of the Inner and Outer Hebrides on week–long trips. We enjoyed our first sunset at anchor in Loch Buie.
The following days took us to the Hebridean islands of Colonsay, Oronsay, Iona, Staffa and Canna. On Colonsay, we met Lars, a German dropout who now breeds oysters. Oronsay, only accessible at low tide, impressed us with its tranquillity, rare birds and characteristic Hebridean sheep. Iona, the cradle of Scottish Christianity, welcomed us with ancient monastery ruins and the legendary wishing well on Dùn Ì. The island’s eventful history, from St Columba to the Vikings, can be felt here at every turn.
The island of Staffa delighted us with its puffin colony and the legendary Fingal’s Cave, which has inspired artists such as Mendelssohn and Turner. On calm days, we were even able to explore the famous cave from the inside with the Zodiac.
June 2025
Our journey along the Norwegian coast has been very different from the usual clichés about Norway: instead of rain and crowds of tourists, we have enjoyed almost continuous sunshine, calm seas and the awakening of spring in nature since leaving Hamburg – and all this with hardly any other tourists at the places we have visited. It feels like the perfect time to discover Norway, especially as we are focusing on remote locations off the beaten track with our little ‘Cape Race’. Thanks to its shallow draught, we can head for destinations that are difficult to reach by other means of transport – and for our ship, many of these places are even a first.
After three days of calm sailing across the North Sea, Kvinnherad was our first destination. Particularly impressive was the baroque Rosendal Castle with its romantic landscape park, waterfalls and surrounding mountains. A detour took us to the little-known monastery ruins of Halsnøy. On 5 April, we experienced a stark contrast: the barren, deserted rocky island of Sletningen lay far out in the open sea, while in the afternoon we docked at the small trading post of Nåra – even the approach was a challenge for our small ship.
April 2025
Our ship has had a busy few weeks and months. We stayed at the shipyard in Assens a little longer than planned because we had to go back into dry dock, which we have come to appreciate greatly, to reinstall the refurbished steering gear. We were able to carry out the painting work on the hull and superstructure and the wooden deck maintenance in the sheltered hall more carefully than ever before.
In Hamburg, we were once again grateful guests at the magnificent Museum Harbour Hamburg Harburg, with its unique atmosphere and ideal conditions for equipping the ship for the season. In addition to the usual maintenance work, we stocked up on 45 sacks of beech wood for our wood-fired sauna and replaced the thermal and swimming suits that are so popular with our guests.
And then the day of departure for the north came again. Everything on board was sparkling, fresh food, 460 bottles of wine and 50 bottles of olive oil from the Corzano & Paterno winery were stowed away, and even flowers decorated the ship, inviting us to another season.
February 2025
At the beginning of October last year, Captain Marc Weißsteiner weighed anchor on the east coast of Greenland and set course for Tromsø, heading east – but with a slight southerly deviation, as we did not want to risk taking the shortest route, known as the great circle route: A monstrous storm was brewing in the north, and we decided to wait it out near Iceland. This turned out to be a very good idea, because even in the safe harbour of Húsavík in northern Iceland, several mooring lines broke during the night as the swell swept through the harbour.
Once we arrived safely in Tromsø, we spent almost a week literally clearing the decks, because everything had to be sparkling clean for our winter guests. And not only did they arrive on time for the first trips to the fjords north of Tromsø, but so did the shoals of herring and, with them, the orcas and humpback whales for the big feast. And we stayed close on their heels, or rather on their flukes… at a respectful distance, of course. Again and again, we drifted silently without engines near large, majestic schools of whales; again and again, orcas crossed our path. And luckily, there was already snow on the shores of the dark fjords and on the mountain peaks. We simply couldn’t get enough of this natural spectacle, especially as the sun barely climbed above the horizon and bathed the mountains and fjords in an enchanting orange-pink light for hours on end.
October 2024 – East Greenland
In mid-August, we finally left the Disko Bay region for the season, turned south and sailed along the west coast towards Narsarsuaq. After a final visit to the Equi Glacier and its countless calved icebergs, we hiked Paradise Bay before setting off for Sissimut, accompanied very closely by a humpback whale. A visit to Eternity Fjord proved once again to be a magnificent event full of natural spectacles. We drove more than seven hours along the 90 kilometres to the Tasersiap Glacier deep inland, passing impressive mountain slopes and marvelling at the scenery. Later, catching and identifying zooplankton and phytoplankton under the microscope drew our attention back to the small, but no less enchanting aspects of the polar sea.
In the south, we explored Brattahlið, the place where Erik the Red built his farm over 1,000 years ago after reaching Greenland from Iceland with 14 ships in 986. In Tunulliarfik Fjord, we let the landscape slowly pass us by as we navigated the ship around the icebergs, which glowed in all shades of blue. We climbed a glacier with crampons and then actually stood on the Greenland ice sheet, which is not possible in many places.
September 2024 – Greenland
Three weeks of adventure in East Greenland are behind us. Three weeks spread over two trips in a still very undeveloped area.
In the south, we explored Brattahlið, the place where Erik the Red built his farm over 1,000 years ago after reaching Greenland from Iceland with 14 ships in 986. In Tunulliarfik Fjord, we let the landscape slowly pass us by as we navigated the ship around the icebergs, which glowed in all shades of blue. We climbed a glacier with crampons and then actually stood on the Greenland ice sheet, which is not possible in many places. We admired magical waterfalls, observed snow hares and polar foxes, visited small, exciting settlements, some of which were founded over three hundred years ago, and visited the Upernaviarsuk research station.
August 2024 – Greenland
Over the past four weeks, we had been captivated by the west coast of Greenland. More specifically, Disko Bay, located in Baffin Bay, which stretches over 130 kilometres from north to south and is full of wonders. There is no other way to describe our experiences, because we were constantly amazed.
We took Zodiac trips to the most active glaciers in the world, Kangilerngata Sermia and Eqip Sermia, which fill Disko Bay with thousands of icebergs as they calve into the sea at their edges. The diversity of the ice giants is incredible: some shimmer crystalline from light blue to turquoise to bright white or transparent, others resemble snow-covered mountains.
During numerous shore excursions, we visited small fishing villages such as Qeqertarsuaq with its colourful houses or admired the Arctic nature on our hikes. We saw black–legged kittiwakes, but also the much more robustly built glaucous gulls, guillemots or fulmars, eider ducks or cormorants.
In secluded bays such as Tasiusarsuaq, which means ‘large bay with a narrow opening’ in Greenlandic, we found many other plants in full bloom alongside the ubiquitous mosses, lichens and flowering willows and birches.
June 2024 – Greenland
We left Scotland at the end of May to be in Greenland in time to welcome our new guests. This meant we couldn’t wait for a suitable weather window. And so it came to pass that, for once, our old lady had to give it her all. In a nutshell: our Cape Race was built precisely for stormy conditions and this time she was able to impressively demonstrate her seaworthiness.
At the beginning of June, we set off northwards with our first guests, travelling up the west coast to Ilulissat in Disko Bay. Huge ice masses remained our faithful companions as we sailed out of the fjords towards Disko Bay, but here too, the ship’s design, up–to–date ice charts and the captain’s skill came to our aid.
The west coast of Greenland is incredibly diverse. Shortly after the start of the voyage, we took an evening trip to Qaleragdlit Fjord, which showed itself from its most beautiful side with icebergs, bird cliffs and a waterfall, and anchored there overnight.
May 2024 – Farewell to Scotland – en route to Greenland
We now have four trips and four weeks with guests behind us. What happened could not have been imagined in our wildest dreams. Even hardened Arctic enthusiasts now rave about islands where the white animals are not polar bears, but sheep. The diversity of the Hebrides is one of their secrets. Each island has its own character, bearing witness to a different history. Some are populated by puffins, others by seals. Nature has an endless amount to offer, from lush green meadows with fields of flowers to waterfalls cascading from rugged cliffs to unique basalt formations. Small, colourful fishing villages alternate with venerable castles, some inhabited, some in ruins, or lonely lighthouses. In between, dolphins can be seen time and again. And we experienced all this day after day.
Now the Cape Race is on its way to Greenland and will set sail with its guests on its first voyage along the west coast at the beginning of June.
May 2024 – Cape Race Newsletter
Stay in touch with us. We have recently started offering a newsletter in which we report on news from Cape Race at irregular intervals. You can subscribe here: SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER.
April 2024 – Oban, Scotland
Cape Race has been in Scotland since 22 April. We look forward to welcoming our guests, with whom we will explore the Scottish islands.
April 2024
The smell of fresh paint is in the air, new colours shine everywhere, the two doors of the bridge are finally insulated against the Arctic cold after 50 years, the generators have been overhauled, the bathrooms have been refurbished, a new satellite system has been installed, etc. After a successful season in Spitsbergen and northern Norway, the Cape Race is currently in the Hamburg–Harburg Museum Harbour and is offering ‘open ship days’ to all interested parties in its home port of Hamburg before setting off again for the north a few days later.
February 2023
Perhaps you have already discovered it – we are expanding our travel area! We are delighted to be able to offer you the Scottish Islands as a destination for 2024. We will visit the Inner and Outer Herbrides with their sheltered bays, white beaches, rugged rock formations, waterfalls, puffins and dolphins. Curious? Click here for our new travel offer
At the moment, the „Cape Race“ is back in Germany for her annual stay in the shipyard. Here she is not only getting external maintenance – a new coat of paint, but we are having her fitted with the most modern navigation system available, a new drive shaft and also a new propeller. At least four hard weeks of work in dry dock. Preparing for new challenges in the Arctic.
Find out more in our newsletter. You can subscribe to it here.
August 2022
|
|
For those who want to feel a little closer to the „Cape Race“ even on land, we have added our crew shirts to the mare store. Originally these polo shirts were made exclusively for the crew. But we find them so beautiful that we would like to offer them also to all friends of our mare ship. While the name of the ship is discreetly embroidered in white on the front, the Cape Race with lettering is printed in a beautiful petrol on the back. Just order here: www.mare.de |
May 2022
After leaving Hamburg for Tromø with guests in early April, and after somewhat stormy days in the Skagerrak, we spent great days in the fjords of Lofoten with countless whale encounters. Then guests from Switzerland enjoyed a week on board with mountain guides from the Alpine country north of Tromsø and with extensive ski tours in the remote mountains of northern Norway. Now we leave for Spitsbergen, again with the Swiss mountain specialists from Berg & Tal and ski tours in the mountains of Svalbard.
For travel information 2023 please download our catalogue (in German) here.
January 2022
After a good trip from Tromsø towards Hamburg, we arrived at the slip of Peters Werft on 12 January. Since then, the entire hull has been thoroughly ultrasonically inspected, shaft and propeller removed, anchor system checked, all tanks cleaned, underwater hull repainted, all seacocks removed and checked, etc., etc. Even a few steel plates will be replaced. A total of 77 different items are on the programme.
October 2021
After a very calm crossing of the western Barents Sea, from Longyearbyen to Tromsø (our captain was very quick, because he had foresight, to take advantage of a small window with little wind. The Barents Sea can already be very stormy in October and indeed the wind came just as „Cape Race“ was entering the sheltered fjord north of Tromsø), we are now lying on the pier preparing for the winter voyages, which start on 28 October and do not end until after a Christmas cruise. We buy fresh food, bunker fuel, put things in order for the coming guests and prepare everything for the trips into the wintry fjords.
September 2021
 |
It’s pretty lonely in Svalbard this summer. Our „Cape Race“ completed four complete circumnavigations of Svalbard under Captain Ali in the last few weeks. We met far fewer ships than in the usual seasons. The Cape Race is one of the very few ships that will visit the Arctic Ocean in 2021. Until the end of September we will explore the west of Spitsbergen and from October, when the light in the far north has diminished considerably and winter announces itself with rough weather, we will steam south to Tromsø, where we will start our winter voyages. (Photo: Christian Engelke) |
July, 27th, 2021
 |
„Cape Race – A Biography“ just published by mareverlag! A ship is not a living being in the true sense of the word. But it is launched and christened after construction. It fulfils many different tasks throughout its existence, serves as a source of income for companies, experiences half the world, braves storms, cold and heat and is both a place of work and a place of residence for seafarers, summer and winter, at Easter and Christmas Eve, day and night. It is not without reason that ships are not neutral objects, but individualised by their proper name and the feminine article. |
July, 20th, 2021
After a smooth ten-day voyage from Kiel direct to Longyearbyen, our beautiful „Cape Race“ is safely in port. Captain Ali avoided an area with stronger winds by choosing a slightly more westerly course. How good that we have an experienced crew on board, who, by the way, did not miss the opportunity to quickly fish for fresh fish in the Arctic Ocean shortly before reaching the harbour. The ship wrote: „old habits die hard.“
July, 10th, 2021
Off to the north! With 11 knots of wind from the west and an air temperature of 13° Celsius, the crew of the „Cape Race“ set off from the Tiessenkai in Kiel Holtenau at exactly 08:00 UTC, 10:00 in the morning. Next planned stop: 78° North…..Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen. Our 2021 season of expeditions in the Arctic has begun…… We are fully booked until Christmas. Hopefully our perseverance will pay off: We are one of the last shipping companies that have not yet given up on the entire 2021 Arctic season and are now ready to show guests the incomparable nature of the polar region.
February 2021
The ice in the museum harbour has melted and the birds announce the approaching spring in the early morning. Work on board the „Cape Race“ is also progressing. For example, the sea ring is now higher all round and therefore safer, a new watermaker and a UV system ensure clear drinking water, in cabins three and four the bunks are currently being rebuilt, or a generator has been completely renewed. The to-do list for the layover in Hamburg is 27 on deck, 50 in the interior, 32 in the engine room, 14 for the safety systems and 18 minor to major items for navigation that need to be completed before the departure with guests.
The planning for the coming season, on the other hand, is not so easy to keep to. Unfortunately, we will not be going to Spitsbergen this year as planned at the beginning of May. The Norwegian government is closing their country to inbound travellers and guest ships until at least July.
Consequently, we developed an offer adapted to the situation instead: we will sail via Helgoland and the Kiel Canal into the Baltic Sea at the beginning of May and explore the German Baltic coast on five trips of six days each. Without border problems, without flights, with a crew and guests that have been tested several times, we discover the magnificent natural landscape of the Baltic Sea coast, from the Geltinger Birk to Usedom, we land with our Zodiac boats on lonely beaches and wild cliffs and experience a nature that is difficult or almost impossible to visit from land. Click here for the detailed offer.
November 2020
Since October we are back in Hamburg with the MS „Cape Race“ from our short season (only four voyages in total). Fortunately, we were allowed to dock again in the Museumshafen Hamburg Harburg. We will probably be moored there until spring. During the months, we will carry out smaller works: e.g. the sea railings will be set higher everywhere so that we can find a safe footing even in heavy seas; in the cabins, mess and saloon, the beautiful wood will be further varnished, all tanks will be cleaned, the life-saving equipment will be serviced, a generator will be replaced, the windlass will get a different colour, and more equipment for scientific experiments will be put on board. The list of work is unfortunately not finite….
For the spring we are planning more open-ship days, situation permitting, and in May we finally set off north – along the Norwegian coast to Spitsbergen.
September 2020
After we were able to conduct exactly one expedition with guests in Spitsbergen at the end of August, no further cruises have been possible there since then due to the high case numbers in Germany (over 20 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over a 14-day period). We spontaneously switched to Scotland, where we explored the beautiful Hebrides with guests.
Unfortunately, due to the still increasing number of cases, we now also have to cancel all winter trips in Northern Norway and will conclude the 2020 season in mid-October. By then, work on the ship is already on the agenda again. This year’s experience with the „Cape Race“ has been excellent, and we can happily say that all the work of the last few years has been successful. Nevertheless, the usual winter work and a few cosmetic improvements are necessary.
Press and public relations
mareverlag GmbH & Co. oHG
Laura Hübner
Pickhuben 2
20457 Hamburg
e-mail: huebner@mare.de
phone: +49 (0)40-36807622
