Iceland in summer

We left for Iceland on June 27 and had a bit of a rough trip of 38 hours, probably had too much sail up. David and Andrea (yacht Diomedea), an nice Australian couple we have met all over the place in the last 10 years, were next to us the whole way.... not that we could see them in the fog. We tied up to the public wharf at Neskaupstadur on the east coast and, even though it was very late at night, Thomas, the Customs officer drove 1.5 hours to do our paperwork. The police gave us a stamp and we finally fell into bed for a good nights sleep.

It was a great first stop. People were very friendly and we got to know a local family really well. They invited us to dinner, answered all of our questions about life in Iceland and drove us around. We hope to return the hospitality when they come to NZ.

 

 David and Andrea hired a car and invited us along for a drive inland, snowy mountains, huge lake, barren land and gravel roads, very beautiful...

 

 

 After 5 days we said our goodbyes and did an overnight sail, 174 miles up the east coast and around to Grimsey Island .

Grimsey Island has over 60 species of birds so walking around the island was a real treat, especially since it was breeding season. The top half of the island is over the Arctic Circle so it's very popular with the tourists although it didn't seem too busy on the days we were there, tied up in the snug little harbour.

Next stop was Husavik where we hired a car for a day and joined the hundreds of tourists driving the ring road circuit which takes in 2 waterfalls, mudpools, a crater lake, canyons and more. We are used to having places to ourselves so it was a bit of a shock having to struggle to take a photo without people in it, but well worth it. Absolutely stunning.....

 

Back in town we got a few jobs done on the boat. Somewhere, somehow, we had bent our anchor so Phil found a workshop where he was able to straighten it. The job took only took him a few minutes but he ended up chatting for an hour or two, something that happens a lot around here (or maybe it's just Phil)

We got to know the owner of a whale-watching company and were invited out one afternoon so joined 30+ other people and went out into the bay where we were lucky enough to see some action. Sometimes we sailed and the silence was so nice. Of course if a whale was spotted all the boats in the area rushed over. Watching the people was as much fun as seeing the whales. I think cruising spoils you for normal tourist activities. There is nothing like having a visit from a whale while you are sailing along or becalmed mid-ocean.

Before we went around to the west coast we stopped at Flatey Island for a few nights. Once again the birdlife was amazing and we enjoyed several good walks and chats with the locals along the way. The houses are only used in the summer but we met people who had grown up there so got some local history which always adds to the visit.

We didn't see anything of the north coast as we sailed then motored along in the fog. As we rounded the NW corner at midnight the fog lifted, and I got to see some of the magnificent cliffs (Phil was sleeping) as we found an anchorage for the night.

We picked up friends  Baz and Claire in Isafjordur, stocked up on fresh fruit, veges and fuel. There were 7 boats in the harbour so happy hour was very social that night. Most boats were heading to Greenland, some to make landfall more north than we are planning so we may not see them again. Baz and Claire are with us for 3 weeks and about to experience their first ocean passage. Weather looks good. Iceland was an easy and enjoyable place to cruise and well worth more than the 3 weeks we had. If only the summers up here were a little longer......

The Magical Faroes

We sat in Stornaway for 11 days waiting for fair winds to get us up to the Faroes. Finally, on June 14th we upped anchor at noon and headed out into the grey day. The passage of 214 miles took just 33 hours and we were blessed with sunshine mid-way, only to have the thick fog come down as we approached the southern island of Suduroy. With strong currents and headwinds we motored the last 10 miles and happily dropped our anchor, ready for a good nights sleep.

    What a difference a day makes.....

   The walking always involves some uphill slog but the views are well worth the effort. Stunning
   coastlines and plenty of birdlife.

Salmon farms play an important part in the economy though not everyone is pleased to have them.







  It was usually only about 10 or 20 miles between islands and while there was often a dock to tie
  up to, we found it better just anchoring. Often there were old tires as buffers and everything gets
  black so not worth the hassle.

   
   The women of Sandur got together and knitted this cover over a 4 metre tall rock, 18 metres in
   circumference, based on the legend of a local witch.

    Vagar was one of our favorite stops with great walking and friendly people. We have been in
    company with several other boats and it was here that we had a potluck dinner with Australia,
    UK, Spain and NZ represented.

Here are Mick and Bee on their delightful boat "Hannah". Toots, the 17 year old cat, was snoozing inside.I have been following their blog for ages and it has been great to finally meet them for real. They are one of those couples that you immediately like and we hope to meet up with them again in Iceland.

    As we motored up the west coast of Streymoy, Phil would occasionally get in the dinghy and row
   into an interesting looking cave. Here he disappeared for ages and came out further up the coast.
   We were very fortunate to have a stunning, clear, calm day so could see it all up close.

    Large breakwaters were common and provided well-protected anchorages at most islands.

   We only had 11 days in the Faroes and explored the western islands. That means we missed out on
 lot of stunning anchorages and the capital city of Torshavn which was a shame, but what we saw
   gave us a taste of life in these northern islands. With 24 hour daylight at this time of the year, they
   have to endure long, dark winters, so while it has been a great place to visit, we are not tempted to
   move here! Another week would have been good to head east but the weather looks good for
   Iceland so we must move on. The summers up here are short and there is so much to see.