Thursday, October 3, 2013

There be gods here


Listening to "Walking On A Dream" by Empire Of The Sun


The voyage has stopped...at least for the moment.  Drake and I find ourselves in Reykjavík, Iceland where we will *possibly* be staying for the winter.  The first two weeks here were tumultuous to say the least.  We had planned for Iceland to be a pit stop on our way to Ireland and, therefore, were poised to take off as soon as the first weather window presented itself.  The first couple of days everyone was simply recovering from the beating we received on the journey over from Greenland.  Fierce winds and big seas plagued us, and making landfall had never been so sweet. 

Stormy days


However, as the days passed with no good window in sight, we began to wonder if we had simply stayed north a bit too long.  When does a risk become too risky?  One afternoon we suddenly realized that we were talking about sailing off into the remnants of a hurricane...and stopped.  We unclenched our guts and admitted that leaving Iceland at this particular time of year meant sailing off into weather that posed an unacceptable risk to us.  How many people tried to keep to a schedule and ended up instead courting disaster?  So, despite our best intentions of reaching Ireland this year, we have decided to stay in Iceland.  



We have moved from Brokey yacht club where we first landed and are now staying in an extremely protected corner of the Reykjavík harbour just off of the maritime museum.  Besides being in a spot that is extremely sheltered we also have an auspicious neighbour, the Coast Guard Vessel Óðinn.  It was involved in all three of the Cod Wars with Britain, towed almost 200 ships to safety, and is credited with saving countless crews from sinking or grounded ships.  Every day we look out and see its magnificent hull to our port side.

Our neighbour Ódinn



We've also begun to explore our new neighbourhood.  Just down the street, to our initial delight (and my thighs horror), is an amazing homemade ice cream shop.  Within walking distance of Paragon.  And open late.  Every. single. night.  (this could be bad…)



The library with free, if slow, wifi is ten minutes away, as are numerous grocery stores.  A wonderful internet cafe, with fresh baked bread and FAST wifi, is five minutes away.  I've also discovered the coolest resale/antique store ever which may occupy many a rainy afternoon.

The library

Frida Frænka Antiques


There are more galleries than I could explore in a year, not to mention amazing street art and sculptures.  





Things are not completely settled here.  Drake and I will be heading over to Immigration on Monday to see if we are able to extend our initial entry visa and stay the winter.  We are hoping they will understand that we intended to leave, but were waylaid by the weather.  We have no intention of becoming one of those cautionary tales you read so often on the forums or various news channels.  Could we have left and made it to Ireland?  Perhaps yes, but the alternative was not a risk we were willing to take.  I'd rather live to tell the tale...

So now I sit in a cafe, pet the dog who has meandered over (this is one of the reasons I LOVE Europe!!!), and look forward to exploring my new home.  

Home for now and ready to explore!


p.s.  While we were traveling in Greenland I was having a lot of trouble gaining access to my blog.  I have a back log of posts that I will begin to upload, but I will most likely mix in more recent posts from Reykjavík as well!

19 comments:

  1. look forward to hearing of your iceland adventure. cerainly seeing the pics lets us come along and experience in a way that was'nt possible not that long ago. really appreciate your efforts here. thanks for sharing. ken

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    1. Thanks Ken,

      This is such a beautiful, picturesque country…I can't wait to seriously grab my camera and start exploring! It will be especially interesting in the winter when there are only a couple of hours of sunlinght. I think our wood burning stove is going to be working overtime this year!

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  2. Love the last pic of you Mo. You look well rested and stress free! Enjoy Iceland!!!

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    1. Thank you, I FEEL more rested, and my stomach is certainly happy to take a bit of a break. Now we're just crossing our fingers that we will be allowed to stay here longer...

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  3. Sounds like you two are having a great time. Keep us all posted. Looking forward to the back log posts ;-)

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    1. We have been trying to find a happy medium between checking out the local sights and hunkering down to edit the footage from the trip. Every couple of days I shake Drake out, prop him in the sun for a while, and take him around the town. *grin* Seriously, it's been an amazing trip and I can't wait to update everyone with the stories!

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  4. Hey Monique, we love your videos and your blog. My husband and I are just getting into sailing as we may like to buy and live on a boat when we retire in a few years. Your videos are excellent and I also like this photo of you...I hate it that you get so seasick! Have a great winter and we will look forward to your blog and videos when they start again. All the best, two cape bretoners living in Alberta Lorna and Robert!

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    1. Lorna,

      How exciting! Do you have a place where you can sail during your time off or on the weekends? I think Kenneth Grahame said it best when he wrote, “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” I hope you guys have a lot of fun in your new explorations and I'm glad you're enjoying the videos. More to come soon!

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  5. Well, it sounds as if Iceland will have plenty to explore and keep you busy. If allowed to stay, what would be the earliest likely (deferred) departure date?

    - Sailor_Hutch

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    1. Gosh, I think we wouldn't think of leaving Reykjavík until some time in April-ish. It really depends on the weather. When we depart from here, Drake and I would like to spend a month or more sailing along the northern coast of Iceland where we've heard there are striking fjords. It's nice to be in the city now, but a chance to explore the more remote parts of Iceland will be lovely.

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  6. Yes - I'm a stranger (fairly harmless) who has been keeping up with the videos and the "great exploration" being undertaken by you and Drake. I suppose the previous question is presumptuous of one you do not know (but I think you and Drake have a bigger fanbase than you realize). I'm keen on starting my own "great adventure" fairly soon. Good luck!

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    1. Grand adventures are marvellous! Best of luck to you as well!

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  7. Doesn't it get really cold there during the winter? How are you going to keep the boat from being damaged by ice, and stay warm down below? Love your videos on youtube and reading about your trips past and current! B.

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    1. Hello B,

      Remarkably enough, Iceland remains fairly temperate in comparison to other locations of the same latitude due to the Gulf Stream. The average winter temperature hovers just above and below freezing, and it's infinitely drier than our planned destination in Ireland. Also, we've been told that the harbour we are in does not freeze in the winter because of the huge tidal range. We've also been keeping toasty warm with our wood burning stove!

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  8. Wow, bummer that you aren't going to be able to finish your voyage as initially planned, but it was a very ambitious plan. I think winter in Iceland will be a heck of an experience in it's own right and that's the point isn't it?

    About your decision not to go. I've been in on those types of conversations many times and it's so easy to get sucked in to just going for the sake of going. After seeing 40kts or more and 15+ ft. seas for several days straight departing on the edge of hurricane force winds might just be more of the same, until it isn't. The descent into reckless is very much akin to the proverbial frog in the boiling water. The ability to take a step back and take an objective look at the situation is the mark of a good sailor. I once read that seamanship is having the skills and experience to avoid situations where such skills and experience are absolutely necessary. Good call.

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    1. Thanks Eric,

      We felt it was the best decision. I'm actually quite glad we ended up getting "stuck" here because I am totally falling in love with this amazing city. If we had kept with the original plan we would have stayed maybe a week or so before taking off. Now we're getting a chance to explore, hang out at the local hot springs, and partake of the fabulous local baked goods and food! I've very much looking forward to staying put this winter, and then setting sail again when the good weather returns.

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  9. Ahoy,

    We (sv Billy Ruff'n and crew) shared the dock with you in St. John's. Glad to see you made it out of Greenland, but sorry to see you stuck in Iceland (could be worse, I guess :-) ). We had an 11 day passage (windy, wet and cold) to Kinsale from St. John. You'll love it when you get there. The approach is right out of a story book -- past the headland, up the river, turn left at the old stone fort! Enjoyed your aerial video from Greenland and look forward to seeing others as the winter progresses.

    Perhaps we'll meet again. The boat is on the hard in Troon, Scotland. We plan to cruise the Irish Sea in June and may get to Kinsale, before heading for Brittany and then points south.

    All the best,

    Scott
    on Billy Ruff'n

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    1. Scott,

      It's good to hear from you! I'm sorry your passage was so chilly, but Kinsale sounds amazing. I'm sure there was a much deserved trip to the pub once you settled in!

      Greenland was amazing…I'm just sorry the season is so very short. By the time you get there it's already time to start planning your departure. *shrug* I do think that a boat is the best way to explore though. Since none of the towns is connected, the only way to get around is by personal boat, ferry, or through the air (helicopter or plane) which can get quite pricey.

      So the Irish Sea in June, eh? It sounds lovely. I'm not quite sure what our plans are for next summer, but be sure to keep in touch…perhaps we'll run into you in an anchorage one day!

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  10. Digging the blog and sharing in this adventure. Rocking the cod!! Sitting in Denver talking about your vooyage with Geoff and the girls. I'll continue to check your blog. Stay cozy

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