Got into Djupivogur, SE Iceland, yesterday.
Splendid sail up. Neat to watch the night drastically fade away as we ran down the latitudes north. We timed two consecutive sunsets and the second one was half an hour later than the first. This was with over 2 degrees (120 NM, 135 land miles) of northing in 24 hours. Such happens when one is nearing the boundary between day/night and day only.
Had a gale 2 days south of Iceland. As usual Teddy was overcanvassed through the night, making for a rough ride and poor sleep. When will I learn to reduce sail to keep things slow and easy? Josh says a lot of sailors make this mistake, and I know this to be true.
After Clifden we went to Inishkea North, to visit Brian, the most gregarious hermit on the planet. He lives alone on Inishkea, the island all to himself. I first met him 3 years ago on a previous trip north; then his best friend was Babs the lamb. I inquired after Babs; she is doing well, and stops in every few days to say hello and to take food from Brian. Brian's wife Dot is with him on the island for the summer: they are very happy there together. I hope to revisit him on the return leg of this trip, in August.
Always such a pleasure to approach Iceland. The days become long, and night fades into a mild twilight. The clouds here are mostly high altitude, cirri of various types, and they are made on a much bigger scale. The low altitude clouds, the cumuli, are few, and they tend to be much higher than in Ireland. We know we have transited into a different world.
With a few previous visits to Djupivogur, I have gotten to know some people & to feel very much welcomed and more at home here. Jon Karlsson the fisherman, who returned with me last year from Iceland to Clifden, dropped in to check us out and to inspect Teddy's impressive makeover. He lent me some tools so I could repair the broken bathroom door, a massive affair of 5 quarters inch oak that swung loose during the gale and instantly tore itself apart. Stefan the Harbormaster was on hand to receive us coming in, and Thorir the hotel keeper of the Framtid, wanted to know about the trip plans.
This spring I spent two months renovating Teddy at Hegarty's Boatyard, on the Ilen River between Skibbereen and Cork. This with a lot of help. Nick Kottler was totally indispensable with his top level skills in welding, woodworking, fiberglassing, painting, technical knowhow, and his extreme thoughtfulness. Remarkable! Pierre Couture provided muscle, backing us up. It all took far longer than I expected. The result is an essentially rebuilt Teddy with a seriously new lease on life, and she is now looking absolutely splendid - she is all aglow.
In 2 or 3 days we will head for Jan Mayen Land, 5 days north.
Splendid sail up. Neat to watch the night drastically fade away as we ran down the latitudes north. We timed two consecutive sunsets and the second one was half an hour later than the first. This was with over 2 degrees (120 NM, 135 land miles) of northing in 24 hours. Such happens when one is nearing the boundary between day/night and day only.
Had a gale 2 days south of Iceland. As usual Teddy was overcanvassed through the night, making for a rough ride and poor sleep. When will I learn to reduce sail to keep things slow and easy? Josh says a lot of sailors make this mistake, and I know this to be true.
After Clifden we went to Inishkea North, to visit Brian, the most gregarious hermit on the planet. He lives alone on Inishkea, the island all to himself. I first met him 3 years ago on a previous trip north; then his best friend was Babs the lamb. I inquired after Babs; she is doing well, and stops in every few days to say hello and to take food from Brian. Brian's wife Dot is with him on the island for the summer: they are very happy there together. I hope to revisit him on the return leg of this trip, in August.
Always such a pleasure to approach Iceland. The days become long, and night fades into a mild twilight. The clouds here are mostly high altitude, cirri of various types, and they are made on a much bigger scale. The low altitude clouds, the cumuli, are few, and they tend to be much higher than in Ireland. We know we have transited into a different world.
With a few previous visits to Djupivogur, I have gotten to know some people & to feel very much welcomed and more at home here. Jon Karlsson the fisherman, who returned with me last year from Iceland to Clifden, dropped in to check us out and to inspect Teddy's impressive makeover. He lent me some tools so I could repair the broken bathroom door, a massive affair of 5 quarters inch oak that swung loose during the gale and instantly tore itself apart. Stefan the Harbormaster was on hand to receive us coming in, and Thorir the hotel keeper of the Framtid, wanted to know about the trip plans.
This spring I spent two months renovating Teddy at Hegarty's Boatyard, on the Ilen River between Skibbereen and Cork. This with a lot of help. Nick Kottler was totally indispensable with his top level skills in welding, woodworking, fiberglassing, painting, technical knowhow, and his extreme thoughtfulness. Remarkable! Pierre Couture provided muscle, backing us up. It all took far longer than I expected. The result is an essentially rebuilt Teddy with a seriously new lease on life, and she is now looking absolutely splendid - she is all aglow.
In 2 or 3 days we will head for Jan Mayen Land, 5 days north.
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