Leaving Reykjavik

Leaving Reykjavik

August 1st 2015

We have been here just over a week and it is time to go.  Our next major destination is the Faroe Islands about 310 miles from the East Coast of Iceland.  That means we have to get to the east Coast and Reykjavik is on the West Coast.  There are two possibilities; go North or go South.  They are both about the same length but the northern route has much more interesting harbors and places to stop and we will get to within three miles of the Arctic Circle so I am sure we will find time to sail above it if only for a few minutes.  So the Northern route it will be  and our intent is to stop at:Olasvik, Islafjordur, Akureyeri, Raufaurthorn and end at Seydisfjordur which is the largest town on the east Coast and where the ferries depart for Faroe.  It is a total distance of about 600 miles and will take us at least a week depending on the weather.

Reykjavik has been a delight and a very welcome respite.  Gregers took off to explore the South Coast and do some hiking and we stayed here to work on the boat and enjoy the city.  Iceland has decided that their economy will benefit substantially from tourism; they have depended on fish but that is not an industry that is capable of much expansion although they do have some of the largest trawlers I have ever seen.  They do some aluminum smelting bur tourism is a very big thing (now over 1,000,000 visitors a year.  Reykjavik is one big construction project and most of the construction is for new hotels and restaurants.  You can take tours to anywhere on the island and they are very well organized with buses full of people zooming around all over the place.  We are moored right next to the Harpa center, the new concert hall that has regular and very high quality cultural programs.  Icelanders are almost invariably helpful and friendly.

We did take one all day tour to the Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar) off the South Coast, it would have been a good place to stop if we were taking the southern route.  The island group is volcanic and very young - the youngest island being Surtsey which appeared in 1963.   The volcanoes are still active and the one on the main Island Heimay (which means home) erupted in 1973 and covered about one third of the town in lava and ash.  Most people were evacuated from the island and it was a very traumatic time.  About 3500 people have returned since the eruption down from the 5,000 people before.  The main activity is fishing and they have some of the largest trawlers I have ever seen.. The islands also have enormous populations of seabirds of all types including puffins - we did not see any of those.

Place names here seem to have arisen early in Iceland's history during what is called the settlement period.  Westman for instance refers to two Irish slaves who killed one of their Viking owners and attempted to sail back to Ireland.  They only got as far as Vestmannaeyjar and were pursued there by the remaining owner who avenged his partner by killing the two Irishmen.  Because Ireland is West of Norway they were referred to as West Men, hence the name of the Islands.  This happened in nine hundred and something and we know about it now because it is recorded in one of the Icelandic sagas.

There is a constant procession of foreign boats coming through here most on their way to Greenland.  They are of all nationalities; right now we have two Norwegian boats, one Dutch boat, one Belgian boat and a German Boat.  Puts a bit of a strain at the one shower - I find 5:30 in the morning is a good time. 

We will have more as we progress across the top of Iceland but only as internet connections permit.

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