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| Night watch about to begin. In the boat, subarctic North Atlantic |
As we set off from the Faeroe Islands to the Southeast coast of Iceland, we knew we only had a few days before som gales would hit that area. The waves were growing higher as we left the somewhat protected coast of Faeroe Islands, and most of the crew were struck by the seas sickness.
I speak a lot of sea sickness. Just like altitude sickness, this is something to count on, and manage. It can affect your performance just enough to give you a small challenge and let you feel you're alive, or it can cancel the whole trip and erase any chance of you getting to the goal.
I once published an article in a sailing magazine on the topic,
feel free to read here (no photos included in the online version). Most of the crew were not exercising any of the precautions listed there, and had only the power of will to rely on. This does not help in a situation caused by a physical reaction. There was a lot of hanging over the gunwhales...
The three of the crew rotated shifts, while me and the skipper rotated our routine, which was to assist, monitor, help out, and provide the utter responsibility for the safety of the crew and she ship.
After 3 days, we reached our destination, tired but unharmed.
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| Finally - land in sight! Iceland on the horizon |
We reached a fjord in Southeast Iceland, took a rest there, and then continued towards Seydisfjordur where the crew were leaving the ship.
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| Pilot whales welcoming us to the coast of Iceland |
I left the boat for a proper roadtrip around the whole Iceland. I had been there before, as I had organized a trip around West part of the country, but this time I wanted to see more. Myvatn was the place that impressed me the most.
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| Ice areas on the way from Seydisfjordur to Myvatn |
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| East coast of Iceland |
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| The lake of Myvatn |
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| Volcanic areas: sulphur fumes near Myvatn |
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| Myvatn hot springs. Just as beautiful as the Blue Lagoon, but cleaner and not as crowded. |
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| Volcanic areas: sulphur and lava fields near Myvatn |
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| Lake Jökulsarlon, Iceland. Icebergs in a sweet-water lake |
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| Glacier ice of Vatnajökul, one of the southern arms. A rainbow is hanging over the ice. A beautiful walk in a gale wind. |
During these days, the gale wind was very strong. I was happy I was not out at sea, sailing... Cars were wobbling on the road, motorcycles struggling to remain upright. When walking, it just felt that you could lift off and fly. These kinds of strong winds are common for these areas. I was to be expecting these again when sailing
from Greenland back to Iceland.
