Grimsey, A Small Detour

Instead of going directly to Husavik, we have detoured to Sandvik on the island of Grimsey, 30 miles north of our intended destination. There is no serious reason behind our change of plan other than that is what we felt like doing when the final navigational decision needed to be made late last night.

It took us 36 hours to reach Grimsey from Seydisfjordur, mostly under power. Conditions were not ideal when we left Friday night, the sea was still turbulent from the strong northerly that had come through. The wind was almost sailable but not strong enough to keep the sails full with the steep waves, so we kept motoring. Eventually the waves mellowed, greatly increasing our comfort. By Saturday, the wind had picked up and we were able to sail for most of the day before the wind died for the night and did not return until shortly before we reached Grimsey.

Everything seemed normal this morning as we came up to the wharf until Frances asked for a wrench. It is not unusual for Frances to request a tool but she doesn't normally do it as Krystina is getting ready to cleat Snow Dragon's bow line to the dock. Sure enough Frances had a good reason for making the request at such an inopportune time, the throttle handle had fallen off. Luckily the engine was at idle and Frances was still able to shift gears, putting Snow Dragon into neutral as Krystina fetched the wrench and then scurried to get the bow and the rest of the lines secured. Overall it was a perfect docking and Snow Dragon came gently to rest against the tires covering the high wharf.

As we were putting on the sail cover, a local fisherman came by to welcome us. We invited him on board for coffee and as we chatted he asked us if we enjoyed our life on Snow Dragon. When Krystina replied "yes, but it's a lot of work", the fisherman smiled in that knowing way that only someone who has experienced life at sea and spent countless hours repairing their boat can smile.

Before leaving, he pointed out his boat and kindly offered to help us repair the throttle handle if needed. We were able to replace the sheered bolt ourselves but it was nice to know help was available if we needed it. Eventually we'll make it to Husavik but for now Grimsey is beckoning to be explored. Unfortunately we don't have access to wifi right now so you'll have to wait for photos until we do.