Taking Our Time

We woke up this morning to clear blue skies in Lonafjordur. Instead of rushing off to the next fjord we took in our surroundings over a leisurely breakfast. Frances sat on deck and did a painting, enjoying the warm weather that has become the norm over the past few days. While David and Krystina chatted about how nice it was not to be in a rush.

Breakfast

Breakfast seamlessly transitioned into morning coffee before we were ready to think about moving but first we needed to pay one last visit to the harbor seals on the other side of the bay. We dinghied over and found five seals swimming near the beach and sun bathing. They took turns coming closer to us but remained cautious.

Harbor Seal

The wind was still light when we returned to the boat and we decided to motor to Hranfnsfjordur, the next fjord without putting up our mainsail. It was completely calm and Frances was able to make the custard for crème brûlée. While Krystina and David took care of the navigation and tried to count the many whooper swans swimming and flying along the fjord.

Once we turned the corner and began making our way up Hranfnsfjordur the wind picked up and we had 15 knots against us. This fjord was also uncharted and the depth was shallow so we decided to continue motoring instead of trying to tack and increase our chances of hitting a rock. Three quarters of the way up, the depth dropped to below 6 meters and we had to carefully pick our way along the shore with a bow watch to keep enough water under the keel. Eventually we made it to the head of the fjord where we wanted to anchor.

As we were getting into the dinghy to go ashore, a group of people in a power boat came over to say hello and to make sure we understood how shallow it was in the fjord. We thanked them for their concern and reassured them that we knew, before taking off on our pre-dinner explore. We hiked up to the top of a 240 meter summit - where we found a family of golden plovers in a small grassy dip - to get a good look over the fjord and the trail possibilities for the morning before returning to Snow Dragon for dinner and an immoral quantity of crème brûlée.

For more photos please click Lonafjordur To Hranfnsfjordur Album.