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.

Smooth Sailing, Norway to Iceland

Approaching Seydisfjordur Iceland

Just as Norway was beginning to show signs of summer. We crossed over to Seydisfjordur on Iceland’s east coast, where winter still lingers with the occasional blizzard. Aside from the temperamental weather, Seydisfjordur is a warm and friendly place with beautiful scenery and some lovely architecture, which we have explored intensely over the past few days. 

The passage was surprisingly relaxed. We had been seriously watching the weather pattern around Iceland since April, hoping that by the end of May we would find a long enough window to make the crossing. Our opportunity came just shortly after Gerd, whose house we had moored Snow Dragon in front of during the winter, joined us in Trondheim on May 15^th for the passage.

Frances & Gerd tightening the rig

After tightening Snow Dragon’s rig, dinner with friends and refueling the following morning. We left the dock at Trondheim and sailed the 35 miles out of the fjord to the nearby island of Storfosna. Where we anchored for one last night of uninterrupted sleep and a hike before making the crossing. We had stopped at the island several weeks prior and it was nice to come back and see the changes that had taken place with the arrival of spring. 

Dinner with Adrian, Tove & Gerd

Once out on the open ocean, conditions remained calm with light winds and mellow seas for the five day, 613 mile passage. Barely a drop of water touched the deck and only minimal sail adjustments were needed. Most of the time it felt as if Snow Dragon was sailing herself and we were only along for the ride. Even with the mild conditions all three of us struggled with sea sickness at different points during the crossing. We had not done any ocean sailing since October and it took a while for us to readjust to the motion.

The one down side to the light winds was the dense fog that surrounded us for the second half of the passage and did not lift until Iceland’s mountains were towering above us. Luckily there was no traffic which both our radar and newly installed AIS confirmed. Our only company was the occasional bird, whose numbers increased as we approached Iceland.

It is slightly unusual for a noncommercial boat of Snow Dragon’s size to be running AIS, which gives the name, position and course of ships in the area as well as transmitting our own information. When we were 45 miles out, the Icelandic Coast Guard called us on the radio by name to enquire where we were going. They then arranged for the port captain and custom’s official to meet us at the dock, despite are arrival time of 11:30pm.

The port officials were welcoming and did not seem to mind that we were accidentally flying the Faroes courtesy flag instead of the Icelandic which was put up my mistake due to mislabeling by the Norwegian flag supplier. As we answered questions and filled out forms they told us that we were the first yacht to arrive this year and that there had only been nine last year. They were also happy to hear that we had been greeted by the fjord’s resident humpback whale as we came into the port after not seeing any marine life during the crossing.

Four days after we arrived another sailboat came in from Norway and we were quickly reminded of how lucky we were to have had such great conditions. They had 40 knots of wind and 6 meter seas and were forced to divert to Seydisfordur for protection instead of continuing to their intended destination on the north coast. Their experience reinforced our decision to motor when the wind was too light instead of waiting for it to fill in and potentially end up with more than we bargained for.  

After spending six days in Seydisfordur, we are now ready to make our way to Husavik on the north coast. There are few protected harbors on Iceland’s north-east corner and with that in mind we plan to sail nonstop to Husavik.

The past two months have been a bit of a blur as we focused on getting Snow Dragon ready for Iceland and making our way down the Norwegian coast from Tromso to Trondheim. Over the next few weeks we hope to have time to write both about our experience in Iceland and the memorable moments we had before leaving Norway. 

For more photos please click on Seydisfordur Ablum. 

Back Under Power

Engine Control Panel With Zero Hours

When we turned the key for the first time, there was a small sense of relief as we heard the click of the pre-glow and complete joy as the engine came to life. The temptation to immediately leave the dock was overwhelming but it was late in the afternoon and we needed to stick around for another day to tie up a few loose ends with the boat yard.

Kurt from JH Motors, the Yanmar dealer in Tromso came by to see the installation and to pick up the old Perkins. We still don’t know what was wrong with the engine but hopefully some of the parts will be able to be reused. It was nice to be able to give the Perkins to someone who had been very supportive of our project. We have been doing business with JH Motors who supplies several marine products, since we first arrived in Tromso and they always work hard to make sure that we get what we need. Kurt was instrumental in getting the new engine delivered quickly and loaned us a chain hoist when the one provided by the yard turned out to be substandard.

It took us eight days to install the Yanmar after it had been placed on the pilot house floor. There were no major surprises, just a lot of work. Before we left the boat yard on Friday, Frances was told that the head mechanic had said “she had done a perfect job and was quite impressed”.  It was nice that the yard realized that were were not just difficult customers but it was even more important to us that we had met our own deadline of getting the job done in two weeks. Thirteen days after towing Snow Dragon over to the boat yard with the dinghy, she left under her own power and we returned to our mooring on Hakoya.  

For more photos please click on Boat Yard Album. 

Taking Control

Thanks to some improvisation on our part, Snow Dragon’s repowering is on schedule.  We were ready for the Perkins to be removed from the engine room on Monday morning but by the end of business on Tuesday, the yard had yet to make any progress. It seemed they were more interested in doing the work that we had already done than moving the project forward. The head mechanic took all the measurements for removing the engine which we had already done. The next day two mechanics with a grinder came down to the boat to cut the T frame so that the track for the chain hoist would fit. They sheepishly retreated to their workshop when they realized that Frances had already done the job and had the hoists ready to lift the engine.

Frances cutting timber for the supports

With no indication from the yard that they were actually planning to move the project forward, we decided to do the job ourselves. After gathering scraps of timber to use as supports, we spent Tuesday evening lifting the Perkins out of the engine room and onto the pilothouse floor. On Wednesday morning, the yard did a double take when Frances told them that the Perkins was ready to be removed by crane. To our surprise the yard moved us over to the crane and lifted the Perkins out and replaced it with the Yanmar that afternoon.

Cranking on the chain hoist

The Perkins sitting on the pilot house floor

Their rough method of towing Snow Dragon over to the crane, nearly ramming Snow Dragon’s bow sprit into a large fish boat, was high stress. Luckily the lift went much more smoothly. We made it clear that they were not to damage Snow Dragon in any way when they switched out the engines. It took a bit of reminding but they did manage to use more care than usual. Then they towed us back, ramming Snow Dragon’s bow into the dock. We thanked them for the lift and for the “terrifying tow experience”.

Prepping the Perkins to be lifted out of the boat

The Yanmar coming into the boat

The yard seemed to finally understand that when we ask for something we expect it to happen within a finite period. Now when we order supplies, they are delivered the same day and our methods are no longer questioned. This weekend we will finish the new engine bed and lower the Yanmar into the engine room.

Moving Forward

View of the boat yard from our mooring at Hakoya

What makes engine replacement a daunting task is that boats are built around their engine. In Snow Dragon’s case, it’s a Perkins 4-236 which is no longer made. Though parts are still widely available, rebuilding the engine at Norwegian wages would cost more than half a new one and would leave us with a twelve year old engine.

After talking to Perkins, we began to think about the M92b, the modern version of our engine. The placement on the engine bed would be the same but the M92b is slightly taller and wider. Parts of the engine could be dismantled and reassembled once it was in place but it was still was a questionable fit.

With our mind bouncing back and forth between new Perkins and a rebuild, we called Trans Atlantic Diesel, the supplier of Snow Dragon’s engine. Their gut feeling was that we should go for a rebuild instead of the new Perkins on the grounds that the 4-236 was made for many years and parts were ready available. The M92b has not been around for that long, making parts more difficult to obtain. It was also questionable how much longer the M92b would be made.  

Trans Atlantic’s advice was sensible and we would have gone with it except for one problem, we hate the 4-236. It’s noisy, not fuel efficient and has a high level of vibration that would not be tolerated in a modern engine just to name a few of its less appealing qualities. Yes, it’s an engine that any competent mechanic could repair but it has never been a pleasure to use. 

Repowering is something that can not be taken lightly. It requires changes to the engine bed, propeller and placement of fuel lines. Tromso does have ship yard facilities but not the level of welding that would make us willing to have extensive changes made.

After looking at several engines the Yanmar 4JH4 quickly became the obvious choice. Frances originally wanted to put in a Yanmar instead of a Perkins but at the time turbo chargers were still not proven. The 4JH4 is physically smaller which will make access easier and unlike the Perkins, parts are standard world wide.

The new engine will be delivered tomorrow and Snow Dragon is already sitting at the yard’s dock, waiting. We towed her over ourselves by lashing the dinghy with the outboard to Snow Dragon’s side. Frances had already disassembled the Perkins to make it easier to remove before we left our mooring at Hakoya. We spent the weekend in our new location, removing some of Snow Dragon’s interior and her day tank to gain access for engine removal and replacement. 

View into engine room where stairs used to be

Ideally by the end of the week, the Perkins will have been removed and the Yanmar will be sitting on the pilothouse floor waiting to go into the engine room. Between engines, we will repaint the area underneath where the engine sits and get the new engine bed bolted on.

Elusive Winter Break

One thing about living on a boat is you can’t always choose your down time. After spending two months in the UK and U.S. gathering boat supplies and visiting friends and family. We returned to Norway at the end of January, hoping to spend a quiet winter on our mooring in Hakoya, just outside Tromso, catching up on routine maintenance at a relaxed pace.

Our plans started to shift the moment we walked into the greeting area at the Tromso airport and were told, “Snow Dragon lost her mooring and was on the beach but is now OK”. Luckily Mark, Fred and his wife Fredo were on their boats and realized that Snow Dragon was in trouble. In over 50 knots of wind, they dinghied out with long lines and manually winched Snow Dragon off the beach and secured her to a large boat. They told us that we missed a good workout while we were on the plane.

Snow Dragon showed no ill effects from her beach landing and we were able to turn our focus back to making Snow Dragon habitable after her midwinter hibernation. Her batteries were flat so we ran a cord to the quay and plugged into shore power. With the batteries charging and the heater running, we began unpacking and started on some of our winter tasks.

Then the owner of the boat we were tied to returned and asked us to leave, which meant we had to get the mooring back in place in a hurry. Frances suited up in multiple wetsuits and we rowed out to the mooring to find out how Snow Dragon managed to drag it. Frances dived down to take a look  and saw that only part of the mooring was intact. The water was too cold to work in and we ended up having to hire a professional diver with a dry suit to come and reset the mooring.

In the meantime we discovered that neither our generator nor the engine would start. The problem with generator turned out to be a failed circuit breaker which was easy to fix but the engine remained a mystery.

The diver came out and reset the mooring, he was confident that it was secure but there was no way to test it without our engine. We ran a line and used the powered windlass to winch Snow Dragon back to her mooring. Everything looked good until the tide started to go down and it became evident that we were too close to the beach. At midnight in the snow, we ran a line to the boat we had been tied to and put tension on it to keep us from grounding. This worked well in normal wind conditions but we did not feel it was secure enough to withstand the 30-40 knot winds from different directions that were forecast for the weekend.

After the big boat left, we decided to move to their place, which consisted of four moorings. Repeating the same workout that Mark, Fred and Fredo underwent getting Snow Dragon off the beach. With Snow Dragon secured, we were able to wait out the heavy wind without worrying.

The wind was still blowing Sunday night when our heater stopped working. Luckily our new mooring position was close enough to run our power cord to shore. This enabled us to have enough power to run our small electric space heater and the dryer with the door open for heat, without having to run our generator all night. The heater had just been professionally serviced and it was frustrating that it failed so soon afterwards. We hope to have it running before the temperature drops t0 minus eighteen celsius later this week.

Today the mechanic came out to look at the engine and came to the conclusion that we had been dreading, Snow Dragon needs a new engine. It is not a job that we are looking forward to. Over the next few days we will decide on a replacement but our choices are limited by what will fit. The only thing that is certain, is it will be an expensive and difficult task. 

Extra Stops

We didn’t get very far from Kirkenes before discovering an irresistible anchorage at Ellinghamma. The calm, windless conditions made the decision to stop easy and after getting Snow Dragon settled we headed for shore. Though Ellinghamma was part of the mainland, it had an island like feel. After watching the sunset from the summit we made our way down a steep wooded gulley.  

With a long sail ahead of us we left early the following morning. Our plan had been to go directly back to Vardo but strong headwind persuaded us to stop at Vadso where the brightly painted houses and purple fish processing plant gave the town a cheery feel.

We spent a calm night until the wind picked up the following morning, pinning Snow Dragon to the high dock. We were concerned that the stantions would be damaged if she healed over and hit the dock. Since we could not move until the wind dropped, we went in search of extra tires to pad the dock. We posed our problem to some friendly fishermen who drove to the local filling station and returned with six large tires, giving Snow Dragon plenty of extra padding. Once the new tires were in place, we were able to have one more wander around town before dark.

With limited space on board, our souvenirs tend to be utilitarian. In Vardso we found a blue ceramic butter dish that made its way back to Snow Dragon’s galley. Even the smallest towns in Norway have had fantastic kitchen stores. Though the butter dish was made in France, it will always remind us of Vardso.

After spending two nights in Vadso we headed back to Vardo to pick up Snow Dragon’s new anchor windlass motor. That had been ordered from California by e-mail while we were in Svalbard. It was then collected by a friend and mailed to us in Norway. The sailing conditions were great and were able to make good time arrive during business hours. After worrying that its arrival would be delayed by customs, we were relieved to find the motor waiting at the post office. 

For more photos please click on Ellinghamma & Vadso Album