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Trip's end

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 Jonathan & I left Grindavik the 6th September, and got in to Clifden on the 15th. That is 9 days out & 700 nautical miles (850 land miles) - slow. The winds were largely poor. Off Iceland the wind died, and we drifted waiting for it to return. Then in the remains of a hurricane blowing straight from Ireland - for us just under a gale - we hove to. Then the last 3 days a breeze from dead astern, with a relatively large sea - necessitating taking turns steering: for a break late each night we hove to to sleep. A great many dolphins at sea, drawn to the sailing ship. A school of pilot whales. A big pod of rorquals, probably fins - perhaps 20 - spouting in the distance. Also a pod of the large type of dolphins welcoming us off the White Lady & escorting us well into Clifden Bay. I had never seen this type so playful and so frolicksome.  Jonathan thoroughly enjoyed himself. What a pleasure it is to travel with someone who is appreciative and thankful. My Austrian frien...
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Iceland to Ireland

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   I joined Nick and his crew Karl and Mike on the Teddy in Reykjavik where we spent a few days getting to know each other before making the short trip to Grindavik . On route I had the pleasure of listening to Karl playing the trumpet across the smooth cool blue waters of the bay. We stopped to fish about a mile offshore and I could not believe how easy and fast it was to catch them. You cou ldn't get the line to the bottom before you had them hooked. Testament to how well Iceland has restored and main tains its fish stocks. Karl and Mike left the boat from Grindavik to return to the US and we set sail for Ireland.   There were favourable winds on the first days and Teddy was ploughing her way through that cold North Atlantic on her own. Nick was able to trim the sails so she could self-steer, a technique he has learned, refined and continually is adapting .  It was remarkable, no wine vane or any other device was needed .  Every day we were greeted by d...
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Last leg

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 We spent time in small fishing villages - Talknafjordur, Grundarfjordur, Olafsvik. Lots of cod and haddock to be taken, and much wild food to be gathered. Blueberries, great for cereals, skyr, and pancakes. To the right, sea rocket - the pods are tender & crunchy, and these make up the salad, center. In the frying pan is a pasta sauce made of shaggy mane mushrooms (Coprinus comatus) that Mike found.  The Northern Lights can be seen most nights, if the sky is clear. Karl decided to shorten his trip and to fly out with Mike from Keflavik International/Reykjavik on the 6th September. Yesterday an English sailor, Jonathan Taylor, joined us, to accompany me for the leg home. He is really wired about this. We push off from Grindavik on the south coast of Iceland on the 6th, weather permitting. I look forward to the trip home. And to returning to my home and to my friends whom I hold dear. 
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Greenland - Mike's photos

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  Grilling Arctic char and loon/diver. (The diver got caught in a net set for char.) The meat of the diver was superb. Turner Island, just south of the entrance to Scoresbysund Dryas octopetala Hot water spring. This is about 5 feet in diameter. The red boat is La Belle Epoque, owned by the Austrians Jurgen and Klaudia Kirchburger. Ther circumnavigated the Americas, did the Northwest Passage, wintered over in a remote location in west Greenland on this boat, spent time in South Chile, Tierra del Fuego, the Antarctic, and South Georgia. Check out their website: fortgeblasen I met them 10 years ago in S Iceland & we stayed in touch. We got very close. Minor ice field offshore. We sailed to where the ice had cleared, according to the continually updated Danish ice charts available online, and we did not encounter any major icefields. 
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