Shutting down the trip now. Difficult call, sailing home or leaving Teddy here - good either way. Adolf leaves today to catch a plane for Germany. Harbormaster is checking with a yard 40 mi north re leaving Teddy here for the winter. Winterizing her will take me a day. Things are moving quickly now.

I now end this blog.

Rene flies from hospital to Reykjavik this evening, and home tomorrow.  Jim left early this morning to meet him in Reykjavik tonight & escort him to Keflavik Airport  tomorrow. We will stay in contact.

From Reykjavik, Jim also will fly home as he has family & work to return to.

That leaves Adolf and me.

The darkness is beginning to kick in. About 7.5 hours of night here, more in Ireland. We saw many Arctic terns on our return to Iceland - they have begun their migration to the Antarctic. The nights are cold. It is time for us to go & we are getting ready.

Rene had a severe accident. We returned 100 mi north to the nearest accessible town in Iceland, Djupivogur, last night, and he was taken to a hospital. Xrays showed fractures of the sternum and one rib. He will fly to Reykjavik and home to France probably in 2-3 days. 
He was very lucky to have survived.

Entering Seydisfjordur

How we settle our differences.

A last pizza, then south to Ireland. 700 NM - should take a week.


Photos by Jim

Grimsey Island has its own Giant's Causeway.

Plenty of fog

At Bakkagerdi, NE Iceland

Bakkagerdi

Built ca 1900; someone lives here. All other  houses are modern.

Genoa boomed out, running to Seydisfjordur the pizza capital of Iceland..

Photos by Jim

At Grimsey Island, 25 mi N of Iceland. The Arctic Circle runs thru it.

Vast numbers of the Arctic Tern here. Within weeks all will be gone, on their annual migration to the Antarctic continent. I think they are getting restless.

Only sandy beach on the island.

Plenty of field mushrooms (Agaricus spp). The mountains of mainland Iceland 25 mi in the distance.

Scurvy grass (Cochlearia officionalis).

To my surprise the scurvy grass here is really mild (in Ireland it is too hot to eat). So we took some..

...and made a salad of field mushroom, scurvy grass & chopped shallot on a bed of couscous. Heavenly. I also fried up some mushroom in butter & garlic.

Puffin (left) & harbor porpoise. First rate meats.

Teddy at harbour.

Photos by Jim.

Pirate ship in pursuit. She caught up with us, slaughtered all the men, enslaved all the women

As the sun set dead astern, the full moon rose dead ahead

Coming into Siglufirthi, the Westfjords now 100 NM astern

Photos by Jim

Rene & I went in for a dip

Head of the fjord

Bolete mushrooms galore! Spot the blueberries?

Boletes, Teddy, fjord

We ate a lot of boletes that night. Sea spinach upper left

Old whale processing station on the way out

Photos by Jim

We are at the halfway point of the trip in space. At Isafjordur now, today we round the NW tip of Iceland.

Photos by Jim

End of the day

Here now

Photos by Jim

Today's lunch

Where we had lunch

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sea rocket

Sea spinach or orache, Atriplex spp

A few minutes fishing...

Breaded & fried cod, with steamed sea spinach & a little butter & garlic

Salad of sea rocket with grated carrot, and a little lemon juice & olive oil. Fragrant

Photos by Jim