It is about time to come back on my sailing blog after a long pause as I signed up for another adventure with the Clipper organization, the SKIRR expedition 2024. It is a sailing adventure which started already with leg one from Gosport to Oban and Leg 2 from Oban to Reykjavik already being completed. I signed up for the remaining three legs exploring Greenland, Iceland, Färöer, Shetlands, Orkneys and back down the North Sea to Gosport.
We will sail on the Clipper 68 which is familiar to me through the Level 1 and 2 training for the Clipper race. And I actually liked the boat as it is rock solid, storm proven and in my mind nice to handle.
I arrived already the day before yesterday taking the opportunity to explore Reykjavik and some of the sightseeing spots at the Golden Circle. The day before yesterday the weather was just awesome. Sun, clouds and a light breeze with 15 degrees celsius. You could see the Icelanders out in shorts, flip flops and T-shirts heading to the public parks for a sunbath and BBQ. Obviously the town was full of cruise ships, 6 at this time. And all the Germans, US, Japanese and Chinese were in mountain gear, functional multi pocket trousers, windbreakers, scarf, hat and sunglasses. It was a huge difference. On my bus tour yesterday a guy from Portugal asked our guide: „When will you have summer temperatures and how high will it be?“. The guide smiled and said this is summer now, it will last till end August and today it is actually warm (13 Degrees yesterday). The guy shook his head in disbelief. But it proofs that the travel guide is right, a summer in Iceland is like autumn up where we live.
When strolling through the harbor I could obviously spot CV11 on the other side. But two days to go. Time for the excitement to build up and time to take a walk through the city. It is easy to walk and easy to explore. There is so much to see.
And as the weather was just awesome I toured the outside spots with one exception, the Perlan with the Museum „The Wonders of Iceland“. It is located on a hill and is a 5 story dome with a 360 Degree sightseeing platform which gives you spectacular views of the city. The museum is great and explains highlights like the Aurora, Iceland Glaciers and Volcanic activities in a very immersive way.
Back in town it is surprising how much cultural activities are around. There are a ton of museums about art, galleries and music activities. And it seems that Punk Rock is still around here as I had the pleasure to enjoy a life concert in the backyard of a bar.
Art is all over the town
And overlooking the town is the mighty Hallgrimskirkja. The church was build over 41 years starting in 1945. It is hard to believe on one hand that it took that long as the church is very plain from a decoration perspective. On the other hand it is huge and given the fact that the building season is quite short due to the harsh winters it took long. I had the pleasure to enjoy an organ rehearsal for a concert next day. It was a fantastic experience and I can recommend to go for a concert if you have a chance.
It is possible to go up the tower. It is windy but worth the views.
I was also able to catch a view in the very far distance of Akrafjall giving me an idea what will come in the next six weeks. I decided to call its a day going for dinner.
I was intending to catch great fotos of a sunset after dinner as the sunset is only 22:41. But Iceland demonstrated that weather can change any time. At 21:00 coming from nothing fog moved in and covered everything in hundred shades of grey. No sunset fotos – sorry. End of part one.
Joe Sails 