Humility and Respect

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We’re anxious to get back to AQUAVIT for the summer in Maine. Day sailing on Calypso, our Ensign, has had to suffice this past spring since Hurricane Ian foiled our usual cruise to the Keys and weather fronts closed our window to sail west.



Our recent trip to Iceland has humbled us and fostered an even greater respect for the power of the ocean. We admire the mariners who ply the coastal challenges of Maine in seas and fog. But the conditions we observed along the coast of Iceland seemed even more extreme and challenging, taking seamanship to a new level. We are fair weather boaters and, even with 20,000 miles on the water, admit our trepidation at the condition the brave few mariners face here in Iceland and the Faroe Islands!

Harbors are carved out in niches in the rocky coastline, protected with seawall revetments. Sturdy craft are moored on floating docks to deal with tides.


Safe harbor inside a rock seawall.



One of the five cruising sailboats we saw in Faroe Islands and Iceland


Recreational boats and sailboats in particular are rare. We suppose the harsh conditions and short season inhibit boating for fun. To us, it looks like a dangerous place to go to sea. Clearly, many do for fishing, salmon farms, and commerce.

This visit reaffirmed that we are coastal cruisers and fair weather sailors. 

Props to the brave North Atlantic mariners and their ships!


Not hard to imagine a connection to the sea-going Vikings.

Thanks for reading - We will be back to cruising the Maine Coast again soon!

06.09.2023



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