Sumara of Weymouth

Scoresby Sund Expedition 2022

Days 54. 3^rd August 2022

Position: Still Moored Husavik, Iceland

Weather: Overcast, heavy rain, strong winds. 5 degrees

Ice: No Danish update but Norwegian Charts say the coast is now clear of ice

The weather is now spooking us. The locals are telling us it is the worst weather they have experienced since 1970’s. There has been a weather warning issued today for North East Iceland warning of: “..flooding, falling rocks and landslides. Outdoor activities (such as hiking) are not advised because of cooling due to the combination of wet weather, low temperatures and strong wind”. Down below the butter is rock hard and the olive oil is cloudy, and no, we don’t have a fridge.

These prolonged days of cold gale force northerly winds with the bay full of white caps is a stark reminder of how fierce the weather can be in the waters north of Iceland even in the summer. The wind has settled down slightly now, but it is still blowing a force 6 directly from Scoresby Sund. There seems to be a possible tight weather window on Friday but that would mean not arriving in Greenland until Sunday 7^th August. By the time we have been ashore and replenished the diesel it would probably be the 9^th August before we could set off towards Milneland. With flights already booked for a crew change in Reykjavik around 20^th August and if the weather remains as unstable as it has been, we could be up against it trying to find a safe weather window to escape. It would mean either taking a risk of battling a storm in the Denmark (Greenland) Straight or abandoning the yacht in Greenland for the winter, not an option I am willing to take.

We have therefore come to the very sad conclusion that we must fold away our Greenland charts and abandon our ambition to reach Scoresby Sund in 2022. It’s not bad luck, it is just the way it is. We tried but ultimately failed to accomplish our goal.

The reality is that it looks like we will have enough on our plates finding some settled weather to get the boat back to Scotland. Our first obstacle is the Langanes Peninsular which has a grim reputation for overfalls and fog. It is 90 nm away from Husavik and should be taken at slack water. It is quite hard to arrange a small boat to arrive somewhere 90 nm away at a specific time. It also looks like the wind will turn against us just as we get to the headland assuming we leave Husavik around midnight on Thursday which is the current plan. It could then be a struggle to reach Vopnafjordur before new strong winds set in.

So, the adventure continues but not as planned.

Life in Husavik

I am however very grateful that we have been harbour bound in Husavik. It is a very fine town with plenty to keep us occupied and a few really wonderful visiting yachts for company. All the yachts have left now except Dagmar Aaen which may remain over winter or return to Germany later in the year. There is no doubt we will be glad to get back to sea but the happy memories of Husavik will always remain.