Preparing for a Voyage Around Iceland

How do I  prepare for high latitude sailing?   As thoroughly as I can!    

Erratum!  This beautiful photo is actually an Icelandic ship in a Greenland fjord!  Thanks, Jens .

 I was offered a berth aboard the Icelandic sailing yacht Xena, a 38' X-Yacht, to circumnavigate Iceland with an Icelandic skipper and  crew.  A rare and unique opportunity...this is something completely different.   I gave it many days...and nights...of careful thought.  I have never yearned to sail in the far north.  I'm used to sailing where it's warm.  There may be some challenges.

1.  Questions for  the Captain.   I had a lot of questions.  Captain Jens (pronounced Yens) and I had many conversations via email and Whatsapp to explore our sailing experience and compatibility, goals and questions,  before we agreed to be shipmates, along with his cousin Siggeir (Zig-air) for this two week voyage.  We discussed the safety features and equipment he has on the boat, which is equipped with EPIRB, VHF radio, radar, life raft, jack lines, and more.

 Do Icelandic and other high latitude sailors wear immersion suits, or "gumby" suits as they are called?  (There are more streamline dry suits which allow freer movement and hands free, and they cost well over $1000.)

Arctic immersion survival suit

...and jacket,  necessary

Jens answered no, just typical heavy duty offshore foul weather gear.  I think for offshore sailing it would be more important, but we will be coastal sailing, within 10 miles of shore.   

Good quality offshore bibs...

 The voyage will take about two weeks. I asked if he or any of the crew are in a hurry to get back to work, potentially creating deadline pressures to return by a certain date, which can lead to taking unnecessary and potentially deadly risks. None of us is in a hurry to be back by a specific date. That was a question Jens had for me too, which made us both feel like we were on the same page; thinking about safety.

 How much of a presence does the Icelandic Coast Guard have for protecting recreational boaters? The rapidly changeable, potentially stormy weather and icy sea temperature make surviving in open water for very long a bit unlikely.  Jens explained that prior to our departure he is required to file a float plan with the CG. While underway the boat must check in with the Coast Guard every three hours, or they will be calling us.  Boats equipped with AIS do not need to check in, since they can be tracked.

How long will we be staying in  port?  Jens has scheduled five stops after leaving Reykjavik.  He says we'll spend as much time in port as at sea.  I hope so!  We will depart Reykjavik and sail counter clockwise around the island, with planned stops at Vestmann Islands in the south,  Eskifjordur in the east, Thorshovn on the Langanes peninsula in the northeast,  Grimsey Island in the far north, above the Arctic Circle, then to Siglufjordur, Jens' home town, then west to Isafjordur and south again to Reykjavik. I estimate the voyage will cover around 1000 nautical miles.

 I bought and studied a British Admiralty chart of Iceland (above) and Google Earth to familiarize myself with our planned ports of call and look for ports of refuge in case the weather should turn ugly.  The longest stretch is likely to be less than 72 hours at sea.

2.  Read up.    I read as many articles as I could find online and in sailing magazines about "high latitude" sailing (sailing in the far north or far south). I reviewed relevant pages in Jimmy Cornell's "World Cruising Routes", to learn about seasonal wind and current patterns.  I loaded the app "Windy.com" onto my computer and Iphone for magnificent graphics of wind and weather predictions, and watched the winds swirl in color almost every day, to check out weather patterns

For beautiful animated wind prediction and more, go to www.windy.com

I bought a tourist guidebook for Iceland to learn a bit about its history, culture, interesting destinations, and even useful phrases ("Vinsamlegast hringdu í slökkviliðið ...Please call the fire brigade").

3.  Study the equipment. Captain Jens has recently installed a Hydrovane wind vane, something I've had only one day of experience with. Fortunately,  Hydrovane has a great tutorial segment online, and it looks pretty simple to use.

The Hydrovane wind vane uses the wind to steer the boat automatically,
  making it unnecessary to hand steer 24/7.   Grateful.

S/Y Xena is a 38' X yacht, built in Denmark.  It is a sturdy, well built racing boat, made for speed.  I found X Yacht website online and had a look at the boat layout and design.  It will cruise at 7 knots and can easily run at 13 kts when the wind is right...much different from the heavy cruisers that cruise at 5kt that I am familiar with.  It has no canvas dodger or bimini to keep us out of the weather, and is set up for racing with a crew of six, so we will be working together to make things happen.

An X Yacht, like Xena.

4. Review the necessary gear.  In the month ahead of the voyage, when I thought of something I might need, I'd retrieve it and toss it into a poly tub I placed in my bedroom. When packing time came, it contained almost everything I needed!

I added new batteries to my SPOT beacon, flashlight and head lamp. I made a new lanyard for my rigging knife and multi-tool, and put them in the pocket of my foulie jacket, along with an emergency whistle and SPF 30 lip balm.  We will be sailing through the summer solstice, so the hours of darkness for the night watch will be minimal.

Many articles recommend taking along ski goggles for when the wind is high. My eyes do get dry and sore from sustained wind, so I'm taking them along to test out.

I checked my supply of Stugeron, the magical sea sickness medicine made in Britain that's the best thing ever. Don't leave home without it!

5. Buy what's needed.     I made sure to try on all my foul weather gear and inspect it for signs of wear or aging.  All was well except with my sea boots.  Since I last wore them, I moved to the South and gave up wearing shoes, so my feet have relaxed and grown a half-size.  New sea boots were in order, and they must be warm. I ordered and returned two different pairs of luxurious and expensive DuBarry boots (didn't fit right and I couldn't justify the price in the end), one pair of XtraTuff as seen on "The Deadliest Catch"... industrially safe reinforced toe, way too heavy.  In the end with time running out, I went to West Marine and bought a pair of the white Xtra Tuff boots that the Florida shrimpers and Chesapeake crabbers wear  (only $29!). I remembered that sailing author Larry Pardey recommended these kinds of boots years ago.  I added a thick felt insole and two pairs of wooly socks and voila.  They have a contoured foot bed and are so comfortable.  I'll let you know how that works out...

Sailor disco boots......majorette in the Shrimp Festival parade!  Where's my baton!!

Jens said, "You'll need warm gloves.  I'll ask my mother in law to knit some for you".  And he did.

These are traditional Icelandic fishermen's mittens...two thumbs mean you can quickly put them on either hand, and they wear twice as long because you use both sides.  Made with warm Icelandic wool.  I am delighted with this thoughtful gift!

I bought some trail mix, dried fruit, mixed nuts and jerky for easy snacking underway.

6.  Review airline and TSA requirements.    My life jacket is an inflatable PFD with a small CO2 cannister.  Compressed gas is forbidden on flights.  I went online and checked for requirements of the airlines I was flying with, and also TSA.  I printed off the pertinent web pages for all. kThe TSAand JetBlue  both make specific allowances for PFD CO2 cannisters, but Iceland Air required me to send photos and description and get individual permission before flying.  Be sure to check each time you fly with your PFD, and print off all approvals well ahead of time.  Thanks to Doctor Liz, who reminded me to check on this.

A personal flotation device, or PFD.  The CO2 cannister inflates it automatically.

                  A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.  Please wish me luck. Story to follow.