Iceland from the Sea

Husavík, on the north coast, is the Whale-Watching Capital of Iceland…. Also the location for the film “Eurovision Song Contest – Fire Saga”, a cute comedy with Will Farrell and Amy McAdams that was largely filmed in this small town.

The movie is not great cinema (although its theme song was nominated for an Oscar!), but it is a charming travelogue for the area. Many scenes were shot in the harbor in front of the sailing schooner Opal, which was our home for 3 days, along with 10 other passengers and crew members.

The Opal is a sailing ship….. and when not under sail, it is powered silently by its hybrid electric motor, which makes for peaceful cruising that is far less likely to startle the surrounding marine life.

With teeny cabins….

Cosy dining room…

But lots of deck space and incredible weather….

There was even an onboard hot tub!

The first mate caught a fish!

The onboard marine biologist dredged the water from time to time, expecting to find lots of plastic and other pollutants, but it actually came up pretty clean (the pinkish material is a marine invertebrate, kind of like krill).

A major activity was looking for whales… blue whales and lots of humpbacks were spotted…

White-beaked dolphins and beautiful calm seas….

The itinerary included Grimsey Island, where a giant gray sphere denotes the location of the Arctic Circle.

Also onshore were semi-abandoned villages …. And a cunningly-designed knitted cover for the township trash container.

And puffins nesting among rocks on the shore!

A fellow passenger breaks out some hardfiskur, a traditional dried fish snack that is quite popular….. although some people like to play with their food before they eat it.

The sailing experience was a wonderful way to meet local people and see the island from a different perspective.

More of Iceland from the land later!