Sailing with Eshamy
Leaving Reykjavik
Eshamy, a 15 meters ketch, will try to sail both North West and North East Passages this year, and was looking for a crew in Reykjavik. So I thought I would join them for a bit. Jeffrey, the captain, is from Yorkshire and in his seventies. Kathrine is from Australia and Alex is also from Yorkshire. Both of them are in their twenties.
We left Reykjavik to sail to Nuuk on Thursday. We had a beautiful sun on the first day, could spot a couple of whale fins, and even a few dolphins. The wind and the sea were pretty nice all the way to the Cape Farewell, from which we kept South to prevent any icy encounters. We had a lot of fog and a bit of strong wind around the Cape, then a calm sea all the way to Nuuk, which we reached after 10 days sailing.
It was a great experience to navigate on this sailing vessel. It was the first time I sailed so long on a traditional yacht, where unlike Vagabond the steering wheel is outside at the back. A lot of new words to learn for me, as it was also the first time I sailed in English.
After ten days of sailing, my legs were begging for a run, so I decided to stop in Nuuk and to cheat again: I got a flight to New York, bouncing again in Reykjavik. Good luck Eshamy, I hope you make it all the way to Norway this year!