Crew Wanted: Faroes, Iceland, Greenland Cruise Summer 2018

[Dockhead]

I may possibly have ONE place left for this cruise to make up a crew of five. I have chosen three who will be with us for the whole summer.

I am particularly looking for people with one, or preferably more of the following skills:

* Medical. EMT or doctor or at least someone with good first aid training.
* Diving. We have scuba gear on board but no one who can use it.
* Mechanical. A couple of us can turn a wrench, but a really qualified mechanic/engineer would be a great asset on this trip.
* Actual arctic experience.
* Military or hunting experience; bonus if you have a UK firearms permit.

Sailing ability is actually not all that important -- all the rest of us are good sailors, and anyone can be trained to keep a watch.

Good humor, good company, and spirit of adventure are absolutely essential, though! You should be physically fit and in good health -- we will be far from any hospital.

We will sail from Cowes (or Aberdeen) on 1 June and visit he Orkneys, Faroes, Iceland, and assuming the ice breaks up early enough, the wild East Coast of Greenland. We will have an expedition permit and will aim to explore some of the wild fjords North of Tassiilaq. Return (possibly via Reykjavik) to Northern Ireland, and back around Land's End to Cowes, so we will complete a full circumnav of the UK in the process.

I could consider someone who is not free for the whole summer, but who would join us in Reykjavik for the last bit plus the long passage back to Ireland. Or on the contrary, for the first half of the cruise. Reykjavik is an ideal crew-change point, with excellent air connections to Europe and the U.S.

Further information by PM.

[Time2Go]

Hi Dockhead
PM Sent
Cheers
Neil

[Alberto Duhau]

Hi Dockhead,
I am planning a similar trip for the summer of 2019, in my Hylas 63 that is located in Florida. I will surely want to stay in touch with you and tap your experience! How exciting! Congrats
Alberto Duhau
SV Shaima
captain and owner

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Alberto Duhau

Hi Dockhead,
I am planning a similar trip for the summer of 2019, in my Hylas 63 that is located in Florida. I will surely want to stay in touch with you and tap your experience! How exciting! Congrats
Alberto Duhau
SV Shaima
captain and owner

Sure; drop me a PM. Cheers.

[250224]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

...and visit the Orkneys, ..

Puffin Ale 500 ml | The Orkney Brewery : much recommended !

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by blu3534

Puffin Ale 500 ml | The Orkney Brewery : much recommended !

Of course. Long time dream of mine. First stop on the itinerary

[Pete7]

Dockhead, you know I would jump at the chance but Her Maj probably wouldn't approve an absence for more than 2 weeks. Clearly I need to retire

Viv has just come back from Iceland today and she said it is really expensive. Fish and chips £25 each. Beer in a bar £10, cocktails £18. Take away coffee or hot chocolate £7 each. However, she really enjoyed the trip and saw a very spectacular display of the northern lights.

Advice therefore would be to take as much as you can rather than replen on route.

Pete

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Dockhead, you know I would jump at the chance but Her Maj probably wouldn't approve an absence for more than 2 weeks. Clearly I need to retire [emoji2]

Viv has just come back from Iceland today and she said it is really expensive. Fish and chips £25 each. Beer in a bar £10, cocktails £18. Take away coffee or hot chocolate £7 each. However, she really enjoyed the trip and saw a very spectacular display of the northern lights.

Advice therefore would be to take as much as you can rather than replen on route.

Pete

We'll find a place for you for any part of this if you can negotiate it with HRH.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

We'll find a place for you for any part of this if you can negotiate it with HRH.

Very kind, thank you.

Turning to logistics I suspect Aberdeen is going to be your last UK port to stock up at sensible prices. Its a huge commercial harbour with massive docks and high jetties but they didn't bat a eye lid when we drove in.

Scrabster (John O'Groats) is a huge safe harbour for refuge but not much their, so a Port to divert to if needed.

Stromness (Orkneys) has yachts alongside a fishing jetty. Plus trip through Scapa Flow over the top of the scuttled German WW1 fleet could be interesting.
______________________________

On the way back Portrush has a nice big harbour with easy access and small tides. Seaside town with kiss me quick hats and fish & chips but a good place to decompress after a long Atlantic crossing. This is probably the first place you will be able to clear in with Customs, by phone.

Ballycastle a possibility but your depth could be a show stopper, same with Rathlin island unless you anchor a long way out.

Belfast has a small marina right next to the Titanic Dock if a bit of history is on the menu. However, its a long way down the estuary and to get back out again. Belfast city centre in easy walking distance from the small marina. Marina is pay in a machine for mooring.

The alternative is Bangor Marina. This is a nice big posh marina with all facilities and on your route. Just across the road from the marina is the high street with lots of shops to replen.

Pete

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Very kind, thank you.

Turning to logistics I suspect Aberdeen is going to be your last UK port to stock up at sensible prices. Its a huge commercial harbour with massive docks and high jetties but they didn't bat a eye lid when we drove in.

Scrabster (John O'Groats) is a huge safe harbour for refuge but not much their, so a Port to divert to if needed.

Stromness (Orkneys) has yachts alongside a fishing jetty. Plus trip through Scapa Flow over the top of the scuttled German WW1 fleet could be interesting.
______________________________

On the way back Portrush has a nice big harbour with easy access and small tides. Seaside town with kiss me quick hats and fish & chips but a good place to decompress after a long Atlantic crossing. This is probably the first place you will be able to clear in with Customs, by phone.

Ballycastle a possibility but your depth could be a show stopper, same with Rathlin island unless you anchor a long way out.

Belfast has a small marina right next to the Titanic Dock if a bit of history is on the menu. However, its a long way down the estuary and to get back out again. Belfast city centre in easy walking distance from the small marina. Marina is pay in a machine for mooring.

The alternative is Bangor Marina. This is a nice big posh marina with all facilities and on your route. Just across the road from the marina is the high street with lots of shops to replen.

Pete

Thanks for that.

The draft passage plan is something like:

1. Cowes-Aberdeen (stops if needed at Dover and/or Lowestoft). 500 miles.

2. Aberdeen-Kirkwall (or elsewhere in the Orkneys) 140 miles.

Cruise Orkneys. Definitely going to visit Scapa Flow! Might even fly my Dad out for this, who's a WWI history buff.

3. Kirkwall- Vagur (Faroes) 186 miles.

Cruise Faroes

4. Fuglafjord (Faroes) -- Iceland 250 to 380 miles.

There are several possible landfalls in Iceland; if we go West-around then Vestmannaejar; if East-around then Djupivogar. How we go depends mostly on ice conditions in Greenland -- if they look promising, then probably we go West around and spend less time in Iceland; otherwise East around and over the top.

cruise Iceland

5. Reykjavik -- Tasiilaq 420 miles

Very tricky because landfall can be made only in quite calm weather and good ice conditions. Even in the best case, tons of drift ice, bergs, bergy bits, etc.

Then we cruise the huge fjord at Tasiilaq and make our way as far North as we can get.


6. Tasiilaq -- Belfast 1150 miles (possible stop in Reykjavik or Vestmannaejar).

Then time allowing, cruise Irish Sea, Scillies, West Country on the way home to Cowes.

Should be quite a summer; I'm considering it a mini-sabbatical.


We are aware of the provisioning issues and will load up in Cowes and then again in Aberdeen. I have a big freezer. I have not been able to get any information about fuel, but we are having a shakedown cruise to Guernsey in mid-April and I will bunker a load of that nice Guernsey duty free, and that might actually be enough for the whole summer.

[Pete7]

I suspect Stromness (or Kirkwall) will be the last cheap fuel stop given both harbours have fishing fleets so fuel is probably by lorry on the jetties.

They seem to have built a small marina in Stromness since I was there because the small craft jetty was rather busy with yachts and fishing boats together.

https://www.orkneymarinas.co.uk/

Pete

[Thordal]

Hello Dockhead
Have you filled all positions yet?

I am a 42 Dane who would love to join your ship.

I am not a qualified mechanic/engineer, but I am very good fixing and repairing things.

I have completed the theoretical part of the Danish Sail Navigation Test, but never got around to do the actual practical part of the test.

I hold a Padi Advanced Open Water diving certificate, so I know how to operate diving equipment. That said, technically, I am only allowed to dive with other certified divers, unlike say a Divemaster or Instructor who can take uncertified divers.

I have studied medicine for one year and is a qualified nurse substitute (meaning that in a hospital, I can only work under supervision), but as part of this I have an extended first aid course, just as I extensive emergency medicine experience from several years of trekking in Nepal, South America, Canada, NZ and Africa.

I also know Iceland quite well, having visited thrice and traveled all over the island.

I work as a travel photographer and freelance tour leader for four of the main Danish Tour Operators and have now visited more than 47 countries on all continents, save for Antartica, and spent - if all is added up - perhaps a total of 13 years traveling since 1995.

I don't expect you can read Danish, but perhaps google can help you through my profile page at one of the tour operators I work for:

https://www.viktorsfarmor.dk/rejsele...istian-thordal

Besides all this, I am an excellent cook and fun to be around. Formally, I also hold a degrees in Economics, Philosophy and Anthropology, which sometimes lead to interesting conversations over a glass of red wine.

I hope to hear from you!

Christian Thordal, Denmark

[Thordal]

Hi Again
Forgot to mention that I also have practical sailing experience. I have sailed from Cairns to Sydney on two different Yachts, the last leg in from Gladstone to Sydney off-shore to get the drift of the South Australian Current and in fairly bad weather (3m waves and 3m swell, but doing 14 knots)
regards,
Christian

[Don C L]

What a great trip plan, hope I can do it one day!

[carstenb]

Dockhead,

you know I would love to do this trip with you but I'm afraid Vinni would chafe at bit at being left alone in the middle of the pacific on Capri.

Re: diving - As you know, I'm a diver, if you're going to dive in those waters (very, very cold) then you will need to bring either very thick wetsuits (seriously thick and even then you'll have limited time under water) or a dry suit (preferred).

Drysuits are expensive - but even a thick wetsuit will only get you a short time underwater.


fair winds and have a good trip
BTW -We're preparing our Canal transit now