Via Iceland+Greenland, from Scandinavia to North Carolina

[Be Free Sailor]

Hi, I am thinking about a summertime trip, from Scandinavia to North Carolina, via Iceland and Greenland. It is around 4.000 NM and the longest legs are only ca 500 NM each.
Looks like I will get assisted by the Labrador current, running south along the coast of Newfoundland and further south past New York.
Anyone done this, any advise?
Timing the departure to visit Iceland and Greenland during July or August, and arrive to North Carolina by mid September...I am not sure if NC hurricane season would make it dangerous (and stupid!) to be sailing along the coast from NY state, if keeping updated on any weather warnings, and prepared to seek sheltered marina or inland bay?
All input appreciated.
The boat is a 38 foot cat, with experienced crew, done +10.000 NM already in this boat model. Diesel heating systems (Webasto) and lots of solar and large Lithium bank.
I think it could be fun, but it is a very different route, and not so much to be found online - maybe for a reason?
Doing the standard crossing from Canaries - Caribbean and then head north to Florida - NC, that is possible of course, with different timing of departure etc.
Deck cargo transport is another option, and the quote was around 45.000 EUR - easy and safe, but I would prefer the adventure of doing the northern crossing, but at the same time I do not want to take any unnecessary risks.
Experience from such a trip is very much welcome.
Thanks!
//Salomon

[Dockhead]

Sounds like an adventure.


I have cruised the East Coast of Iceland and the Scorsebysund part of Greenland, which is in the Northeast, so not quite the same areas as you are proposing, but could give some general tips.


Iceland cruising is great; the best parts are the East and the North; Reykjavik and some other interesting things on the West; the South is forbidding and unapproachable without a single safe harbor. There are few places with any yachting infrastructure but you can anchor out and often find space in a fishing or commercial harbor. It's remote and thinly settled (especially the East Coast) but quite civilized.


Getting there from Europe is not too hard -- we sail from Cowes up the East Coast of England, Scotland, Orkney Islands, Faroe Islands, then to the Southeast of Iceland. The only passage of more than 300 miles in this was the East Coast of England which we did nonstop. The advantage of relatively short distances between the islands is you can be pretty sure about your weather windows. Which is really important because these waters at these latitudes can pack fearsome weather and sea states.


The further North you get the more likely you are to run into dead calms.


If you are trying to get to the U.S. from Iceland you will have to get around Cape Farvel which is notorious for terrible weather and sea states -- pick your weather window carefully and stand well off. There is one harbor on the whole East Coast of Greenland where you can actually dock -- Tassilaq. If you want to see this exotic and extremely remote place, then you get there from Reykjavik. Otherwise, sail around Cape Farvel and there are less remote harbors on the Southwest coast, which is where most of Greenland's small population live. From there make your way to Labrador etc.


Note that the East Coast of Greenland, unlike the West Coast, is ice-bound most of the year, since the currents flow clockwise around Greenland, bringing cold air and water down the East Coast from the Arctic. Tassilaq is pretty far South but you'd better check the ice charts, which are published by the Danish met service. Note also that there are no rescue services in Greenland and you need to check in with the Danish coast guard -- read up in a pilot book about the formalities.



It is possible to do this whole trip without any really long passages so maybe possible to avoid ever being caught in really bad weather but nevertheless I would personally be nervous about doing it, in such high latitudes, in a small cat. I carried a Jordan Series Drogue on my boat (a large, well-found mono) and would strongly recommend you do the same, but there's no substitute for really careful passage planning and watching the weather like a hawk. I have HF radio and Winlink but I took along an Iridium Go for getting gribs and other weather (and ice!) info through SailDocs, and it was brilliant for that.



Let us know how you get on. My own trip to Greenland was the trip of a lifetime. It's hard to get there but worth it.