Reykjavík Grapevine - 28.08.2009, Síða 38

Reykjavík Grapevine - 28.08.2009, Síða 38
26 The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 13 — 2009 THE SEA, THE SEA, THE UNENDING SEA There is something elemental that hap- pens when you face an unbridled ocean. It’s something so primal; it affects the very core of our DNA. Herman Melville wrote: ‘[The sea] is the image of the un- graspable phantom of life; and this is the key to it all.’ How bloody apt he was. Stare that roaring North Atlantic straight in the eye from the edge of a sailing boat, no land in sight, watch it breathe, swelling in and out like the gigantic living creature it is, and you truly realise who you are; and it ain’t that much, believe me. STRAIGHT INTO THE UNBRIDLED Ísafjörður’s Borea Adventures and their ship Aurora are a must for anyone who wants to experience adventure on the North Atlantic, in the Westfjords, Green- land, the Faeroes, or even all the way to the Arctic (they scaled the 2770m active Beerenberg volcano on Jan Mayen just last year). Think an Icelandic version of Jacques Cousteau, only without the wool- ly red caps and the beards, and you’re getting warm, only sometimes they sail straight through blizzards and alongside icebergs. Sigurður Jónsson (Siggi) and Rúnar Karlsson procured Aurora from Sir Rob- in Knox-Johnston, the first man to sin- gle-handedly circumnavigate the globe non-stop. Sir Robin conceived the Clip- per Around the World Race, in which Aurora raced four times. The lady Aurora is quite a lass; and, as I find out the hard way, she knows these waves and winds by their first names. Aurora is presently the only deep ocean sailing boat of its class in Iceland, now in her fourth summer of adventures on the high seas. “We see Aurora as our mothership, our portable mountain cabin. During the day, our tours set out across wild country, but in the evening, our guests come home to a piping hot stew,” says Siggi, Aurora’s seasoned skipper. “Our philosophy is threefold: firstly, to be one with nature—the elements, the wildlife; secondly, to learn about local cultures— the food, the life around the fire; thirdly to experience nature through outdoor activities—sailing, skiing, kayaking, climbing, hiking. We try to make it a complete experience. And, being that it is an adventure, there’s always something unexpected. But of course, that’s part of the fun. Aurora never stays in one place too long. The adventure, you see, always continues.” Speaking from personal experience by now, I ask, “Do you often see people go through some kind of personal trans- formation by the end of the trip?” “Sometimes when they board, you see this strange glimmer of surprise on people’s eyes, like: Are we really going to sleep there? Is the toilet really going to be working? Or perhaps there’s a snow- storm outside, and for a moment they’re wondering what the hell they got them- selves into. Normally after three days or so, people start to find the rhythm. On their third or fourth day, they’re enjoy- ing it more than they thought they ever would.” “But oftentimes,” says Rúnar, “when they leave, they’re sad it’s coming to an end. I don’t know if you’d call it meta- physical, but we often get people telling us that the trip has somehow given them some new insight on things.’ G-FORCES, THE BENDS, THEN, FINALLY, BLISS Looking back on the three and a half days spent sailing from Húsavík to Fug- lafjørður in the Faeroes, I can’t help but smile. I could never have guessed what it would be like shooting across the icy Atlantic. Most of the time, there was nearly no sleep at all. In a bunk with a safety net, if tied properly, you won’t fall on the floor like I did; but try and find a sleeping position with Aurora pitching, tossing, rumbling, creaking. Sometimes, when she’s sailing at twelve knots or more, it sounds like someone is desperately shaking a mara- ca directly over my head all through the Trip provided by Borea Adventures. Check them out at www.boreaadventures.com. Travel | THE MIGHTY NORTH ATLANTIC Fly and discover Action-packed day tours 2009 websales@airiceland.is / tel. +354 570 3030 Air Iceland is your West Nordic airline, a customer-driven service company responsible for scheduled domestic flights and flights from Iceland to the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Air Iceland offers a variety of day tour packages, in Iceland and to Greenland, which include flight, bus transfer and guidance. All these magical locations are but a short, comfortable flight from Reykjavik. Come fly with Air Iceland BORGARNES STYKKISHÓLMUR SNÆFELLSJÖKULL DRANGAJÖKULL FLATEY NESKAUPSTAÐUR BLÖNDUÓS SIGLUFJÖRÐUR BOLUNGARVÍK HRÍSEY FAROE ISLANDS AKUREYRI EGILSSTAÐIR VESTMANNAEYJAR ÍSAFJÖRÐUR VOPNAFJÖRÐUR ÞÓRSHÖFN HÚSAVÍK GRÍMSEY Blue Lagoon Geysir Gullfoss Jökullónið Kárahnjúkar Krafla Hallormstaður CONSTABLE POINT Greenland ILULISSAT Greenland KULUSUK Greenland NUUK Greenland NARSARSSUAQ Greenland AKRANES REYKJAVÍK KEFLAVÍK The Metaphysical Art of Sailing the North Atlantic Sailing from the West Fjords to the Faeroe Islands; there and back in one piece - almost; and then, somehow making friends with Father Sea

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