“Stop filling the boat with cheese!” I exclaimed to Paul, as he stowed a massive food shop in Ponta Delgada ahead of what would be a nearly 2,000-mile passage to the Faroes. Tons of cheese, marinated Azorean peppers and pasta were tucked into every corner around the boat. It felt far more than needed.
“Don’t scoff at me, you won’t like the groceries in the Faroes. Plus, the cheese will be useful,” he points out.
The Faroe Islands are a subarctic archipelago of 18 islands rising dramatically out of the North Atlantic, three to four days sailing between Scotland, Iceland or Norway. Culturally they are a split between Gaelic and Old Norse, and, just like the Azoreans, the Faroese aim to be a self governing nation. For cruisers the islands are usually a short stopover on the way to Greenland or Svalbard, yet the islands have always had a particular allure of being somewhat ‘terra incognito’.
The first three days of our passage from the Azores to the Faroes were spent blue sky beam reach sailing, followed by 15 dark days of slow progress, almost all sailing into easterly winds through an eternity of fog interrupted by dead calms. It felt like we were crossing over from our sun and light-filled world into an alternative universe, where the Norse mythological beasts Sköll and Hati devoured the sun and chased after the moon. All celestial light was gone, and the ocean was completely lifeless.
It was day 18 when a pack of pilot whales greeted us and we finally caught sight of land. The autopilot began beeping insanely, alarming us that it had lost course. The southern Faroe islands, Suduroy and Sandoy, are known for aggressive tidal currents; we made just 30 miles in a day as we zigzagged to our destination in Tórshavn.
Denne historien er fra November 2021-utgaven av Yachting World.
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Denne historien er fra November 2021-utgaven av Yachting World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
NIKKI HENDERSON
WHERE DO YOU FIND HANDY BILLY WHEN YOU NEED HIM?
MATTHEW SHEAHAN
IS OLYMPIC SAILING ACTUALLY HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AS A SHOWCASE OF THE SPORT FOR BOTH COMPETITORS AND SPECTATORS?
Building fleet for Baltic Sea Race
The second edition of the Roschier Baltic Sea Race, a 635-mile race out of Helsinki, Norway, saw varied conditions and a new benchmark course time set.
New cruising charter 'Odyssey'
Charter company Dream Yacht has launched a new round the world supported cruising programme for yacht owners which draws on the company's extensive network of charter bases.
Mixed fortunes at Marseille
The Paris 2024 sailing regatta saw mixed fortunes for many favourites - some confirming their dominance, others crashing out as variable winds played havoc.
The yacht Bayesian
Bayesian is one of Italian yard Perini Navi's 56m series, originally named Salute.
Seven dead in superyacht sinking
Seven people are dead following the sinking of the superyacht Bayesian, a 56m/184ft British-flagged Perini Navi, off the coast of Sicily.
5 EXPERT TIPS HELENA DARVELID ON MULTIHULL CONTROL
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SWAN 88 DREAMCATCHER
GLOBAL LEADERS AT THE SEMI-CUSTOM END OF THE PRODUCTION SCENE, NAUTOR SWAN INVITED US FOR THE FIRST SEA TRIALS OF ITS BIG NEW 88