Hi SetSail,

We left Akureyri on the 24th of July. We were followed out of the harbor by Knutur on his sailboat Gogo. Knutur had wanted to follow us up the fjord 4 years ago, after our winter aboard in Akureyri, but health problems prevented him. This time it was a success. Adda and Gudni were also on Gogo and they waved and shouted as we parted.

We sailed 8 hours to Siglufjordur, slept the night, then made a 24-hour passage in rain and fog along Iceland's north coast. We stayed in close to the northern capes to avoid the heavy tidal overfalls that prevail even in calm conditions.

We made landfall in Flateyri, on Iceland's northwest corner, where we had visited 4 years earlier. Our friends Einar and Gurdrun didn't see us enter the harbor so we went to their house and knocked on the door.

Gudrun almost passed out in surprise. It was very fun.

We rented a car and drove to Reykjavik to get charts for Greenland and Newfoundland. We also had to buy a new depth sounder. The sounder ended its life in a cloud of smoke just hours after leaving Norway.

Now we are waiting for a good weather forecast so that we can leave for Greenland. We hope to be under way later this week.

- Dave & Jaja

SetSail Note: To read (or re-read) the poignant story about the Martins' good Icelandic friend Knutur of Akureyri, see Into the Light, starting page 108. They also talk about their friends Einar and Gudrun, who live in the isolated coastal village of Flateyri, Iceland, starting on page 68.