I can't help think of the opening of the old TV series Startrek when I sit down to write this blog. What was it? Something like "Captain's log, star date . . . "
Anyway,
Tue 16 Aug 18
Ísafjödur, Iceland
I am writing this as we lie anchored in the channel a few hundred metres from the dock in Ísafjödur.
One of the mooring ropes became wrapped around the stern thruster as we were leaving. The tug which had been assisting our departure let the tow line go too soon. So, now we are waiting for a diver to come out and cut the rope.
Docking this morning was a very delicate operation. Our stern was only a couple of metres away from another cruise ship, the Silver Wind.
Leaving was just as delicate. A wind on the beam made things even more difficult.
Ísafjödur is a small town with a large fishing industry but is now attracting a large number of cruise ships each each year. How much the tourists are contributing to the local economy I don't know as we spoke to one women shop owner who said she couldn't afford to stay in business much longer. That probably has something to do with what is being sold in a lot of the shops both here and Akureyri. The woollen goods are made from a rather coarse wool which is not appropriate for wearing in warmer climates. The jewellery items are mostly expensive and everyone is selling the same sort of souvenirs.
It will be interesting to see if things are different in Reykjavik.
We walked around the town, no guided tour for us today, and looked at some of the old buildings which date back to the 1800's. Lots of colour and surprisingly, many, including the newer ones, are clad in corrugated iron.
The town lies at the base of very steep hills so a large ditch has been dug on the lower slopes with a retaining wall on the town side, to catch any landslide or avalanche.
We finally became free of the rope about 5 hours after we were due to leave port.
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