Sometimes, there are things that occur in this world beyond explanation. Moments and places that move our hearts and souls to be reminded that there is an entire universe beyond our earthly realm we call home.
When Graeme initially told me that the plan was to sail to Iceland and that he was estimating landfall to be sometime around August 17, I had one response: “So you know the full eclipse is happening in Iceland this year on August 12 right?”. To which he promptly replied with, “Then I guess we are going to try to leave earlier so we can make the eclipse.”
Anyone who sails know that making any long term destination planning is like trying to predict the exact day when your garden tomatoes are going to be ready for harvest. So while the goal was to make it to Iceland in time for the eclipse, there were so many variable factors that would actually determine if we would make it in time. So I actually put it out of my mind for the most part. If we made it – great. If we didn’t make it – great. The whole point of this is to enjoy our time along the way.
Luckily, we did make it JUST in time. And luckily, our landfall point was in the northwestern side of Iceland in the Westfjords, which was slated as one of the best viewing areas in the path of totality. It was forecasted there would be a 17% chance we’d see the eclipse because of the relentless fog and clouds of Iceland, but I was hopeful! From what I read, many of the local roads were turned into one way traffic to accomodate the influx of eclipse tourism traffic. Luckily for us, Rusty’s family already had a rental car and were staying in Flateyri, the next town over from Ísafjörður and the weather in Iceland had been great.
One of the more interesting experiences one could have in Iceland is navigating their tunnel systems. The tunnel between Ísafjörður and Flateyri starts with two way traffic, but merges into one lane traffic without any signals. There are frequent spots to pull over, but basically, you’re playing chicken with oncoming traffic the whole way. It was a trip.
Flateyri is a small fishing village with approximately 200 residents. To give you an idea, 200 people is the largest population along the 12 mile Önundarfjörður fjord. Rusty’s family were staying in a small cabin that came with a 26 foot fishing boat. Naturally, every sailor just wanted to go from one boat to another, but I decided to spend a bit of time on land this time. I wanted to spend some time exploring the town and find a spot to do some watercoloring.
So Rusty, Haley, Barrett, Graeme, and Brian all went out had a rocking party time. It was a little bumpy but they found a spot and caught plenty of haddock and cod!
Meanwhile, I had a good meandering over to The Old Bookstore, the oldest original bookstore in Iceland. A fourth generation bookstore that was started in 1914 and the great grandson still runs the shop today. I love a good bookstore and while this shop was small, it was well curated with gifts and books and I had to do 3-4 laps around the store before I felt like I had a good look. I picked up a couple books; a children’s book about a puffin named Fido, one on icelandic birds, one about icelandic folklore and the “hidden people” (elves!).
I made it back to the house and joined Joyce for some watercolor time. It was nice to paint alongside another artist! It was fun to share tips and what was in our travel kits.
Soon it was time for the eclipse! The rest of the gang stayed out on the water, I headed to a rockwall overlooking the opening of the fjord, and Joyce and Tad found a nice bench outside a church and met a large group of Italians to share the moment with. Then it was showtime!
I decided I would try to paint the eclipse as I watched it, but in true Icelandic weather fashion, the clouds moved in right before the eclipse. They did move in and out, but we were able to catch glimpses and then the darkness came.
While we didn’t a clear view of totality because of the clouds, the whole experience was surreal. In just a few mintues you could feel the temperature drop, the shore water calm, the birds all land, and watch the sun set and rise. It felt like being in a timelapse and watch the world move around you.
And just like that, in just a couple minutes, it was daylight again and we all came back together to enjoy dinner at the local pub, Bryggjukaffi. It was a great day for us all and we all enjoyed some good food, drinks, and a little local live music! I love a one man band show, and the musician had a great voice!
We closed out the night with a rainy walk, Rusty and Haley took us back to Ísafjörður, and then we said our goodbyes to Rusty and Haley.
And then…there were three! What shenanigans would we get up to?