Spirit of Discovery blog

Ísafjörður translates as “Fjord of ice”. Entirely apt for a place that still has snowy hills in July. We dropped anchor at 0730, putting the ship’s excellent manoeuvrability to good use in the confined waters.

Guests have been treated to unspoiled scenery, varied wildlife, and fine hospitality here. In times gone by (during the 16th century), this sleepy municipality had been a hotbed for witch trials, with many an unfortunate resident banished to the nearby peninsula of Hornstrandir. Nowadays the area is a national nature reserve, being a haven for Arctic foxes, and many varieties of birds.

Earlier today we embarked our Ice Pilots, professional mariners with excellent local knowledge of the areas we will be sailing for the next two weeks. Their experience will be invaluable to the team.

At around 1930 this evening the decision was made by Captain Bowland to disembark one of our guests by helicopter. Contact was made with the Iceland coastguard, who dispatched their aircraft immediately; helicopter operations teams were mustered on deck; bridge and engine departments were put at the highest readiness. Thanks to the competence of all departments, the operation was completed with the utmost professionalism.

Kind Regards
Deck Cadet Matthew English