Reykjavik to Edinburgh - 5TH - 20TH September 2019:
They say all good things come to an end and when the Jubilee Sailing Trust announced that Lord Nelson was to be taken out of service and decommissioned, I had to book one last voyage. By chance, her last ocean crossing was schedules to be rom Reykjavik to Edinburgh. You may recall that I joined Lord Nelson for the final leg of her Sail the World voyage from Nova Scotia to London in 2014. The intended route was via Reykjavik but volcanic ash and hurricanes thwarted our plans and we ended up sailing to London via the Azores. Not a bad stop off at all but the pull of Iceland has remained and the chance to tick that one off the bucket list was too much to resist.
Day 1
My flight from London to Reykjavik was smooth and having booked in to a boutique hotel midway between the town centre and the seafront, I met up with Lizzy (who sailed with me in 2014) and her friend David. We wandered down to the seafront to find a decent restaurant for our evening meal. I always like to try local cuisine on these trips but fortunately did a bit of research before ordering. The local specialities appeared to be Minke Whale and Puffin; both of which presented ethical concerns. If whale hunting was not enough to put me off, the preparation - smoking the meat in dried sheep dun - certainly was! Puffin is, of course, a protected species in the UK and Iceland are starting to pull them off the menu in response to international pressure although historically Puffins were eaten by locals when they were as common in Iceland as pigeons are here. So I ended up with a more traditional steak dish.
Day 2:
A tour of the local area in a hired car took us to Gulfloss, a waterfall located in the canyon of the Hvitá river. Really impressive with good walkways at all levels. We then drove to the Geysir geothermal area where a variety of geysers erupt at various intervals between every 4 minutes and several months. We enjoyed a very welcome speciality soup lunch here before travelling to the Tjörnes Fracture Zone where two of the Earths tectonic plates join. The gap is distinctly visible for many miles and is constantly moving (over time).
Day 1
My flight from London to Reykjavik was smooth and having booked in to a boutique hotel midway between the town centre and the seafront, I met up with Lizzy (who sailed with me in 2014) and her friend David. We wandered down to the seafront to find a decent restaurant for our evening meal. I always like to try local cuisine on these trips but fortunately did a bit of research before ordering. The local specialities appeared to be Minke Whale and Puffin; both of which presented ethical concerns. If whale hunting was not enough to put me off, the preparation - smoking the meat in dried sheep dun - certainly was! Puffin is, of course, a protected species in the UK and Iceland are starting to pull them off the menu in response to international pressure although historically Puffins were eaten by locals when they were as common in Iceland as pigeons are here. So I ended up with a more traditional steak dish.
Day 2:
A tour of the local area in a hired car took us to Gulfloss, a waterfall located in the canyon of the Hvitá river. Really impressive with good walkways at all levels. We then drove to the Geysir geothermal area where a variety of geysers erupt at various intervals between every 4 minutes and several months. We enjoyed a very welcome speciality soup lunch here before travelling to the Tjörnes Fracture Zone where two of the Earths tectonic plates join. The gap is distinctly visible for many miles and is constantly moving (over time).
Day 3:
Reporting to Lord Nelson, I was delighted to find that two more of my friends, Mary and Peter, had also joined us from the 2014 Atlantic Crossing making it quite the reunion. Most of the afternoon was taken up with lifeboat drills, watch photos and a passage planning brief from Captain Simon.
Day 4:
After a classic Lord Nelson ‘banjo’ breakfast, we reconvened in our watches for drills on sail setting, bracing yards and tacking stay sails. Later on in the morning we undertook our first mast climbs in the safety of port and spent the early part of the afternoon loading supplies and relaxing. Tomorrow we depart for the Faroe Islands
Day 5:
Hurricane Dorian had recently battered the eastern seaboard of the USA - the worst hurricane this year and was not dying out as hurricanes normally do when they head out to sea. The projected path included the Faroe Islands so our stopover was going to prove difficult. The plan now was to sail straight on to the Orkneys. We could either wait out in Reykjavik for the storm to pass or we could set off early and try to cross in front of it. There was no guarantee how quickly the storm would pass but there was every chance we could get ahead of it so we chose the latter option. All hands to mooring stations and off we went.
Days 6-9:
We soon fell into a settled routine of bracing sails, tacking and adding more sail when conditions permitted. Winds were strong and we were making good speed but the hurricane was closing in fast. It was a full on effort to get across before the storm caught us and for a while we looked like we were losing the battle so in the end we started the motors and the combined power of sails saw us safely through to the Orkneys where we docked in strong winds.
Day 10-11:
Stromness was pretty deserted of tourists but the locals made us feel very welcome and we had some really good meals as well as few decent beers, a walk around the town… ….and a few more beers
Reporting to Lord Nelson, I was delighted to find that two more of my friends, Mary and Peter, had also joined us from the 2014 Atlantic Crossing making it quite the reunion. Most of the afternoon was taken up with lifeboat drills, watch photos and a passage planning brief from Captain Simon.
Day 4:
After a classic Lord Nelson ‘banjo’ breakfast, we reconvened in our watches for drills on sail setting, bracing yards and tacking stay sails. Later on in the morning we undertook our first mast climbs in the safety of port and spent the early part of the afternoon loading supplies and relaxing. Tomorrow we depart for the Faroe Islands
Day 5:
Hurricane Dorian had recently battered the eastern seaboard of the USA - the worst hurricane this year and was not dying out as hurricanes normally do when they head out to sea. The projected path included the Faroe Islands so our stopover was going to prove difficult. The plan now was to sail straight on to the Orkneys. We could either wait out in Reykjavik for the storm to pass or we could set off early and try to cross in front of it. There was no guarantee how quickly the storm would pass but there was every chance we could get ahead of it so we chose the latter option. All hands to mooring stations and off we went.
Days 6-9:
We soon fell into a settled routine of bracing sails, tacking and adding more sail when conditions permitted. Winds were strong and we were making good speed but the hurricane was closing in fast. It was a full on effort to get across before the storm caught us and for a while we looked like we were losing the battle so in the end we started the motors and the combined power of sails saw us safely through to the Orkneys where we docked in strong winds.
Day 10-11:
Stromness was pretty deserted of tourists but the locals made us feel very welcome and we had some really good meals as well as few decent beers, a walk around the town… ….and a few more beers
Day 12-15:
When we slipped lines, we again faced some fairly strong winds but this was definitely the back end of the storm and by the time we passed Scapa Flow the sun was shining and sea was quite calm. Perfect sailing conditions. Our journey down the east coast of Scotland was largely uneventful but full of great sailing; lots of sail evolutions and great weather. Turning west toward Edinburgh we passed Bass Rock which is an island dominated by a large colony of gannets. There are so many nesting there the rock appears to be snow capped through constant bird droppings. Check it out on google earth and you will see what I mean. The smell as you sail by is something that you might prefer to avoid though!
Early evening on day 15, we entered the lock into the basin where we moored alongside the Royal Yacht Britannia. A fitting end to an illustrious life at sea for our Nellie who will be remembered by many crew, past and present, with the same love and respect that royalty command.
Day 16 - 17:
After disembarking and bidding farewell to fellow crew mates, I headed in to the City Centre to meet my ‘girl in evert port’ (Val, in case you were wondering…). We spent a great couple of days in Edinburgh visiting the Castle and sampling local beers and malt whiskeys before we headed back to the airport on the tram.
Many thanks to Pete and the rest of the watch for a fantastic last voyage on Nellie. She will undoubtedly be missed.
Update 6 June 2021:
After being decommissioned, Nellie was moored up at Bristol Docks awaiting her decision on her future. In May 2021, she was advertised for sale.
When we slipped lines, we again faced some fairly strong winds but this was definitely the back end of the storm and by the time we passed Scapa Flow the sun was shining and sea was quite calm. Perfect sailing conditions. Our journey down the east coast of Scotland was largely uneventful but full of great sailing; lots of sail evolutions and great weather. Turning west toward Edinburgh we passed Bass Rock which is an island dominated by a large colony of gannets. There are so many nesting there the rock appears to be snow capped through constant bird droppings. Check it out on google earth and you will see what I mean. The smell as you sail by is something that you might prefer to avoid though!
Early evening on day 15, we entered the lock into the basin where we moored alongside the Royal Yacht Britannia. A fitting end to an illustrious life at sea for our Nellie who will be remembered by many crew, past and present, with the same love and respect that royalty command.
Day 16 - 17:
After disembarking and bidding farewell to fellow crew mates, I headed in to the City Centre to meet my ‘girl in evert port’ (Val, in case you were wondering…). We spent a great couple of days in Edinburgh visiting the Castle and sampling local beers and malt whiskeys before we headed back to the airport on the tram.
Many thanks to Pete and the rest of the watch for a fantastic last voyage on Nellie. She will undoubtedly be missed.
Update 6 June 2021:
After being decommissioned, Nellie was moored up at Bristol Docks awaiting her decision on her future. In May 2021, she was advertised for sale.