Akureyri, Iceland - Sail-In

Iceland.   I held my breath.  The day had arrived.  I was very excited to see Iceland.

From the Navigator:

"After entering the Arctic Circle last night, the Ruby Princess set a westerly course along the northern coast of Iceland.  Early this morning we altered our course to the south as we made our way into the Fjord.  Hrofssker Island defines the entrance to the Akureyri Fjord.  Continuing south into the Eyjafjordur we will approach the pilot station a few miles from the berth.  Once onboard, the pilot will assist the Commodore in bringing the vessel alongside our berth."

 From the Ship's Official Log Book:

In the early hours of this morning at 00:25 the Ruby Princess crossed over the Arctic Circle in the position 66°16.6'N 015°22.6'W, altering our course to port we continued towards the Fjord.  Heading south into the Fjord the pilot boarded just before our berth at 07:40.  With the pilot onboard we navigated the final section of our narrow passage with first lines going ashore at 08:30.
Weather experienced throughout the daySky: Partly Cloudy
Wind: South Easterly Beaufort Force 6
Temperature: 11.5°c/52.7°f
Barometric Pressure: 1011.2 mb
Sunrise: 06:26  Sunset: 19:48

From the excited traveler:

The Arctic Circle.  How cool is that?  We were scheduled to arrive at 9AM, so we had some morning light to see the land as we sailed in.  I had my early morning coffee in the International Cafe on level 5 with the regulars, Le Mar making excellent cappuccino.  I made my way to deck 16 to take photos.

 Snow remains in September.

 Yet the grasses and fields are very green.  Hints of fall touch the trees.

 The boat with the pilot.

 The brush was beginning to turn colors, and added a color outline to rocky areas.

 There was a brisk wind.  I took a picture of the flags blown straight out to remind myself that it was windy.

 The sky was overcast

Lerwick, Shetland Islands - Sail In

.01 knots per hour as we approach Lerwick, Shetland Islands.  We have traveled 1001.5 miles from Southampton and 215.6 miles from Bergen, Norway.  After making our way back out through the inner water of Norway yesterday evening, the Ruby Princess set a westerly course through the night towards Lerwick.  This morning the local pilot will board and enter the Bressay Sound as we approach our anchorage position.

The morning is very foggy as we approach Lerwick and I couldn’t see the shoreline from the dining room as I had breakfast.  By the time I returned to the room to get my camera, the fog had lifted and the new destination was revealed.  When I looked at the first side, my thought was that this was a sparse and isolated area.  I moved to the other side of the ship and to my delight there was a town!  

Bergen, Norway - Sail In

From the Navigator - “In the morning, the Ruby Princess embarked on her first ever Norwegian Pilot.  Once we had the pilot on board, we began our 30 nautical miles / 35 statute miles (this needs a definition!) journey through the fjords.  We began by passing the Island of Fedje to port and enter into Hjelterfjorden.  Later in the morning, we enter into Byfjorden and pass underneath Askoy Bridge.  As we pass underneath the bridge we have approximately 4 meters / 13 feet clearance between the top of the mast and the bridge.”

We sailed north along the coast of Norway and then turned southeast to enter a fjord on our way to Bergen.  The sun was high enough in the sky to cast a nice light on the homes and boat houses.  The first homes, further away from Bergen were few and far between.  We sailed 35 miles to the international port.

We sailed south through the fjords past towns with names of Seløyna, Tjeldstø and Rongøyvegen.  Bergen is at the southern end.

 A little misty fog.