Sailing adventures on a Hallberg Rassy 40 in higher latitudes
We spent a month in southern Greenland and had an amazing time visiting this quite remote destination. We had heard rumours of an amazing anchorage and were not disappointed by it. The supermarkets here are so well-stocked, which really surprised us, but there is one thing we just couldn’t find! And we also share the recipe for a great drink to make to celebrate a successful cold crossing.
For the last 3 years we have been using a great app for automatically keeping track of Snow Bear’s journeys. In this post you can read about our experiences and see which app we are using. This is one of the few boat extras that will not put a hole in your pocket.
We spent almost 3 weeks in Reykjavík as we visited relatives and had friends visiting the boat. This gave us a chance to experience a lot of the city. We also had the time to do some boat work and order new bikes and a VHF for the boat. In this post you can also get a discount code for reusable 316L filter for your watermaker.
We have been using Starlink for a few months now and thought it was time to share an update as we now head across the Viking Route. So far it’s been excellent but we have a few uncertainties ahead.
We have upgraded our communications, tracking, safety and onboard systems with high-speed Internet from Starlink and enhanced tracking and over the horizon AIS from PredictWind’s Data Hub. All seamlessly integrated into our existing Digital Yacht network with automatic failovers, Iridium and more. Read on to learn about why and how we have done this.
Excited by sunny weather, they sailed comfortably, eventually marking the Arctic Circle with a memorable celebration. In Bodø, vibrant nightlife, a unique laundry experience, and a thrilling Saltstraumen rib safari featuring massive whirlpools and close encounters with eagles defined their day. A pizza dinner concluded the energizing day for the continued journey.
Equipped for Arctic waters, the crew now has Viking immersion suits for safety. A smart addition is the Ultra Anchor Ring emergency recovery device from Ultra Marine, not just for anchoring but doubles as workout equipment. Annual checks include inspecting the anchor chain, replacing markers, and recalibrating the Autoanchor Remote. Prepared for remote cruising!
In December, focused on essential upgrades for Snow Bear. Top four include boosting heating to 5.5KW with Thermoconnect for remote monitoring, enhancing comfort with a new cockpit enclosure from Rossy, ensuring safety with emergency 4700GPH bilge pumps, and optimizing storage through organizational additions, like baskets in the engine room. Comprehensive equipment inventory done.
Snow Bear’s 2022 logbook is now being automated and digitized with the Ships Logbook for Captains app, using NMEA data on the boat’s Wi-Fi network. Despite occasional technical glitches, the app records position, status updates, and various entries efficiently. The log can be backed up, and exports to CSV and PDF formats are available.