Can you trust your charts and plotters?
In this post, we take a moment to vent some of our frustrations with the current technologies and cartography that we sailors rely on to safely navigate the seas. These tools are critical for keeping us off the rocks, yet all too often, they fall short in quality, reliability, or usability.
Our Viking Route ends in Newfoundland
After a pleasant crossing from Labrador to Newfoundland, we explored St. Anthony’s and the historic L’Anse aux Meadows, marking the end of our Viking Route. Stops in Lewisporte, Twillingsgate, Bonavista, and finally St. John’s offered scenic hikes, vibrant local culture, boat maintenance, and incredible encounters with local hospitality and 2 difficult harbour entrances.
UK/EU boat in North America – A/C Shore Power and propane conversions
Upon arriving in Canada, we revamped our boat’s power systems for compatibility with North American shore power and propane. We installed a Victron isolation transformer for voltage adaptability (120V/230V) and updated propane fittings for refillable cylinders. This setup allows seamless connections to various power supplies while optimizing heating and appliance use.
Arriving in Labrador, Canada
Our sail to Labrador, Canada, was across the notorious Labrador Sea where we encounter some stunning marine life. We share our experiences with the border control and how to shorten the trip from Greenland to Canada. We also visit the historic Battle Harbour, which is a must see!
Cruising in South Greenland
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.
In the wake of Vikings – changing ice, weather, and sailing plans
Our trip to Greenland took a few unexpected turns leaving us with some unanswered questions about our radar! The weather is sometimes an evil master. We had plan A,B and C ready but it turned out to be a very hard sail and we share some lessons in this post
Cruising the west coast of Iceland
While waiting for the ice to clear and right wind to make the passage to Greenland we have been exploring the beautiful Western part of Iceland. The steep mountains often makes the gust in the harbours accelerate so the windy nights can come as a big surprise. We are really glad we had the extra time to explore more of Iceland and visit many excellent and completely free harbours.
We love our digital logbook
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.
More than a few days in Reykjavík
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.
Finding a hidden gem in Klaksvík
We ended up spending a little more time in Faroe Islands tha planned as we couldn’t find the weather window to sail to Iceland. Faroe Island was amazing and we found a very special experience in Klaskvík. The strike however resulted in empty shelves, no gas or busses so we felt a little captured in the end. We also put some tips for planning your sailing trip to Faroe Islands in the post.