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Showing posts from August, 2025
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                                             It arrived! The passport brouhaha is coming to an end!                                                 Gudmundur stamped me into Iceland.                   My ancient cast iron wood stove badly needs repair. We took it off Teddy, and it is behind Skuli the steelworker, flexing his muscles. Next year I'll return to pick it up.  Jon gave us a tour of his fisherman's museum.  Smocks & boots                                             Longlines, and small ring buoys for nets  The hub of a cart's wheel, worn down by the sea. What a find for the b...

Texan at sea

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                                                                       King George III So here I am aboard Teddy. That's me in the bosun's chair helping to mend a  halyard. And like our little bird friend, King George III, I am taking a brief respite on Teddy. So I'll be some weeks on board this craft moving deftly through the waves toward understandings and hopes and conversations and other assorted magic. I am a walker. I've sauntered a buncha long through hikes, but this whole seafaring thing is new.   Our definitely Viking-looking-with-heart-of-gold policeman. And Teddy functioning as a house, er  . . . boat arrest, location. Aside from seeing Northern Lights, whales, dolphins, and gloriously colored sunsets, and along with seeing seals popping their almost-human faces out to the water, we g...

Iceland

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 We left Clifden on the 12th. Stopped in Bofin to sort a halyard problem. Anchored at Inishturk North for the night. In the evening a fisherman gave us a bucket of crab claws, in the morning another fisherman dropped off a large monkfish! Headed to Inishkea North, anchored off the sandy beach below the ruins of the abandoned village. No Brion Sweeney, the Hermit of Inishkea North. He had been here a few weeks earlier. I have not seen him for a few years.                                               Found a curlew skull. The following afternoon we set sail for Djupivogur, SE Iceland, 660 NM north of Clifden. We had a lovely east wind the first three days. Teddy sailed herself 350 NM as we slept. After that, fickle winds, and we had to wake up.  Some whales, all rorquals. We pased through a pod, three groups of two or three. Probably fin whales. Many interesting bi...

Tracker Link

 Here is the tracker link: Share.garmin.com/teddytoarctic
  Trip.   This year was mostly taken up with permanent repairs. The storm left me feeling uncertain, and questioning whether I still have the heart for offshore cruising. Only one way to find out.    The plan is to go straight to Djupivogur, SE Iceland, a week's sail. A week there, see Skuli about steel repairs, maybe get some of them done & installed. Then head south to the outer Hebrides and NW Ireland, & loiter on our way home. Be a month. If I don't feel OK about Iceland, just skip it, do the outer Hebrides & NW Ireland. Michael Lubitz, of Austin Texas is coming for the whole trip. Some coastal sailing experience. We get on well. I'll post pics of him later. We leave tomorrow morning with the high tide. We plan, as usual, to stop a night at Inishkea North, Mayo, see if  my friend the hermit is there, then jump off. 

Before the repairs: storm damage, temporary repairs in Iceland

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 September 2023, halfway on our return to Ireland from Greenland we got caught in a storm. 300 NM SW of Iceland. Winds blowing  NE to Iceland, 90 kts at Iceland. Lots of knockdowns, and once we were upside down, probably to 150 degrees, but not rolled. Main mast broken above spreaders, bowsprit torn off, broken boom etc.                                            Top 9 ft of main mast broken off.                                               Bowsprit gone For more pics see the blog for that year Teddytoarctic2023.blogspot.com I left Teddy at Djupivogur, Iceland, that winter. In 2024 with lots of local help we did temporary but solid repairs.                               ...

Repairs

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                                 3 beams, all Douglas fir. The left one was twisted & unusable. The 2 on the right we shortened to 24 ft. Each is 6" x 12". Glued together they will form the upper half of the main mast. To the right on the ground, the main & mizzen masts.                                                  Setting up.        Nick Kottler here. I worked with him 6 & 15 years ago at Hegarty's Boatyard in west Cork. His skill & knowledge level was phenomenal. I asked him to lead the repairs, and he stayed with me for one month.  We reversed the beams - hearts out. An effort to reduce the weakening impact of the knots.                                ...