One rope, two vessels and a comforting sound. Chug-chug. A marine engine, lively doing its job. Our engine – the exact opposite. Stubbornly silent. Out of order. As quiet as a mouse. The bad news: We are shipwrecked. Disabled and adrift. Powerless. For hours. The good news: Our ship, the M/B Irdi, just has been taken in tow, by the Susanna, and now we are on our way to Eiði.
To fish for cod and watch lobster pots full of langoustines rise to the water surface – that’s what we had in mind when we put out to sea from Funningsfjørður, a nearby village on Eysturoy, blue-sky-framed and sunshine-lit, followed by the neighboring island Kalsoy and, a bit later, the village of Gjógv passing by.
Hailing port: Funningsfjørður. Above: Skipper and friend Steintór Debes, together with deck-hand Francesco. On the right: Sailing past Gjógv
A perfect day, interrupted out of the blue, by our engine’s misbehavior. What a spoilsport. Dead. Error tracking? Without success. No kidding, no novel, no movie. We are really and truly shipwrecked. Navigation? Impossible. Vessel and crew at the mercy of the sea.
I swallow hard, but only for a split second. From then on, I decide to rely on applied logic. I personally believe that there is no cause for alarm. Good thing that the engine didn’t break down when we were sailing close to some cliffs. On top of this, we have a sea dog-skipper aboard, and at least one other ship within range – the Susanna on the horizon.
As a pastime, we successfully make use of our fishing gear. Seven hours – all in all – we are at sea. Since everyone else within sight is doing some serious fishing, we enjoy ourselves, patiently waiting until the M/B Irdi gets taken in tow.
Our reward: Cod, ling, cusk and an unexpected sightseeing tour, including Risin og Kellingin. At sundown, the famous sea stacks are within our reach – simply amazing.
Chug-chug: By the time we arrive in Eiði, shimmering moonlight and lights brighten up the evening mood. One rope, two vessels and a cheerful crew, finally going ashore.
Post scriptum: The reason for the M/B Irdi’s engine failure? Two little wires, at the end of the day. Takk fyri, Sverri Joensen, thank you for coming to our rescue.