Sudureyri

After a 166 nautical mile motor sail through little wind along the dramatic coast we turned the Pjotter into the Sugandafjoerdur to the little town of Sudureyri.  In addition to the stunning location, sandwiched at the point of the 13 km long Sugandafjordur,  the town is also notable for being a forerunner in Iceland in sustainability.  Sudureyri gets all its energy and hot water supplies from sustainable sources.  The villages’ prime fishing grounds lie close to shore so little fuel is used to power boats and traditional fishing methods mean that the natural balance of the fish stocks is not endangered.  

Seb was invited out for the day on the Gestur Kristinsson, a 37 foot fishing boat skippered by a local fisherman named Höskuldur and carrying one additional crewman named Niels.  The three of them motored out of the protected harbor at 0530 in the morning and returned with 2,4 tonnes of haddock, cod, catfish, monkfish and sole at about 1700.   Emma and Macsen and I hurried out to meet them on the dock to watch the fish being unloaded.  Seb was jubilant and full of tales of the 18km of line (18,000 hooks) sent out from the boat, the complexity of gaffing so many fish,  catching a monkfish with a mouth as big as his own head, taking stitches out of Niels’ thumb and many more.  After the fish were hauled out and weighed we ushered a rather fishy smelling Seb back to the boat carrying a huge monkfish tail and a good size sole.  He spent much of the rest of the evening filleting and together we rigged up a drying frame for the leathery monkfish skin, a strange and interesting souvenir.   We finally settled in for a delicious meal of monkfish and rice at about 10 o’clock in the evening.  

The monkeys and I had spent the day wandering around the village and soaking in the swimming pool and hot pots.  The pools are outdoors and from their warm waters you can hear the sheep baaing and can watch them scrabbling around on the steep cliffs above. Rather pleasant.  We topped our day with an ice cream (we are in Iceland after all) before heading back to view Papa’s catch.    

                                          "I am going fishing!"