Whale Watching Blog

The last tours going out with our schooner Haukur, to observe the amazing puffins in the Puffin island and going whale watching, had great luck and great fun today!

Always on the last tour of the season the experienced guide and boatsman of Haukur, Nils Bjartur, has a tradition of making the tour a little extra special with balloons and a toast of sparkling wine to celebrate a successful sail-summer! 

 

On the 9:30 tour, several minkie whales were feeding around the boat and a humpback whale was also playing with the boat, diving under the hull and lifting the fluke gracefully! On the 16:30 tour, the puffins in the island were definitely preparing for take-off, the guide even thought he saw a puffin flying off with a suitcase under his wing!!

 

So we said farewell to the puffins and headed out for whale watching. On the way we put up all six sails and sailed across the bay with the company of a group of dolphins. On the other side a humpback was waiting for us. Very close to the boat the humpback whale was lifting the fluke,  lob-tailing (slapping the fluke against the surface, making big splash) and it even jumped out of the water!

 

After this amazing show we sailed home under full sails and sparkling wine.

 

/guide Hildur

 

The humpback diving under the hull of the boat

 

 

The gracefull flukelift

 

The guide, Nils Bjartur

 

The whole group raising their glasses, cheers!

 

Deckhand Felix

 

Nils and Sigga, she's one of the owners of the company

 

Deckhand Felix, looking back at the seasons sweet memories

 

Árni, one of the owner as well, joined the last tour

 

The whale researchers, Zoe and Michelle

 

Hringur, an experienced seadog

 

 

Happy passengers

 

Whale watching guide Agnes and her guest

 

Captain Gísli at the wheel

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Sparkling wine, Icelandic brown bread, butter and dried fish

 

 

Decorated with balloons, Haukur sailed back to harbour

 

The puffins ceremoni

 

Earlier in the summer a puffin was placed in the bowsprit of schooner Haukur. The puffin had one week to prove itself worthy of a name and a placement in the crew of Haukur. He survived and was named Hörður, after the Managing Director of North Sailing. So now at the end of the puffin season it was appropriate to have a ceremony were Hörður the puffin, was released from it's duty and put down below deck where he'll dwell the coming winter months. It was a sad ceremony, but still a proud one! The crew thanks him for an excellent look-out during the past months and weeks.