We have no pictures from the start of this paddle as there wasn’t much to see in the morning fog and drizzle. Our journey started at the Skagata lighthouse, which resembles a tower and is orange, as many of Icelandic lighthouses are. Our plan was to cross to the other side of the Skagafjordur. With the north easterly wind, we had to start crossing as far north to allow us to aim slightly more south to cheat the headwind into quarterly wind. We left the Skagi shore quite swiftly, and followed the compass bearing into the grey.
After some time the outline of Drangey island could be seen. As it slowly made its way out of the fog and mist it became an impressive structure, which looked like a big castle. According to legend a couple of night trolls were once travelling across the fjord. They had their cow with them. When the sun came out the trolls were turned into the rocks. Nowadays only the woman troll can be seen as a stack, standing next to the island – the cow, the man long gone.
The sea was enjoying the wind and the waves were gaily rolling to us, there and now splashing into our faces. We carried on, and at some point the distant outline took a shape of the next island, the Málmey.
The island is bordered by cliffs, being 156 metres above the sea level at its highest point. It’s flat at the top, and green with pastures. It was inhabited in the past, the last people left in 1950 after their farm burned down. It wasn’t clear how they landed there, but there must be a landing place at the south point of the island hidden from our view. Another local legend says that this island is cursed and no one can live there for longer than twenty years. Another interesting fact is that mice apparently cannot survive there at all.
Once we passed this island, we still had some time to reach our destination. We chose a random place in the bay. We landed and pulled the boats up the steep bouldery bank. We were close to a cluster of houses and something that indicated a golf course. We later learnt that it is a former golf course, still a campsite, and that they have a hot tub open twenty four seven. And so, for now, we were home.
