All Done
The overalls are neatly folded and packed and the last hose clip has been tightened. Sally has blitzed the boat with her vacuum and the bilges would be gleaming if it weren't for the pink antifreeze sloshing around to protect the pumps The dehumidifier is set to 'Sahara' to suck the last bit of moisture out of the boat. Tomorrow morning we throttle the dehumidifier back to a more sensible and temperate setting before closing the hatch, turning the key and taking the taxi to the airport.
The sailing season is all too short in these northern waters and we have had the best of it. Our season started with a spring cruise from Reykjavik to the wintery mountains of Iceland's West Fjords. We left Iceland at the earliest opportunity as decreed by the ice and were one of the first pleasure boats to make a landfall on Greenland's east coast this year. We squeaked through Prins Christian Sund the first day it opened. We then had all of August to meander our way up the coast. Now we are in Aasiaat- the capital of North Greenland at 68 42N. An unglamorous Arctic town which bustles with hunters and young families eking out an existence in a harsh and unforgiving landscape.
With the nights drawing in at great speed it's definitely time to turn our backs on our floating home and leave her to face the winter in the care of Sisak Technik - the Aasiaat shipyard. We have done all that we can to prepare her for her ordeal. We have injected strange coloured fluids into her veins and cosseted all the electrical and mechanical systems.
What next for team Shimshal? Sally and I are already getting excited about sailing south to new continents. We hope to launch in June and potter back south to Maniitsoq waiting for a perfect weather window to cross to Labrador. If we can finesse it with the Canadian authorities we would like to make our landfall in the Tongat Mountains National Park and creep south down the Labrador coast to Battle Harbour before crossing to Newfoundland.
Friends have recommended Lewisport so we will probably leave the boat there before continuing south along Newfoundland's east and south coasts. Our plan, at the moment, is to haul out in Halifax, Nova Scotia at the end of next September. So Shimshal and her crew have much to look forward to.
Before then though Sally and I are most looking forward a cycling trip to Tuscany where we hope not to see icebergs, glaciers and frigid fogs. Life is at it's best when it's full of contrasts!