… today probably the most exciting photograph that I have ever taken in the whole of my life. And it’s been described by the professional photographers on board as a “unicorn moment”.<\/p>\n
It was even featured as one of the Photos of the Day.<\/p>\n
We’re in the town of Husavik, another one of the towns on the north coast of Iceland. Its claim to fame is as a whale-watching centre and we were out whale-watching this morning. There were plenty of them about too, hump-backs giving us a most amazing performance. There was even a mother and calf swimming around close by our boat.<\/p>\n
At one point though I was rather bored and started to look around for something else of interest. My eye settled on an old sailing boat out across the bay, quite a long way. And just as I clicked on the shutter to photograph it, a large hump-back whale leapt out of the water.<\/p>\n
I know that they can do that but it happens so infrequently that it’s rarely photographed. And here I was, quite by accident.<\/p>\n
Last night was rather a strange night. Fell asleep watching a film yet again, but awakening round about 04:00 for a trip down the corridor. I did manage to go back to sleep and even on a nocturnal voyage involving Rosemary and an old Ford Anglia 105E but the moment I awoke it evaporated even before I could reach for the dictaphone.<\/p>\n
It was a struggle to leave the bed this morning and having an early breakfast didn’t help matters. Back down to the cabin for a short repose and then off whale-watching.<\/p>\n
We were on traditional oak boats and wrapped up in waterproof rain gear overalls although the sea was such that we didn’t really need them. Mind you it was rather hairy when the observer shouted “Thar she blows!” and 60 people all surged over to the other side. We shipped a wave in on more than one occasion.<\/p>\n
But it was worth it because the whales were so active. We counted at least 5 different ones (not including my leaping whale) and we saw them on many different occasions too.<\/p>\n
3 hours the journey was to take, and we were out for 3 hours and 5 minutes, so we had our money’s worth and i don’t begrudge them a penny.<\/p>\n
Lunch was back on the ship and then we went out for a walk. We made it through town to the local museum (which we didn’t go in due to payment issues) and then walked back across another part of the town to the harbour.<\/p>\n
There was a free exhibition there talking about the history of whaling and that was extremely interesting. So much so that we were well-engrossed in the place and they had to send a guide from the boat to remind us that we were due to sail.<\/p>\n
On the way back I had to make a detour. I couldn’t find my mobile phone and I wondered if it had fallen out of my pocket on the whaling boat. As luck should have it, our boat was tied up at the quay with the staff from this morning helping people on board. They remembered me (who would ever forget me?) but there was no trace of my phone.<\/p>\n
Time to go back to the ship, which I undertook in the company of another fellow-traveller who is recovering from a serious operation. Lots of people on here with health issues.<\/p>\n
Evening meal was taken with the ship’s historian with whom I’d spoken a couple of times about the Norse. I floated a couple of names past him but he gave no hint that he recognised them.<\/p>\n
So I dunno.<\/p>\n
There’s a full house of activities tomorrow. I’m off on a photo safari with the official photographer tomorrow, followed by some free time and then a coach trip into the interior to see a nature reserve and the excavation of what is said to be a Norse settlement. I’m looking forward to that.<\/p>\n
Something tells me that I had better have an early night.<\/p>\n
