Jul 14 – Aug 4 | $5950
This Iceland sailing trip begins in Greenland and is a combination of bluewater and coastal sailing, and above all, full of adventure! Firstly, we’ll start the trip in Ilulissat, where the number of sled dogs rivals the number of people. In addition, you’ll see where the Ilulissat Icefjord (an UNESCO World Heritage Site) spits icebergs out into Disko Bay. We’ll sail south with the midnight sun, anchorage hopping over the next week toward Nuuk (Godthåb), keeping an eye out for sea life and sea ice along the way. Our specific anchorages and villages visited will depend largely on weather. We’ll have a night in Nuuk before setting sail on our offshore passage to Iceland.
All meals on board Sea Dragon are delicious and vegetarian, with the addition of fish if we catch any along the way.
This Iceland sailing journey is not a trip for the infirm or physically unfit – you MUST be able to go up and down the companionway and move safely about the boat while in rough conditions, have good balance, and be in reasonably good health. Please contact us with any health questions or if you answer “YES” to any of the questions on our health questionnaire prior to signing up for the trip!
Ardent Training is offering a significant discount on the RYA Day Skipper Theory online course to anyone signed up for this trip. If you’re interested in taking the course, let us know when you sign up and we can give you the discount code!
KEY POINTS
- Distance: 1700 nautical miles
- Cost: $5950
- Date: Jul 14 – Aug 4, 2024 (22 Days, 21 Nights)
- Start: Ilulissat, Greenland
- End: Reykjavik, Iceland
For more details on Iceland sailing, please explore the drop down menus at the bottom of the page.
Tentative Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Sea Dragon
You will arrive at the boat in Ilulissat between 1500-1700. Night on the dock.
Day 2: Move to Anchor, boat briefings
In the morning we’ll get off the dock and leave the inner harbor. We’ll anchor nearby to settle in and go through in depth boat briefings.
Day 3-10: Head South
The weather will largely dictate our stops, but this time of year it should be great. We’ll also have long summer days, sailing with the midnight sun. We’ll see glaciers, growlers, icebergs, whales, seals, seabirds, breathtaking mountains and much more. We’ll get to explore villages, hike remote landscapes and cross the Arctic Circle going south.
Day 11: Arrive Nuuk
We’ll pull into Nuuk to clear customs and immigration in preparation for passage to Iceland. We’ll spend the night on the dock and have time to wander around the capital of Greenland.
Day 12: Depart for Reykjavik
Today we get underway for the bluewater passage portion of the trip. At this point everyone is well familiar with Sea Dragon and ready for the trip.
Day 13-19: Underway
Life and rhythm on Sea Dragon will quickly take shape around the watch schedule and life will be wonderfully simple and disconnected from the norm. We’ll keep a sharp lookout for all different kinds of seabirds, marine mammals, and icebergs along our Iceland sailing route.
Day 20: Reykjavik Arrival
After the 1200NM passage from Nuuk, we’ll arrive in Iceland, tie up on the dock, and clear customs and immigration. A nice meal and cold drink ashore are well earned!
Day 21: Exploration
Today is a day to do what you like. There’s much to explore in Reykjavik and more if you want to rent a car to drive part of the King’s Highway. There are hot springs, good food, museums, volcanic landscapes, waterfalls, caves, and good hiking.
Day 22: Departure
You will need to leave the boat by 0900 in Reykjavik.
Sign Up Now
The Iceland sailing deposit is only $500. It’s non refundable if you back out, but if we cancel or modify the trip we are happy to return your money or apply it to a different voyage. Please review the Crew Contract for full details. The remaining balance is due 60 days before the trip begins. Please contact us with any questions.
Contact Us
Call Us: +1 (305) 330-4212 (Pacific Time) If we don’t pick up, please leave a message and we’ll get back to you ASAP.
– 21 nights accommodation on Sea Dragon
– All meals (vegetarian), snacks, and drinks on board
– Sailing Instruction
– Safety equipment and foul weather gear
Contribution does not include:
– Transportation to Ilulissat Harbor or Reykjavik Harbor
– Transportation from Ilulissat Airport (JAV) or to Keflavik International Airport (KEF)
– Additional nights spent ashore
– Personal expenses while in port
It will be cold! Take a look at our High Latitude packing list.
Ilulissat Airport is a 10 min taxi from the harbor. Keflavik International Airport is about 50 min by car from the harbor, or 90 by public transport.
All Crew members are responsible for their own passports and any necessary visas. You must have at least 6 months remaining on your passport beyond our arrival in Iceland.
Please look into the specific type of visa you need for arriving at these destinations by sea, or contact us directly to discuss.
Holly first started sailing at 19 on what she had thought was a “once-in-a-lifetime” passage from Plymouth, UK, to La Coruna, Spain with a youth sail training organization, but during the voyage she became totally invested in a life at sea. She volunteered for that charity for a few years before becoming a full-time sailor in 2015. Since then, she has worked for similar charities around the UK, all of which specialize in providing valuable experiences for vulnerable or disadvantaged young people, and also instructs adults on adventurous coastal and offshore trips anywhere from arctic Svalbard to the Caribbean – with some of the ocean crossings being undertaken by celestial navigation only. Holly has been fortunate enough to sail on Sea Dragon several times in the last 8 years: on eXXpedition voyages researching the prevalence of oceanic plastic pollution from Senegal to Guyana, in the Caribbean, and around Britain, and most recently across the Pacific from Mexico to Tahiti in 2023. Holly is a Yachtmaster Instructor, and holds Yachtmaster Ocean with commercial endorsement and Proficiency in Medical Care certificates. She has sailed 65,000+nm.
Abi Davies, First Mate
Abi grew up in Dorset, UK and exhibited a passion for all things sport and outdoors early on, spending most non school time playing/competing in various sports or being outside along the SW Coastline. Having completed her BSc in Geophysics at the University of Liverpool and an MSc in Exploration Geophysics at the University of Leeds, she decided to join the RAF to seek more adventure. Initially joining as a Fighter Controller, she changed branches to become a Communications and Networks Engineer and has deployed on various operations and exercises, giving her a breadth of experience in different high stress environments. During her time in the RAF she has represented the service in volleyball, athletics, bobsleigh, waterskiing/ wakeboarding… and sailing, both racing and on expeditions. The most memorable expedition was sailing from Iceland to Greenland, having to navigate huge icebergs/shelves and experiencing midnight sunsets. In 2023 she sailed with Sea Dragon from Hawaii to Tahiti via Kiritimati, which was the final confirmation needed to pause the military and pursue life as a professional sailor. Abi holds a commercially endorsed YM Offshore ticket and MCA Medical First Aid qualification.
Janos Peters, Deckhand
Having always been drawn to the outdoor world, Janos has spent much of his life sailing, travelling and in the mountains. Growing up near Glasgow in Scotland, the highlands and islands of the Scottish west coast were a playground from young age. After a few years of dinghy sailing, he was drawn to bigger boats and the sea. This led to spending time volunteering with Ocean Youth Trust Scotland, where he learned to sail Challenge 72’s and started gathering qualifications from the RYA.
Whilst studying Geography with Environmental Studies at the University of Edinburgh, he used the long summer breaks for trips to explore the Norwegian mountains and to sail in the Baltic Tall Ships Races. After graduating in 2017 he embarked on a bigger adventure across the Atlantic, sailing from the Canaries to the Caribbean. Once ‘across the pond’ he travelled on to the US, where experiences in the Tetons and Yosemite have rekindled a passion for climbing and mountaineering. Having qualified as a Mountain Leader in the UK, he has worked seasonally as a hiking guide whilst completing a master’s degree in Sustainable Development at the Universities of Leipzig and Graz. After the Covid pandemic cut short a first stint aboard Sea Dragon in 2020, summer work aboard the Brixham trawler Provident was his sailing fix. Now he is excited to be back aboard Sea Dragon for the summer of 2024 in the Northern Atlantic!
