Aug 18 – Sept 8 | $5950
Sailing Iceland to the UK provides a mixture of coastal and offshore sailing, the best of both worlds! We’ll take some time to anchorage hop the Southwest coast of Iceland, before visiting the Vestmannaeyjar Islands to the South. Whales, dolphins, seabirds, volcanic activity and green hillsides are all a plus here, so make sure to bring your camera. Additionally, we will have great options for hiking and exploration. Afterwards you’ll well acquainted with Sea Dragon before we set sail south to beautiful Cornwall, and onwards to Southampton.
All meals on board Sea Dragon are delicious and vegetarian, with the addition of fish if we catch any along the way. Sailing Iceland provides great opportunities for this!
This 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: 1200 nautical miles
- Cost: $5950
- Date: Aug 18 – Sept 8, 2024 (22 Days, 21 Nights)
- Start: Reykjavik, Iceland
- End: Southampton, England
For more details on sailing Iceland, please explore the drop down menus at the bottom of the page.
Tentative Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival
You will arrive at the boat in Reykjavik between 1500-1700, then spend our first night on the dock.
Day 2: Boat/Safety Briefings
We’ll spend the day going through safety/boat briefings, getting well orientated with Sea Dragon. Lastly, we’ll move out to anchor for the evening.
Day 3-5: Southwest Coast
Your first day of Iceland sailing! Firstly, we’ll take some time to explore the southwest coast of Iceland in the Faxafloi and Breidafjordur areas. Even though where we visit will largely depend on the weather, we’ll certainly experience incredible landscapes wherever we go.
Day 6: Underway to Vestmannaeyjar
Time to leave for our first night underway on the passage to the Vestmannaeyjar Islands off the south coast.
Day 7: Arrive Heimaey Island
At this time, the steep green cliffs full of puffins and other sea birds will guide us into the harbor at Heimaey. We’ll tie up on the dock, where we’ll spend the next few days.
Day 8-10: Explore Heimaey
This harbor has wonderful protection and there is much to explore here as Iceland sailing continues! You can hike the Edfell volcano to the crater (last erupted in 1973) and visit the Eldneimar Volcano Museum. If you’re feeling up for it you can hike the cliffs at the entrance to the harbor to get a birds eye view of the Vestmannaeyjar Islands. It includes a ladder or two and also sheep on the trail, well worth it! Nesting puffins, the aquarium, the folk museum, swimming pool, restaurants, and especially the bakery all make this a wonderful spot to spend a few days. We’ll keep an eye on the weather for our departure to the UK and set sail accordingly.
Day 11: Set Sail to Falmouth
This will be the day we cast off the lines for the offshore passage of the trip to Cornwall, perhaps getting a treat of the northern lights to send us off which would indeed be exciting!
Day 12-17: Underway
After getting to know Sea Dragon coastally, we’ll now fall into the rhythm of life on passage. Life will certainly be wonderfully simple as we make our way south.
Day 18: Arrival Falmouth
We’ll arrive and then tie up to the dock to clear customs and immigration, which is generally a smooth process.
Day 19: Explore
After being at sea, it will be time to explore this lovely part of the UK. Falmouth has a rich history and is a special spot in Cornwall. The green hillsides, lovely beaches, and quaint town indeed offer many avenues of adventure. Enjoy a cornish pasty and some scrumpy cider, after all we will have a voyage to celebrate!
Day 20-21: Sail to Southampton
Last on our sailing expedition, we’ll sail the south coast of the UK to Ocean Village Marina.
Day 22: Depart Sea Dragon
You will need to leave by 0900 at Ocean Village Marina in Southampton, UK.
Sign Up Now
The deposit is only $500 for this trip. Although it’s non refundable if you back out, if you cancel or modify the trip we are happy to return your money or apply it to a different voyage! Furthermore, 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 Reykjavik Harbor or from Ocean Village Marina
– Transportation from Keflavik International Airport (KEF) or to Airport/Train for departure.
– Additional nights spent ashore
– Personal expenses while in port
It will be cold! Take a look at our High Latitude packing list.
Keflavik International Airport is about 50 min by car from the harbor, or 90 by public transport. London Heathrow International Airport is just over an hour from Ocean Village Marina.
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 the United Kingdom.
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!