This morning we woke up to a thud, then a few more, on deck. It was a sound both familiar and unexpected. The gale blew through last night, gusting 30 kts in the anchorage, which proved to be very comfortable. However this morning with zero wind the thud had us looking out of the windows initially looking for a lump of ice banging into the hull. But what we saw was a winter landscape and the thuds were the fresh mantle of snow falling from the spreaders on the mast. We were planning to leave at dawn but the poor visibility and our forecaster has suggested a very heavy swell still running, so we will leave at midday once things have settled bound for Isafjordur in Iceland, 350nm East.

PICTURE : Winter Has Arrived With A Thud or Two :-)