WOOLLY SAILORS - SHEEP ADVENTURES ONBOARD AÞENA
Do you remember our story about the annual sheep round-up earlier in September? Back then, several of our crew members went to the nearby “Hraunsréttir” to help the family of one of our captains to find their sheep among thousands of sheep individuals during the annual sheep sorting.
Sometimes though, not all the sheep (which are released every spring to roam free over the summer months) are found and gathered during those days that the farmers scout the grazeland right prior to the sorting. In such case, another search might take place later on to find those individuals, which managed to get away during the first search.
The other day, Gentle Giants participated and assisted in such second search, though maybe in a rather unusual way: Wanting to help the farmers across the bay to gather their remaining sheep from the Cheek Mountains before the winter, our captains Addi and Reynir took sea-angling boat Aþena on a very unique journey out at sea – and returned to Húsavík fully loaded, but their catch did not come from the sea!
Together with six farmers from Kinn and Fnjóskadalur as well as one of their sheepdogs, they crossed the bay with sunrise. Once on the other side, the farmers were picked up by a zodiac, which had already brought further six farmers to land, who had started the journey from a place called Bjargakrókur, an area in the southwest of the bay. Accompanied by their dog, they went on land in another nearby bay along the mountains. The sheepdog was sent off to gather and herd all those sheep down to the beach, which had remained in the slopes and valleys of the mountains, happily grazing on the tasty grass growing in those areas. The farmers knew well were to look for their missing sheep after an aerial search had taken place just shortly before, locating and counting the animals. Once at the beach, the sheep were lifted onto the zodiac and brought back to Aþena.
At the end of the day, the group gathered 31 sheep in three different bays along the mountains. As the sheep were lifted onboard and allocated to their farms, in came to light that at least three had gone unnoticed in last year’s search and apparently survived at least one whole winter out on the mountains without any issues!
As the sun set in the late afternoon, Aþena returned to Húsavík harbour from where the sheep was then brought back to the farms they belonged to.
Photos: Reynir Hilmarsson (captain)
