New member: Siglufjordur



Friday, October 30, 2015 - 11:10 by ce-press

Siglufjordur is Iceland’s northernmost town with a history steeped in fishing. Beginning as a small shark fishing village in 1900, it grew to become one of the largest towns and most important harbours in Iceland and the undisputed capital of herring fishing in the Atlantic.

In the heyday of the herring fishery, it was a busy boomtown with a goldrush-like atmosphere that earned nicknames such as Klondike of the Atlantic, Fishermen’s Eldorado and Iceland’s Sodom.

With the disappearance of the herring from Iceland’s waters by 1970, the old wooden docks were replaced by permanent concrete. Though considerably smaller than in the past, the modern harbour is still just as protected and just as close to the fishing grounds. Today, the harbour is frequented by large shrimp and cod trawlers and small cod-fishing boats delivering their catch to local processors.

In 2002 Siglufjordur began welcoming cruiseship passengers to its centrally-located main dock, Town Quay, which is a short walk from local museums, galleries, restaurants and shops. A smaller berth of about 155m in length a depth alongside of 8.5m, Oskars Quay, is located further afield.

Anchorage is possible east of the harbour in depths ranging from 25m to 30m with good hold ground. However gales from the north cause heavy seas so the preference may be to anchor in a small bay southwest of Siglunes.

Call numbers have risen significantly in recent years, from three in 2013 to six in 2014 and 19 this year, the latter bringing 3,195 passengers. Next year 10 have been confirmed so far bringing about 1,800 passengers.

Newcomers this year are Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Silversea Cruises and Poseidon with more hoped for in the future when current improvements to the Town Quay have been made. This will mean ships up to 200m in length can be accommodated at the 160m-long quay with bollards. The depth is 9m.

The main visitor attraction is the Herring Era Museum. On request local herring girls show up in yellow aprons and demonstrate how to gut and pack herring into barrels as they did in the past. This will be followed by singing and accordion playing. Large groups can be easily accommodated.

Other attractions are The Folk Music Centre where visitors can listen to the locals singing traditional rhymes and folk songs.

Breathtaking mountain and ocean views make hiking popular and there are trails of many difficulty levels. Birdwatching is another option.
New member: Siglufjordur
(c) Siglufjordur





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