L’Austral docked at the fishing town Isafjordur in the Westfjords which stands on a gravel spit in the fjord. Isafjordur is the largest town in the peninsula and conveniently located between five smaller villages with spectacular scenery. Although isolated from the rest of Iceland, Isafjordur has a rich cultural life, heritage of music and art and some of the oldest houses in Iceland, dating from the Eighteenth Century. Small corrugated houses line the streets (not that we’d have much time to wander around).
The morning Tauck Tour began early with a 35-minute boat ride to Vigur Island off the coast of Isafjordur, thankfully with inside seats. Vigur Island has been owned and operated by the same family for four generations; all residents on Vigur are family. They have 25 sheep, earn money from Puffin hunting (awww…) and harvest eider down feathers for export.
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L’Austral cruise route around Iceland
Isafjordur dock, Iceland
TravelsWithSheila disembarking at Vigur Island, Iceland
family owned Vigur Island, Iceland
We disembarked the boats at Vigur dock and began walking with a local guide. When farming was the most important means of income, sheep were ferried to the mainland summer pastures so as not to disturb the precious eider ducks during the nesting period. The island contains a large colony of the Arctic Tern and some puffins, which have been exploited here for centuries. The old boat on Vigur had “Flag sticks” for visitors to use stacked inside. The very aggressive Arctic Terns nest in the grass on Vigur and it is necessary to carry a stick while walking near the nesting grounds. Arctic Terns will attack (seriously) the highest point which would be the top of the stick instead of your head. There are many stories told of people needing stitches after an Arctic Tern attack!
walking through Arctic Tern nesting grounds on Vigur Island, Iceland
Black Guillemots on Vigur Island, Iceland
Black Guillemot with food for its chick, Vigur Island, Iceland
Vigur Island, Iceland
Black Guillemots, related to the auk, also breed on Vigur and like to nest on top of stone fences. They peacefully stood around minding their own business and left everyone alone.
The trail led to the only windmill left standing in Iceland daring back to 1830 when corn was brought from Denmark to grind before entering a one-room post office (the smallest in Iceland) and then into a back room to learn about Eider down.
only windmill left standing in Iceland on Vigur Island
silly looking sheep on Vigur Island, Iceland
mainland Iceland as seen from Vigur Island
The Eider Duck stays close to shore all year round and up to 1 million Eiders winter in Iceland. During the nesting period, the Eiders rub their wings across their chests and down falls into the nest. Farmers collect the down twice during the nesting period and lay hay over the eggs to protect them. An Eider Duck will usually return to its hatching area and start a nest of its own in a crevasse or hole close to the ocean. They also nest on land by large boulders and fences.
Approximately 3,000 kilos/6,600 pounds of down is produced every year and primarily exported to Japan for use in jackets, sleeping bags, etc. It is a long and arduous cleaning process. The down is first laid in the sun to dry, baked on a hot table to kill lice and disinfect the matter, mechanically cleaned, tumbled to remove more debris, another apparatus removes the feathers, until the final step – pick the entire batch over by hand to make sure only pure down remains. Now you know why a real down jacket is expensive!
baby Eider Ducks on Vigur Island, Iceland
pile of Eider down, Vigur Island, Iceland
Arctic Tern and its chick, Vigur Island, Iceland
The family then served hot drinks and cakes to the Tauck group before boating back to Isafjordur for a land tour.
peaceful Vigur Island, Iceland