The whale watching company Friends of Moby Dick welcomed a new addition to its fleet this summer with the arrival of Vinur, a former Norwegian passenger vessel now refitted for tours on Skjálfandi Bay. The new boat marks an important step forward for the family-run company, which has operated whale watching tours from Húsavík since 2023.
“Vinur will bring a new standard to Skjálfandi Bay as it will be the first whale watching boat that can provide several watching platforms and an indoor viewing area to sit down and warm up in case the weather is moody on the day,” said Sólveig Ása Arnarsdóttir, Operations and Marketing Director of Friends of Moby Dick. The company already operates the oak boat Moby Dick, but demand and changing conditions convinced the family to expand.
“Last season was very difficult weather-wise, with many stormy days. We often thought how good it would be to offer people a boat with indoor facilities,” Sólveig explained. “At the same time, our tours were often fully booked at peak times, so we simply couldn’t keep up with demand.”
The new vessel, formerly known as Oyglimt, was purchased in Norway, where it once ferried passengers, supplies, and mail between small islands. Bringing her home was no simple task. “The right weather window never seemed to arrive and the crossing from Norway to the Faroe Islands turned into a real ordeal. Two very experienced sailors got seasick for the first time in their long careers, so it must have been something” Sólveig recalls with a smile on her face. After a rest in the Faroes, the crew found better weather for the final leg to Iceland.
Since the start of the summer season, Vinur has been very busy. Bookings have remained strong, particularly in July when nearly every trip was sold out. Calm seas have also set this year apart. “I think we’ve only had about 10 stormy days this whole season, compared to more than 50 last year,” Sólveig says. Whale sightings have been very impressive, with plenty of humpbacks, a noticeable increase in minke whales, and even rare visits from northern bottlenose whales.
Running a small company like this is a family affair. “In such a small family business, all hands are needed on deck at all times. I work closely every day with my mom and dad on running the company, together with my sister who is now on maternity leave but still keeps one foot in it while caring for her twins. We make all the big decisions together as a family,” Sólveig said.
The arrival of Vinur is just the latest chapter in this story, as her father, Arnar Sigurðsson, was the first whale watching captain in Húsavík, starting tours in the summer of 1994. With Vinur now in the fleet, Friends of Moby Dick continues to build on that spirit.
See also: Whales, Wheels, and Waves: Húsavík’s Newest Tourism Ventures Take Off
