In a phone call from Reykjavik, Iceland last night, Alan Priddy cheerfully said "Weather conditions look good for our next leg to Bangor, Northern Ireland and we expect to reach Portsmouth on Saturday as originally planned".

However, this 845 nautical mile leg from Greenland to Iceland has certainly not been plain sailing. Continual detours around ice floes meant that Spirit of Portsmouth covered nearer 1000 miles, and after 60 hours at sea, the decision was made to request assistance for the last few miles.

The unexpected ice conditions and gale force winds increased the distance they had to travel, and lengthened the trip until Vic, the navigator, was physically exhausted. Low fuel supplies were also giving cause for concern, so 35 miles from Iceland the call for assistance was sent out. The Icelandic trawler "Otto N. Thorlaksson" was nearby and soon responded. The Spirit of Portsmouth was safely craned on board in what Alan describes as "a copy book recovery".

After the Icelandic crew had made sure Vic was comfortable, the skipper asked whether they would mind if he continued fishing through the night. As there was no emergency, Alan and the crew were happy to agree.

The trawler crew gave up their bunks to our adventurers, who were well rested by the time they reached Reykjavik, ready to set off again for the crossing to Bangor in Northern Ireland.