I by no means anticipated to see blood at a water battle — or collapse from sheer fatigue. My adrenaline had been pumping for almost an hour and my reserves had been flagging. I used to be exhausted and chilly to the bone regardless of my drysuit. However the smile on my face simply stored rising. This was essentially the most pure enjoyable I’d had within the final decade.
We had been bobbing within the chaotic waves of the harbor city of Klaksvik within the Faroe Islands — an archipelago so distant I’d by no means even heard of it. Sitting within the North Atlantic between Iceland and Scotland, this tiny self-governing Danish territory contains 18 rugged islands which are house to way more sheep than folks.
I’d simply completed competing in an expedition journey race with crew Bend Racing as a part of the game’s World Collection. Usually after a race like this, I’d be content material to do not more than sleep and eat for per week. However the island’s magnificence and tradition begged for additional exploration.
A fast question to a passing native and we had been instructed unequivocally to take a look at the “Sjomannadagur competition.”
The what, now?!
“Sjomannadagur” is Faroese for “seaman,” and the competition was a celebration of the island’s fishing heritage, it turned out. “There are tons of nice seafood, espresso, video games, and treats, and all the things is free,” they stated.
We had been already offered, however then the native added, “There may be additionally a fantastic huge water battle within the harbor to kick issues off!” Nearly as an afterthought, they added, “You should definitely go ready.”
Faroe Islands Seaman’s Day: Scandinavia’s Largest Water Combat
Google “world’s greatest water battle” and the online will spit out the reply: “Songkran” — the Thai New Yr competition. Within the movies I discovered, Songkran appears like enjoyable. It’s a bunch of younger backpackers and locals partying prefer it’s spring break, getting moist to remain cool within the 100-degree humidity.
However even in mid-August, common summer season temps within the Faroe Islands had been colder. We had battled some very intense climate in the course of the days and nights of our journey race, counting on our Kokatat drysuits and The North Face Futurelight Jackets to assist us survive the storms.
The locals’ remaining phrases, “You should definitely go ready,” stored rattling round in my head. They’d virtually sounded ominous. We’d purchased low-tech, high-volume squirt gun tubes. However as we left our Airbnb for Seaman’s Day, I couldn’t shake that warning. So I grabbed my drysuit on the way in which out.
My comrades laughed. Certainly a pleasant competition water battle wouldn’t require that form of gear. However one after the other, all of them went again to seize their very own three-layer armor of alternative.
We’d by no means have survived with out it.
Klaksvik Harbor: Dwelling of the Competition
Klaksvik is nestled between fjord inlets, dramatic mountains rising straight from the ocean all over the place you look. It’s the second-largest city within the Faroe Islands and a significant industrial port for the fishing business. Which is why the locals have fun their Seamen with 2 full days of festivities on the third weekend of each August.
The water battle we had been about to have interaction in is only one occasion of the Seaman’s (or Sjomannadagur) Competition extravaganza. There are additionally conferences, lectures, exhibitions, and workshops all about fishing and the business, the Seaman’s Day swim, the place locals swim out into the chilly open ocean, and, after all, the free espresso, pastries, salmon, and ice cream we’d heard about.
An hour earlier than the Seaman’s Day water battle was set to start, we arrived. A couple of minutes of wandering aimlessly across the giant port made it clear that this was an area custom and never a well-publicized vacationer competition. There was no signage and no posters with the competition schedule.
However large tubs full of water had been strategically positioned all through the harbor.
Kickoff to Faroe Islands’ Seaman’s Day
At first, the turnout was tiny. We had been on the verge of turning into underwhelmed when the crowds appeared out of nowhere.
There have been youngsters of all ages, mother and father, and grandparents, and gangs of identically dressed teenagers marching about in formation. Folks began donning heavy jackets and boots. Beside us, a grandmother zipped herself right into a thick drysuit. Folks all over the place had been adorning protecting outfits straight out of an episode of Alaska’s “Deadliest Catch.”
We talked ourselves onto a tiny fishing boat, the six of us probably tipping it far previous its passenger restrict. We headed out into the bay, beneath cloudy skies and temps within the mid-40s. Our vessel was massively outgunned. Our crew was decidedly under-armored. And nobody might have been extra excited.
Water Conflict Commences
Our “weapons” had been a complete joke. The primary boat we received near drenched us with buckets of seawater as we successfully pissed into the wind.
The shores and docks on both facet of the bay had been lined with folks — largely youngsters. Toddlers, numbering within the a whole lot, held monstrous squirt weapons of each selection. We discovered an previous fishing bucket on board and crammed it with seawater, studying from the ways that had left us drenched from the beginning.
We made move after move alongside the docks, delighting in scoring direct hits on 3- and 6-year-old youngsters. However they had been powerful. Irrespective of what number of instances we hit them, they had been lined up and ready for us on the subsequent move, faces dripping, holding out for reinforcements.
As we began a fifth move, we noticed it. A fireplace truck had parked proper behind these youngsters, its large hose snaking down into the ocean, sucking up 250 gallons of seawater per minute and blasting it proper into our faces.
Dense spray showered down throughout. We tried to flee the onslaught however quickly discovered ourselves operating headlong into the center of it. We dodged, attacked, circled, and escaped. Our captain made a rapid maneuver to keep away from a collision, throwing us all to the rails.
He cursed in Faroese. The engine stalled. I regarded as much as see blood operating down my teammate’s smiling face. I glanced on the others, all silently assessing the scenario. The ocean was chilly. The bay was extensive. We had been on a stranger’s boat with a captain who didn’t communicate English, and nobody had a life jacket on.
Then, a horn blast break up the grey skies. Everybody stopped and regarded as much as see two battleships coming into the fray.
The Danish Navy Arrives
The ships had been mammoth, looming over all the opposite boats. They divided the harbor into three lanes, forcing us to make some exhausting choices. Passing by the skin of both ship, we’d face the tiny foot troopers and hearth vehicles on the docks. Between the ships, although, was a gauntlet of mayhem and insanity.
The behemoth boats had been suctioning over 1,350 gallons per minute (mainly a full bathtub each 3 seconds) and firing at almost 200 psi. These turrets made even the hearth truck cannon seem like a pea shooter.
The temper modified within the harbor. The little boats that had been skirmishing simply moments earlier than stopped preventing one another and turned their consideration towards the giants. It was a David(s) versus Goliath second.
If there may be one factor our crew has discovered by our years of journey racing it’s how not to surrender. So we consigned ourselves to the concept that we had been expendable. We sacrificed the little remaining dryness and residual heat in our drained our bodies to supply a distraction and permit a few of the extra expert fighters an opportunity.
We had been all shivering and utterly soaked regardless of our fits. And 50 psi apparently exceeds even the perfect 30,000mm waterproof ranking. However we continued, our tiny streams of water bouncing off the excessive metallic sides of the battleships. And nonetheless, we fought.
When our arms had been too drained to raise a bucket of seawater, we returned to these tiny comical squirt tubes we’d purchased. They had been completely ineffectual, however a heroic gesture nonetheless.
Then got here an extended, mournful horn blast.
Seaman’s Day Ceasefire
The impact was prompt. Boats stopped and the churning sea calmed. Mist hung thick within the air.
Someplace a cheer began, invisible to us by the humidity. However it unfold. Inside minutes, voices echoed by the fjord, bouncing between the imposing mountains, and the hulls of the ships. It was a mixture of triumph, pleasure, celebration, and no small measure of aid (at the very least from our small crew).
We’d survived Faroe Islands’ Seaman’s Day. And tomorrow, we’d return to the competition (together with 1000’s of others) for infinite free espresso, pastries, salmon, and ice cream. It definitely felt like we’d earned it.
