Page 23 of Adrift in Iceland
She’d never made such an impulsive decision in her life, but it was what she wanted, and she wasn’t going to let itpass her by. After all, in six months she could find herself working somewhere where she’d never be able to live in a beautiful place like this.
‘Yes, I’ll take it,’ she said, a rush of adrenaline making her feel as if she had just won a hundred million krona instead of forking out thousands of krona on rent. ‘How soon can I move in?’
11
WHY DID HE offer to take Astrid out today of all days? He was on his way to collectBrimfaxifrom the boatyard, and he was nervous. If the boat didn’t feel like his boat anymore, he knew he’d be devastated, and he was worried that he might not shake off a mood like that before he picked Astrid up as arranged at Reykjavik harbour in a couple of hours. He trusted the process; he’d signed off on everything after all, but it was one thing seeing plans and drawings. They would never be able to tell him how the boat would feel after the work was done.
He parked his truck in the car park and took a deep breath. This was it. The huge door to the warehouse-looking building that housed the dry dock was open, and Leifur went in.
‘Hæ, Leifur!’
He waved in greeting to his friend Carl, who had led the refit.
Carl came over, and they shook hands. ‘Come, she’s outside.’
They walked through to the door on the other side.Brimfaxiwas waiting. Back in the water and moored on the quay.
There she was. For the most part, she looked the same.Beautiful, with shiny new paintwork in the same royal blue shade that she’d always been, with bright white for the wheelhouse and deck.
‘What do you think?’
Leifur was overcome and only managed a brief nod.
‘Come on, let me show you around.’
They climbed aboard. The deck seemed huge now that the rigs had been removed. Freshly-stained planks of teak now covered it and were flawless, elevating the boat from a utilitarian fishing boat to a vessel ready to accept guests. The benches were well-fitted, and the new railings that ran around the deck matched the old ones so well, that no one but Leifur would know where the old ones ended and the new ones began.
‘She’s incredible,’ said Leifur.
Carl smiled and headed down the new steps into the bowels of the boat. Before he followed, Leifur took a moment and stepped into the wheelhouse. It was exactly as it had been, apart from the fresh paint. He grinned, running his hands over the wheel. She still felt like his boat, and it was a tremendous relief.
‘Leifur?’
‘Coming!’
He could hardly take in the space below deck. It was so different from what it had been like before. Most of the space had been taken up by the ice machine and fish holds, but now, it was open, with new windows on each side and comfortable chairs. The old galley had been refreshed and now had a door that closed on the bottom to create a serving hatch.
‘I don’t know how to thank you.’
‘All part of the service. I’m glad you’re pleased, Leifur.’
Leifur set off for Reykjavik to meet Astrid with a big grin onhis face as he stood in the wheelhouse, the familiar rumble of the boat, just as it had always been, beneath his feet. It was a chilly spring day but not too windy, meaning the sea was relatively calm for the time of year. He hoped Astrid was well prepared with plenty of layers of clothing on to help keep the cold out.
He spotted her waiting on the quayside as he approached. She was holding two coffees, and once she saw him, she kept pace with him as he headed to the new allotted berth that Jonas had organised forBrimfaxi. She was to be moored in Reykjavik harbour permanently now, so he was going to have to commute in his truck rather than come back and forth from Hafnarfjörður every day on the boat. Jonas had pointed out that it was crazy to pay for berths in both places, and Leifur had reluctantly agreed. Especially since Jonas was footing the bill.
‘Permission to come aboard?’ Astrid said.
Leifur jumped off the boat to secure the lines, then took the coffee she offered him.
‘After you.’ He held out his arm, gesturing for her to climb aboard. ‘Here, I can hold your coffee.’
‘Thanks.’ Astrid jumped from the edge of the boat down to the deck. Without the gangplank, it was around half a metre but made Leifur realise that they’d have to use it all the time. He was so used to doing that jump on and off himself, never having to consider that anyone other than physically-fit fishermen would embark and disembark.
‘She’s a lovely boat,’ Astrid said, taking her coffee from him and moving aside so that he could join her on deck. ‘Everything looks so shiny and new. Tell me what she was like before?’
Leifur gave her the tour that Carl had given him, painting a picture for Astrid of how it used to be, especially down below where he could still hardly believe it was so big.
‘What an amazing transformation. Are you pleased?’
