Boats could fill Breidafjord during Iceland eclipse

More than 50,000 people are expected to be aboard over 30 cruise ships off Iceland’s west coast when the solar eclipse passes over the country, mbl.is reports.

The number of vessels could be so high that people might be able to walk from the Snaefellsnes peninsula to the Westfjords by jumping between boats, said Kjartan Páll Sveinsson, chairman of the association of small-boat owners.

“I think everyone is coming to be here on Breidafjord, cruise ships and others,” he said.

Kjartan said he expected to join them and had even planned to bring his wife for a romantic moment. He did not expect the traffic to cause a true jam, however, noting that Breidafjord was large enough to accommodate the vessels.

“Hopefully they won’t stay on our main fishing grounds. But I don’t think they will. Breidafjord is quite large and can accommodate all of this,” he said.

Sigurður Jökull Ólafsson, managing director of Cruise Iceland, said cruise ships generally plan their voyages well in advance. The World Royalty, which called at Reykjavík this week, arranged its voyage in 2020.

Smaller cruise ships have more flexibility, he said. The Celebrity Silhouette, which exchanged passengers in Reykjavík at the weekend, cancelled a planned stop in the Eastfjords so that passengers could experience the eclipse.

Most voyages, however, follow predetermined plans, Ólafsson said, although ships may adjust their routes where possible.