COMING BACK TO THE BAY WHERE HE WAS BORN 49 YARS AGO
Sigurgeir – or Geiri, like everyone calls him – returned to Húsavík some weeks ago. Since then, he has been working as a captain on our whale watching boats, going out on our oak boats Sylvía and Faldur several times a day to show those majestic animals to the tourists. Being away for many years, he is impressed of the changes that have happened in the small town. “It is great to see Húsavík as it is now, especially compared to other villages around Iceland that still live on the fishing industry only, not changing at all.” Geiri grew up in this bay. Together with his cousin Stefán, the company’s owner, and their grandfather they’ve been out in this bay fishing since the age of 6 years old. His grandparents owned a house on Flatey – a small island 14 nautical miles away from Húsavík, which used to be home to many fishermen long times ago – and took the boys and the families there frequently at that time. “By then, Flatey was not inhabited anymore. Still, Stefán and I spent a lot of our childhood on that island. We are from Flatey is what we used to say,” Geiri says smiling. “We’ve been out in the bay all the time fishing. Whales were always around. I remember loads of minkes, but also humpbacks. Though, at that time, they were just there as any other animal. We were aware of their presence, but that’s all.” Therefore, he is even more astonished about the awareness people have today of those creatures and the reactions of people seeing a whale for the very first time in their live. “Many people have never seen the sea, imagine what it means to them to see a whale.”
Geiri, who used to work as a captain on a fishing vessel in Vopnafjördur (East Iceland) left his country at an age of 25. “Did you have plans of leaving Iceland one day?” “No, I never thought about it!” Geiri met a woman from New Zealand who was working in Vopnafjördur in 1989. Though, never thinking of living in another country before, he left Iceland behind. “Before I met her, I didn’t even know where New Zealand was. I decided to go for one year only, but never returned to live”, he says with a chuckle.
“Did you ever think of returning to Iceland for living?”
“Not really. Well, in the beginning from time to time as it was difficult getting my Icelandic qualifications fully recognized in New Zealand. I first worked in New Zealand, then in Australia, but going back and forward was quite complicated as I first came with a work visa only. After a year I could extend it to a residence visa and after 5 years I got the citizenship of New Zealand. Since then, I never thought of returning again. I got a family there, but also the country and its people are keeping me there. I consider it as my home. Iceland is the place where I was born and raised. It’s not like a home anymore, but it is definitely where I come from.”
Chatting for some time, he tells me that he misses Christmas the most. “In Iceland, it is a big family thing. You spend a lot of time with your family; there are loads of lights and good food. In New Zealand, you have lunch for an hour, then everyone goes to the beach, but that doesn’t give a Christmas feeling. Christmas is the only time in the year that I miss Iceland as well as the family of course. On the other hand, I don’t miss the Icelandic winter and its weather at all.”
Geiri, who is living in Nelson, is working on a large trawler nowadays. “Do you know Nelson?” he is asking me. In fact I do as I was passing by when going to the national park of Abel Tasman on the upper part of New Zealand’s south island. “Oh, that’s one of our weekend destinations,” he replies jesting. Living in a country where others are just dreaming about I wonder why he returned to Húsavík for the summer time?
“I’ve been talking about it to Stefán for a few years now. I wanted to come back to the place where I grew up. It was my dream to see all the places again where our grandfather took us as children. Usually, I come for a visit every two years or so, but only for a few days then. Besides Flatey, I haven’t really spent much time at sea in the bay for about 30 years.”
To me, he seems really happy and when asking him whether he likes it he answers: “Love it!”
Listening to him, I can feel how much it means to him going out in the bay again, seeing all these places and maybe even showing them to others. During our talk, his childhood seems to be very present. “Whatever I am doing today or wherever I am working, all the things our grandfather taught us as small children I will never forget and I stick by his principles. Whenever I go out as a fisherman, it is the most important to fish sustainably and that people take very good care of the environment. My grandfather, who was the first environmentalist that I ever met, always told us to just take what we need and to never take the small fishes. I watched him many times removing the hook carefully, so the fish could be released to the ocean again. Also on Flatey, when collecting the birds’ eggs, he taught us how many we could take to ensure the species is able to sustain it.”
The grandfather (left) taking his grandchildren Stefán (middle) and Geiri (right) out for fishing.
Stefán (left) and Geiri (right) the other day.