Reykjanes Maritime Center

A rich chapter in Iceland's maritime tradition seen through the model collection of Captain Grímur Karlsson.  Almost since the the time the country was first settled, Icelanders have put to sea in search of fish. For centuries, they faced the might of the North Atlantic in open six- and eight-oared boats, a tradition which changed only with the coming of steam, and later diesel powered vessels in the years immediately following the First World War. Today, fishing is one of the pillars on which Icelandic society is built, and in creating his collection, Grímur Karlsson has preserved a vital chapter in his country's rich maritime heritage, which might otherwise have been lost forever. 

For as long as he can remember the sea has captured the heart of Grímur Karlsson. A fisherman for many years, several of them spent as a skipper, he knows at first hand what life is like for those who spend weeks on end at sea. far from land, families and loved ones. For any sailor, life on boars is a unique experience, be it good or bad. For better or worse, the hulls, decks and cabins of the vessels on which they sail are their second home, and as in any other close community life brings with it its daily round of joys and sorrows, ups and downs, problems to be solved and thoughts to be shared. Such a confined atmosphere gives birth to a lively collection of tales and stories to be shared among shipmates and between ships, the truth of which varies and some of which never reach shore. 

The models on show are over 100 vessels from various periods of the Icelandic fishing industry.