Sundini

Sundini is the strait separating the islands of Streymoy and Eysturoy in the Faroe Islands.

Sundini og Brúgvin um Streymin

Name

Sund is the Faroese word for sound or strait. Sundini is the plural definite of Sund, hence translating as The Sounds or The Straits in English.[1] An alternative suggested translation be The Narrows.

Geography

The Sundini separates Streymoy and Eysturoy, running from Kaldbaksnes (near Kaldbak) and Raktangi (near Strendur) in the south to Tjørnuvík and Eiðiskollur (near Eiði) in the north. The total length (equidistant line) is circa 32 kilometres (20 mi). It is 2.9 kilometres (1.8 mi) kilometres wide at its widest and 140 metres (460 ft) at its narrowest.[2] The deepest point is at −85 metres (−279 ft) near the village of Kolbeinagjógv, while the shallowest point is situated at Við Streymin (By the Current) underneath the Streymin Bridge. It is also the narrowest point between any two islands in the Faroe Islands.[3] It is a dredged section kept at −4 metres (−13 ft) to allow small craft to navigate between north and south. However, these can only pass at slackwater due to the tidal currents up to 12 knots at this point.[4]

The complex bathymetry of the Sundini, with many isolated areas exceeding −50 metres (−160 ft) intermitted by shallow sections, is thanks to the glaciation during the Weichselien ice age.[5] The Við Streymin area constitutes a former glacial drainage divide and potentially also a glacial threshold. Glaciation has also caused the formation of several inlets in or bordering Sundini, such as Kollafjørður, the Skálafjørður fjords, the Hvalvík and Tjørnuvík bays, as well as Saksunardalur valley. In the north, Sundini borders the Eiðisflógvi gulf which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. In the south it borders the Kollafjørður, Kaldbaksfjørdur and Skálafjørður fjords. The Tangafjørður is the southernmost prolongation of the Sundini, but is not generally considered part of it.

The villages on Streymoy are, from north to south: Tjørnuvík, Haldórsvík, Langasandur, Nesvík, Hvalvík, Streymnes, Við Áir, Hósvík and the Norðuri í Sundum neighbourhood of Kollafjørdur. The Eysturoy side houses Eiði, Ljósá, Svínáir, Norðskáli, Oyrarbakki, Oyri, Selatrað, Kolbeinagjógv, Morskranes and a new residential area of Strendur. The region Sundalagið owes its name to the Sundini, although the villages south of Oyri on the Eysturoy coast are not traditionally considered part of this region. The Sundini is bordered by four municipalities: Sjóvar, Tórshavn, Sunda and Eiðis kommuna.

Transport

Since 1973 both sides of the Sundini are connected by the Streymin Bridge, forming the sole fixed link between Streymoy and Eysturoy. In 2021 a second link, the Eysturoyartunnilin, will provide a bypass for the long route from Tórshavn to Southern Eysturoy via the Streymin Bridge. Until 1973, there was a ferry ('Sundaferjan') between Oyri and Streymnes, while the ferry Hósvík-Selatrað continued to operate until 1976, the year when the Norðskálatunnilin opened and for the first time offered a road link between Southern and Northern Eysturoy. A car ferry has operated between Strendur, Toftir and Tórshavn until the early 2000s.[6][7]

Nearly all of Sundini's shorelines are paralleled by highways. The national highway nr 10 runs from Tórshavn via Kollafjørður to Oyrarbakki, where it continues to Southern Eysturoy and Klaksvík. National highways nr 54 and 23 run north from Streymin Bridge to Tjørnuvík and Eiði respectively. Highway nr 65 runs from Selatrað to Strendur. The section Oyri-Selatrað consists of vertical cliffs and has no road link. Strandfaraskip Landsins offers bus connections to all villages except Oyri, while municipal bus services operate in Kollafjørður and Sunda.

Culture

The Sundalagsstevna is the annual regional festival with rowing races, alternating between Kollafjørður, Hósvík and Hvalvík. A recent park has been constructed next to Streymin Bridge near Norðskáli. Three bays are appointed as hvalvág where pilot whales may be brought ashore during a grind: Hvalvík, Norðskáli and Tjørnuvík, as well as in Kollafjørður.[8]

References

1. https://sprotin.fo/dictionaries?_SearchInflections=0&_SearchDescriptions=0&_DictionaryId=1&_DictionaryPage=1&_SearchFor=sund
2. http://www.kortal.fo/
3. http://kortal.fo/
4. https://rdgs.dk/publikationer/The-Faeroe-Islands-Topographic-Atlas.pdf
5. https://snar.fo/goymsla/snar-ritstjorn/snar-tilfar/speki/ein-ferd-i-foeroyum-aftur-i-istidina/
6. http://www.countrybus.co.uk/busesandbridges.htm
7. https://www.landsverk.fo%2FAdmin%2FPublic%2FDWSDownload.aspx%3FFile%3D%252FFiles%252FFiles%252FUtgavur%252FMynstur_broytast_2008.pdf&psig=AOvVaw3HN7pNyofqhPTcqLVx9l8y&ust=1595500191872000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCNiLxcPT4OoCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAJ
8. https://heimabeiti.fo/176