July 12/13

Anchorage by the small boat mooring buoys. A bit of road traffic. We saw people trolling for fish, and saw fish jumping so reckoned they were trying to catch salmon. Decided to try our hand at this when we pulled anchor and slowly motored out. Think the technique wasn’t quite right and should have added a small weight to the line to bring it just below the surface. Canny fish didn’t take our hook.

The anchorage we headed for next: Vagsvagen on Donna, had a great reach down to it with glorious sunshine. Also had the code zero up for some of the journey. All sails were quickly furled when we saw an overhead cable at the entry to the bay. None of our chart plotters/paper charts say what the height of the cable is which is very frustrating. As we motored very slowly to within binocular reading reach, we could see it said 23m at high water which meant we were clear. It is a bay with many different areas to anchor, we chose the SE bay where there was an old wreck up on the shore. On the way in we had spotted what looked like two porpoises but we subsequently found are small whales called ‘nissa’ (sp. Uncertain). A local fellow who came out for a chat on his boat told us that’s what they were. It was a really stunning spot.

July 13

Anchor up under sail, get away without the engine and then short tack out to the cable where we have to put the engine on to power through the narrowest spot. It is another glorious day and our lunch destination is Hjartoya where Geoff & I stopped on our way north. This time we were there on the hottest day of the year along with five other boats, ashore we found the Viking grave which dated to 500-800 AD where they had found remains of a man with fish, tools and a sheep. The settlement had a couple such graves. The hike was hot one so Geoff, Willi & Shirley all went for a swim. Shirley’s gasps of shock told me I was best placed manning the boat!

This was just a brief interlude in the days activities so we pulled up the anchor and set off another couple of miles toward Alstahaug. This bay was the home of Pedder Dass, a pastor and poet born in 1647. It is the site of the cathedral Journey out to the skerries and the UNESCO World Heritage Site. We hoped to see eider ducks in abundance. Followed the shallow, narrow track in and tied up alongside Gakka Mathus. Careful nav through the skerries. Just before arriving we stopped for fishing as Shirley wanted to try her hand and we were at a perfect contour line: after a few minutes she had snagged a cod and with a mixture of terror and excitement squealed for help!! It was a scrummy yummy dinner. Shirley’s first cod!! The proprietor of the restaurant appeared at some point in the evening, speaking o English we determined that we could stay on his dock but he thought we were very lucky to be there in the shallow water. If you want to eat at this restaurant you have to book in advance: he is not keen on last minute shows.  I think he thought that’s what we were but all we hoped for was somewhere safe to tie up! A little later as traditional Nordland boat immerged from behind one of he skerries carrying two couples who were visiting our restaurateur. Turned out they built their own Nordland boat and had built the one we had seen in Lovund a few days before and had given up their spot in Traena to our former neighbours

July 14

Hysvaer. We were not going to be leaving until at least midday due to the state of the tide. It is a remarkably isolated place with a few houses, a restaurant and quite a few eider houses where the ducks nest. The ferry stops on request, which apparently it did in the middle of the night (high tide) when Shirley saw it arrive. We saw two people painting a building when we arrived and in the morning saw three people go into a barn, some chain saw type noises and then the three came out to eat waffles at the restaurant (one of them was the proprietor).

July 15

Moyhamna

Arrived in overcast conditions after briefly stopping in Bronneysund to reprovision, first time we sailed right past and second time realised we hadn’t missed much.  It was an easy decision to continue on. The prospect of not being able to see the hole in the mountain was disappointing. We waited a little while and the skies cleared enough so we set off on the 3km hike to the mountain. As the rain had cleared there were lots of people out hiking up as well. We were happy to have been able to take Willi & Shirley up and also happy to have been able to go on another good hike.

July 16 –

Left in rain and poor visibility. No wind. Chose spot at Vennesund to tie up along side but too shallow in the harbour- ran aground as we entered so retraced our steps to find a perfect anchorage in the sound of Langoya. We had  a restful night and the following morning woke to a clear day.

July 17 –

Leka

Arrived  at 1pm in sun/cloud to an almost empty dock. Tied up alongside and readied ourselves for a day of activity. Decided the best option for the day would be to rent bikes and do a round trip cycle of the island. The bikes had either no gears or just one or two First destination was 11km away on south of island to see the cave drawings dating back to Bronze Age. We knew there was a guided tour at 2pm but left the marina at 1.30 so thought it unlikely we’d make it, arrived at the start of the hike up to the cave at 2.30pm. Made the hike up in 20 minutes just as a guide was unlocking the entry to the cave so were able to tag along. We were equipped with our own torches and as the guide spoke only in Norwegian we were unable to understand what was being said. We did however see the drawings- a remarkable sight. Snuck out before the end of the incomprehensible talk to find a rock for lunch and wait for the tour to get down ahead of us. Return bike ride was approx 11km round the other side of the island. We had a lot of fun teasing Geoff that we had paid 400NOK for the guided tour that we didn’t really get. He was fuming whilst Shirley convinced him that this had really happened. He cycled off ahead of the rest of us and took some persuading that in the end we were pulling his leg.

July 18

Rorvik

W 5-8kn code zero

Rorvik overcast but calm. Tied up alongside same pier as last time. Many more boats here than a month ago.

Willi & Shirley treated us to dinner at the Museum which we had been told was good food and is open until 2100. Excellent food, the chef takes great care to present a fabulous meal. We shared a fish soup, quire delicious. Main courses were halibut and salmon. Halibut served with pureed cauliflower, chorizo & figs was a fabulous mix of flavours: delicious!

W&S’s last night and we were very sorry to say goodbye after a great couple of weeks. We were told by a fellow sailor that it is unusual to be able to wear shorts for more than two days in the summer in Norway, so 14 days is unheard of!

Whilst packing up the boat we were delighted to see Per Tore & Gunn arrive on Lisa II, we had met them on our second day out of Rorvik going north as they were heading to Trondheim to visit family.

19 July

Early morning goodbye to W&S, then boat cleaning and prep for the next trip. The sun came out and we had a glorious day ahead of us, punctuated by some great socialising with Per Tore & Gunn who invited us on board for a glass of wine around 2pm! We chatted and heard about their great trip  and new grandchild (they now have seven) and then got back to boat work before returning for  few more stories and the most generous gift: a Norwegian sweater for Geoff!!! They are quite amazing, generous people with amusing tales and anecdotes. We really enjoyed seeing them again.

July 22

Full day of travel leaving London at 6.30am for an early flight from Gatwick. James, Charli, Georgie, Tim with us and Sean Hopkins (James’ friend) who met us at the airport. Three flights later we arrived in Rorvik at 5.30pm, a quick stop at the supermarket for fresh food then off the dock by 7pm heading towards Sorgjaslingan. This is an old historic fishing harbour that used to have an important role in cod fishing. It is a delightful harbour and a perfect spot for the first night out with the new crew. There were quite a few boats tied up on the floating pontoon and very little water so there wasn’t room for us. Just as we were looking at anchorage options and small boat came motoring towards us and offered advice on where to go- he told us to follow him which we did through a very narrow channel and tied up on our own private dock. Having motored the whole way we arrived at 9.30, everyone was keen to jump ashore and explore. A delicious supper of coq au vin (thanks to Mr D) was followed by a tour of the island and spectacular views of the sun setting. We all fell into bed at 1.30am, happy campers!

July 23

Woke to fog, it wasn’t quite socked in as we experienced before so we decided we could head off to our next destination. The breeze was around 15kn from SW so we were able to sail. It was a good upwind sail and the fog lifted enabling us to see where we were headed.  Tried fishing but with no luck,  we are determined to try again. The harbour, Vollavukta, we were headed for, described in the guide as having fuel, electricity water etc looked like a derelict site with a very rickety pontoon and no depth. They seem to have started construction on a new breakwater since the book was written, so we had to review and sail a bit further for an anchorage which turned out to be perfect. It was in the same fjord and only 10 mins away. Great supper followed by rowing for all under 22s to the nearby island whilst the rest of us read a bit more and fell into bed. Georgie & Charli had planned where we would go next: key was electricity so we wanted to leave early to be sure to get a place on the dock where we could plug in.

July 24, 2014

Wind 14kn North

Up anchor around 9.30, still a little overcast but the forecast was for brighter which came pretty quickly. We were chased out of the sound by two other yachts who we were convinced were going to take our spot in Stokksund, our next stop (approx 25miles away). Once out of the narrow route from the anchorage the wind was perfect for a spinnaker run for 2 ½ hours which was so much fun. Geoff & I have been in to Stokksund before so are familiar with the area but today it is full of motor boats luckily there’s room for us. Arrived around 3.30pm.

James, Charli, Georgie & Sean jumped in the row boat to get away from the marina and swim, apparently the water is the warmest it has been in years so they were keen to get in. We could hear the squeals across the bay hopefully captured some pictures. They rowed back happy and salty so hosed down on the dock. Their enthusiasm encouraged Geoff & Tim to row over and skinny dip- we could hear the whoops of delight from them (or perhaps from Geoff). Everyone returned happy and full of energy. A great day had by all.

July 9th

Wake up to an amazing clear sky and hot, hot, hot sun. Smoked salmon and a side of salmon were beckoning from the local trading post. We were served by Morten who had a twin brother Mattius, so perhaps we were served by Mattius and not Morten. With delicious looking salmon, refueled and water to the top of the tanks we were ready to head off to Traena. A 20 mile sail or motor away. The most exciting part of the journey was putting up the code zero, with 8-10kn of breeze from the NE we were so excited to be able to hoist this sail. The bow sprit worked and we cruised along very happily.

Traena and back across the Arctic circle by 5pm, the cruising guide describes Husoy as a treachourous harbour to go into. It is certainly very twisty and turny and the chart plotter doesn’t truly reflect the new breakwaters they are currently constructing. We did make it in and the long pontoon beckoned, until a guy in a fluorescent vest came to tell us we couldn’t stay unless we were going to the music festival that started the following day. A little bit of sweet talking later Rorven was persuaded that we would be leaving the next day before the 30 boats arrive that were taking part in a race to Traena (winner gets free entry to the festival) as well as the rest of the boating festival goers arrived.

The evening was spectacular, warm and sunny as we strolled around the village. It is a miniature scale festival set in the local outdoor football stadium, the local children were meeting the ferry with trolleys to carry backpackers luggage to the camp ground. The island was slowly being invaded by 20 something year olds.

Falling into bed, after midnight, we were happy to have reached the Traena archipelago but rudely awoken by a very large motor boat and crew arriving at 4am drinking and playing loud music right next to us: the people on board were around our age and not popular! When we woke in the morning it seemed the perfect time to play some morning music and laugh and chat as loudly as possible. Our friend Rorven was very keen to help and even gave us waffles!!

We decided we would stick to our plan and leave to go to Sanna which is the neighbouring island. It has a radar station at its highest point, accessible via a 700m unlit tunnel: be prepared for sensory overload after being plunged into complete darkness. We were advised to have torches without which it wouldn’t have been navigable. The views from the top were amazing and another path down became apparent, so over the cliff we went following a well marked trail that led down to the Kirkehellaren, a vast cave and apparently a treasure trove of Mediaeval objects that were uncovered in the 1930s. It was believed to be a burial ground following the Black Death as they found the remains of 30 or so people. The island was tiny but offered a morning of great finds.

The forecast was for fog later in the day so were keen to get underway to travel the next 10 miles across to Lovund. As we cast off a layer of cloud/fog crept over the mountain top that we were just on in a very Harry Potteresque way. The sun was still out but the fog was approaching fast and earlier than anticipated. It enveloped the boat around 30 minutes into the journey and we were then on full alert to get to Lovund. Fog horn being blown, eyes on deck and at the AIS we made it through some pretty narrow spots and past various high speed ferries moving at 25 – 30 knots on the AIS, heard but not seen.  It was a real pea soup but we made it into harbour with out misshap.

The neighbouring boat in Lovund was a Viking ship replica built in Trondheim for a celebration in 2000. It had 8 hearty souls on board, who had signed up to sail from Trondheim to Traena. There was room for four to sleep in the aft cabin and four on deck under canvas. This would have been very inviting throughout the beautiful sunny days we have been enjoying but in the dank, foggy conditions where everything on board was dripping we were very happy to be able to light our Reflek stove and close the hatches! They were a chatty bunch and showed Geoff & Willi how to fillet fish (they had 20 small fish to fillet for fish stew) and later in the evening Willi joined them in Norwegian lullabies that started around 11.30pm and ended around 2.30am (the rest of us enjoyed the music from the warmth of our bunks!).

Not getting to sleep until very late meant we could justify a lie in and knowing the fog was still going to be around until at least after lunch meant we had a very lazy start to the day, to do some provisioning and a bit of laundry. There were puffins to be found though - this was our mission: to seek out the Lundefuglene.

The island is well know for the arrival on April 14th of thousands of puffins, who stay until mid August. The colony is very close to the village but a day with poor visibility meant we could only see the low flying ones who came in from the sea to feed their young. It was still quite an amazing sight. They nest in the rocks and bring in a mouth full of fish to their young. If the sky had been clear we would have seen hundreds of them.

With the forecast true, the fog lifted, the sun was out and we could sail away at 5pm. With a great up wind sail between the islands we headed towards the mainland. Silavagen, a huge landlocked bay, where we will be dropping anchor.

July 5th

Walk 15 mins to the airport to collect Willi & Shirley. It is so great to see them and to welcome them aboard Onegin again! Fantastic day, 25° and sunny. At 5.30 cast off from S/V Kalula and head for Surfugloya, Sandviken which is 20 miles south west of Bodo. Spectacular evening but no wind. Arrive at dock and tie up alongside, behind a Norwegian boat. Arrived around 9.30, have a calm start to the evening with no wind and enjoy fresh prawns that we had bought earlier in the day in Bodo from one of the fishing boats in the harbour. NOK180/kilo. We bought 1.5 kilos and they were delicious and worth every krone.

July 6

Morning walk through the local community on Surfugloya where the central meeting point is the coffee hut by the quayside, comprises holiday homes and a road that heads towards the beach. A great long beach, with no-one else there.  The hanging valley is here too but that was going to be a full day hike up and down so we decided to cast off, but

where to next? We were initially slightly undecided but as the day was windless and the contour lines were beckoning, Geoff thought that we had to try to catch a fish. Several unsuccessful attempts made him more determined and once we chose the third spot, right next to the isolated danger mark he snatched a cod in no time. Willi & Shirley were very excited and watched on as Geoff moved the cod swiftly from line to chopping board. Hurray: we had supper organised!

Back to the ‘where to next ? question. The obvious destination was to go to Hollandsfjorden to the Svartisen glacier. We had been recommended a guide and decided that the forecast for Monday would be perfect for a hike up to and onto the glacier and booked Anneka for the following day. The best place to stay before heading into the fjord is Halsa, which was a tiny marina in the north fjord. Arrival around 9pm to tie up alongside, have showers and a delicious, line caught by Geoff, fish supper. As soon as our heads hit the pillow the calm evening turned into a breezy one with lapping water on the transom and gulls squawking near the bow to keep everyone awake and thinking about the following days adventure.

July 7

With a meeting time of 11.30am on the Engen dock in Hollandsfjorden, we were up bright and early and on our way by 8.30am to motor the couple of hours. From a distance you can see the vast expanse and extent of the glacier and the vast section  that descends to the water - as you approach from the water the jagged edges of the ice are visible on the mountain side. It is the second largest glacier in Norway, 2000 years old diminishing by 70cm a month. Our group comprised 3 Dutch, the four of us and our great Dutch / Norwegian guide, Anneka. Equipment required: helmet, harness, crampons, ice axe, gloves, sunglasses. A fifteen minute bike ride to the start of the walk up the rocks, followed by a forty five minute hike to the edge of the glacier over massive rocks, smoothed by millennium of ice wear and rapid running streams. The view back down to the fjord was amazing. Between the fjord and us was a lake, which was filled with glacial water, and had until around the early 1900s been unseen the glacial cover. The intense colour of the glacial lake is extraordinary. Svartisen translates to ‘Black Ice’ so called because at certain times of year the glacier develops a very dark blue/black hue. With the sun beating down it was a little unnerving to be stepping onto this mass of ice alongside of the rocks especially after hearing how the glacier is diminishing so quickly and that pieces do fall off: the creaking we heard just prior to clambering on was most alarming.

With all the equipment on and full instructions to ensure we kept the ropes tied between us tight not slack, we set off. Geoff was given the responsibility of bringing up the rear and taking out any carabineer screws that Anneka had set on the way up and on the way down was set to lead the group. He did a great job as Anneka’s number two. It was a quite extraordinary experience, slightly outside of our comfort zones in some places we were all thrilled to have taken part and had the experience.

Our route down was speedy and we had a number of hangers on who had lost their way on the rocks, as well as encountering the cruise ship passengers who were walking to where we had cycled, it is hard to imagine any of them would had tried to clamber on the rocks to reach even the edge of the glacier. I really wondered how they dealt with their head count- and how many they would lose en route to or from the glacier that day. Perhaps it is part of their business model!!!

Back to the boat by 5pm and ready to cast  off, we were all very excited by the day’s activity.

Where to next?

The forecast was for a calm night so we headed for a nearby anchorage off Omnoya, in a sound called Amoyhamn. The conditions were perfect for a stern anchor and tying bow line to a mooring bolt on shore. We dined, showered, relaxed and readied ourselves for bed after a big day. All was comfortable.

Around 1.30am with the click of a finger the wind was up and howling 180° different direction, fro the north west blowing us onshore. This place would no longer work and we had to get away immediately. “Bel, take the knife and cut the line to the shore at the same time as Willi releases the anchor line with a fender attached to mark it for pick up at a later date”. The maneuver was quick and we made a dash for a nearby harbour of Bolga (about an hour away) in ever increasing breeze. This wasn’t what we had expected and wasn’t in the forecast but managed to get away smoothly without mishap. All we left behind were the anchor and lines.

July 8th

2am Bedtime,,,,,9.30am wake up to a calm morning with no wind and chat with local Norwegians about the curious weather phenomena. It is not normal and happens occasionally, describing it as a ‘fjord wind anomaly’, which is completely unexpected and not predictable.  Today the wind is from the north and very light, ideal for heading a little further south into another beautiful spot on Selsoyvik, a former trading station offering locally smoked salmon.  The location is perfect, a great dock to tie alongside with all facilities: loo, shower & washing machine. The locals are very friendly: the big white house on the hill is owned by a lady whose great grandfather bought the island and she now summers here with her family. They live in Oslo and drove 13 hours plus 2 ferry rides to get here and will spend the next four weeks on holiday. They have an 11 month old husky dog which they are training to be an elk hunter dog. He was very bouncy and very pleased to meet new people!

It couldn’t wait until Saturday, too much to tell. Bodo was essentially flattened during the war during a 2 ½ hour bombing raid. They rebuilt very quickly and the central harbour area is currently having a concert hall constructed so the area is surrounded by building works. The airport is a 10 minute walk away; the main ferry and cruise ship terminal is also 10 minutes in the opposite direction so it is quite compact and very convenient to get around but lacks charm. There is a military base very close. Fighter jets are guaranteed to take off around 10am in pairs. Wednesday we saw two from the skerries, Thursday there were two, Friday there were five. Seems like a lot of money to burn in half a week, but the neighbours are causing a bit of a ruckus at the mo.

Nonetheless, we are tied up close to the activity at one of the guest piers, surrounded by motor boats of all sizes as well as a few yachts. The purpose of spending a few days here ahead of our guests arriving is to get some boat work done. This has been reasonably successful so far. Refilling the gas tanks has been on the captains mind for ages- every time the stove is turned on I am slightly nervous that I’m going to finish a bottle then we won’t have any gas for the rest of the trip and it will be impossible to cook and so on and so on.......

The place to fill your gas bottles in Bodo is about 1 km away, take said bottles on a folding wheelie trolley which all boats will have. Have a chat with a couple of people en route to make sure you aren’t on a wild goose chase, then meet the lady at the desk who says: I can do that for you and is able to find the perfect fitting for the gas bottle as she is so used to having people come from all over Europe asking the same question. All I can say is, it’s a lucky thing we came to Bodo: the epicentre of Northern Norway whether travelling by ferry, camper van, or fighter jet (see below for more info). Everyone on board can rest assured they will get a cup of coffee in the morning and a hot meal in the evening.

Our family will understand the B&Q outing, on the trek back from the propane provider there is the BEST DIY store you will encounter: Biltema. These are the words of our fearless leader of the day (and the captain of the vessel). I’m inclined to agree with him as we managed to pick up some items that were much needed and had been on the list for a while. Although, I think there should be an egg timer limit on any DIY store visit as there should be in charades.

Next stop, very close to the boat was the welding shop and we hoped that Project Bowsprit may be completed. This has been on going since Alesund and since we spent what seems like an inordinate amount of money on a sail we can’t use, this was a worthwhile stop. We left Roervik with a fitting that wasn’t quite right and needed some work. James, Logan & Rolf know all about this project.

Luckily we met a very enthusiastic Pole, who said he could help us. Two days later, he shows up with the parts and welding equipment and now we have everything in place. The Captain has to go back to the workshop to pay and rather than being charged the welders time plus materials we are charged welders time, materials plus the workshop managers annual holiday budget.  So be it. At least we can use our fabulous Code Zero.

The rest of the days jobs continued, then the phone rang around 4.15 whilst Geoff had his head in the loo, Bel answered. It seemed an odd call from the welder “I’m at your boat and there is no-one home”. He was on the dock in his civvy clothes wanting to speak to Geoff. Turns out he was very embarrassed about what had happened and wanted to apologize with a bottle of rum. Geoff poured the rum but they weren’t  big enough, so had to pour more. Damian was a great guy and wanted to say sorry, he came to us with a gesture which Geoff embraced. It was a very interesting interlude (more fuzzy for some than others) and we learnt a great deal about a young man from Poland who had worked in Sweden prior to coming to Norway and was about to become a father.

The really fun part of the day was that Dick & Ginger, Alchemy, sailed in. We had them over for drinks and a catch up which was so much fun. They have been sailing north as we have been sailing south. We may see them in the UK again next winter.

The marina is very busy this evening, and there seemed to be ‘no room at the inn’. Except when there is a familiar hull  motoring in with what looked like a British flag: it was Toby & Helen on Kalula. They are now rafted alongside and have family visiting including an 84 year old mum who have all climbed across both boats with a certain amount of fear and trepidation.

Jobs completed:

Refill gas tanks for cooking

Port side saloon porthole seal

Woodwork in saloon (on list for 4 years)

Bar across port side book shelf to stop books flying out

Aft head repair (again)

Starboard side hatch seal repair

Bow Prodder (hopefully!)