We can’t start anywhere else except with the BIG STORY of the day: we caught a fish.
Some of you may not be impressed others more so. We decided to leave in good time from Henningsvaer as we had another ‘10 mile’ journey to make ('til we reached the Lofotens it was 40 to 50 mile a day min but now we are relaxing). It was a blue sky day and we rolled out the jibs. On deck on whale watch Bel saw a couple of puffins and decided that this was perfect fishing weather. Geoff was varnishing down below. Our fishing rod was purchased in Roervik and various bits of tackle along the way had been assembled except for the hook. We have been taking lessons from people: picking up tips. So with the right tackle and a 30-40m contour line and little breeze, making it easy to stop the boat, fishing commenced.
Bel had it all hanging over the side when Geoff came up suggesting the way to do it was to be about 1-2m off the bottom so Bel reels in the line and Geoff says jig like this: with him holding the rod one jig, two jig, catch a fish.
The next ten minutes were very funny: reeling in the fish; finding the camera; finding the book that tells you how to ‘dispatch’ the fish; getting the hammer; finding the sharpest knife on board and so on. You can probably imagine the scene.
Anyhow, the catch of the day was suitably treated and ended up in a couple of bin bags in the freezer until we got to port- Stamsund, a commercial fishing harbour which meant someone here would be able to give us lessons in gutting the 75cm long cod.
The guest pier is well marked and had a perfect spot for us along side a very helpful Norwegian called Finn (yes, really) who was able to give excellent lessons in gutting and also suggested cooking methods.
Next highlight of the day, a washing machine and a shore side shower here (few and far between in Lofotens) so we will be smelling fresh tomorrow. The peak of Stamsund was beckoning so we hiked up and felt like we were on top of the world. Today you could see for miles, across to the mainland and the snow capped peaks as well as south west to the end of the Lofoten chain.
For the finale, we stopped in at a tiny art gallery that turns out to be another Norwegian gem. The national museum for art has a programme where it lends out art works to smaller galleries around the country and Galleri 2 www.galleri2.no, run by Veborg & Scott Thoe has a really interesting collection of musical art entitled “The Sound of Art” which presents videos, sculptures, photography and performance art. It was tiny but incredibly impressive.
We are going to take up Veborg’s suggestion to drive out to the north of the island and take in the beaches and sights that we can’t reach by boat (not a friendly shoreline). You can “rent a wreck” at a fraction of the price of the big companies- and we have negotiated an even better rate. So with cod dinners for the next week we’ll save on supermarket costs and pay for the rental.
Will we establish a rule of thumb? He who catches supper will cook too. It worked tonight and boy was it fresh and good!!
Some of you may not be impressed others more so. We decided to leave in good time from Henningsvaer as we had another ‘10 mile’ journey to make ('til we reached the Lofotens it was 40 to 50 mile a day min but now we are relaxing). It was a blue sky day and we rolled out the jibs. On deck on whale watch Bel saw a couple of puffins and decided that this was perfect fishing weather. Geoff was varnishing down below. Our fishing rod was purchased in Roervik and various bits of tackle along the way had been assembled except for the hook. We have been taking lessons from people: picking up tips. So with the right tackle and a 30-40m contour line and little breeze, making it easy to stop the boat, fishing commenced.
Bel had it all hanging over the side when Geoff came up suggesting the way to do it was to be about 1-2m off the bottom so Bel reels in the line and Geoff says jig like this: with him holding the rod one jig, two jig, catch a fish.
The next ten minutes were very funny: reeling in the fish; finding the camera; finding the book that tells you how to ‘dispatch’ the fish; getting the hammer; finding the sharpest knife on board and so on. You can probably imagine the scene.
Anyhow, the catch of the day was suitably treated and ended up in a couple of bin bags in the freezer until we got to port- Stamsund, a commercial fishing harbour which meant someone here would be able to give us lessons in gutting the 75cm long cod.
The guest pier is well marked and had a perfect spot for us along side a very helpful Norwegian called Finn (yes, really) who was able to give excellent lessons in gutting and also suggested cooking methods.
Next highlight of the day, a washing machine and a shore side shower here (few and far between in Lofotens) so we will be smelling fresh tomorrow. The peak of Stamsund was beckoning so we hiked up and felt like we were on top of the world. Today you could see for miles, across to the mainland and the snow capped peaks as well as south west to the end of the Lofoten chain.
For the finale, we stopped in at a tiny art gallery that turns out to be another Norwegian gem. The national museum for art has a programme where it lends out art works to smaller galleries around the country and Galleri 2 www.galleri2.no, run by Veborg & Scott Thoe has a really interesting collection of musical art entitled “The Sound of Art” which presents videos, sculptures, photography and performance art. It was tiny but incredibly impressive.
We are going to take up Veborg’s suggestion to drive out to the north of the island and take in the beaches and sights that we can’t reach by boat (not a friendly shoreline). You can “rent a wreck” at a fraction of the price of the big companies- and we have negotiated an even better rate. So with cod dinners for the next week we’ll save on supermarket costs and pay for the rental.
Will we establish a rule of thumb? He who catches supper will cook too. It worked tonight and boy was it fresh and good!!
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