We're still in Vigra awaiting better weather. Unlinkly to leave here until late tomorrow.
Rain and wind today... Haven't left the marina, sneaked out to have a bbq when the rain held off. Lazy day. If rain passes we will go for a walk later this evening.
A late start after our late night we had a relaxing start to the day. We noticed a face at the door and it was the host of the evening before, bringing with them coffee and chocolate to help us get underway. What a treat! Sad to say goodbye again we left Aukra in to a slightly rougher sea which by the time we had come to a narrow crossing had built to quite an uncomfortable sea. Making it through with every wave ending up on the windscreen we took refuge at the first marina we found. With the wind building we heading from the boat to get a few basics from the shop. As we left with our bags of shopping a car pulled up next to us, ready to attempt to explain that we couldn't give directions we leant down to see Terje who we met at Håvards boat yard. He had been following us with his girlfriend Kristin on our tracker and living on a neighbouring island had come to find us! He invited us round for tea and it was great to see old friends again after a week or two further north. A delicious meal and fantastic company we arrived back at the boat feeling blessed. Terje was officially retiring the morning after and we wish him all the best!
Heading south following roughly our route up in reverse, we came to the point of crossing the Atlantic Ocean road to head around the rougher corner leading to Bud and Harøysund our original landing place. The sea was rougher in the inner route and it was our experience that the inner routes tended to be the calmer areas so we planned for staying there the night. We checked out a few anchorages and marinas. Having a look out by the bridge the seas were flat calm so we followed it out and it paid off. An easy crossing down we found our self amidst a sea of dolphins, noticing a pod of 4 or so we slowed down to watch them play, suddenly noticing more and more there must have been around 60 filling the seas for as far as we could see. We turned off the engine and stood in amazement as they played round the boat and turned on there sides to see us too. They were jumping out of the water and showing off, amazing. A new memory to harøysund we went in to see if anyone was around. With a quiet yard we left and headed to a nearby island finding a quiet marina to stay the night. With help from a local we got a key to the facilities and the luxury of a sofa sat around to eat our cous cous. Moments in to our tea and the door opened. Looking up to see Lars Kristian one of the crew of the Maersk was amazing. Of all the places we could be in Norway and we managed to bump in to one of the few Norwegians we knew! Lars Kristian kindly invited us around to meet his family and would pick us up in half an hour. It was then that Daniel W noticed a picture on the wall of a boat he had spent a few weeks on, of all the boats in the sea what a coincidence for them to have a picture of it! We then had a lovely evening with a lovely family we only got to bed at 5am! A welcome again that was so special.
After returning to the marina we had a pint at the fantastic restaurant and bar, a stunning spot and we couldn't believe we had the place almost to ourselves. The setting was perfect. We were then invited on board Tom Mardahls Siverato II a fantastic evening spent getting to know new friends and drinking wine. Tom treated us to a delicious haddock and potato dinner, with fish he had caught earlier. Meeting new friends again we were humbled by the kindness we received. Unfortunately we didn't brave the morning swim with Tom instead opting for a warmer shower. A beautiful sunset and the darkest night we have seen for a while now. Waving goodbye to all aboard the Siverato II were sure we will see them again when they head over to Orkney.
We're again at sea heading south, taking more inner leads for the scenic experience once more we have no set stopping point for this evening. We have already covered over 1000 nautical miles since leaving Yell we are sure to keep adding up before the crossing back.
We headed south from Osen to the same spot we had filled up when going north. Petrol on the pier is rare and journeys with Jerry cans for over 1000ltr isn't something any of us offers to do.... As we pulled in to Vallersund it was nice to have the place relatively quiet, when filling 1000ltr it takes a while and we don't like blocking the pump for so long.
As we tied up another boat began to fill up with fuel, unfortunately the pump developed a problem and despite Hilde's best efforts the pump wasn't going to play ball. Linda and Harry opted for a Jerry can fill but we couldn't face it. So with the advice of Linda, Harry and Hilde we left for Hitra. Again the helpfulness and friendliness was much appreciated. With the chartplotters help we could see a marina in Hitra with fuel. We were surprised to arrive to an almost empty pontoon with no sign of fuel. We found out that the marina was basically a car park for the restaurant, boats are so highly used that this seems a sensible idea! More advice and we found the filling station on a nearby island. While filling we saw an otter, within meters from us, unfortunately I wasn't quick enough with my camera and it is now just a memory.
After an hour and 45 mins of filling including letting others go between fills and card problems we left heading back towards the restaurant with marina. A quiet, calm and stunning spot sounded ideal. We've now tied up and are off to an interesting looking kirk nearby. A day of chasing fuel and typically beautiful Norwegian scenery. Great!
When we left papay on 9th July we were heading towards Osen in Norway, we landed in Skeld in Shetland and met some lovely people. When we left sheltand on 13th July again setting sail for Osen we landed in Harøysund, again meeting lovely people. Sometimes things going against plan happen to provide us with experiences and friendships we would otherwise have completely missed. Third time lucky and we left Leka heading for osen, following a rough guide with a few detours on route via the island of Otterøy and watching incridble scenery. The number of houses in far distant areas that have electricity is remarkable, many islands are joined by bridges and the ferry services offered are phenomenal. When staying in støtt an island of only 25 we counted 4 or 5 ferry boats before we had even had lunch. Another thing we have found interesting is how so many of the houses along the coast seem only accessible by boat. With most having their own private pontoons. We eventually landed in Osen. As would seem the norm on our adventure we missed the shop by 15 mins and had another cous cous meal, although we can't complain, with sausage, sweet corn and tuna extras it's quite a tasty meal! As we were travelling in we had seen an interesting lighthouse and went to see if it was possible to get to it via foot and after an hour's walk We were blocked by a 20meter stretch of water. Ah well a lovely walk anyway. We will head towards vallersund for fuel tomorrow but have no plan on where to spend the night, we will take it as it comes, such is life at sea!!
We're in Leka. An island just off the Norwegian coast. Leka is rich in history and geology. We've already had a look at Norway's second largest burial mound, approx 70m diameter and 8 m high. The island is host to many cycle and hiking routes as well as caves, churches, museums, wildlife and mountains. If time allows we will have a better look tomorrow. For now after a long day were off to bed, once again the skies still bright and we can't believe it's midnight!
As legend has it, there was a troll named Hestmannen who become totally besotted with a beautiful girl called Lekamøya, she however was not interested in him. As he chased her he realised he would not be able to catch her and he decided if he couldn't have her then nobody could. So he aimed for her with his bow and the troll-king Sømna threw his hat, deflecting the arrow and saving the beautiful Lekamøya. The rising Sun turned the hat in to a mountain, Torghatten. Torghatten stands 260 m high with a giant hole through the middle. Today we climbed the mountain and walked through the hole. The scenery was astounding, the mountains and hills through one end and the sea and islands through the other.
We're now off to sea again sailing slightly south we will stop soon for some tea when we find a place to tie up, the seas are slightly rougher and the winds up a bit, there is possibly an improvement in the weather coming as the days go on. For now though we will get a good rest and plan tomorrow morning.
Another huge thank you to everyone who has donated both on our sponsor sheet and our just giving site. www.justgiving.com/papay-arctic-adventure
A few photos from today, more beautiful seas. There would be a few pictures of sea eagles and reindeer but after an hour of fighting with my phone I can't get them off my camera on to the phone. So sea pictures it is...
We headed south from Støtt towards Våganholmen which we had heard was the cheapest priced fuel in Norway. The diesel certainly was cheap at under a pound a litre. Unfortunately the petrol seemed to be the standard price of around £1.60 a litre. Filling up 14 times as the pump had an automatic cut off for credit cards we grabbed a few bits at the shop and left heading further south.
The seas were calm the skies were cloudy and we made good speed down the coast. Our first trip south again we decided to have a shorter travelling day. We had found an anchorage in the Norway pilot book that sounded nice and while heading to it we decided to look at another. We anchored at Vågsvågen in Dønna, an island similar in size to some of the larger islands in orkney. Following a rough guide from Google maps we headed in search of the island shop. A nice but long walk later and we found a spar shop and got a few bits. The thought of the long walk back with heavy bags didn't particularly appeal and having been passed by a bus on the way in we went to find out bus times and stops. Again feeling incredibly guilty for our complete lack of Norwegian language we approached someone asking if they spoke English, they did perfectly and exceptionally kindly offered us a lift back to våg. Massively grateful we arrived back at the boat and made some nachos. We spent the evening exploring the nearby shipwreck and appreciating the scenery. Again, what a lovely welcoming place.
Having reached our most northenly point we made the most of it by exploring the island. The temperature had dropped slightly and Amanda was glad of this, used to papay temperatures the colder breeze was a welcome change. Before arriving on Støtt we knew nothing about the island, it had a rich history and obviously had played a part in wartime Norway. A small walk and we found a German gun emplacement, buried and hidden in the hills were tunnels and rooms, the beauty of the surrounding area never told of the terror which took place there. We stopped for a moment to enjoy our picnic bought at the local shop (which stays open 12 hours every day! Not bad for an island of only 25 people) the scenery of the islands and skerries on front of us was lovely. We returned to the boat after a nice walk and Amanda and Daniel w took the dingy and headed under the bridge to a island which appeared to only join at low tide. We were lent bikes by locals and used them to get to the island restaurant and sampled whale meat amongst other deliicious fishes. We couldn't recommend the restaurant enough, the food was simply gorgeous. Returning to the boat we were stopped by our neighbouring yacht and offered a port aboard. Spending a few hours telling and listening to old sailing tales we realised the owner of the boat was Stig Larsen whom we had read books written by him. Stig and his friend were incredibly friendly and told us many interesting stories. A lovely evening we shared the fireball with them. Waking up we were sad to get the boat ready to head south again. Saying our goodbyes Stott nd the people of stott had become somewhere we would again hold fondly. We would dearly love to head north and we can only hope that the further north passages of Norway we save for another year, another trip and another adventure.
A night in the most stunning imaginable scenery and setting in a fjord to ourselves we moved on to our next berth. The fjord we had been in was a special place but due to the lack of settlements is rarely travelled and therefore we had the entire fjord to ourselves, we knew how lucky we were and had no doubt that if we were in the med in an area like this we would be sharing the space with hundreds of other boats. Leaving our anchorage we set sail for another fjord where there was also a glacier. Arriving around 2 am we did our best to keep the noise down for the other boats. It was here we saw the first British boat we had seen since leaving Shetland. The scenery was impressive but sharing space with around ten other boats was a shock after having an entire fjord to ourselves. a small walk after tying up we headed to bed around 3am it came as a surprise to be woken in the morning, we were asked to move to give space for another boat to tie up. presuming this was the tourist boat we had read about in the Norway pilot book we quickly moved and were literally pushed from our mooring, and headed to an anchorage a few hundred meters away. We were disappointed to find out that the boat we had moved for was just another private boat who had actually been blocking the way for the tour boat and had therefore pushed us out to stay at the pontoon. After a short sleep the discourtesy shown by the Dutch crew of the Anne-Margaretha put a bad Taste in our mouth. We quickly were reminded that the behaviour of tourists like ourselves could effect other visitors and we would be devastated to ever put others off Norway. Attempting to lift the mood we went to explore the glacier and after a walk and a sligt climb we stood face to face with a wall of ice. Words could not describe the feeling of facing a wall of ice which is bigger, wider and older than we could image. On a sunny day the coldness of the glacier and surrounding air held welcome relief to the unbelievable 30degrees. Returning to the boat we decided it was time to move on and we headed towards a small island we had found on the chart plotter. Støtt island was amidst a sea of glassy calmness and as we approached the guest marina we couldn't help but be reminded of papay. the island small and low seemed like a perfect stopping place for our further most northern point in Norway. We would love to continue our adventures north and with heavy hearts we agreed to settle for here as work awaits us all back home. Landing here and meeting the locals we were again touched by the friendliness and welcoming nature of the Norwegians we have met. We shared a bbq on the beach and Daniel E even tried a barbequed limpet! A bottle of champagne shared between us we spent the evening playing darts talking about old times and enjoying the time we have had and the futures we hope to have.
A few days since we updated due to a lot on and more recently no signal!
We left lysøysund and went south to vallersund to top up with petrol, petrol on the quoy is very rare here and walking with 25 ltr tanks doesn't appeal! So on finding somewhere to fill up we made the most of it and topped up the deck tank with 600ltr too. We were amazed again by the trusting nature of every Norwegian we have met, allowing us to fill up around 800ltrs without us giving them our card first. All ready we set off aiming north, we had a few chosen points along the way which would rely on weather, fuel and how tired we became. The seas were very kind to us and taking the inner leads again we were fortunate to spend most of the journey in glassy still sea. We all had ran out of words to describe the scenery and spent much of the time watching in awe at the mountain ranges and islands. Having started the day at 7 am we were beginning to get tired by 10.30 and appreciating the scenery were debating finding a nice spot to anchor. Realising we only had about 5 points left on our chartplottee before we reached the arctic circle we decided to keep going. The sun was setting but the skies were bright. As we approached a island Daniel question what the navigational marks were and as we all looked trying to work out if it was a lighthouse or not we turned the corner to realise it was in fact the arctic circle monument, closer then we had imagined. Tiredness turned to excitement and the realisation we had reached our aim was overwhelming. Congratulating each other for making it we stood wide eyed at amazement we were actually there! We left the monoment and headed in to a fjord to find a place to anchor. Incredible views and still seas we couldn't help but know how lucky we all were to be here. Wanting to step ashore beyond the arctic circle we took the dingy and walked round the small bay, after a celebratory drink and a midnight walk we headed to bed looking out the Windows as we dropped off. A truly stunning scene a truly stunning day.
We couldn't have done this without the kind help of so many, Maritime transport, Craigie engineering, Crewsaver, Fieldhouse yacht surveyors, Fireball, Liquid image co, Mitchell's powersystems and Volvo Penta. Along with the sponsorship from them the support of our families and friends and the good folk of Papay has been something we will forever be grateful for.
We mustered a reletively early start to tidy up a few bits and plot a course for our next port. Knowing fuel might be tight we hoped for good weather. Leaving harøysund we set sail for sætervagan. As we went to sea and the sea conditions deteriorated we followed Håvards advice and took the inner leads, the calmer weather in coast meant we could maintain a comfortable 20-22knots while still trying to watch the beautiful scenery. Swapping shifts every hour we all had the opportunity to take in the views. If was in that moment of watching the beauty in the world that we really remembered why we were doing this trip at all. As we came on to the home straight fuel was running short and wanting to keep a safe back up in the tanks we decided to head to an earlier port. Find the closest on the chart plotter we navigated some tight Rocky areas to Lysøysund it wasn't until we arrived that we realised it had been one of the first places we had planned to come to over a year ago. Unfortunately the filling station was closed and the shop had just shut so with the help of a friendly local we were directed to a nearby filling station. The marina is close to a resteraunt/pub where after a much longed for shower we grabbed a quick (and delicious!!) meal before going a walk around the area. There was live music in the evening but after a long day at sea we were all struggling to keep out eyes open and headed to bed. Unsure of how long we will stay here we will do a bit of exploring in the morning. The people are again lovely and welcoming and the scenery breathtaking. The temperature of around 30 celcius is the last thing we had expected from Norway!!
We were planning on leave Harøysund today and only had what we hoped was a quick job with changing the alternator left to do. Unfortunately it had us stumped and with assistance from Mitchell's powersystems as well as the hard work of the boys in the boat yard we had a fully functioning engine. The time it had taken meant we would be leaving in the evening and have a night passage ahead of us so when Svein Kåre offered to take us to Molde for the jazz festival we jumped at the chance and chose a morning departure instead.
Svein Kåre drove us to Molde through some stunning scenery and it was nice to see a bit of inland Norway. The mountains and trees were worlds away from our lives in Papay. We met up with Terje who kindly invited us for a drink on his yacht which he had left the boat yard in Harøysund just days before. Wishing us well he left with his girlfriend for a concert and we took a look around town. Svein Kåre drove us to an amazing viewpoint on our way home. The view was unbelievable and no picture could do it justice.
Saying our good bye was difficult and arriving in harøysund days before we had no idea that it would become a place so fondly held by us and with true friends we would be sad to say goodbye to.
