Norway at last!!

Well hello from Norway!! 

Quickstep at the pontoon in Hardbakke, Sula

We had been watching a weather window from Baltasound for a week or so which was gradually getting smaller and smaller, having kept an eye we decided to make a go for it and on Wednesday we raced around filling the boat with fuel and preparing her for sea. 

At about 8pm we donned our crewsaver lifejackets and drysuits then decided to head out a look as the wind had calmed down, but following advice from locals we realised the northerly swell might take much longer to calm down and we prepared ourselves with the idea we might turn around fairly quickly. 

As we left the East of Balti island there was indeed a rolling swell from the north, agreeing to get out past the effects of shallow water and land we carried on with outboards. We had planned to use the outboards while the light was diminishing until we could see well enough for planing speeds. Having continued on through the sea sickness at around 3.30am with the first glimmers of light we started the main engine and began knocking of the miles. Our Carson RIB handled the seas valiantly rarely taking the seas with a crash she fought on through. Unfortunately after putting in a good fight our trusty old engine finally gave in with a puff of smoke! It was great in this moment to have our Pains Wessex flares at hand, while you always hope never to need them they are very reassuring. so with 20 miles to land we switched back to the outboards, with land in site we could count down the miles and following our charts we pulled in to Hardbakke in Sula (incidentally our leaving point in 2014). Some 23 hours after leaving Unst we were tied up, tired and a little fraught we looked over the engine damage before heading to bed. 

Amanda looking out over the rocky scenery

Our first morning in Norway was spent tidying up and rearranging lockers, feeling a bit more human we checked over the engine again before grabbing a few packets of Stockans oatcakes and OIP chilli jam heading for a walk and picnic to let the fact we had arrived in Norway set in! On our return to the boat a couple of hours later we jumped aboard to discover the boat was full of water, with water having spread from the engine box through gaps to as far forward as the toilet locker in the cabin area. With quick work we had her emptied of water and assessed the damage to stores and electronics. Unfortunately when we left the boat the trim of the boat had led to the engine exhaust outlet which had burnt through to leak, and the fire extinguishers powder had clogged the bilge pumps. Thankfully damage to stores whilst upsetting hasn't been extensive enough to stop our adventure. We are also thankful we had many of our stores in our waterproof Overboard bags, which saved them from any water at all, and a lot of our electronics were saved by our Vanguard case.

These have obviously never seen many British RIBs before!

so with morale taking a beating we headed north today, the lack of main engine means were running much slower, so the Minox binoculars have been great for spotting other boats in plenty of time to manoeuvre as required. A few hours later we arrived in Færøy a small farming island with a population of around 12, and taking our bottle of champagne to shore we found a spot to stop over looking Quickstep, to sit for a moment and think with clear heads. 

Lots of houses are only accessible from the sea, wouldn't need to worry about traffic here! 

Mostly we are happy to be safe and well in Norway, and on with the journey!! 

Quickstep in Faeroy

The next few days forecast a few gales so we will likely stay put and continue to get ship shape again. The fenders will be vital while we are waiting out the storm at pontoons. 

Faeroy looking towards mainland Norway

The spot tracker appears to have given in too and so we are best tracked by AIS now, for those of you already watching on AIS we have changed from a yellow (high speed craft) to a pleasure vessel, we don't think barely reaching 6 knots counts as a high speed craft!! there also appear to be a problem with our AIS link!! 

Snow on the mountains, it is only April after all!

Over the next few days we will update you on the latest! Thank you to all the kind people who have made our journey possible, and also to our trusty Volvo which fought a good fight!! 

No Norway adventure would be complete without the obligatory champagne!