1 year in Norway

Well exactly one year ago to the minute we would have been approaching the Norwegian coast or more specifically we would have been panicking with an engine fire and seasickness caused by an unrelenting swell.
When we arrived in Norway we noted that there was still snow on the tops of the higher mountains and fjords, now 600 miles further north there is a huge amount of snow still around, (enough for snow scootering!) although we hear that the rain is due to melt it all away soon.

Just a short few days after arriving in Norway the temperature was in the 20+C I doubt we are going to be facing that any time soon here with temperatures at night still dropping several below zero.
Quickstep has served us amazingly, our home and transport from our previous home in Papay to our new home in Norway... we are quite sad to relegate her from liveaboard to a day trip boat but we can't lie, it's been nice to be able to stretch in the morning without fear of hitting our heads on a heater or oven!

Emptying Quickstep by bikes was certainly taking a long time and I'm not convinced our bikes nor bums appreciated the heavy loads! (Note to self, must buy a more comfortable bike saddle....) very kindly a neighbour offered a hand and with a journey in a car and then a fully loaded trailer Quickstep is now empty. She has risen a huge amount out of the water, I'd hate to guess how much weight we had on her, amazing she floated at all!! Certainly earlier in our adventure we likely had over 2 tons aboard including fuel!
Over the next while we plan to explore around our new home and to go out on Quickstep locally.
Over the weekend we plan to put Quickstep on the beach and give her a good scrub... it will be fun to see how fast we go now with so much weight removed!

So, to Quickstep, thanks for the most amazing year! To more adventures in the future too..

The end of Papay Arctic Adventure 2

The Queens 90th birthday beacon in Unst

One year ago today we were standing in the north of Unst, Shetland around a huge bonfire in celebration of the Queens 90th Birthday. We were discreetly hopeful as we watched a possible weather window for a crossing to Norway, but as with anything at sea, there are no certainties.

Just a few days later though, we set off from Baltasound, heading East towards Norway. A stressful 23hours later we stood on Norwegian soil for the first time since summer 2014. 

The mixed emotions following the crossing didn't dampen our good cheer at being back in the land we fell in love with just 2 years prior. With every day we have travelled the stunning coast we have felt truly privileged, as we mentioned recently in another blog post we had already been feeling upset that our Norwegian adventure was in its closing months. 

Having sold our house earlier this year we were in the process of buying another house, this also meant we were feeling pressurised to rush the last part of the adventure in Norway. Through unforeseen circumstances the house purchase fell through. 

A few frank talks later and we decided that as we are so fond of Norway why not do all that we can to spend more time here. So, having gone through the immigration process we are thrilled to announce we have bought a house in Norway!! We haven't been sitting on this information for very long, its been a bit of whirlwind of impulsive decisions, but that's what life is about....

We are very excited about our next adventure living and working in Norway. Nonetheless we would be lying to say this doesn't come with it's own upsets. For one we are very sad to not be able to (this year anyway....) explore again on our way south, drawing Papay Arctic Adventure part 2 to an early close is a regretful sacrifice for us. 

On the other hand we have a huge amount to be excited about and while we might not be able to carry on as far south as Bergen this year we will explore the more immediate surroundings this summer. For the future we are in the perfect location to travel further north or south, by sea and land. 

Over the next few days we will move the boat to our new home where we have already reserved a permanent marina berth for our loyal home of the last year... we will be sure to raise a glass on the 28th, Quicksteps 1 year anniversary of arriving in Norway, a day that shaped our future no doubt. 

So, a rather more abrupt end to PAA2 than we would have ever believed stood around the bonfire on Unst, but while this might be the closing of one adventure it is the opening of another....And so begins Papay Arctic Adventure Part 3!

Thank you to all you amazing people who have followed our adventure from all corners of the globe, its been a great support.
We will update the facebook and blog every now and again with our other explorations!

Papay Arctic Adventure 3 begins... new bikes for the next adventures

Happy Easter

Sheets of Ice left on the rocks by the receding tide.  

There is now a glimmer of light in the sky all night and the time the sun is above the horizon is steadily increasing as spring progresses. With the arrival of the Easter holidays the marina has seen an influx of activity. The quiet winter days where it was rare to see another boater or hear another engine have certainly passed now.

Ski tracks in the snow.

Every shop and business closes down for Easter and people head out with families and friends on their skis, boats or to their huts. Its a bizarre feeling to walk through the town centre without any sign of life nearby. 

We too have been enjoying the calm weather over the Easter break with a few picnics in the parks and hills. 

The marina is getting busier now as the start of the pleasure boating season is upon us.

The weather while calm hasn't particularly warmed up yet, dropping to -8C in the early hours one night causing the marina to once more cover in a sheet of ice. That said while the sun is out some of the snow has begun to melt away, the South East facing surfaces are really clearing up and for the first time in months driveways are free from ice and snow. It is still amazing to us that the grass and plants can survive the conditions here, but give it a few weeks and there will be a splash of colour in the gardens and along the road sides. 

Beautifully sunny spring days

Our time in Hagan marina is now drawing to a close, something that comes with mixed emotions. Its been a true pleasure spending our winter in this lovely marina and as time has passed it really has been home for us, we still feel there is more to explore here and it will be sad to leave. On the other hand we are excited too for what comes next... big announcements to follow.

It won't be long until the snow disappears but there is still plenty around!

to Bjarkøy and back by Volvo

After all Arnts work on the engine we were eager to try it out and so with suitable weather for a trip north to one of our favourite Winter destinations, Bjarkøy, we couldn't resist. 

Getting the cover down and up takes a bit of time but then it is very helpful so its worth it, trying to untie the ropes that are frozen can be a real pest though!

The crossing to Bjarkøy ususally takes up a good 3hours with the yamahas, but with the main engine running perfectly though it only took us 45mins! Its amazing the difference, although it can be a bit more stressful, look away from where you're going for just a few seconds and you can find yourself on something rocky! 

When we arrived in Bjarkøy the marina was snow free but over night and through the next day it snowed plenty to make up for it! We keep thinking it will be the last snow but there is always another cold snap to follow, including another -5C period forecast over the next few days. 

We also witnessed the brightest Northern Lights we have ever seen, briefly but just astonishing. The moon was bright and there was still light in the North of the sky but these northern lights looked like they could light up the whole sky. Unfortunately a quick dash to get a camera proved too slow and we could only catch the dimmer end of the show. 

We are now back in Hagan after just a short weekend in Bjarkøy it was lovely to be back there though.

A decent planing speed gives out an impressive wake

Not much snow left when we arrive

Getting closer to a summery glow in the evenings now

Not the only pleasure boaters out for the weekend, these two yachts had also come from Harstad!

Merry Dancers

Still a good glow in the sky after 11pm

Big Snowflakes

Heading back to Hagan

more sledging....

Exploring by car

Arnt has been a huge help aboard including helping us to change a few bits on the engine, some winter maintenance! He has an amazing workshop full of all manner of interesting bits and bobs and every tool we could ever imagine, he’s definitely the man for any job!

Engine stripping

The New and the Old

One of the many cools things in Arnts workshop!!

We decided to treat ourselves on one fine sunny day to a picnic in the snow, while we were out we also went along the Vinmonopolet for a bottle of spirits. Getting two lollipops, for showing ID we presume!

Snow on the lake

Picnic

Vinmonopolet lollys

The picnic was lovely the wind down and the sun sharing some noticeable warmth, nonetheless when the sun dips behind a cloud you can certainly feel it. We had thought the warmer days were arriving but it was soon followed by more below freezing weather.

A Bit Cold aboard

The freezing weather came with several snowfalls and some windy days too. It was good to be able to take shelter in the boatclub here and we were timing walking back to the boat between the blizzards.

We hired a car to have a look around some of the local areas, a little more in land too. Driving conditions a little unlike we are used to back home, thankfully the car comes with studded tyres although it can still be quite nerve-wracking, especially meeting some of the larger snow clearing machines which seem impossibly large next to the smallest rental car!

High snow at the road edges

Living aboard Quickstep might seem a challenge at times, but living in a small car seems more of a challenge, so to stretch our legs we made the most of the dry weather by having a few spring time snow surrounded BBQs on the beach.

The scenery as ever was stunning and the food (as ever…) was far too much but we soldiered on through it all! The smoke from the BBQ at several points going straight up, not bad at all for this time of year!

We also let our immaturity take over and having found a tempting snowy hill went sledging, every now and again having a look around to make sure we weren’t being watched by baffled locals… What can we say, British Tourists haven't seen much snow!

After getting absolutely covered in snow we went back to the car and settling in for the evening with our summer duvets in a virtually unheated car when outside was well in to the minus figures, we missed our heaters aboard Quickstep…!!

Pathway to the beach for a BBQ

Amazing Icicles

All in all though we had a lovely few days exploring in beautiful scenery, Daniel today showing Amanda the long walk he did while she was away, albeit this time by car! The weather has warmed up now and the rain hasn’t stopped since this morning. A few days of windy wet weather are forecast so we might not venture too far from the boat.