On the move again

Yesterday as the alarm rang at 4am after hours of sleep which could be counted on the fingers of one hand we lugged ourselves out of bed to get ready for the several hours drive to Evenes airport, where we would drop Daniel's Mum and Sister off. 

With our goodbyes said we drove the remaining distance in to Harstad town centre to drop off the car in time for catching the speed ferry back to Andorja. We were in to Harstad in plenty of time for the ferry which only left at 3pm, so we made use of the time to buy some paint for the wheelhouse, something we will have to wait for a sunny day to do. 

Fortunately throughout the whole of Daniel's families visit the weather was beautiful, unfortunately for us the weather seems to have turned perhaps more seasonal, it is Autumn after all. So far we have been aboard in Spring, Summer and now Autumn too, each one of these brings their own highlights. The early snow falls could be any time now, we can also expect a windier season, forcing us to spend more time in port. 

As we speeded across the fjord on the speed ferry toward Andorja we discussed our aims to head further north before winter, it was obvious to us that if we hoped to get north at this time of year we would have to take any weather window we were offered, using calms for moving instead of relaxing in one area, a shame but a sacrifice that has to be made. 

With this in mind we stepped it out on the walk from the ferry port at one end of the island to Laupstad, as soon as we reached the boat starting the engines and preparing to move. 

There was only about two hours of light left and as we pulled away the mist and rain set in so we decided to spend the night in Engenes (next to the speed ferry port) on the same island. At only around 5 miles it might not seem worth it, but every mile counts and it was on route, it was a good short move to get us back in to the swing of things too. 

Tied up to the visitors pontoon in Engenes we sorted the boat out for an early night. One of the most exciting parts of this was getting the bed ready, this because Daniels mum had kindly brought with her our new mattress covers. What's so exciting about mattress covers I hear you ask, well we had looked online for the cheapest possible duvet covers to use as covers, it just so happens the cheapest we could find were these super cool (!) One Direction ones!! So Quickstep is looking a little like a teenage girls bedroom, but hey, it was worth the save...maybe! Certainly no tours aboard, what can I say, Daniel's a huge 1D fan!! 

With 1 Direction in bed we joined them for a few hours before an early start at 6am to make the most of the weather, the promised force 1 doesn't seem to have come but we set out anyway in to a rougher sea than we are used to with several options of stops if we need it. As I type we are heading between Dyroya and mainland Norway, with plans at the moment to spend tonight somewhere on Senja. Updates and photos to follow tonight when we stop.

A short "Holiday" in Norway!

It has been lovely to share the beauty of Norway with Daniels family, we have been lucky enough to have had some incredible weather for them too. The sun has provided warm September days, the leaves beginning to fall from the trees on these windless days.

A walk on Dyroya, looking across to Senja

When Daniels family had originally booked over to Norway we had our fingers crossed for at least one day of calm, we need not have worried though, its been calm for 90% of their stay, hopefully that calm weather can hold on a little longer, it would make the rest of our journey north much smoother sailing! 

It has seemed a little strange to feel like we have been basically abandoning the boat, only having moved her once on a quick trip to Kjotta. Had time allowed we would have loved to take her further, showing Daniels family some of the quiet beautiful places we have explored in the passed weeks, Helloya, Bjarkoy and Meloyvaer. 

Calm evening return sail from Kjotta

We have taken advantage of the opportunity to give Quickstep a bit of an overdue spring clean, unloading lockers before cleaning and repacking. Its nice also to get a proper idea of what stock we have aboard. 

Away from jobs aboard we have had a very relaxed weeks "Holiday", we hired a car in Harstad and have toured by land, reaching walks and sights we just couldn't do by foot. A day trip to Sweden was exciting too, always fun to see a new country. The walks within the Abisko National park were beautiful, we would love to spend more time in Sweden in the future too. They were treated to a great Northern Lights show during their stay too.

Lovely walks on Andorja

We even headed north along the road, so technically we have been further north than Quickstep, we will be sure to change that soon though! While we had the ability with a car we have enjoyed seeing further inland areas, we are unlikely to have a car again during our time in Norway, the inland parts were just as impressive as the coastal scenery. In another life time we would like to spend years walking and cycling through Norway, there is simply too much to see, too little time!  

Flat calm mid September weather

What an experience being back in a house too, having separate rooms to walk between is a bit of a novelty for us! Being able to get up in the morning walk to the kitchen and put the kettle on is far removed from waking up, rolling up our mattresses before digging in the lockers to find the kettle and coffee, starting the generator.... As nice as it has been to have the luxury of space we are quite eager to get back to our lives on Quickstep, it might have its disadvantages but for us the lifestyle is great. 

So tomorrow after returning the car in Harstad via the airport we will get the speed ferry back to Engenes and walk the remaining miles back to Quickstep in Laupstad, we will if time (evenings are noticeably shorter now) and weather permits we might head a few miles north. If that isn't possible we hope to move soon after, overall we are aiming roughly towards Alta, but who knows where we will find to stop. 

Hot autumn days