By Fi
Our heater had broken, so the whole way from somewhere where it broke (can’t remember but it was out for over a week) to Bodø we had to either be plugged into power, or run the generator each afternoon. We really wanted our diesel heater back. Thinking Bodø would be a great place to do this, we spent our first day there wandering from boat service place to boat service place asking if they did Webasto. No, everyone has an Eberspaecher here, but try the car service place. And sure enough, a quick phone call and our part was ordered. One problem solved, now we needed to install it.
But not before picking up our brand new autopilot (read crew) – Adrian’s brother Rohan!
Excited to share our journey, we first up take him straight from his overnight train from Oslo, to the car servicing place to pick up our heater part, then spend the next 6 hours stuck in the depths of the stern trying to figure out how to get all the pieces of the broken part out of the heater. Ro was relaxed about it all, and took the opportunity to unpack and take the edge off the jetlag from his big trip from Brisbane in Australia.
The sensor in the heater had basically disintegrated, but also welded itself inside the heater. Ro and Fi take time out to provision while Adrian swears at the heater for a while. After a few more hours, and some, shall we say, encouragement, the bits and pieces of the broken sensor finally let go, and we can fit the new sensor and hold our breath as the heater starts, and makes all the right noises again. Right, we can go. Whilst its late Spring here in north Norway, its cold.
The next day, we do some tidying up and secure the boat ready for sailing. We only planned to go 5 miles to an island called Landegode. Due to the light winds, we potter along at 3 knots and it takes us a couple of hours. Its a good light intro to sailing Away, and we anchor up for the night, to enjoy the katabatic winds in the anchorage.
Ro and Adrian brave the weather and go for an explore onshore after we anchor. Fi takes the opportunity for a quick and much needed nap after all that sailing.
The next day, Fi and Adrian plan for a more lively sail, aiming for Røst at the very south of the Lofoten Islands. Alas, the winds had other plans, and after some bumpy upwind sailing, we decide that perhaps Å, a little further north would be nice, plus the sailing would get more comfortable.
The winds are good, and we have 1 reef in the main and the full genoa out most of the time, except when it really picked up and the staysail came out.
Usually, you can see the islands already, however the day is grey and cloudy.
As the day passes by, we keep thinking we see glimpses of something peeking through the low clouds. Eventually, the snowcapped mountains of Lofoten show their faces and welcome us in.
Eventually, the small fishing village of Å comes into view.
Unfortunately, when we arrive, we see that the guest pier has been removed, and there was no where for Away to go, so a quick replan results in a short trip around the corner to Sørvågen.
This is the first of many encounters with the drying stockfish here in Lofoten. They are not salted or cured, rather the fish are cleaned and hung up to dry and the climate takes care of the rest. The perfect temperatures, bit of snow, sun, rain and wind make for perfectly dried fish.
We decide the next day to take a hike.
We walk past some puppies (sorry no photos) and up to the first lake, where we take some trail head, and then another trail head, up through some bush bashing to eventually get to the actual trail head and trail up to the next lake, and the next, and then a hill.
What a stunning walk. However as with all these adventures, we need to move on. We plan that evening a trip a few miles east to a town called Reine.
We leave the next morning at a reasonable time.
Adrian predicted that once the Arctic circle was entered, the waters would be teeming with life, and sure enough, we see seals, orcas and whales as we sail to Reine.
Reine has been a trading village since 1793 and about 300 people currently live here. We can see the popular mountain of Reinebringen as we sail towards the coastline. We dock Away at Reine, and begin to plan our next adventures which will of course involve a good hike up Reinebringen.
The next day we pack up the backpacks, and the dog, and begin the ascent up Reinebringen. Sherpas have built these stairs to make it easier and safer for hikers as there were a few accidents with rock falls previously. It is good money for the Sherpas, and Norway gets good stairs. 1,978 in this case to be precise.
We reach what appears to be almost the top, and Adrian taps out. No more exposure for him. Ro asks Fi – further up? Fi says “YES!” so off we go, unempathetically leaving Adrian to his heights issues.
We wander back into town, and find more drying stockfish and reflect on our journey up the mountain. We also have a delicious meal at the local restaurant of whale ceviche and cod tongues.
The next day, we plan to head off to an anchorage and hoping for less katabatic winds this time. We find one anchorage, but there were 2 boats already anchored and therefore = FULL. So we motor around to our second choice which was empty and we drop anchor in Straumøya.
It was a beautiful spot to stop and Adrian and Ro take the opportunity to go for another walk in the hills before dinner (which was roast chicken and potatoes – on anchor – thank you massive battery bank and induction cooking).
But after a good sleep, we knew that more adventures could be had, so Fi weighed anchor, pulling off 10kgs of kelp as she went, and we headed out to a town called Ballstad. If there was going to be no wind, perhaps we could camp somewhere?
Absolutely there could be camping! But not before we make our newest crew member do the docking in Ballstad.
Safely docked, and Away’s deepest cupboards raided for the camping gear, we loaded up and headed out for a hike and some sleeping in the hills. Fi laments not having purchased the doggy backpack so Bernie could be of use.
At our beautiful spot for the evening, it was a little windy, but not so bad, but it did bring the chill with it. We collect snow for water and spend some time filtering it, before cooking our soup and freeze dried meals. We’re super happy to have such a comfortable and spectacular spot.
The next morning, Bernie asks politely for Fi to get up so that we can eat, and then go for another hike down the hill to town. It is Norwegian National Day so there are celebrations to watch including a parade, and children throwing things at cans.
We get to town, and walk and walk trying to catch up to the parade who seemed to be getting further and further in front of us. No matter, we eventually found them at the local school and admired the traditional dress of the area, and ate a hot dog and cake.
National Day or Constitution Day celebrates the signing of the constitution on the 17th of May 1814, declaring Norway to be an independent kingdom. It is typically centred around the children, and the local school will organise a march and music and food. This day also represents an opportunity for people to wear the traditional dress of the area in Norway where they live.
Back to the boat, we needed to “decamp” ourselves, so showers were had, unpacking and drying gear was done, a cup of tea and a bit of a sit and chat.
And planning, there is always planning. The next day we would brave the wobbly waves for Henningsvær, another cute fishing village.
Off we go! 20-25 knots on a broad reach and we get 9 knots of speed, averaging about 7. We hand steer as the waves keep spinning us as the autopilot can’t keep up. We do this for a few hours, before bravely dropping sail in the swell, and turning into port.
Tied up safely at the dock, we take a breath as it was pretty rolly out there. Our neighbour asks how it was, and agreed that it would have been rolly. The harbour is surrounded by old fisherman’s cabins come restaurants, shops and galleries. It is also home to an interesting football field right on the water.
Fi manages to find a nice restaurant and sauna, so we partake in both. Finally, we are VIKINGS as we brave the less than 5 degree celsius water to cool off during the hot hot sauna. After sauna, its a fish dinner and a great sleep. So Viking. As an addendum to this, we replace our transducer and it is telling us the water is -1 degree celcius – hmmmm.
After a breakfast of the best cinnamon buns in Lofoten, it is here that Ro is no longer Away. He heads off into the grey gloom for more adventures traveling home to Brisbane. Away is now just the 3 of us, planning for some more adventures and hoping for some more wild camping. Having Ro on board has inspired us!
