5. SVOLVÆR (LOFOTEN ISLANDS) TO TROMSØ (26 June to 5 July 2013)

We are now in Tromsø, having made our way here from Svolvær, capital of the Lofoten Islands, from where we published our last Post (No 4) on 25 June, soon after we arrived.  Our progress since leaving Ipswich on 8 May is illustrated on the following overview:

Progress to date from Ipswich

Our route to Tromsø via the Vesterålen Islands and Senja is shown in more detail below and is the subject of this Post:

Route from Svolvær (Lofoten Islands) to Tromsø

On the evening of our arrival in Svolvær, in the Lofotens, we visited the Lofoten War Memorial Museum which was being kept open late to accommodate the arrival of a Hurtigruten coastal steamer. The Museum is privately and passionately owned. Hundreds of artefacts have been acquired over the last fifty years and there are many evocative, largely unpublished, WWII photographs on display.  The labelling, as in most Norwegian museums, was in Norwegian and English – and German.

Lofoten War Memorial Museum, Svolvær

The town once sprawled across a series of skerries, most of which have now been filled in to create a reclaimed peninsula.  Many of the concrete buildings in the town centre are not particularly attractive. Nor is the town quay on which we moored, but at least it was free and solidly constructed (unlike some). Very different from the picturesque villages we’ve become used to stopping in. 

Svolvær harbour quay at low tide from Island Drifter’s saloon

The “Svolvær goat”, clearly visible jutting out of the mountain overlooking the harbour, provides a supreme rock-climbing challenge for enthusiasts who aim to scale one of the 40-metre horns and then cross to the other. It was impossible to hold Helen back from this challenge!

Helen leaps the “Svolvær goat”!

At the entrance to the harbour there is a statue of a fisherman’s wife poignantly waving farewell to her husband as he sets off to sea to fish.  Fishing has always been a hard and dangerous occupation.  When we were in the Shetlands two years ago, two fishermen died in the same week while fishing on separate boats, drowned when they became caught up in their long creel (fishpot) lines. At the time we were surprised, when listening to one of the incidents on our VHF, that the Coast Guard seemed more concerned with getting someone to pull up the fishpots than looking for a survivor or floating body. We now know why.

Statue of fisherman’s wife at harbour exit, Svolvær

From Svolvær we made our way north into the Øyhellesund which leads into the Raftsundet. The latter divides Austvågøya (Lofoten) from Hinnøya (Vesterålen). It can be seen from the chart below that the Vesterålen Islands lie to the northeast and north of Austvågøya, the Lofoten chain’s most northern island.  The islands are linked to each other and the mainland to the east by roads, bridges and tunnels, and to the Lofotens by the E10, or the “Lofoten Highway”.

Vesterålen Islands in relation to Lofotens and mainland

Vesterålen’s harbours and villages are more functional and less picturesque than their Lofoten neighbours. It is populated by smaller and fewer communities, particularly on the west coast.  They have significantly fewer tourists since the islands are well off the “beaten track”.  Campervans are, however, beginning to explore this outer area.  

Vesterålen scenery in the Raftsundet narrows

The currents in the Raftsundet, which separates the Lofotens from the Vesterålens, run swiftly, particularly where it narrows in three locations.  It was therefore essential to time our passage right.  We chose to travel through the Øyhellesund Narrows at low tide when the water was slack because we wanted to visit and stop at the Trollfjord five miles further on and then catch the next north-going tide.  It was shallower than we had calculated.  We ended up with half a metre under the keel and could clearly see shallow sloping sandy banks less than 10 metres away on either side. Mike felt a compelling need for a “strong ship’s coffee” once we were safely through.  Fortunately, Percy (our Perkins engine) behaved!

Approach to the very shallow Øyhellesund Narrows

To be fair to Percy, he now appears to be working well – with the odd hiccup.  OUR problem is that, after two months, our nerves are on edge and we imagine that we hear the revs drop if, for instance, we change our position in the boat – when in fact they haven’t! During the winter the fuel tanks were emptied and cleaned.  A number of the connections in the fuel system were clearly not put back properly (and are now 18 years old). We’re now fairly convinced that the problem all along has been air being sucked into the system causing fuel starvation to the injectors. The system has 64 opportunities for air to be sucked into it: 8 metal washers,18 rubber washers, 24 jubilee clips and 14 olives.  We’ve ended up checking, repairing, replacing or modifying most of them using clear tubing to help identify where leaks were originating.  In the case of the olives and joints in the copper pipes, we glued these with Loktite since we were initially unable to find appropriate replacements in Norway.  Necessity and all that…  Even so, things are still not 100% right, but it is no longer a major problem (hopefully). Finding an air leak is not easy!  When we get back to Ipswich we’ll review and modify the present system to avoid such problems in the future.

Percy

Soon after passing through the Øyhellesund Narrows at the south end of the sound we turned, as planned, into the Trollfjord.  It is a spectacularly steep and narrow fjord, but only two miles long. At its end on a wooden quay we met up again with Peter and Jeannette on Passe-Partout. They’d stayed the night there in solitary splendour in a dream location.

Island Drifter leaving Trollfjord

Mike and Peter went off fishing in our dinghy and came back with five cod. It’s a pity that the one Peter is holding in the photo below is the small one they’d kept for crab bait! The others weighed between 3 and 5lbs. Just right.

Mike and Peter returning from fishing trip

At 1500 hours, as planned, we left in convoy to travel the rest of the Raftsundet with the north-going tide.  Great fun in the Narrows! At one stage our speed over the ground was more than 9 knots. 

Note Boat Speed

Once out of the sound and into the Hadselfjord we put up the sails and enjoyed a close reach into wind across to Stokmarknes, a protected harbour on the north side of the island of Hadseløya. It’s a pity we were sailing into wind otherwise we could have had the mizzen up and got a better photograph of Island Drifter.

Island Drifter under sail into wind

One of the reasons for going to Stokmarknes was that the local guidebook specifically advertised that a washing machine and showers were readily available for the use of cruisers. Such facilities have not been available in the Lofotens where we’ve stayed, so Helen and Jeannette were not happy when they found a notice on the pontoon advising that such facilities were now “withdrawn”!

While located in very attractive surroundings, Stokmarknes is clearly a more functional town than its more scenic Lofoten equivalents.

Stokmarknes guest pontoon and unpretentious town centre

That evening we assembled on Passe-Partout and Jeannette cooked an excellent cod and orange soup. Helen has the recipe and we have since tried it out with great success.

Our main reason for visiting Stokmarknes was to see the Hurtigruten Museum. As one would expect, it was very professionally presented and portrayed the history of the coastal steamer since its inception in Stokmarknes in 1893.  Today their 11 ships operate 24 hours a day, all year round. They carry mail, freight and passengers, including an increasing number of tourists looking for a scenic experience. The ships call into 35 ports in the 2,500 miles between Kirkenes in the far north and Bergen in the south. They are a vital link in Norway’s transport system. 

Hurtigruten Bridge exhibit

Peter and Jeannette left next morning to go north up the Sortlandsundet, the inner lead, to Sortland, the commercial centre of the Vesterålens.  They have since told us that, like the unicorn, the advertised washing machine did not exist there either!  We, meanwhile, pootled 3 miles west to a delightful anchorage on the east side of Holmsnesøy islet, part of the island of Langøya. On the islet was one of the many small white coral sand beaches we were to see in this area. These are a reminder that the land-mass of Norway was once at the Equator.

Holmsnesøy anchorage

We spent the afternoon in the cockpit in the sun before going ashore by dinghy to explore the surrounding islets. There we discovered patches of wild cloudberries.  These berries are highly prized and considered a great delicacy.  Locations are jealously guarded in certain areas and scrumpers are known to have been prosecuted!  Warm cloudberry jam with ice cream is fantastic. 

Wild cloudberry on Holmsnesøy

Next morning, given the excellent weather that appeared to be holding, we decided to continue north outside the skjægård along the exposed western coast of Langøya, rather than through the sheltered inner leads to the east.   Late afternoon we pulled into Hovden, a small fishing village on the northern tip of Langøya.  We were the first yacht to arrive this year. Only four yachts visited last year! It is not surprising therefore that we were of interest to some of the local inhabitants of this scattered fishing and holiday hamlet.

Hovden pontoon showing rocky 
approach to harbour in background

While looking around the hamlet, we came across a family whose children were enthusiastically trying to sell the plaice that their grandfather had netted that day.  We bought two and had them for supper before going back out to another house for dessert of coffee and waffles.  Again, a young entrepreneur was making some pocket money! 

Fresh fish for sale!

The next day a local angler, with whom we had previously chatted, brought us a 5lb cod which he’d just caught and was, he explained, surplus to his requirements. For supper we used a local recipe for curried cod which was excellent.

Curried fresh cod for supper

Later we joined Ulf Hansen, a local ex-fisherman, now a high school biology teacher in Trondheim, whom we’d got to know, and his family for a drink and nibbles on their patio.  We had in particular been invited to see his old family photos of the hamlet dating from 1895.  They were fascinating. We were introduced to the Norwegian custom of eating strands of dried cod (the Norwegian equivalent of biltong) as an accompaniment to beer.  An acquired taste but very moreish once acquired.  As our host pointed out, much better for one than crisps. Seabirds nest in every nook and cranny that they can find, including the roof of Ulf’s summer house.

Chicks enjoying the evening sun on Ulf’s summer house roof

After a most enjoyable evening, Ulf and his stepdaughter Siv walked us back to point out the best vantage point for viewing the midnight sun.  

A rare photograph of us!

We’ve struggled to get a good sighting and photograph of the Midnight Sun.  Apart from anything else, we need a more sophisticated camera.  Initially, however, we failed to recognise the effects of time zones!  At 15 degrees east, “midnight” here is an hour earlier than GMT and since local time is two hours ahead of GMT, the sun does not reach its nadir until 0100 local time.  When first watching at “midnight” we wondered why the sun was still sinking!

Midnight Sun from Hovden

We eventually got to bed at 3 a.m.  With 24 hours of good daylight, the time of day becomes less important.  We were up four hours later at 7 a.m.  We’d previously been invited to use an industrial washing machine, tumble dryer and the shower provided for employees in a corner of the rickety old fish-processing shed perched above the water on stilts. Unlike the shed’s exterior, the facilities inside were in immaculate condition and we made full use of them.  Before leaving we fortunately remembered to collect our THIRD load of washing from the dryer.

Helen outside laundry in dilapidated 

fish-processing shed in Hovden

It took four hours from Hovden to Stø, which clings to the northern tip of Langøya. We planned to use the harbour as a springboard for crossing the 40-mile stretch of open water to Andenes at the top of Andøya, the next and last island in the Vesterålen group. The weather can change very quickly so we wanted to be well positioned. Like Hovden, Stø was another unpretentious working fishing harbour. The five-hour round trip to the ghost village of Nyksund, initially over the 517m Sørkulen peninsula and back along the shore, is known as the Queen’s Walk.  It’s named after a hike taken by Norway’s Queen Sonja in 1994. Today the abandoned village of Nyksund has been restored with rorbu accommodation for visitors and a handful of local people have moved back. 

The other attraction (for campervan owners) was that the campsite on the edge of the village provided a clear view of the midnight sun. Mike ruined the evening for an athletic couple, who had climbed the steep headland to get an even better view, by informing that they had descended an hour early!

Stø harbour with colourful inshore 

fishing fleet in background

As it happened, we ended up motor-sailing in flat seas from Stø to Andenes. It is the principal port and town (pop. 4200) of Andøya and Vesterålen’s most northern point and largest fishing centre by far. 

Only 15 miles west of Andøya the continental shelf plummets rapidly from 100 to 2,500 metres. The deep cold waters attract squid including, we read, some gigantic ones.  These in turn attract squid-loving sperm whales. Unsurprisingly, an active whale-watching safari industry has developed. They guarantee a sighting or “your money back”.  At £100 per person we gave this trip a miss. It helped that we’d seen whales before and actually had one come up 50 metres in front of us on our way to Andenes.

One of the whale safari boats in Andenes

We had one of our better sails, poled out and with all three sails up, from Andenes to Hamn in Senja, Norway’s second largest island, just off the mainland.  

Running downwind with all sails up

It was a pleasant and relaxing sail with the wind behind us.  

Helen enjoys a crackingly good sail to Senja!

Towards the end of the crossing to Senja, we wove our way through the skerries of Bergsfjord into Hamn. Contrary to our normal practice, we chose a very small, sophisticated resort constructed on the site of a former fishing harbour. The rorbu accommodation is painted granite grey to blend in with the surroundings – unlike the bright colours normally used.  Hamn is a delightful, small holiday complex with an upmarket restaurant and facilities.  These include a sauna, a hot-tub in an old fishing smack, outstanding showers (towels provided), laundry and wifi – all included in a modest mooring fee.  The resort provides diving, fishing, boating and kayaking for the guests. We actually stayed the following day since we became hooked on the luxuries, which to date we’ve not been accustomed to! Interestingly, nearby is the small dam used for what is claimed to be the world’s first hydro-electric generating plant.

Hamn holiday resort, Senja

We travelled 30 miles next day to the small working village of Botnhavn on the northeast coast of Senja – a good location from which to reach Tromsø, our most northerly destination.

Our passage to Botnhavn from Hamn took us along the north and northwest coasts of the island of Senja.  These coasts directly face the Arctic Ocean and comprise steep headlands, deep fjords and sharp mountain peaks that rise vertically from the ocean.  Few people live along the coastline although there are some small hamlets tucked into the fjords. Once into the Malangen Sound between Senja and Kvaløya to the north, the waters and coastline become significantly better protected. As it was, we motored all day in flat water.

 

Dramatic coastline of Senja, bordering Arctic Ocean

Botnhavn harbour does not see a need to cater for yachts. Local fishermen were, however, most helpful making space available on a pontoon and taking our lines. We can’t imagine the Whitby fishermen doing the same. They are more accustomed to cutting lines…

Working fishmen's quay, Botnhavn

The 25-mile sail from Botnhavn to Tromsø went well. The weather was good and we caught the tides right in both the Rystraum Narrows and Tromsø sound itself. On arrival we bought a kilo of prawns and had lunch.

 Fresh prawns for lunch in Tromsø

We'll spend a day or two here before turning south and exploring the inner leads and fjords down to Bodø. From there we'll push on, weather permitting, to Ipswich.  We expect to get back by early August.