Wednesday, 6 July 2011

July 3rd - High speed sail across Vestfjord


Views of Lille Molle







Walking on Grotoy


The search for the Wifi signal



The forecast this morning was for NE Force 3 to 4 in Vestfjord so we set forth at 9.30 am for Grotoy which is on the mainland about 40 miles NE of Bodo.

The sky was clear and we left Lille Molle under foresails. Vestfjord proved to be quite bumpy and the wind more north than north easterly so in retrospect we might have had a smoother crossing if we had had the main up and reefed. Nevertheless we had a wonderful speedy sail – the wind quickly rose to Force 5 and we were doing 5+ knots with lovely sun, a clear blue sky and blue sea dotted with white horses. The views of mountains on both sides of the fjord were magnificent.

The entry to Grotoy is quite tricky with skerries (small rocky islands) in all directions but it is quite well marked though as ever the rather cryptic poles, where we would expect nice solid red and green buoys, can be difficult to spot.

We got to Grotoy  ( 67⁰50.2’N 14⁰47.5E) at 3.30 pm. It proved to be somewhat exposed and we contemplated going on to another anchorage but realised that thinking out a new route through the skerries needed time and was too complicated to do on the move. We did not want to anchor as we had dragged here last year in a gale! So we tied up alongside a traditional fishing boat which was moored to the end of a pontoon. The pontoon was new since we were here last year and there was another space on it but we had no idea how deep the water was and could only see small boats. Given the wind strength and direction we had to make a quick decision and once we had got all the fenders in place and extra springs on felt quite safe in this position. The owner of the boat who was very helpful – he is in the midst of painting so not about to move – thinks the wind will die down tomorrow.

We had a very good walk a shore and found a marked trail with ladders and ropes up to a high hill which overlooks the harbour and the skerries further south. The shallows and rocks causing the tortuous entry and exit were all too clear. We took the computer with us in the hope of finding a Wifi signal but despite sitting beside 2 microwave dishes at the top of the hill we had no joy!

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