The Midnight Sun - Andenes looking NNE
Larry bathed in the Midnight Sun
The harbour at Sto
Sto harbour -Sue boarding Larry via the ratlines
The midnight sun last night was fantastic and we were in the perfect place to see it. It is very strange to find the sun in the north gradually moving east and well above the horizon.
We awoke to a reasonably sunny day but the forecast was for rain later. We left Andenes by the westerly exit which was considerably more complicated, rock strewn and shallow than the approach we came in by yesterday!
We headed straight out to the continental shelf but once again there were no whales but hundreds of fulmar. So we turned SW towards Sto. There was some wind and quite a swell so we motorsailed with headsails up. The wind gradually died and the sky became overcast but the drizzle did not start until just before we entered Sto (69⁰01.24 15⁰07.46), which is a small fishing village at the northern tip of the island of Langoya. They run whale safaris from here and the crew told us that we were looking in the right place but to find them they go out - a 3 hour journey - and then wait around for 2 to 3 hours. They can watch from their crow’s nest and can move quite fast when a whale is sighted. They also have radar and sonar equipment which helps. They saw a sperm whale today but it was not a very successful trip because hanging around in the swell had the predictable effect on the passengers!
We much enjoyed the company of the fulmars and studying their short take-off and landing techniques and ability to glide low along the ever-changing contours of the sea. We also saw a pair of shags, one or two gannets, several squadrons of puffins both on the water and in the air and an arctic skua chasing a gull. Apparently they are the pirates of the bird world and chase and attack other birds to get them to drop their catch so that the skuas can seize it.
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