Zac comes aboard for the first time
H, J, S, J, & Z arrived on time yesterday evening. Fortunately the scheduled rain had not yet started so we walked to Larry from the airport. It rained quite a lot in the night but by morning it was intermittent drizzle and we set off after breakfast with the weather clearing up although no wind. We motored to Bliksvaer and had a good time with the dinghies. Sam rowed to the island opposite the pontoon and he, John and Joe climbed up the hill. We also visited a sandy beach and climbed/scrambled up another series of hills.
We all had supper together and set off about 8 pm for Stromoy on the Lofotens. We had a lovely evening with calm seas and a light breeze for once not quite on the nose so we were able to sail for the first couple of hours and then motorsail across. The boys went to bed soon after we left and woke as we dropped anchor in Stromoy (68⁰03.7N 13⁰23.7E) There were clouds ahead of us for much of the way but in the early hours it cleared and we came into this lovely little anchorage in beautiful sunlight.
exploring Bliksvaer
Sam rowing the Tinker Tramp
Grandpa & Joe
The day was spent sailing and motoring in the dinghies and exploring one of the surrounding hills and one of the beaches. There were several houses around the shore and to go to the beach we were able to use one of the private pontoons which was useful. In the early part of the evening the wind rose and we had quite a windy night but the anchor was well dug in to good sand so there were no problems.
Stromoy
the lifeboat putting on a display of their fire-power!
We saw two eagles – one on its own and one being chased by 2 herring gulls.
27th July - Nusfjord
Nusfjord
We set off after breakfast under stay sail and jib. The boys are getting very good at helping to put the sails up and tidy up ropes and fenders. We had a lovely sail down the coast with a light northerly and were intending to go to Sund but decided to have a quick look at Nusfjord (68⁰01.8N 13⁰21.5E) and motored in. It was absolutely stunning and probably because 2 sailing boats had just gone out we were able to moor up to a rather short pontoon right in the centre of the harbour. It was perfect with hook-ups and water plus a little shop selling milk etc as well as lots of tourist items. The village is a working fishing village with a world heritage preservation order- it is stunningly beautiful and not nearly as ‘twee’ and bijou as we had expected. We went ashore and had a wonderful walk round the bay and out over rocks to the lighthouse. Amazingly the not very high cliff adjacent to our pontoon was home to a colony of kittiwakes – so the harbour was far from quiet but it was a spectacular site to see the nests and feeding going on so close to us.
July 28th - Reine
leaving Nusfjord
moored in Reine
We left after breakfast in very calm conditions but with a light northerly so the boys helped to put up the main as well as the 2 foresails. We sailed for a bit and then motorsailed to Sund (68⁰N 13⁰12.4E) about 5 miles down the coast where we stopped for lunch and a walk ashore. It is another working fishing village with a very sheltered harbour.
We then went onto Reine (67⁰56.2N 13⁰05E) – and once again were lucky in finding a pontoon where we rafted up to a very friendly Frenchman. On the way we had had sight of the bridge which we hope to go under first thing tomorrow morning.
The bridge has a height of 18m and the height of our mast is 17m so we are going under (we hope)at low tide.
29th Kirkefjord
We got up at 6.30 and left by 7am to reach the bridge by 7.30 it appeared very tight but we made it probably with a metre or more to spare! This whole area which features in a lot of Lofotens publicity is amazingly beautiful and we have got the perfect weather. Once under the bridge one is in a large fjord with several ‘arms’ off it. We had a quick look at Vindstad and then went up Kirkefjord where we anchored at the end (67⁰59.5N 13⁰00.9E). We are in quite shallow water down to 11.9m at low tide and so clear that we can easily see the anchor which is well settled in sand and amid some rocks not far from the small pontoon where a high speed ferry comes in to drop hikers from time to time.
We got together a picnic lunch and ‘iron rations’ and Hermione and John set off with the boys to scramble up the path to the col and have a look at the beach some distance down on the other side. They decided it was too far to go to the beach so John took Sam and Joe on a side diversion across a challenging boulder field and then a traverse across smooth rock and finally back to join Hermione and Zac at the bottom.
The weather was mostly overcast with occasional mist/cloud descending on the mountains and with a light breeze which was good for walking and evening sailing in the Tinker Tramp
30th Vindstad
Zac exploring the galley
After breakfast at Kirkefjord we spent several minutes watching the fin of a small dolphin, who appeared to be fishing near us. We then went round to Vindstad (67⁰57.4N 13⁰00.3E)where we were able to tie up to a small pontoon. We again made a packed lunch and this time C and I took the boys off on an expedition. Nearby there was another col leading over to a beach. Fortunately the walk was shorter and the col less steep so we were able to get over and down the other side to a huge sandy beach with surfing type rollers coming in. The boys all had a great time playing on the beach.
When we returned Hermione and Christopher took Sam and Joe in the Tinker using the engine to explore a nearby small islet.
The weather again was mostly cloudy with a light breeze but no really low cloud.
31st July Sorvagen
Zac taking a nap
We left about 8.15 am in order to be at the bridge at low tide. This time we were nearer springs so we had a few more inches to spare. A lovely sunny day and we motored round to Sorvagen (67⁰53.4N 13⁰01.7) yet another pretty fishing village with a resident colony of kittiwakes and space on a very convenient pontoon with electrical hook-ups and water.
After rock cakes and coffee we set forth with the usual supplies for another expedition up a marked track this time we followed a stream and a series of wonderful waterfalls up to a series of lakes. We got to the second lake and it was clear there were at least two more. It was a lovely sunny day and we had great views in all directions.
After breakfast C took Sam and Joe exploring round this little harbour using the Tinker Tramp as a rowing boat while Hermione and John packed up.
The engine was then put into the Tinker and H,J, S & J +C went off in the Tinker to Moskenes which is in the adjacent bay and is the ferry port from which Hermione had fixed for them to hire a car for the rest of their holiday. Hermione, john and Joe returned after about an hour in their car to be followed shortly by Christopher who had been driven back in the Tinker by Sam.
They departed shortly afterwards and we spent the rest of the day doing a bit of shopping, catching up on this blog and planning the final bit of our trip. Predictably the wind went south west this afternoon and is forecast to stay that way until at least Wednesday evening. Tomorrow we plan to go to Rost (67⁰30.4N 12⁰04.4E) which is about 50 miles away and is the most southerly island and wait there for a good wind to leave. If there is no Wifi in Rost then this will be the last blog for a bit.
Meanwhile a neighbouring Austrian couple who came into the pontoon earlier today have just come round to give us a cod – he went out in his dinghy just outside the harbour earlier this afternoon and apparently caught too much!
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