July 16th – nr Storvolleng 25km ENE Mo i Ranna

Sweden

The hire car

Norway

We left our excellent overnight spot around 8 am and got to the LPG gas refilling station about noon, which was good as it closed at 2 pm. The refilling took only a few minutes and then we were on our way back! But now we had the time to do a bit of exploring so we diverted first to a single track but very well maintained side road through a national forest and then by more main roads into Sweden and then back to the main north south E6 route. The countryside is very varied with in some places quite large and lush looking farms growing mainly grass but also potatoes and in some of the southerly places barley and oats. Much of the area particularly in Sweden was a high plateau covered in forests and lots of huge lakes. There were a few small boats but mostly the lakes were just beautiful open expanses of water. Part of the route  near the sign for the Arctic circle was over a  bare and rugged,  rock strewn treeless plateau  just below the snow-line, which reminded us of the train journey across Rannock Moor – particularly as there is a single track railway running beside the road.

We slept in the car again this time up a single-track side road not quite so close to a stream but with beautiful mountain views. There were quite a lot of houses in the surrounding woods but none in view.

July 15th – E6 en route to Steinkjer (circa 64⁰N 11⁰30E)!

Needless to say after yesterday’s storm the day dawned sunny and calm. We had a bit of a lie in assisted by Granpa reading stories in bed to teh children and then C & J packed up. Their flight was 12.30 from Bodo and we walked there with them.

While at the airport we enquired about car hire and got the best deal from Hertz. We always knew that replenishing the calor gas in Norway was going to be difficult because they have different fittings from the UK ones. However both Svolvaer and Harstad had places reasonably close that would refill our containers. We started this year with all 4 containers full and had hoped this might last us but after the first container was finished we have got through 2 containers  each in about 2 days so we are now on the 4^th container. We think the fault lies with our port connection which may be leaking. Fortunately all gas containers are stored on deck so this is not dangerous and can probably be circumvented for the rest of the trip by using only the starboard connection. However refilling the containers before Hermione and co arrive is clearly vital. We had fully expected that there would be a depot to refill in Bodo but no such luck. We could have sailed over to Svolvaer but by midday we had yet another strong northerly and did not fancy 70 miles of motoring in a boat so decided to take a break from the boat and drive south by the inland E6 route to Steinkjer  and see a bit of the country we have not yet seen. There is one other depot about 40 km north of Steinkjer but it is not open on Saturdays!

We took our sleeping bags and set forth about 5.30p.m. in a very smart virtually brand new Nissan Juke – it is black and a bit like a mini-tank but very comfortable with all mod cons including Satnav and fully reclining front seats.  Inevitably we had some amusing moments in a new car with all the instructions in Norwegian! For instance within minutes of driving it away we needed to reverse out of our parking spot – there are 6 forward gears but the technique for getting into reverse was not immediately obvious and the words used in the instruction manual were not in my dictionary!

We drove until midnight with occasional stops and parked in a lovely little off road spot by a fast flowing stream and slept in the car to the noise of tumbling water.

July 14th - Bodo

We did decide to leave the island of Landegode after supper last night and it was definitely the right decision.  The wind was quite strong south westerly and we had a rather bumpy passage motoring but it took less than 3 hours and the children fell asleep quite quickly. There were a lot of boats in Bodo as we were clearly not the only people who had anticipated bad weather. We were being blown off but managed to raft up to a very helpful Dutchman in a large steel boat.

The weather in the morning was blowing Force 7 with frequent very heavy downpours of rain. The wind  eased a bit in the afternoon and the showers were less frequent and heavy but it was a good day to be in harbour. We made use of the showers and washing machines, played Happy Families and then visited the town museum which was small but very  interestingly laid out showing something of Sami  and Viking life and the history of Bodo .It also had an excellent children’s play area. Finished the day with a visit to Pepe’s Pizza place which as well as serving delicious pizzas also had a play area.

July 13th - Sor-Landego

C sailing Little Larry in squally conditions

It blew a bit and was quite wet in the night and soon after breakfast there was heavy rain and the forecast 5/6 winds. It cleared up by midmorning and C, J I & A made an expediton ashore using the Tinker tramp as a rowing boat. C & I moved Larry forward a little as the wind was blowing us back hard and we were getting quite close to another boat which had come in after us last night and was on a mooring.

Christopher then went out for a sail in Little Larry. Shortly after he started there was a squall with heavy rain and quite strong winds. The sun came out shortly thereafter but the wind dropped so it took him sometime to get back. The new sail with its ‘window’ is a great improvement but we need a slightly longer sprit to replace the broken one with an extra piece of wood lashed on.

The shore party returned for a latish lunch. The weather forecast for tomorrow looks very wet and windy so we are contemplating returning to Bodo this evening after the children go to bed.

Charlo entertaining the children below decks

July 11th – Sorvaeroy, Helligvaer

James fishing while we were creeping out of Bliksvaer - sadly no success!

It rained a little in the night and we woke to a rather grey and colder day. In the morning we went on a long walk to the other side of the island and ended up at a sandy beach having passed a number of very well-kept houses and a little church. We were told that one couple live on the island all year round and as he is 78 the summer residents are a bit concerned about what will happen when he leaves. Currently the ferry calls every day to deliver the paper if nothing else!

We had lunch back on Larry and then set forth for Sorvaeroy, Helligvaer (67⁰24.5N 13⁰54.5E), the largest and most populated of the Helligvaer islands – a group of skerries just to the west of Landegode.

The exit was rather longer and narrower than the way in but had the merit of being deeper, which, since it was once again near low tide, was an advantage! As soon as we got into the more open sea it was quite bumpy but fortunately Charlo had managed to lull the children into an after lunch nap and we were able to motor quite fast.

Sorvaeroy is almost a town in comparison with Bliksvaer and we were able to go alongside a very convenient little pontoon with a hookup and water (NOK 75 for a night with hook-up). The Coop was very close to the end of the pier. C & J took the children off to explore the village while C and I sorted out the dinghies. We had opted to tow Little Larry and the Tinker Tramp but by the time we got there Little Larry was very low in the water. I bailed for quite a long time. C assured me I was making headway but towards the end I could see water bubbling in almost as fast as I bailed out – it turned out the new bung had disappeared from the drain-hole – luckily we are carrying a spare so C was able to replace it and we decided not to tow the dinghies again if going any distance.

A chilly evening so we had the fire on and were very snug. 2 other boats came in to the otherside of the pontoon and a little local ferry came and went from our side .

July 12th – Sor-Landego, Landegode

Larry on the pontoon at Sorvaeroy, Helligvaer

Drying cod

exit from Helligvaer - Landegode in the distance

exit route not obvious!

anchorage in Sor-Landego - a fine evening but no luck!

Again a grey and rather chilly day and the weather forecast is not good for Wednesday and Thursday so we decided to walk as usual in the morning and then go to Sor-Landego , Landegode (67⁰23.4N 14⁰15E).

We had a good walk across the island with a dirt track and no traffic. At the end a scramble up a slight hillock gave a good view of all the skerries, where we were yesterday and Landegode and Bodo.

The shop was a useful place to restock although it would not take my foreign mastercard so had to pay in cash. When we got back to the boat the wind had dropped a bit and the sky was clearing so James went out for a quick sail in the Tinker Tramp.

As we were leaving, after lunch, the sun came out and made the 2 ½ mile rock-hop through very narrow passages very beautiful. After that it was a straightforward  6 mile motorsail to Sor-Landego. This is a beautiful anchorage entirely surrounded by low rocky islands from east through to north. In the north-east is one of the tall mountains of Landegode but as we only expect south westerlies this should not be a problem with downdrafts.

C, J, I & A  went for a row and a quick shore trip to a sandy beach – of which there are plenty here. The bottom is clearly mostly sand and we are anchored in 16  - 20m. It was lovely in the late evening sun.

July 10 Bliksvaer

July 10 - Bliksvaer

A quick selection of the large number of photos and videos taken

Decided to stay put as it is such a perfect place for children, dinghies etc. Weather was fine all day with light breezes. Cloudy in the afternoon but cleared up in the early evening and then started raining about 8 pm.

In the morning had a fairly leisurely start got Tinker tramp and rescue dinghy all set up and both children and adult had a go at both sailing and rowing. After lunch also got Little larry going – new sail a great improvement. After tea went exploring and found sandy beach and collected shells.

A lovely day with excellent weather conditions and a great spot for the young and dinghies