Ice!

Ice!

So after another quiet night on the hook.  I awoke full of good intentions and raring to go. Had a little difficulty with a ralcacient crew but was able to bribe her with warm clothes and a cup of tea! And we were up and gone by 0630 making our way to the Swartzen Glacier. You might remember or might not depending on your age or mental condition that we went to the same glacier last year but didn’t stop as the weather was going to turn for the worse. However this year it was quiet and was going to remain so for a couple of days at least. So we motored down the fjord and secured along the long pontoon at the bottom of the fjord three kilometers from the bottom of the glacier at 1315. There were a bunch of bikes for rent and since we were the only ones around we had our choice and took two of the finest. Pedaled our,,,,,, down the road parked the bikes, headed off on foot and started up and up and over and over small stones big stones, rocks, bigger rocks, bed rocks until we couldn’t go any further without going a way down again and then up some more. So we turned around and headed back and up a different trail. This one had chains on posts drilled into the bedrock so you could pull yourself up and up and up and more up this all on very smooth slippery when wet rock. Got to the last little bit and the chain ran out and there was only some tattered old rope between you and a vertical drop down into a very, very deep dark chasm. It was so deep I could barely see someone wearing a red suit holding a pitchfork  and tending what I think might have been a fire and beckoning to me.  I didn’t fall for that. So we stopped and had a look around and holy bejebus we were up high! And it was cold too. So now what? Decided smartest thing to do would be to head back down to where we didn’t need oxygen and a slip and fall wouldn’t necessarily mean death.

What a view though. The fjord and lake were tiny! The mast looked like a human hair at 10 feet away. Well worth the scramble.

Decided to go back down. Hang on and walk backwards. Zippity do daw bobs your uncle and there we were back at the bikes and pedaling back to the boat. Had a whiskey made Sally a Martini. And we called it a day.

Rain Gales and the Royal Yacht

Rain, Gales Orcas and the Royal Yacht

Friday June 12/15

Up early disturbed the ducks seagulls and the tur. The puffin’s were all ready awake. Put the kettle on Sally hauled the anchor and I motored us out of the anchorage to continue our journey to warmer climes.

It was a nice day for a MB ride down a fjord flat seas and no or very little wind. We arrived at Loedingen at 0930. A VERY narrow SHALLOW entrance NO room for a screw up or malfunction! We made it in proceeded to the gjest pontoon and had a choice! So just motored into the one right in front of us. Got secured and then it started to RAIN and Blow a GALE for 3 days. A Festival started that night but think it got washed away? Did walk about and some geo caches in the rain and drowned my good camera.

There was a Collin Archer 30 or 40 footer on the hard with a big sign saying it was free! With a phone number. I had a look at it and it really didn’t seem to be too bad and hadn’t been out of the water too long There were a couple of bad planks. The deck and rig appeared sound so thing if one was so inclined and had a spot to work on it. It might not be a bad project. Have seen worse resurrected!

Met Judith and Hakken off of Touche out of Denmark. Had visit and drinks. They were on their way North to Svalbard!

We were going to go to the Festival but at 150 Kr entry fee just to walk about and spend money in booths of junk we went for a pizza and beer and figured we came out ahead.

Mon. June 15 0530 I’m awake and up! Have decided to push on before winter really sets in. so we leave at 0630 make our way out the narrow exit with even shallower water and set motor and auto pilot for some more South.  Decided we would stay near the mainland coast and not go to the Lofotens as too foggy wet and cold. The upside was we saw a pod of young Orcas, some dolphins and the Royal Norwegian Yacht Trident! They didn’t wave. At 130 we were off Skudnick and were able to sail with just the Jib. Had to turn the motor back on at 1315 Phooey!!! We arrived at Moroeya at 1615 secured alongside the pontoon and shortly after a Tornado Cat came sailing in. So we met Adam from Seattle and Daniel from  Switzerland who met as children in sailing school in new England and have sailed together ever since. Bought the cat and were sailing up the Norwegian coast!

Tues. June 16/15 We left a little later this morning 0700. 0740 Engine off Sailing with the Jib, 0830 hoisted the full main and away we flew 5-61/2 knots broad reach on the Starboard tack. Sailing down the coast with Eagles and Dolphins and reached a top speed of 8.1 knots! arrived in Bodo at 1400 and pulled into a slip next to the one we had last year. Went for a walk did a bit of shopping met Alex and Ferdinand. Alex had just bought his boat 5 days previous and they were sailing it to Tromso. So far so good. They asked for some help and advise so we showed them how to rig the reef lines and reef the main. They had had a fuel leak and had a hard time cleaning everything up so we treated them to dinner.

Wed June 17 we got up extra early to catch the first bus out to Salt Straumen so that we could see the tidal race. Saw six Moose on the way 3 on the way back and one seal and six goats. A successful day  so far. We returned to the boat and set off at 1230 and 18 miles and 4 hours later we dropped the anchor at Selvagen on the island of Fleina where we spent a quiet night. We came in here on the way North last year but didn’t think it was safe. We were wrong! A really quiet spot.

Everything from here is south!

Everything from here is South!

                So yesterday we pulled into Skattora tied up next to our friends had a great visit and a good nights sleep. Today Sunday June 07/15. Slept in a little. Had a nice breakfast helped Kevin remove his headstay foil. And then at 1430 we said our see you laters and set our course South.

                We motor sailed into a South West wind and through the Rystraumen against the current and turned in and moored on a float behind the Island. There was a German boat there (Timbuktu) Michael the skipper and Sally went ashore looking for Musox! They didn’t find any! I stayed behind and got caught up on some chores.

                Monday June 8. We got underway at 0930 “Ya Ya” I know late! But as we were leaving a Muskox walked out of the trees to watch us leave! I guess I should have went with the nimrods yesterday and showed them how to sneak up on critters. Anyway we can now cross Muskox off our to see list. So we takked down the fjord in the rain and cold and arrived at our destination Finnsnes only to find the Guest pontoon full! @#$#@%^&$%. We managed to squeeze into the last 15 feet of usable space overhanging the end by 20 feet and too far from the hydro post!  Met a Norwegian. (so what you think,the country is full of them so what’s the big deal) This one was Grey and Black and had a bushy curly tail! I want another one!

                Tuesday June 9 0845 we got underway! Cold wet not so nice. We bucked a headwind  that I though should move to our beam once we turned the corner a little further South. Boy was I wrong!!( I am sometimes you know and I’ll even admit it! ) Executive decision to take a short cut wrong again (@#$# twice in one day oh oh) The wind moved right around with us and then got stronger! About 25 on the nose steep short waves But it has to change right? It did as we were exiting the sound. Went too 35 and stopped us cold! Said phooey and turned around at 1400 and immediately went to 7.1 knots and 3 ½ hours later we were right back in Finnsnes! Only this time we had lots of space so we tied up right next to the power pole plugged the heater in and heat! ( You thought I was going to say It didn’t work wer’nt you?)

                Wed. June 10. Still here. Got up at 0700 No wind from anywhere! Let’s leave before it wakes up! Put the kettle on Mabel!  Had a cupatea. And at 0800.

NO MORE PROPANE!!!

                I just figured NO MORE PROPANE  deserved a paragraph all it’s own.

 Used the single burner stove that we have for just such emergencies had some more tea and walked up to the Best Marine store to see if they could help us find some gas. Well the owner said Sure I’ll meet you on the dock and drive you to my Brothers place they can fill the bottle I think?  So that’s what we did. Sally stayed behind to do the womans work I went for a van ride. Saw the brother . Who took a look and said,” hmmm can’t! “This was in Norsk with three men discussing it. “But” He said. I know who can and I’m going there on a job and I’ll take the bottle with me and bring it back this afternoon .

 Phooey I said to myself another day not in paradise! Not likely!! What I did say was HALLALLLUUUYYYYAAA!!!!! Who cares about another day I’ll! We’ll be able to eat!!! Got a ride back to the boat told Sally the good news. Got a BIG hug and off we went for a walk in the rain up to the sentrum for a kafe and sticky bun.

I forgot to mention in the morning just as all this was beginning to happen A guy walks down the dock and askes us how long we were going to be there? The rest of the day says I. “could you move?” says he. “Why” says I(and yes I was polite) “We’re bringing in 3 boats for a showing”” OK maybe” says I then I got the look. Every male in the world knows the look so I won’t describe it. I moved and rafted along side an old rescue boat.

The propane showed up in the afternoon re stowed the bottle hooked everything up lit a match and checked all the connections no boom so everything OK made a cup of tea. Still raining! Think maybe someone should tell the big guy that he has a leak in the plumming! Wasn’t wet enough so went for a shower. It didn’t work and they wanted an arm and a leg anyway but I was still a little upset.

Thurs June 11. Underway at 0630 no wind! Got down around the corner was able to beat until we got out into open water and then sailed across in heavy seas  to Engen. Tied up had a hot meal  looked at the chart and decided to head for a small anchorage at Grasholmen. Put a reef in the main beat out around the corner and headed South putting the wind on the beam for a starboard tack and viola in the goodness of time we arrived. I tell ya the anchorage sure looked bigger on the chart! There was room for us, two ducks 4 seagulls 1 puffin and a tur. We anchored. Good night!

Hammerfisted

Hammerfisted or how we succumbed to  the cold and wet!

I left off with a good nights sleep. It wasn’t! Cold my you don’t know cold until your furnace decides not to furnace anymore and heads South on the first available flight leaving yours truly behind! Even an extra duvet didn’t help. In fact even the duvet ducky’s up here wear fur coats! With foulies on top because of the rain! They get 40 days worth in 15 minutes and everyone just launches their boats from the driveway as it’s all downhill.

So on Wed. June 3/15 we declared enough is enough and headed South! Managed to sail for ½ hour! Then Beta took over and powered us through thick and thin to our destination.

Meltafjord. Named because the ice melted last year and revealed this perfect idealic anchorage. It even had moorings in it and a trio of trained seals! So we settled in and let the winds blow. Launched the dink fired up the Johnson (first time this year) two count them two pulls and vroom,vroom putt putt up the fjord we went. Did a walk about up towards the waterfall It just kept getting further away so we stopped and returned to the dinghy. On the way back found an old metal net float so now have another souveneer. We returned to the boat and settled in for the evening.

Thurs June 4. 0530 Away we left in the cold and the rain and the rain and the cold and eventually two frozen wet sailors arrived in Skjervoy. Where we tied up and immediately went and bought an electric heater! Oh bliss, Oh joy I’m in heaven turned it right up and had to take clothes off! What a treat.

                Fri. June 5. Even worse than yesterday so won’t write about it!

Sat. June 6 0800 up. Sort of. Still cold and wet but wind dimished and diminishing so at 1000 we left. Had an uneventfull MB ride to Skattora marina where we pulled in to stop for the night. Low and behold our friends Kevin and Susan were there so visit time.

Beyond Alta

Tues. June 9, 2015 Beyond Alta.

So its been a while since we last wrote anything and since it’s cold and wet today seemed like a good time to catch up.

We left Alta on May 31/15 after Sally went up the mast to attach our spinnaker, flag and radar reflector halyards. It was a nice sunny day with a nice breeze and we sailed North to Hammerfest a distance of about 55 miles.The weather turned vile We arrived in Hammerfest  and found a spot on the town pontoon which was right down town!

Monday June 1/15. We were up bright and early went to the Tourist office made arrangements to rent a car. The weather was still nasty so not a bad day to do a road trip. The rental (VW Golf) was delivered to us at the Tourist Office and away we went on a trip to North Kap.

We decided to drive to the Kap so that we could see the top as well as the bottom. It was a wet windy foggy day but what else would we do? Never mind don’t answer that the cost of booze is too high. And if your thinking of something else too bad not telling. A nice drive 3 hours 1 way with the added attraction of reindeer also using the highway! Went through a bunch of tunnels one 7 kilometers long! That we had to use the wipers in. this was the one under the Barents Sea! Think it leaked a little! We stopped in Honningsvag to check it out and had lunch. I had a bowl of seafood chowder and Sally had a Portuguese  Baccalou dish.

We continued up to the kap  and the fog just got thicker. You could cut it and put a slice on a piece of bread for a sandwich. (Sandwiches by the way are named after the Lord Sandwich who during the battle at Waterloo needed something to eat and put a chunk of beef between a couple of pieces of bread and viola sandwich)

 Arrived at the toll booth. Toll booth you might ask at the top of Europe. Yup there is a toll to enter the sacred grounds of North Kap.  570 Kroner for the two of us and the car with no discount  for lack of visibility! The fog was so thick we couldn’t see the parking lot!  Once we felt our way in we couldn’t see the path to the building! Drove back to the toll booth and were told to just follow the stones! “What” stones says Sally? “The” stones says the Toll booth girl! We tried again and if it wasn’t for a group of drowned tourist campers walking towards us we’d still be looking for the right stones! Geeze the whole North part of the country is stones, Great big ones, Bigger ones, Mountainous ones , medium size ones, little ones, throwing ones, skipping ones, Beach stones and “The” stones which we never did see. Saw a Bus instead and then magically the North Kap Official Touristy Trap extraordinaire loomed up out of the Mist. “Wow” says I. “It’s” about time says Sally.”Behave” says I. SMACK. “Ouch” says I and we entered.

“The building had the usual souvenir stuff a Restaurant or two and a coffee shop and a theater showing a movie about (insert drum roll) North Kap through the seasons. It was actually worth it. Some dioramas (display cases with plaster of paris figures and scenery depicting all, well some of the famous people who came here over the ages. North Kap was actually name by an English man looking for the N/E passage. Think he got frozen in and died. Then the King of Denmark and Norway Frederick the something or other came up just so he could say he had been from one end of his kingdom to the other. Then we watched a sound and light show that just left us confused. So we went outside and walked to the edge of the world. Couldn’t see down, or out over the sea but we could hear it at least. Had our picture taken under the globe and took some other peoples pictures under the globe. Found a Geo Cache not under the globe but close to the escape door from the tunnel under the shop.

Have I told you about the tunnels here? Gazillions of them all dug by trolls. No machinery needed! Every one has a double blast door and decam  showers. I know the Trolls don’t shower Wheeeuuuuuwwww. Had a coffee and sticky bun and hit the road for the drive back. Of course an hour after we left the sun came out! Drove back to Hammerfest parked the bil had something to eat. Next morning we drove up to the lookout. Looked out ooohhed and ahhed and returned the bil. Returned to the good ship Kalinka1 Fueled up did Laundry us and the clothes and bedding. Good . nights sleep 

   

All the way to Alta

Wed. May 27 2015. Eidkjosen to Toftfjorden

0700 Up Up and away! Well not really, I can’t fly tried it once and I still hurt!. But we did get underway and started off motoring towards our destination where ever that might be.  Around 0900 we unfurled the jib and did some motor sailing. Then Sally heard our call sign over the vhf. Somebody wants to talk to us? What a surprise. It was a Norwegian coast guard ship the KV BarentsHavn. He had seen us on the Ais and since we passed each other port to port and close it was a good time to speak. Sally (can you imagine did all the talking) while I just steered the boat and heard a one sided ½ conversation.

It was a sunny warm day with little wind so we just put hours on the engine and a dent in the fuel supply. We arrived at our destination Toftfjorden(the site of the Bradthill incident). I was here last fall with Glenn and Jaques. Dropped the hook, launched the dinghy rowed ashore looked at the monument and went for a walk up the valley following a stream looking for salmon or trout in the pools. No luck with the fish. Returned aboard and had a pleasant night on the hook.

Thursday May 28 2015. 0530! Sleeps a problem when there isn’t any dark! At least for me, Sally doesn’t seem to be bothered by it! So we had breakfast and got underway motoring and then we got the main up with one reef in and just kind of mozzied along at about 6 knots or as they say here knopf.

Then at 0805 Hamnar Radio called. Wow two radio calls in two days We’re famous! They just wanted a radio check as they tried calling us digitaly. We had to explain that when our radio was built digitally meant using your fingers not something electronic! But they were happy the vhf worked. We said our goodbys and continued a long cold MB ride. It seems that that is all we do. MBing. Anyhow after a very long day we arrived at one of our destinations only to find it totally unsuitable and wide open to the wind. So I picked another harbor some 5 miles away (Sandland) Motored there, entered a really small mole harbor spied a pontoon, made ready to go along side when we were told it really wouldn’t suit and would we mind terribly taking a mooring? We said nope no problem and that’s what we did. It Bucketed down rain and was cold so we buttoned up and slept like to warm bricks in an oven!

Fri. May 29 2015. We slept in until 0630 whoopie decadent we are! Had some breakfast and donned our foulies as it was wet and cold out and dropped the mooring and off we went to continue the journey. Not much scenery to be seen as it was also foggy or low cloudy and one could not wee the tops or the middles of the mountains so we satisfied ourselves with views of the fjords and counting rain drops on the ends of our noses. At about 0845 we were able to unfurl the jib and so gained an extra knot of speed and so we just wizzed along our way down the Alta Fjord to,,,,,, yup Alta. Actually we went to Bossekop.

Now Bossekop is kind of the little brother to the Big sister Alta. Both were leveled by the retreating Germans during the little disagreement from a few years ago. Just around the corner in the Kafjord. The Battleship Tirpitz hid out until damaged by some crazy Englishmen driving midget submarines! It was damaged enough that it was out of commission effectively for the rest of the war and was eventually moved to Tromso where it was finally sunk by Lancaster bombers.

The Tirpitz museum was closed until June 15^th So one of the reasons for coming here was a no go. But the other! The Petroglyphs or rock carvings were well worth the trip. Even the 3 ½ K walk up hill down dale up hill down dale and finally up hill! Foot sore and weary we finished the day!