Here are some of our favorite photos from the trip:
1) Our noble conveyance, the Conwhyp, sitting in Trondheim harbor. Three of us: Roar, the boat's owner; Nils, Roar's friend and myself loaded the boat up with enough food to feed the Norwegian Navy and, in a steady rain, shoved off into the Trondheim fjord.
2) My home for the next five nights was the tiny rear cabin. With nothing in this photo to provide a sense of scale, you'll have to rely on your imagination to visualize this as barely wider than an adult's elbows and the ledge on the left being about 18 inches above the bed. Cozy!
3) Due to a very tight time table, I didn't get to see much of the city of Trondheim. In fact, this view from the harbor provided my only glimpse of the Cathedral, one of Trondheim's main tourist attractions.
4) Sailing, as it turns out, is not a fast moving activity. Our first day's destination at the mouth of the Trondheim fjord had us sailing against the wind and against a current which limited us to 3.5 knots. The challenge when moving so slowly is staying focused enough to keep track of your position and to watch for other ships like the freighter shown in this photo.
5) One of the advantages of sailing in the far north are the long days made possible by 24 hours of sunlight. This photo shows us nearing the mouth of the fjord, under sail, at 10pm at night.
6) A country, like Norway, with such a lengthy coastline has spent centuries building up an extensive system of navigational markers: Lighthouses, bouys, stone columns, signs and posts. This lighthouse was my favorite...an octagonal building perched on a low island that is just barely wider than the house itself. Until very recently lighthouses like this were inhabited by the keeper and their family but all of them are know fully automated.
7) Roar, our brave and knowledgeable captain, hard at work at the wheel. Pay no attention to the fancy GPS based autopilot system which was probably steering the boat at the moment this photo was taken while Roar is drinking hot chocolate and pretending to look at the charts.
8) Breakfast was typically European with bread, cheese, cold cuts and some homemade jam all washed down with hot tea. Nils whipped up this tray on our first morning and promptly earned himself the honored position of breakfast chef for the entire trip.
9) I may not be an experienced sailor but I tried to look the part: waterproof outer layer, fancy auto-inflating floatation device and a SPOT satellite emergency transponder.
10) The second day started with beautiful, calm water and sunny skies. The water offshore in the Norwegian Sea was smooth enough to allow artsy reflection shots like this. Far from the image I had in my mind of the water bordering the terrible North Sea!
11) The scenery along the north coast of Norway, like in this photo taken while winding through some of the coastal islands, is spectacular. It is even better when the sun in shining!
12) The economy of the Norwegian coast is driven by fishing and salmon farms like these are sprinkled throughout the coastal islands. Boats regularly circle these pens spraying in fish food, while another set of boats traverse the coastline resuppling the farm boats.
13) One of the neat features of Roar's sail boat is this indoor cabin that allows steering from inside during rough weather. Visibility is greatly reduced so it isn't safe to navigate through tricky places but on a rainy day in open water it is a big relief to sail while warm and dry!
14) When the wind doesn't cooperate, the Volvo diesel engine allowed us to keep making progress.
15) The northern coast is very scenic and small fishing villages like this one dotting the shores make it even moreso.
16) Another artsy sailing photo, showing the main sail full of wind and with the telltales streaming straight back. With a decent wind we were hitting around 5 knots under sail and as much as 8 knots when running with both wind and the motor.
17) Tools of the trade: binoculars and navigation charts. Keeping track of your location is a constant concern.
18) Another artsy photo: blue sky, calm waters, picturesque background and a Norwegian flag to identify the location.
19) Wind farms like this one are popping up all over the Scandanavian countries. When flying, you can regularly see them down below, many still under construction. While sailing we saw three or four which were visible from the water. Clearly, there is a huge investment in wind power happening in Norway.
20) This lighthouse marks the first stretch of open water we had to traverse. Within an hour of taking this photo the Atlantic swell and sizable perpendicular wind driven waves were tossing the boat around. With speeds down as low as 2 knots at times, it was a long six hours until we were back in the protection of barrier islands.
21) This bridge was a welcome site as it indicated we were back among the islands and out of the rough open water. However, the fact that it was visible for hours before we actually reached it made it a cruel landmark as well.
22) The cold north Atlantic waters make for beautiful sea life. These colorful sea anemones were clinging to the side of the pier where we docked. I saw equally beautiful sea urchins and jelly fish from a different pier later in the trip. Nils scuba dives in the north Atlantic and told me tales of beautiful undersea environments...
23) Many of the uniquely shaped mountains along the northern have a rich folklore associated with them. This mountain, for example, has a cave running completely through the middle and in folk tales is considered a hat which had an arrow shot through it.
24) Coastal steamers, like the one photographed here, run along the north coast and provide a more luxurious way of seeing this area. From the chilly helm of our sailboat, we could see the passengers sitting on deck chairs wrapped in warm blankets and enjoying their warm drinks. Harumph! Who would want such luxuries?!?!?
25) The further north we sailed, the more stunning the scenery became: ice covered mountains, glaciers, fjords and rocky islands.
26) Roar is not only a capable boat captain (and a kind man) but he also makes a mean crepe as well. Here he is in the role of chef Roar.
27) Roar claims to have descended from Petter Dass, a famous 17th century priest and poet. This photo is of the Petter Dass church, monument and museum in Alstahaug. I asked Roar to create some spontaneous poetry as we sailed in order to prove his genetic connection to so famous a historical figure but he was unable to do so, raising doubts among the crew as to the authenticity of his claim.
28) The third day of sailing was done in an almost constant cold rain. However, the dark clouds did make for some interesting (if ominous) photos.
29) At the end of the third day, we pulled into the town of Sandnessjoen, where two of Roar's friends met us at the dock with wine and food. We enjoyed the hospitality of these friends and had a fine dinner party which lasted until well past midnight.
30) Our final day of sailing couldn't have been better. Bright blue sky, a southeasterly wind to aid sailing and calm waters. The mountain range pictured here is called the Seven Sisters and is also featured prominently in Nordland folklore. The legend goes that the seven peaks were the daughters of a troll who were turned to stone when they stayed out late and were struck by sunlight.
31) No fancy autopilot here...just me at the helm, steering us safely through the islands and heading north.
32) Another view of the beautiful coastal scenery.
33) Some dramatic looking clouds rolled in during the afternoon but rain never materialized and we eventually hit more sunshine as we continued north.
34) Another of the distinctive mountains we passed on our journey was this formation called the Horseman. It is this character who, while chasing the seven sisters, shot the arrow which pierced the hat mentioned much earlier. (With a little imagination, you can see the horses head on the far right, the rider's hand above, the rider's head at the top and his flowing cape stretching out to the left).
35) Roar, Nils and myself had a brief celebration as we passed the Arctic Circle involving some cookies, a handful of pretzels and a shot of firey schnapps.
36) Our first view of Myken, our destination! We proudly entered the harbor under sail and pulled off a respectable docking maneuver involving dropping the sails at the right time, then stepping off the boat onto the pier and tying up in a graceful and well timed motion. For a relatively inexperienced crew, I think we did well!
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