Passage Report No78

Lofoten Islands

Summers day, Sahula romps across the Vestfjorden to Rost Island (40 nm). Crew's ideal birthday present.

Rost is Lofoten's most southerly island. The village (pop 650) spreads across a flat, featureless island. Its existance revolves around "Stockfish" - dried cod which are exported to Roman Catholic Italy (introduced by an Italian sailor, wrecked in the 15th Century, on Rost rocks).

Sahula sails north to neighbouring Vaeroy Island. On entering the anchorage, an unmarked, fish farm mooring line entraps Sahula. She drifts towards rocks then is free - relief.

"I'm walking across ... (Vaeroy mountains), it's a vista not to be forgotten, to north, the blue, tortuous, forbidding, Lofoten island chain separated by the emerald, blue, Moskenstraumen." (Skipper's diary)

"Moskenstraumen, the race between Vaeroy and Moskenesoy, is Lofoten's most dangerous tideway. It was the model for Jules Verne's "Maelstrom."" (Lomax 217)

Edgar Allen Poe described it:

"Even while I gazed, this current acquired a monstrous velocity. Each moment added to its speed - to its headlong impetuosity. In five minutes... the whole sea was lashed into ungovernable fury... Here the vast bed of waters seamed and scarred into a thousand conflicting channels, burst suddenly into phrenzied convulsion - heaving, boiling, hissing" (Lomax 217)

Crossing with wind against tide made for a rough but silent, passage to Sorvagen harbour.

Sahula again (previously Kristiansund, Bud) meets "Orplid" (40ft, French, motor cruiser).

Fishing (cod, herring) and whaling are the mainstay of economic life on Moskenesoy. Tourism is a recent addition.

Cod fish drying racks spread around each town. The odour of fish processing (cod liver oil, dried ["stockfish"] cod) permeates the coast and harbours. Each harbour is featured as a "traditional fishing" village. Rum red, wooden, buildings, perched over water on thin, frail timber legs, line each harbour. Dried fish - heads, backbones (soup in African-Nigeria), bodies - are piled, macabre like. Fishing museums occupy each village. Rorbu (small summer holiday, lodges - originally housed fisher families - built around the harbour) compete for tourist dollars.

Tourists mill through "A" (ure), featured as a "typical fishing village."

Skipper is presented with a "stockfish." Aboard Sahula the odour permeated till given a sea burial. Locals, strangely, seem oblivious.

Skipper treks inland to snow fed waterfalls, past lakes, in glacial valleys surrounded by soaring blue grey, black, peaks. (see pic above)

"Voted by Norwegians...as Norways most beautiful scenic area..." Reine epitomises Lofoten - spectacular scenery, fishing village and poor harbour facilities for cruising yachts (small guest pontoon, none or few facilities - no laundry or showers, at some no water or electricity - high harbour fee).

A north wind pins Sahula to the pontoon. (ensuring a difficult departure!)

HQ of the High North Alliance of Whalers, their pro-whaling museum argues the case for hunting the small Minke specie. The case: annual quota some 600 Minke whales out of some 174,000; strickly monitored for expeditious "kill" by explosive harpoon = sustainable "fishing." Skipper enters the visitor book: "...while disagreeing with whaling, the museum helps understand the pro-whaling case."

"A number of ... boats have sunk dramatically over the years..." allegedly by anti-whaling groups.

Reine is home to five remaining whalers (small local, wooden, boats to large, steel, Arctic ships) - they combine spring whaling with fishing for cod and herring.

Galleri Eva Harr displays her dark light, lonely, melacholic, oil paintings - a feature of Norwegian art. Multi screen art film captures superbly the Lofoten sea life of eagles, gulls and whales.

Sahula follows Ophlid to Nusfjord "...a shelterd picture-postcard, small, natural harbour..." (Lomax 222).

Sahula berths alongside a high, tidal, wharf. Access is up black fender tyres. Fee: 200 NK (highest in Norway) - no ladder, water, electricity, showers (30 NK). A village entry fee (50 NK) sets a new standard.

Skipper attends the Lofoten Chamber Music Festival, Nusfjord performance (in historic building - piano, violin, cello - Josef Suk, Sibelius): classical music with windows of scenic Lofoten.

Skipper treks to high lake, fed from cirque of vertical , snow mountains.

Crew is disembarking. Sahula returns to Moskenes anchors in the harbour near the ferry terminal. Australian crew arrive on Sunday. Skipper has two days time out. Washing adorns the after deck.

Crew's entry in Sahula's visitors book "...a magical fortnight discovering new places and a new way of life..."

Next Report: Further North in Lofoten; south to Bodo.

Best

David

13th July 2012