We have now taken berth under the Svolværgeita in the Vågan Båt- og Sjøfiskeforening (Vågan Boat and Sea Fishing Association), the local boat club in Svolvær. While the short passage was uneventful, the approach to the marina was at least exciting.
A short sniff tour took us around to some nearby beautiful nature reserve before passing through downtown Svolvær with its promenade and city marina. Svolvær is considered to be Lofoten’s unofficial capital.
Fair winds…
I consider Gimsøya as a separate Lofoten island not only because its linked by via two bridges with the neighbouring islands but also due to its size and vegetation. It’s debatable but the latter one is clearly different to what we have seen up to know.
In any case it was a nice supplemental ride added to the Lofoten portfolio so far.
Fair winds…
We visited nearby Kabelvåg today and got into some drizzling skies on the way back. Still pretty warm despite the hiding sun. A freshly homemade nutcake à la Kalle awaited us back at our tiny floating home followed by a well deserved solid nap. Kassler with Sauerkraut is on the menu for dinner.
Fair winds…
A bit of motor sailing took us under an overcasted sky further along the Lofoten mountain panorama. The colour scheme changed from former base bluish over the recent days to pastel greyish. Upon arrival in Henningsvær it had both elements. Our mooring is right in the city centre, busy and safe as shown on the photo.
Susan called ORCAS as she spotted them first. It was at a distance but the fins clearly visible through the binoculars. We could even determine male and female from the difference in shape. It was a big pod slightly split but most likely being one group. There shall be more whales in the Vestfjorden later in the year.
We also saw a big dolphin crossing our bowline, which became less spectacular under these circumstances.
Time to explore Henningsvær and its surroundings over the next couple of days.
Fair winds…
The headline in Vogue Scandinavia goes as follows: The 7 best sailing spots for making the most of Lofoten’s extraordinary beauty. Ballstad is one of the seven and we tend to agree with this verdict. Nevertheless, we casted the lines this morning to move over to Henningsvær, another of the top seven.
We learned a lot from harbour master Geir and the most interesting part is, that his favourite time in Lofoten is between November and April. It is reflected in his farewell gift, a nice little photo collage. Pure Encouragement!
Fair winds…
We got back into the saddles as another sunny day invited for a beach tour. Vik, Haukland and Uttakleiv Stranda, all next to each other at the western shores of Vestvågøy Island were our target destinations. All three beaches have a unique character and preferences will be different but we found all three remarkable and very picturesque.
The 4km gravel stretch around Veggen Mountain was my personal highlight, not only in respect to the hardship for the people of the village before the tunnel was built, but also in terms of scenery being hard to match.
Fair winds…
We are still blessed by the weather and have now arrived in Ballstad on our third Lofoten Island, out of the five. There are various options for berthing within this largest commercial fishing village on the Lofoten nowadays but we opted to join the local boat club, which has a few berths for visitors. The warmhearted welcome by the harbour master Geir was exceptional friendly and informative. We will probably get stuck here again for a few days…
The logistics ride to nearby Leknes got Susan back into the saddle.
Fair winds…
The Hansines Bakeri being part of the Nusfjord village was built before 1877 supplying bread since then to the fishermen. Today it does not only still offer delicious bread baked in the wooden fired oven but also added some different pastries within a very traditional Cafe environment.
My special attention was obviously on the biker friendly exterior decoration.
Fair winds…
It was a day packed with activities. A morning walk followed by an afternoon bike ride. From originally one night in Nusfjord, we will probably end up staying three, minimum, still discovering new aspects. We like this place and its special atmosphere of the Nusfjord Village & Resort. Tomorrow is a fishing day.
The Whale Museum at the edge of the village and the nearby Lighthouse were on our wish list for exploration and fittet perfectly into a morning program. Nice, informative, stylish. Fellow sailors have reported a group of five to six Orcas already sighted nearby in the Vestfjorden. We need to stay tuned.
My afternoon ride took me to the northern side of the mountains again, today without a change in weather conditions.
One of my target stops was Lofoten Seaweed, an interesting company, which has passed the start-up phase as CEO & Co-founder Angelita explained to me over the counter. Almost twelve employees contribute to the local production with a steady revenue. More staff needed. I wish, I had time.
My second target destination was Myrland Strand, a highly ranked beach on the island of Flakstadøya. Spread around in the sand, the large boulders leave a special note. It’s said to be popular under winter photographers. Deserted, apart from three Swedes having pitched their tent at this gem.
Fair winds…
Nusfjorden was high on my wish list. It has a tiny Gjesthavn for 4 yachts only within a historical fishing village. The uniqueness comes through the fact that the whole village is privately owned and nicely turned into a museum.
A bike trip in the late afternoon hours took me to the northern side of the Lofoten Archipelago. Quite surprising, how the weather changed completely with the mountain side, from clear blue skies to cloud patches to finally fully overcasted conditions. The temperature drop was noticeable not only because of the missing sun. Overall another intense intake of natural nutrients from a gorgeous landscape.
Fair winds…
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