Day 141. Kiberg to Vardo
Thursday, May 21st, 2009Distance 12km | Time 3hrs | Ascent 0m | Descent 0m
It was sunny when I woke up 0700 and it looked like the wind had dropped off. I got up immediately and started on breakfast. The tide turned at 0900 and started to flow into the fjord again. I wanted to be going round Kibergneset at slack water so had to be single-minded with the packing. Jon got my drift about the tide and moved quite quickly also.
We eventually set of at 0900. The weather was much improved. Most noticeable was the temperature which was about 5 degrees. It was almost warm after the last bitterly cold days. The wind had also dropped off to a force 3, if even that.
We paddled out of the harbour and rounded the southern end of the peninsula. The sea had a large swell, which was a bit confused but otherwise it was benign. As we paddled north to Kibergneset the swell got larger but it was still benign. We were lucky. This is the most Eastern mainland point in Finnmark, and indeed Norway and sticks out into the Barents Sea creating some strong tidal currents. When the weather is bad this can be a fearsome place.
At the point itself I sported a couple of puffins. It was the first time on this trip I had seen these comical, but tough, little birds. I hope they are the first of many as they brighten up even a grey day.
The huge golf ball listening station in Vardo soon came into view. Vardo was built on an island lying of the east coast of Varanger. It is further east than Kibergneset point even. Despite its remote location on the small island it has an excellent harbour. People have exploited this for centuries and Vardo claims to be one of the oldest towns in Norway dating from the 13th century. This is difficult to imagine today in a town with a diminished fishing industry and high unemployment.
It was about 9 km from Kibergneset to Vardo. The whole journey was broadside to the swell which was at times very big. Only occasionally would one of the crests of the wave break and this would just be a small white cap. By and large it was a bumpy but easy ride. Jon and I would frequently be out of sight of each other due to the swell.
As we approached Vardo there must have been a tidal current running west to east across the south of the island. This current ploughed straight into the incoming swell and made the waves much steeper with more frequent and bigger white caps. This only lasted for a km and then we were into the sheltered bay on the south side of the H shaped island with the houses in the middle.
I went to collect my packages and Jon went to find out about the Hurtigruten ferry. The town seemed very quiet and everything was closed. Someone told us it was a holiday, namely Ascension Day, and everything was closed. May in Norway is one long string of holidays; perhaps more than a Japanese worker gets in a year!
I did manage to find out the rudder parts had still not come to Vardo and it was the only town the post office was not duty bound to deliver the 24 hour service in 24 hours due to its remoteness. I did locate the flares however only to find out they were the wrong type and were huge and impractical. I returned them at once to the office and will contact Kirkenes for a refund and draw a line under this time wasting exercise. As regards the rudder I will just have to squander the good weather and pick it up tomorrow. I will probably take it and fit it when the weather deteriorates sometime as I can see it taking a while. I could not even do any shopping for provisions for the next leg as all the shops here were closed. Because of all this I found a cheap hotel room and took that until tomorrow. It pains me to squander good weather.
Jon decided to take the Hurtigruten to Tromso so after a burger we carried his boat to the quay and then when the ship arrived a 1600 we carried it on. It would take about 30 hours to get there. Jon was good company and very easy and laid back. It had been good paddling with him over the last days and seeing some of the north Norwegian towns and villages with him. Hopefully I will catch him up again sometime on the coast south where he will probably be sitting in front of a huge fire on some beach.
At the hotel I did some cloths washing and wrote the blog. It was a friendly place with a few Americans who were working at the gold ball radar station. It seemed to be the biggest employer in the town now. Although Vardo is an island it is now connected to the mainland with a 2 or 3 km tunnel under the seabed.
Today had been a great paddle, followed by frustrating events. This is why I am insistent on quality and reliability as it is so difficult and time consuming to repair things when they break. I am not sure if Smart Track rudders fit the bill, but will reserve judgment until I see what their customer service is like. Luckily I had Bjornskayaks in Tromso to help me out on this problem.