Days 191. Husvaer in Heroy weather and rest day
Posted by: James on July 10, 2009Distance 0km | Time 0hrs | Ascent 0m | Descent 0m
I slept the best I had slept for a long time in a comfortable bed. The place I was staying was at the Havnomadens Kajakksenter on the archipelago called Husvaer. It was roughly half way on the Norwegian coast and it was to be a comfortable sanctuary for a couple of days.
The accommodation was very comfortable and the joint kitchen area was superbly equipped and well thought out. In addition to this the owners, Bent and Inge Skauen had done a loving job of decorating the place which they built nearly from scratch on the foundations of an old fish wharf. The place had a very nice vibe to it.
Not only was there this accommodation but there was also a kayak workshop where the Skauens made traditional kayaks of wood and also Greenland paddles. There was also another kayak store where there were some 20 kayaks for rent and use at the centre. I needed to do some repairs on my kayak and this place was the perfect dry tidy spacious facility.
The first I had to do today was to catch up with the blog from the last two days and other office work. I virtually set aside the whole day to do this with the odd break to go and shop and explore the island a little.
The shop was small and doubled as a meeting place and café. It sold everything from nails to milk. The island seemed very relaxed and lush and reminded me of the artistic, slightly Bohemian, relaxed place which Rodoy was.
This island only had a population of 55 but was connected to Brasoy with a bridge and this neighboring island also had a shop and similar population. Although these islands were connected one still needed a short ferry to get to the main island of Heroy, which in turn was connected to the mainland and other islands by ferry.
I bought food for the day and then returned to write more blog and emails. This took the rest of the afternoon. Meanwhile Bent Skauen was holding a rolling class with another instructor called Sigmund and some guests and locals. Everybody was using the Greenland paddles. Bent looked like he knew 20 or 30 different rolling techniques and was practicing them all with relaxed and automatic fluency.
In the evening the Kajakksenter prepared a wonderful fresh cod straight off a passing boat. I ate with 3 other guests as the place slowly filled up with locals. By 2030 the meal was over and the cook and Sigmund the kayak instructor produced guitars.
The rest of the evening was a rowdy sing along with 30 odd people joining in singing some folk songs and some more usual favorites. In between the songs there was a lot of chat. For me it usually focused on the island, Helgelandskyst and kayaking.
It had been a great day in a nice place with good company. The weight of the writing was off my shoulders and tomorrow I could concentrate on the kayak repairs in the workshop.