Ski and Paddle Norway 2009

Distance 35km | Time 9.5hrs | Ascent 0m | Descent 0m

I slept well in the comfortable bed and did not get up until 0800. It was then the usual camping breakfast of biscuits and blackcurrant juice. Simple, sweet and easy. I took a bit of time packing up and eventually had the boat loaded and ready by 1000. The wind was a force 3 south westerly and the tide was also against me so I was in no hurry as both were destined to change in my favour later.

I went up to say goodbye and thanked Johanna Gulestø for her kindness and the great cottage, which was once the old homestead home. The cottage was over 100 years old. I eventually set off at 1030.

The going was very slow for the first two hours as I slowly pulled my way round the peninsula. If I stopped to take a photo I was suddenly 50 metres back again with the tide and wind against me. My average speed was just 3.5 km per hour. Still it was a great day weatherwise except for the wind with blue skies and sea views which were getting better and better. As I went round the peninsula various islands appeared.

The shoreline here was rock and grass with a few birch trees but as I paddled past the bay of Botane pines became more and more frequent until the whole shoreline was a thick pine forest. It was very green in the sun. While on the west side was the island of Hovden with its out-of-sight bird colony and numerous other islands all the way down to Alden with the distinctive Norske Hesten mountain on it. I felt like I was back in Helgelandskyst.

With progress slow I stopped early for lunch and a stretch at Husefest. Here there was a small hamlet and a shallow inlet. The fields were not cut and the tall grass was rippling in the wind but the houses and boat sheds were well maintained. The inlet was full of the very yellow seaweed which contrasted well with the emerald green pine forest.

I left here and continued south. After a short time I met a kayaker coming towards me. He was Ole Fredricksen. He had come from Bergen and was heading up to Lofoten for a month’s jaunt. We started chatting and he did the same Rope Access work (Tilkomstteknikk) which I used to do for a decade on the oil platforms. It basically involves a lot of abseiling and climbing up ropes to reach the inaccessible work place, where one then has to do the task. We chatted for a good half hour and I took his mobile number to send him tips.

The rest of the coast down to Arebrot was much the same except the wind was easing and the tide was now with me for what it was worth. There were a few islets at Arebrot which added to the Helgelandskyst feel.

I now had a small fjord to cross to reach Florø. It was only about 3 km but Florø was a town of about 10000 and with the outlying islands there was a lot of boat traffic. I crossed without any boats or ships coming near me. Florø looked quite a pleasant place with a great location. There was a huge shipbuilding shed at the east end of town and another factory on the tip of the peninsula in the west. The islands, both near and far made up for this industry.

By now the wind was veering to the north and was behind me. I had made slow progress so far today and needed to paddle to Tansoy at the south end of the island of Askrova to get a respectable day. Ole recommended the place to me and had spent the night here.

I left through the maze of islands just south of Florø and then started paddling across the 3 km to a small cluster of islands called Oddane. They were flat and covered in heather and all the islets were ringed with seaweed. Had there been more beaches it would have been Helgelandskyst again.

From here it was another 3-4 km to the east coast of Askrova island. Askrova was a beautiful lush island with plenty of pine forest, especially at the south end. It was surrounded by large basins of water and other islands. While on the mainland were the steep mountains on the south side of the large Fordefjord.

I got to the south end and started looking for somewhere to camp. I paddled through the sound between Askrova and Tansoy which was a charming area. There were old fish wharfs and boathouses, a country shop, many older houses in green fields full of sheep and a bridge to connect the islands which could be lowered and raised to let sailing boats past.

I could not see anything here but nearby was a beach with a flat grazed green field. It was perfect. I paddled over and at 2000 I put up the very wet tent for it to dry in the evening sun. It soon had everything sorted and the camping equipment which got so wet at Indre Fure was laid out drying. I started to write at 2130 and was done by 2330 by which time it was almost pitch dark.

It had been a good day but it was a slow and lethargic start in the morning. I was lucky to find such a nice camp spot on the west side on Tansoy.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 3rd, 2009 at 11:31 pm and is filed under Update. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.