Yesterday was one of our best days yet; probably the best.  We left Reine in crisp but clear conditions, edging out very tentatively as it was low tide and we only had a foot or so between our keel and some rather jagged rocks.  We motored towards Nusfjord, about 10nm to our north with stunning mountain scenery on our port side, and even the mainland mountains, 40nm to starboard and still with snow patches, were clearly visible.  Nusfjord is a preserved Lofoten fishing village with a tiny picturesque harbour and we spent an hour or so there before heading on up the coast to Kabelvag, now sailing in a light breeze.  The weather continued to improve and the mountains became clearer and clearer.  Half way to Kabelvag we spotted three orcas on our starboard side, a large one, a medium sized one and a small one, presumably a family, their tall dorsal fins clearly visible and their blows distinctive from quite a distance.

 

Kabelvag is the original capital of the Lofotens, but that role has now passed to Svolvaer, just a few miles to the north east.  In keeping with our aim to visit small communities and avoid larger settlements we chose Kabelvag, and it didn’t disappoint.  It was another picturesque harbour made all the prettier by the evening sun.  We were surprised to find a large number of yachts there (more than we’d seen in total since Bergen) and subsequently discovered it was a race/rally, out from Bodo for the weekend.  We moored alongside a Norwegian yacht on a raft of three boats and headed quickly ashore to try and find provisions, having learned that nothing opens in these parts on a Sunday.  Re-provisioning accomplished, we headed to a local bar for a bite to eat and found excellent live rock music and some rather tipsy locals, one of whom pulled out his phone, we thought to show us pictures of his family, but actually it was so we could see the prize halibut he’d caught which was as long as he was tall.  On our return to Rosinis at about 2330 we were invited to join our Norwegian neighbours on their boat and enjoyed their hospitality (Laphraoig, followed by Valhalla – like Jaegermeister – and then Aquavit) for a further couple of hours, finally getting to bed at about 0130, still in broad daylight.

 

Today we’ll start our passage north through the Lofotens via Tjellsund towards Tromso, but first we’re going to divert via Trollfjord which is supposedly one of the prettiest fjords in Norway.  More of that in our next blog, but we need to finish this now as we think we may have a wifi opportunity ahead when we can send it.  The sun is shining, the skies are blue, it’s even warm in the cockpit, but the wind is still on the nose.  In the narrow fjords it’s either with you or against you, with no compromises.  So although we’ve had an early start after a late finish, spirits are high.  It would be impossible not to feel upbeat in such magnificent surroundings.

 

The attached photos show Reine as we departed yesterday; the coast en route and our arrival at Nusfjord; the tiny harbour in Nusfjord; a couple of local residents; the bakery; our Kabelvag mooring, and our departure from Kabelvag this morning in the sun.