You’ll have guessed that we’re now back in Norway.  It’s a good bit warmer, and good bit drier, and we’ve had a very pleasant day today in Skjervoy.  But I need to bring you up to date since my last instalment when we were still halfway across the Barents Sea heading south in flat calm conditions, hoping for some wind. 

 

The first bit of excitement that happened only just after sending the last blog was that we spotted whale blows about a mile on the starboard bow, accompanied by what looked like huge splashes in the water.  Through the binoculars we could see bodies out of the water, so we altered course to see what was happening.  As we approached we had dozens of white-beaked dolphins (checked out in our whale and dolphin book) alongside us, clearly visible to quite some depth in the very clear water.  As we got closer we found at least 4, probably 5, hump-backed whales behaving really strangely, thrashing their fluked tails and huge pectoral fins on the surface to create the splashes we’d seen.  Our conclusion was that they were rounding up fish and stunning them, and that the dolphins were also playing their part: not dissimilar to a recent Attenborough programme we’d seen in which hump-backs create ‘bubble nets’ to catch food.  Overhead fulmars and kittiwakes were also trying to get into the action.  It was a quite incredible display, made all the more special by the fact that we had it completely to ourselves, and we would have missed it altogether had it not been for the calm conditions.  At our closest we were within 150-200m from these huge creatures, but we didn’t fancy being swatted like flies so kept our distance as the whales circled.  The whole display went on for about 30 mins before they eventually moved off and we continued motoring south.

 

It wasn’t until about 0200 the following morning that the wind returned after 30 hours of continuous motoring, slowly to start with, but gradually building to a steady F5-6, nicely on the beam, and we then enjoyed speeds of 6-7 knots all the way until we sighted land at 0800 the subsequent day.  So our passage south really was one of two halves, ending with a fast, exciting reach towards the mountains and islands of the north Norwegian coast.  By 1830 we were moored in Skjervoy, a small fishing port with a large sheltered harbour and clear turquoise water.  We’d completed 553nm from Longyearbyen in just under 4.5 days.

 

Today we’ve sorted out the inevitable aftermath of a long, damp passage; packed away the storm sails as we don’t think we’ll need those for the next few weeks; cleaned the boat, our kit, and ourselves; and been fishing.  This afternoon we motored just outside the harbour and caught three pollock which we’ll be having for lunch tomorrow (not tonight as we’d already promised ourselves fish and chips – yes! – at the only place to eat out in Skjervoy).  We’re loving it here and we’re still revelling in the after-glow of a long passage, but tomorrow we’ll be on our way again, heading slowly for Tromso, but via a few anchorages close to the scenic Lyngen peninsula.

 

Attached photos show our final view of Svalbard; 8 photos of our whale watching experience (which in no way do justice to what we actually saw); our approach to north Norway, and to Skjervoy; the master fisherman at work, and his catch.