Nighttrip through Raftsundet
South Pacific Familyadventure 2008
Claes Brodin
Thu 5 Sep 2019 16:28
A couple of hours after midnight we passed through Raftsundet("sund" is strait in Norwegian) still with 2,5kts of southsetting current reducing our speed to slightly over 4kts(Raftsundet is the strait with most current in this area of Norway reaching up to 7kts highlighting the importance of reading the tidetables correct).At 02.30 we dropped anchor in Skipöya just northeast of Lofoten. Being drop dead dark we used radar and searchlight to place the anchor correct before jumping to bed.
Waking up in the well protected basin of Skipöya surroundings were surprisingly beautiful. After obligatory morning bath(12-13centigr) and breakfast, dinghy was launched,diving/spearfishing equipment prepared before setting out for diving and spearfishing.
Descending along a dropoff on the windward side of Skipöya we reached sandbottom on 25mtrs depth. Focus in the beginning of the dive was halibut(kveite) but finding none we changed focus to crabs which you find in crevices and between rocks along the drop off wall. Since season for crabs is now with the females loaded with roe, crabs this time of the year is a great contribution to a good dinner.
We also found one kingcrab allthough being to small for cooking. They are mainly found further north but have started to migrate south and are now found also in Lofoten.
