From our starting point in Bergen, we sailed up much of the 1750km west coast of Norway, from Bergen to Tromso. This coast is riddled with deep fissures (fjords), sometimes hundreds of kilometers deep into the mainland (and a kilometer deep into the water!)and almost reaching into Sweden. The length of Norway's coast has been estimated at over 100,000km. We explored many fjords, but only a tiny fraction of that length!
Melfjord and its calm waters...
Still sailing north, we crossed the Arctic Circle, and into the zone where, at this time of the year, the sun never sets - daytime 24/7! In Melfjord, our stop was a protected bay ideal for kayaking. It was raining early but fined up nicely.
Calm and peaceful cove within Melfjord. [5994]
Efficient sytem for loading kayaks from the side of the NG Resolution. [6008]
Kayakers enjoying the calm waters and serenity of Melfjord. [6043]
Unheated igloos were available for overnight stays on the NG Resolution. [6029]
Vaeroy and a deserted town...
A small island in the Lofoten archipelago is Vaeroy, where we visited the tiny (and empty) settlement of Mastad under strict instructions not to invade the privacy of the locals, who were entirely absent, the houses here being for holiday purposes. Mastad, described on signage as an "old fowlers village" has been the site of fishing, agriculture and bird hunting since Viking times, in the 20C, the lack of modern amenities led a town of 120 people to mostly depart.
Panoramic view of Vaeroy showing the little township of Mastad. [6215]
Landing at the very slippery boat ramp in Mastad. [6243]
In good order and condition, these empty houses are used for vacation visits. [6274]
No running water on Mastad, no electricity either. [6246]
A climb up a narrow path promised good views of the bay and the sparse village of Mastad. [6264]
Current view of the 'old fowlers village' of Mastad. [6269]
Mastad in its heyday, from signage in the town. [6270]
Reine and the drying cods...
An active fishing centre and, surrounded by mountains, reputedly one of the most scenic towns in Norway is Reine on the island of Moskenesay in the Lofoten archipelago. Thanks to its exceptional manouverability, the NG Resolution could dock at the port, and we walked into town past cod-drying racks which are the foundation of the economy here. The town was indeed very pretty, and there were many visitors here apart from ourselves. The plates on parked cars and campervans suggested they come from all over Europe (by ferry).
Dwarfed by its mountains, houses in the photogenic fishing village of Reine. [6278]
The church in Reine is overlooked by the mountains of Moskensay. [6304]
A street library in Reine has a traditional turfed roof. [6302]
Cods on dring racks in Reine are exported worldwide and are the basis of the town's economy. [6318]
Cod traps ready for action at Reine's fishing co-op. [6315]
Trollfjord and the cod wars...
We visited the steep-sided Trollfjord for its beauty (and being only 100m wide at its entry, it is very calm and protected inside) but it is also famous for the Cod Wars. In 1890 here, a blockade by small fishermen, defending their livelihoods, resisting the use of new mass catch technology by bigger operators gained national attention and resulted in tighter regulations. [ Somewhere around now, our journey from Bergen passed the 1000 nautical mile mark. ]
From the bow, the NG Resolutions reaches the top of Trollfjord. [6331]
With its extraordinary positioning sensitivity, the bow of NG Resolution edges up to a small waterfall in Trollfjord. Look at the submerged wall through the crystal clear water! [6356]
A Hurtigruten passenger vessel passes near us in the midnight daylight of the Arctic Circle. [6363]
Hellmobotn and the distant waterfall...
Deep into the 63km long and complicated Tysfjord, surrounded by steep 1000m mountains and 900m deep, is Hellemofjord, only accessible by boat, and only 6km from the Swedish border. From this fjord, there were many Sami assisted evacuations to neutral Sweden during the Nazi occupation of WW2. After a beach landing off Zodiacs, we walked to near a waterfall from the tiny (almost empty) settlement of Hellmobotn. The path was steep in parts and indistinct, and our closest approach was still a good distance from the spectacular falls.
Yet another salmon farm, with the boat that looks after them. [6365]
Reflection brought to you by the very calm early morning waters of Hellemofjord. [6368]
Shelli, the Alaskan naturalist and walk guide, fessing up that she has led us up the garden path and taken the wrong turn on the trail to the waterfall. Truth is the correct path was very indistinct and we didn't blame her! [6381]
Where we hadn't trampled it down, this is the mossy heathland over which we were walking up to the waterfall. [6382]
Our closest view of the Hellmobotn falls, although we were still quite a distance away and on the wrong side of the river. [6394]
Joe, a Colorado-based polar building structural engineer who has become a guide on the NG Resolution. [6398]
Norway's national mountain is Stetind. This was our first and best view, because it quickly disappeared into fog and rain. [6407]
Tromso and beyond...
Before heading out into the ocean for Svalbard, we spent a day in Tromso, a pleasant return to "civilisation". Tromso has many claims to fame. At 69oN, it sits 400km above the Arctic Circle, so it claims many of "the world's northernmost" attributions, e.g. city, university etc. We saw nothing but rain in Tromso, so our visit was confined to the Ishavskatedralen cathedral, the University Museum and a scurry around the old town. The main part of the city sits on islands offshore from the mainland and connected by a bridge. The Gulf Stream keeps Tromso "warm" so it was a balmy 5C for our soggy visit. The Vikings farmed here a thousand years ago, and the first church was established in the 13C. The NG Resolution docked downtown.
This two lane bridge (and a tunnel) connects Tromso with the Norwegian mainland. [6423]
The Mack Brewery in Tromso. [6456]
This may be the northernmost Protestant church in the world, in Tromso. [6453]
Spectacular setting and concrete slab architecture of the Tromso Arctic Ocean Cathedral, Ishavskatedralen (1965) as seen from the island. [6421]
The cathedral's famous 23m tall stained glass window as seen from. [6430]
The organ of the Tromso cathedral. [6429]
The Sami people were indigenous occupiers of northern regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the north-west corner of Russia. We learned about the Sami from our indigenous guide Anne. It is believed that the Sami migrated to Scandinavia from Russia maybe 11,000 years ago and they were documented by the Romans in AD98. We learned about Sami joik, folk songs, and how these have been appropriated in modern times, such as in the movie Frozen. Like many indigenous cultures, the Sami have suffered under oppressive occupation of their homelands (Sapmi), and how they have strived to recover and thrive as a race in more recent times. At the Tromso University Museum, there is a permanent exhibution highlighting Sami culture.
This museum, the city's oldest, is run by the Tromso University. [6451]
The Tromso Museum has a permanent and extensive exhibition devoted to the indigenous Sami population. [6448]
A guide explained how Norwegian hospitals work, being a large country (1750km long) with a small population (~5M). Regional hospitals are sparse and develop local specialties. Tromso's is depression and mental illness which is a major concern partly induced by the never ending night in winter. We are having enough trouble adapting to eternal daylight - eternal night must be a greater challenge!
On re-embarking, we learned much about the ship in a two hour presentation by Captain Martin that had the whole compliment of passengers captivated. This man really loves his ships! The National Geographic Resolution is a weird looking vessel and that's because of its X-Bow which gives it the appearance of a whale. In fact, it is modelled on marine mammals. The X-Bow gives the passengers a much smoother ride in rough seas (no "slapping") and is now being widely adopted. Which is a nice earner for Ulstein, the Resolution's builder, who have the design patented. The NG Resolution has a diesel-electric drive (four generators in two separate engine rooms) with propulsion by rotatable pods which are external to the hull. This configuration gives the Resolution extraordinary manoeuverability, a feature we witnessed repeatedly in tight fjords and tiny ports. The ship has no rudder and uses the pods for steering ("like a tiller"). In deep fjords, the ship cannot anchor (and over coral reefs, it does not want to), but it holds its place with dynamic positioning, very delicate adjustments using the pods aided by GPS, we think. Unlike conventioal stabilisers which require forward motion, the Resolution uses its pods for zero speed stabilisation making it much safer for, for example, Zodiac loading. And finally, of all its remarkable features, the Resolution is one of only three vessels (two owned by Lindblad) with Polar Ice Class PC5 Category A classification, which is apparently significant!
Bird Island...
Before losing sight of the mainland, the NG Resolution did a drive-by at Bird Island or Bjornoya, named by Willem Barents. This island has a spectacular coastline and, with a reasonable swell running, we were able to inspect it closely, together with its birdlife, by Zodiac. The Zodiacs were loaded from the stern of the Resolution due to the conditions. In fairly bumpy conditions we traversed the south coast of Bird Island and attempted to photograph the thousands of guillemot and hundreds of puffins there.
We were to see guillemot (the Americans on board, almost everyone, wanted to call them 'murre'), a large auk, in many places on this expedition. They appear in great numbers on bare ledges on steep rock faces where they come only to breed. Otherwise, they are always in the water where we saw groups sitting around. It's main territory is the sub-Arctic. Guillemots fish by diving, and apparently, chicks are capable of diving before they can fly.
Puffins are a smaller type of auk that also breed on cliff faces and feed by diving. They are black and white birds but renowned for their colorful bills which they shed after breeding. Neither guillemot nor puffins are particularly adept fliers, it seems, and are mostly at home in the water.
Loading Zodiacs from the stern. [6658]
The rugged coast of Bird Island, more guillemot clinging on. [6716]
Guillemot cluster in large groups on sheer cliff faces for breeding. [6670]
Puffins in breeding mode sticking together on the cliff faces of Bird Island. [6761]
After leaving Bird Island, at about 9:30pm, heading north in the Norwegian Sea, we were treated to close encounters with whales and dolphins right at the bow of the ship.
Sailing north and looking back, Bird Island on the right and our last glimpse of the mainland. Onward to Svalbard. [6556]
One of many dolphins playing in the bow wave of the NatGeo Resolution. [6571]
The fluke of a humpback whale? [6574]
A skua flying by? [6590]
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