Having separated for a couple of days from Hekla and Aloucia, we decided to get back together again today at Henningsvær. We started out around 08.45 and even though the wind was from straight ahead, decided we would tack out to sea and back in towards Henningsvær. This was potentially a good plan, but frustratingly the sea was quite lumpy (left over from a stronger breeze the night before) with not quite enough wind to power us through it. I tried various combinations of sails and courses but was getting more and more frustrated that I couldn’t get the boat going as well as I thought it should. At that moment a pod of Orcas provided the perfect distraction. Between a quarter and a half a mile away, they were very clear as they fished, the male dorsal fins rising clearly out of the water as they arched to dive.
The Orca is an apex predator with a varied diet and they demonstrate sophisticated hunting techniques and vocal behaviours. These will often be specific and can be passed down through the generations – a form of animal culture. The local pods around Lofoten will be eating the various fish available – mackerel, cod and perhaps herring.
From the orcas, we went back to sail trim and slowly we started making better progress. The closer we got to Henningsvær, the more the sea flattened off, so eventually we tacked across and got going properly. As we headed in we spotted Aloucia and Hekla coming in from the north (they had gone round the north of the islands). Hekla cut through the north under the bridge and so were there waiting for us to take our lines. A friendly Swedish boat kindly moved forward to make a bit more space which we shuffled carefully into.
With the arrival of Aloucia and then Ruby Tuesday we hosted everyone on board and then continued the catch-up in the local hotel for a meal. A lively and sociable evening.
We went over to the hotel again in the morning for a sauna – not a bad way to start the day.
Henningsvær has become one of the go-to destinations in the Lofoten Islands, not least because of its football pitch. The harbour is created by a huge stone mole built across the channel between two islands and the football pitch is then on the island just further south. This does give a fantastic view from the football pitch with the backdrop of spectacular mountains, but what everyone is looking for is the drone shot of the pitch with the mountains behind. So, we wandered around to look. Slightly disappointingly, the pitch was actually astro-turf, but perhaps this is hardly surprising given the prevalence of rock and lack of topsoil around here. Nevertheless, it was an amazing location, so hardly surprising UEFA have filmed adverts here along with Pepsi-Max.
We then explored the village. It is something of a tourist magnet so twee souvenir shops and cafes are the order of the day, but it still had a traditional charm about it and the presence of the Lofoten Wool shop selling traditional local wool was the magnet for Anne. The wool was lovely, but was also Norwegian tourist prices, so we came away with the wool for a hat. There were also various galleries, glass-blowing workshops and other tempting shops, but we managed to act with enough restraint that we could still afford supper that evening ……
