From Støtt, we head south and then south and then a bit more south. We are effectively retracing our steps and so are keen to try new places on the way down. On their way up, Robin and Brigitte stopped at Rødøya and recommended it, so we decided to give it a go. I had a careful look as we were expecting some strong northerly winds the next day, so wanted somewhere well protected for a couple of nights. Rødøya looked ideal. You enter the bay from the south and it is completely landlocked to the north – all looks very promising on paper. However, paper and practice can differ significantly and here, the main influence is topographic. In front of the jetties is a large hill (/mountain?) known locally as the Rødøya lion (Rødøyløva). Between the jetties and the base of Rødøyløva are then fields and what seems to happen is that the winds drop over the top of the mountain (fall winds) and then hurtle across the fields switching direction and gusting as they go. This made it something of a challenge to get alongside the jetty, not least as we had to squeeze in front of two other boats in a gap that was just large enough for us. Perhaps the best adjective to describe our arrival was functional. It certainly wouldn’t be described as elegant, but with egos and glassfibre all intact, it was enough, though we were grateful for help from other yachties on the pontoon.
The winds also made the boat lurch around a bit on the pontoon, but some snubbers and lots of fenders managed that quite effectively. So, the next challenge was to explore the island. Rødøya is just over 3 square miles, but packs a lot into that small area. The first afternoon, we headed up to a lovely viewpoint above the harbour, but well below the peak of Rødøyløva. There is a national tourist trail which goes to the top of the lion with hundreds of steps, but we decided the view from our peak was quite sufficient.
The next day we did the same path, but this time aimed to walk further round to a couple of beaches which were marked on the map. They didn’t disappoint. Despite the ever-present wind, the beach was a delightful spot to stop for a cup of coffee from the thermos we had had the foresight to pack (though we forgot the biscuits!).
The afternoon reinforced once again what a small and sociable community the cruising community is. The person on the Swedish boat opposite was back from his walk up Rødøyløva and, as we were filling up with water, we started chatting. It wasn’t long before we were then filling up with beer together as well. It turned out that he was heading north, but later in the season would also be wintering at Riggmaster in Trondheim. He lived in Åre – one of the principal Swedish ski resorts and had apparently left behind a large husky pack. He did stress that someone was looking after them and he hadn’t just left them running feral. During the winter he ran husky tours for visitors and that paid for him to go sailing during the summer. However, with Åre just a three hour drive from Trondheim, he took our details and offered to check Amalia for us each time he came to check his during the winter. An opportune and interesting meeting. Perhaps a winter visit to the boat with some husky sledding ….. Food for thought ….
