Tales from Træna and crossing the Arctic Circle

It was a longer sail here today than either previous days, about 24hours. Probably softening us up for our North Atlantic/Arctic Ocean crossing to Svalbard.

The day was spent reading, watching the scenery glide by and attending interesting talks on the local Helgeland coast. The most spectacular view from the boat should been the Seven Sisters but unfortunately their summits were cut off in low cloud.

We arrived at Træna and had the chance to get off and stretch our legs for a bit. The islands of Træna are quite magnificent. Think St Kilda but without the depopulation.

Træna is very much like the St Kilda archipelago in terms of looks, beauty and remoteness. Except Træna has houses, people, a transport infrastructure, a local economy and an annual music festival. We could learn a lot from our Norwegian neighbours.

Unfortunately I was struck down over the afternoon by what is probably just a cold but it made me very lethargic and uninterested in food. Fortunately it has improved a little over the course of the evening.

The day was completed by the voyage officially crossing the Arctic Circle at 22:15 this evening and us being visited by Njord, the Norse god of the sea, who seemed to have been very taken by the ice bucket challenge.

From here on up north for the next week or so we are in the land of the midnight sun

Tomorrow we stop in Stokmarkness in the Lofoten Islands. This is another mid-afternoon to evening stopover and our first in the Arctic region.

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