8) Selsøyvik to Støtt

The north wind was still blowing when I woke up, but the forecast was for a change later to south east, which would suit us fine, so I took it easy. The upper clouds were going in the right direction, and at about 10 o’clock, I hoped that a half hour’s motoring to get out into the broad fjord would time it right. Sure did! There it was, south east, and blowing well. Up sails and engine off. One and a half hours of max speed and bouncy waves, before someone suddenly turned the wind off. The cause? Yes, wave formations:

Those sausage-clouds are at right angles to the wind direction, being caused by enormous ripples in the wind streaming off the mountains, the top of each ripple forming a sausage-cloud. Where the ripple hits the water, there is lots of wind. At the top of the ripple there is little wind at sea level. So, sails in and engine on. Then sails out and engine off. Three times! Then it all went quiet, the sun came out, and we motored the rest of the way.

Tried to take pictures of the mountains with the “Black Ice” glacier in the background:

Not very successful, water a bitt choppy, difficult to hold the camera still. Use a bit of imagination perhaps?

We did potter past a small island with an eagle on top. Attempts at photographing were comical. Camera not immediately to hand. The blob in the middle is the eagle at the bottom of its wing stroke. See it?

Probably not. Shortly after that excitement we pottered into Støtt, again the only visitor. Veeery quiet. Nobody around, until the coastal steamer arrived, then two bods appeared to help unload, one very energetic with the forklift truck. Steamer departs. Life goes quiet again. The sun was gloriously warm, and I think I may have got a bit sunburned, sitting in the cockpit and reading Naomi Klein.

Bodø tomorrow? Maybe a sailing wind to waft us there.

Alls well.