While the outer part of the fjord has winds of 7 m/s the inner fjord had gale force winds of 13 m/s.

RSKE2018 Y2D8/ 27 July 2019: From Storsjøneset to Nuvsvåg. 20.3 km, 5.0 km/hr average speed,

Considering weather and currents, we set the alarm to 1500. After a long dinner for breakfast we packed the tents and were on the water 1830. A spectacular campsite.

Head winds and currents made for slow progress the first three hours or so. We took our first break in Sandbukta just after Øksfjorden.

By now it was 2130, so time for lunch. We spent the lunch break studying the weather forecast at yr.no. As we crossed Øksfjord we could see the waves moving along the horizon on Lopphavet. The horizon isn’t far away when your eyes are 80 cm above the water, bu still those were sizable waves and Lopphavet is an infamous stretch along the coast. So good reason to study the weather forecast.

Our plan was to paddle in Bergsfjord where we hoped to find shelter from the wind and waves. Wishful thinking we soon found out. At the current NÉ wind direction Bergsfjorden acts like a funnel amplifying the wind and waves rather than giving shelter. While the outer part of the fjord has winds of 7 m/s the inner fjord had gale force winds of 13 m/s. We had to assume the waves would be amplified similarly.

It can be fun to play and train in such conditions with an empty boat and sheltered waters within reach if someone swims, but this was different. We have heavy boats and we saw no good sheltered patches along the fjord, and it was “mare incógnita ” for all of us. In short Bergsfjord was off for today.

What was on? Camping in the mosquito infested lunch stop was not an attractive option. Stein and Per took to Google. Right round the corner was Nuvsvåg. It had a chapel, better still it had a shop, and best of all it had Arctic Nuvsvåg, a tourist facility cater for fishermen. A quick phone call, and we had shelter for the night in a cabin.

The cabin came with top service. Stian, who runs the place with his wife, came down to the beach with his 4×4 and drove us up to the cabin. He then took us to the “garage” where fish is cleansed and frozen so we could clean our gear in freshwater. It was 0200 when was done and a small nightcap drunk. But the light did not go out. We went to sleep with the midnight sun straight in the window.

As of now we plan to stay until Wednesday morning, since steady NE force 6 winds will blow in Inner Bergsfjord Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.