RSKE Year 3 Day 29. Tuesday 11th August

Sveggen to Bud. 47 km, 6.0 km/hr average speed. Start 0925 arrive 1830.

No gnats as we got up. So this was an upgrade. Getting the boats off the rocks and into the water was also easy. So at 0925 we paddled into the forecast headwinds of about 6 m/s.

We weren’t too concerned about the headwinds. If we paddled along the inner ship lane we would find sheltered water. The wind would be there but no waves, so we less effect on progress.

All correct, but we didn’t factor in the extra time it would take to navigate through the many islets. With our eyes less than a meter above surface it is difficult to get an “over”view.

After a couple of hours we got sight of Atlanterhavsvegen. Now we were into more open waters. We paddled in behind the road and found some shelter for the wind for a lunch break.

As we came back out under the bridge and into the wind, we started on the infamous stretch of water called Hustadvika. The main aim of the day was to put that behind us

Our metrological luck continued (as forecast), the wind subsided and we paddled along Hustadvika in sun and flat water.

We had one more stop planned before Bud. Erling wanted to briefly visit his friends Ståle and Kari Ellen’s second home at “Little Sunisland”. They were back in Trondheim, but Erling wanted it to be a stop on the way anyways. Just a quick snack before the last 7 km of Hustadvika to a sheltered harbor at Bud.

Just before we arrived and SMS from Ståle ticked in “did you find coffee at the quay”. We sped up. And yes there was coffee at the quay and chocolate biscuits. Almost magic. But we knew the explanation Ståle’s friend and neighbor at Soløya, Guttorm Heggstad was the main suspect, but he was nowhere to be seen. We came in a bit after plan so he probably was busy elsewhere.

Just as we were ready to “saddle up” and paddle on a small dingy approached. It was Guttorm. After greetings and due thanks for the coffee, Guttorm put us in a dilemma between some excellent options. He said that his wife Eli had gone to buy supplies for dinner and we were welcome to sleep in their yacht for the night.

A fantastic offer, but Bud was so close and Hustadvika so sunny, quiet and waveless. And what we didn’t paddle today we would have to do tomorrow.

Ai and ouch. Suddenly the best solution occurred to us: we would paddle on to Bud, leave the kayaks, bring the sleeping bags and toothbrush and be picked up by Guttorm in an hour and a half. Kinderegg, paddle Hustadvika, dinner in good company and a dry and guaranteed gnat free place to sleep!.

And so it was. We paddled on, left the kayaks on quay in the Marina, were picked up by Guttorm and soon we were enjoying Eli’s Trøndersodd in their thoroughly renovated and upgraded home looking out over Hustadvika.

Guttorm and Eli are truly adventurous people with the courage to follow their dreams. Over an excellent “Trøndersodd” dinner and while enjoying the sunset from their glassed in terrace we got some bits and pieces of a truly fascinating sailing family.

Just to frame it: Guttorm started to build his Colin Archer “Juliana” at the age of 18, launched it at the aged of 22 in 1979, lived in the boat for the next 15 years from Lofoten to Brasil and the Caribbean. Until in 1994, he and Eli and their three kids finally bought a home onshore at Soløya! In between Guttorm was educated as an Psychologist and Eli is a teacher so winters were often spent in Norway to fund the summers in the Caribbean.

They are also super resourceful and solution oriented. When they decided to go back for some more months Guttorm built at sailing Catamaran that the five of them could transport as luggage with Air France…seeing is believing, picture attached.

Super impressive and interesting. But in the end it was time for bed. We plan for an reasonably early start tomorrow and to cover 40 km to Nogve Holmen on the penultimate day. Weather permitting.