Position: 12 59.93, 67 50.09

An example of why it’s hard to predict the course of a fishing vessel. En route to Reine from Værøy we’d passed closely by Jens Eilert, sometimes the CPA (closest point of approach) was well over a half-mile and sometimes as low as 200 yards.

Position: 13 0.21, 67 50.31

Calm conditions and great mountain views as we cruise north up the east coast of Moskensøy. We were considering stopping for the night along the southern tip, but the winds will be picking up from the southwest tonight and the anchorages there are fairly exposed.

Position: 13 5.16, 67 54.54

Dramatic mountain scenery looking into Djupfjorden. The camper parked at the bottom left has a great spot—Norway looks ideal for travelling that way.

Position: 13 4.91, 67 56.22

At Skomværkroa in Røst, Steinar Greger mentioned he had a group coming up from Trondheim today in 50-knot high-speed RIBS. This is one of three boats in that group. They stopped by to say hello as they passed through Reine en route to Røst for the night.

Position: 13 4.93, 67 56.22

Our davit has had a slow leak that worsened in the past few days, so we investigated today. The O-rings where the hoses connect to the ram were hard, so we replaced them. In order to access the hoses, we needed to take load off the davit, so we’ve got the boom resting against one of the stack winglets. We didn’t have sufficient clearance to remove the 90-degree fittings on the ram, so we had to remove the ram as well to change the O-ring.

Position: 13 4.91, 67 56.22

After replacing the O-rings, the crane still was leaking hydraulic oil. The crimp-fit hose connector on the end was showing signs of crevice corrosion. James broke it away with force and it’s rusted right through in places. It’s suprising it wasn’t leaking worse.

Way back in 2013, while in the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, we’d replaced the davit hoses with spares when they leaked due to cracks in the connector crimp fitting. After that we bought bulk hose and field-installable fittings instead of buying spares for each length hose used in the crane. Unfortunately, through a specification error on our behalf or a fullfillment error in the supplier’s behalf, we have fittings and hose that are incompatible. This puts us in a tough spot where we don’t have an immediate way to get the crane operational. We’re not sure why, but we kept the old hose with the broken crimp fittings that was replaced in 2013. It leaks, but is still servicable. James used two hose clamps to close the cracked crimp fitting and amazingly it stopped leaking entirely. So we have a solution that will last until we can get the proper parts made.

This is an example of why its worth having spares on the boat. Not having use of the crane and not being able to lift the tender back up would be tough to live with. Having spares on board for everything is not possible and certainly there is a cost in space and the parts themselves in having spares. But in this case, because we didn’t have a spare, it cost us an afternoon to get it back operational. It’s working fine, but when we do get the right parts we’re going to have to change them. There is overhead to not having the right parts in time spent jury-rigging or attempting to find a solution locally. There’s lots of hydrualic cranes here, and the fish boats are full of hydraulics, but there are absolutely no JIC-3 tiny steel-braided hoses in use anywhere near hear.

Position: 13 4.90, 67 56.22

We found another spare Spitfire under the guest stateroom floor when digging out the davit parts.

Position: 13 5.06, 67 56.26

Reine was recently voted as the most scenic village in Norway and it is clear why. The mountain scenery is spectacular. This is looking north across the anchorage.

Position: 13 5.30, 67 56.12

We had an excellent meal at the Gammelbua Restaurant with a view to the mountains of Reine.

Position: 13 5.10, 67 56.11

The view northeast of the anchorage to the mountains around Kirkefjord. We’re just loving it here.

Position: 13 4.90, 67 56.21

The evening was warm enough with the patio heater that we had an evening drink outside with a view to that fabulous mountain scenery.

Position: 13 5.16, 67 56.10

The tender tied off at the guest dock in Reine for a six-mile bike ride to the village of Å.

Position: 13 5.24, 67 55.72

View across the harbor at Reine. Dirona is a small white speck at the far end of the harbor.

Position: 13 4.93, 67 55.48

Where newer tunnels have been built, the old road has generally been kept in place, providing a safer place for cyclists and pedestrians to pass.

Position: 13 4.03, 67 54.63

We decided to take one of the tunnels. It was well-lit, wide and felt safe to cycle through.

Position: 13 2.53, 67 54.13

The ferry dock just north of the village of Sørvågen.

Position: 13 0.15, 67 53.31

A river gushing through a culvert that passes under the road near Sørvågen.

Position: 12 59.59, 67 53.02

Looking across the bay to our desination, the village of Å.

Position: 12 59.13, 67 52.81

We had a great lunch overlooking the water at Brygga Restaurant in Å.

Position: 12 58.93, 67 52.85

We’d come to Å to visit the Fishing Village Museum, a restored fishing village looking much as it did in the 19th century. This weighted door-closer at the bakery caught our attention.

Position: 12 58.89, 67 52.88

Shoe-making machine in one of the houses in the Fishing Village Museum.

Position: 12 58.93, 67 52.87

Boat shed with Lofoten fishboats.

Position: 12 59.05, 67 52.81

A real highlight of our visit was a tour of one of the fisherman’s cabins with a local historian. She did a great job of bringing history to life.

Position: 12 58.95, 67 52.87

Net shed full of nets and floats.

Position: 12 58.94, 67 52.86

This picture shows how packed the local waters can be during the height of the cod fishing season. It’s a winter fishery, so most of the fishing is done in the dark and the cold.

Position: 13 5.28, 67 56.10

Rain poured on our way back and even with rain gear we arrived back at Reine damp and cold. We warmed up with a pint at the local pub, Vertshuset Lanternen. And we got a delicious take-home pizza for dinner.

Position: 13 5.03, 67 56.17

We’re expecting high winds for the next couple of days and today have seen gusts to 44 kts.

Position: 13 5.01, 67 56.17

The red line shows Dirona‘s movement at anchor as the winds have come up from the northwest and the south. The two longer dashed black divider lines are us just checking clearance when choosing the anchorage. The two shorter divider lines mark the extent of our possible swing radius so we can quickly see any problems with anchor dragging. The Rocna anchor is almost always rock-steady, even with changing winds and current.

Position: 13 5.02, 67 56.18

Lifting the bikes up to the boat deck to return them to their storage place on the flybridge after yesterday’s bike trip. The winds were gusting so much yesterday when we returned to the boat that we just kept them in the cockpit overnight and waited for calmer conditions to lift them up.

Position: 13 5.01, 67 56.18

We took this picture at midnight. Other than a few lights twinkling along the road, you can’t really tell the difference in light between this and noon.

Position: 13 4.96, 67 56.18

The village of Reine lit up in the morning sun.

Position: 13 5.16, 67 56.21

Our dramatic anchorage at Reine on a clear sunny morning as we head off for a tender tour of the area.

Position: 13 6.35, 67 57.87

Reflections at the head of Vorfjorden, one of three mini-fjords that branch off north of Reine.

Position: 13 0.76, 67 57.07

Beautiful waterfall at the head of Forsfjorden.

Position: 13 1.39, 67 57.34

We’re all bundled up for the tender run in our flotation suits, among our favourite cold-weather boating gear. The suits are similar to ski jumpsuits, but with built-in flotation and extra insulation. We use Mustang 2175s, which are standard issue with the Coast Guard on both sides of the Canada-US border. We can toss these on over light clothing, add a pair of gloves and perhaps some ear warmers and be instantly warm in the coldest weather.

Position: 13 0.92, 67 59.49

Tranquil scene at the head of Kjerkfjorden.