Norway’s headland Stad is so notorious for dangerous conditions that an escort service is provided for small boats and funds have been approved to build the world’s first full-scale ship tunnel through the base of the peninsula from Moldefjorden to Kjodspollen, pictured above. The tunnel will be just under a mile long, 120ft (37m) high and 87ft (26.5m) wide, large enough for the Hurtigruten ferries the ply the coast.

We rounded Stad in calm conditions as we continued north from Tennebo on our winter Norwegian cruise. Once around, we stopped for the night on the north side of the peninsula at Syltejforden, near where the new tunnel will exit. While there, we explored the area by tender and were interviewed by the local newspaper.

Below are highlights from December 7th, 2020. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.

Maloybrua Position: 61°55.70’N, 5°7.42’E Passing under the Maloybrua (Maloy Bridge). When completed in 1973, the 4,015-ft bridge (1,224 m) was the longest in Norway and currently is the 7th longest.

Maloy Position: 61°55.94’N, 5°7.57’E The lights of Maloy at 5:20am as we pass en route to rounding the headland Stad. This is the headland Norway plans to build a boat 5,900-ft (1,800 m) boat tunnel through. The tunnel will be 161 ft (49 m) high, 188 ft (36 m) wide and 39ft (12 m) deep, and can transport the large Hurtigruten coastal ferries.

Traffic Position: 62°4.33’N, 5°7.05’E Only three vessels are in the vicinity of Stad and we’re all going to meet in nearly the same place. Overtaking us on the port side is the passenger ferry Landegode and passing to port is the ship Argo.

Landegode Position: 62°4.53’N, 5°6.94’E The passenger ferry Landegode overtaking us to starboard as we round Stad. The ferry normally runs a northern route from Bodo to the outer islands and possibly is returning to service after maintenance work.

Bourbon Monsoon Position: 62°5.08’N, 5°32.44’E The platform supply vessels Bourbon Monsoon and Bourbon Orca stored at Fiskabygd in Syltejforden. With the oil industry downturn, we sure are seeing a lot of these ships temporarily out of service.

Syltejforden Anchorage Position: 62°4.71’N, 5°33.13’E Our anchorage in Syltejforden, a branch of Vanylvsfjorden, in 80 ft (24 m) on 280 ft (85 m) of rode.

PSS Fault Position: 62°4.71’N, 5°33.13’E After a long, slow run, we occasionally run the engine at full RPM. When we did this shortly before anchoring at Syltejforden, we received multiple bilge alarm alerts. The PSS (packless shaft seal) backed off due to shaft vibration. As a safety precaution, we have another collar preventing the PSS from backing off all the way. But it still let a lot of water in.

Local Resident Position: 62°4.71’N, 5°33.14’E A local resident who’d been out fishing in Syltejforden came by to say hello.

Dirona Crew Position: 62°4.62’N, 5°35.62’E Ole Magne Kvalsvik, a reporter for the local newspaper Synste More, came out to interview us and sent us this picture he took of us and Spitfire.

Waves4Power Position: 62°5.75’N, 5°33.02’E A Waves4Power buoy ashore at Fiskabygd. The system uses wave-activate pump to convert wave power into electricity. The Swedish company has a test site off Runde Island to the northwest and their local Norwegian office is nearby at Syvde.

Kjodspollen Position: 62°0.46’N, 5°27.77’E Reflections in Kjodspollen at the head of Vanylvsfjorden. This is where the northern end of the ship tunnel through Stad will exit.

Sibelco Nordic Position: 62°2.61’N, 5°30.65’E The massive Sibelco Nordic plant at Aheim. The area has one of the world’s largest deposits of Olivine, used as an additive in the pig iron industry among other uses. Norway is the largest Olivine producer in Europe and it is one of the top exported mineral in the country.

Modern Homes Position: 62°5.00’N, 5°34.71’E Modern homes built over the water at Fiskabygd in Syltejforden.

Syltejforden Position: 62°3.13’N, 5°36.97’E Multiple traditional red-painted boathouses reflecting into the waters at the head of Syltejforden.

Dirona Position: 62°4.65’N, 5°33.11’E Dirona anchored just north of Stad at Syltejforden, looking north towards Fiskabygd.

Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise. On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.