14. Day Ten

Today's ports of call:

Departed Stamsund 22.30, arrive Bodo 02.30

Depart Bodo 04.15, arrive Ornes 07.00

Depart Ornes 07.15, arrive Nesna 11.00

Depart Nesna 11.15, arrive Sandnessjoen 12.30

Depart Sandnessjoen 13.00, arrive Bronnoysund 15.45

Depart Bronnoysund 17.00, arrive Rorvik 20.30

Depart Rorvik 21.30

Weather at 11.00am, clear skies with increasing clouds, moderate breeze, temperature +1C

Our last port of call yesterday evening was Stamsund. As we approached the port in total darkness and with all kinds of obstructions and rocks both left and right it was a stark reminder of just how skilled the captains of the Hurtigruten fleet must be. Yes, these days there are all kinds of navigation aids and GPS, but the way the M/S Richard With was guided into the harbour, turned 180 degrees and docked effortlessly made an extremely difficult and precise operation look easy. 

Shortly after breakfast we passed the globe shaped marker signifying the Arctic Circle on our starboard side and returned to more temperate climes. Yeah right, it was still perishingly cold in the wind out on deck. A little further on we passed a small trawler that was surrounded by gulls and eight sea eagles. Obviously it was a successful trip for the fishermen on board. 

Speaking of wildlife, there has been very little. Somewhat worryingly, the orca and whales that are often in the area around Tromso have not put in an appearance this winter. Other than the small pod of porpoises, there has been the occasional sea eagle and various species of gull but the most common birds have been the eider ducks who tend to float around together in little rafts, a dozen or so strong. 

We had short stops at Nesna and Sandnessjoen and watched the usual loading and unloading operations. Often, the only cargo appears to be large sacks of something so we have speculated as to what it may be...fish food for the numerous salmon farms maybe? The stop at Bronnoysund was a little longer so we had time to disembark and have a look round. The town's main claim to fame appears to be that it is the exact middle of Norway, with exactly 840km to run to Lindesnes in the south and Nordkapp in the north.

A special five course dinner was held in the evening, celebrating 125 years of Hurtigruten operations. We started with prosciutto, then pea soup, baked cod, a Norwegian cheese board and Norwegian omelette  (otherwise known as baked Alaska) to finish. As always, they were fresh, locally sourced ingredients and so it was very good indeed.