Its Mid Summer and Velvet Lady is once again sailing in the Land of the Midnight Sun. We have just completed the first of our Lofoten Island trips – this one our only 8 night trip. What was it like, take a look at the photos and see for yourself.
Sailing downwind amongst the islandsThe crew sunning themselves on the aft deckSundowners (well it is 7pm) in the cockpitSpectacular waterfall in TrollfjordWatching the midnight sun in ReineMoored amongst the fishing boatsAnyone for cardsSwimming in KalleAtmospheric TrollfjordPilot Whales to brighten a gloomy dayEven the clouds are spectacular
237 miles sailed in 7 days, 8 nights on board.
Fancy it yourself – There is only one place left to join us here in the Lofoten Islands – for a solo female sailor on 19th – 30th July
From the Met Office – High pressure over Iceland will bring a strong northerly airflow to the north of the region for the next few days – (read 2 weeks!) This turned out to be true and resulted in us logging 1345 nautical miles on our annual trip between Oban and Bodo. For most of those miles we were sailing hard on the wind, tacking and constantly heeling over making getting dressed, sleeping and eating more difficult than usual. It was generally overcast and bitterly cold but with a steady force 6 wind Velvet Lady was flying through the waves with the bit between her teeth to get to Norway. Every sail change resulted in us just going faster and faster leading Bill to describe her as ‘Sailing like a witch’. No wonder. The clouds were lifting as we approached the coast and got our first glimpse of the Spectacular scenery. Our first stop in Norway was in Rodoya, pictured above, 20 miles north of the Arctic Circle. By the time we got there the skies were completely clear, the sun was shining and the headwinds had disappeared.
Our Highlights – Helicopter visit, 2 nights in Shetland, whale sightings including one breaching, crossing the arctic circle, exploring ashore in Rodoya, Sun at midnight on arrival in Bodo.