Our anchor had barely settled into the patch of white sand in seven feet of water behind Shroud Cay when a dinghy approached from the only other boat in the anchorage. When pulling into a quiet cove with only one other boat, one never knows if you are welcome company or intruding on another boat’s solitude. In this case, the solo captain from the other boat was eager for others to share the special landscape. Coincidently, the other boat in the anchorage was the same make as Alembic, our Whitby 42 ketch. There is an immediate kinship that forms with owners of sister ships and our visit with Russ from NautiCuss was no exception. Russ bounded aboard our boat and we swapped Whitby trivia as if we were old friends. The conversation turned toward Bahamas cruising and Russ was eager to share some local knowledge. Since this was our first visit to Shroud Cay we were keen to learn of some new spots.
Secluded beach on Shroud Cay
One of the magical things about cruising with an open itinerary is that unique opportunities for adventure seem to spontaneously appear. Russ invited us to join him on an afternoon dinghy exploration up a creek that meanders across the cay to a secluded beach on the ocean side. As a bonus, there was also a hike up to the notorious but elusive Camp Driftwood. For those who don’t know the legend, Camp Driftwood was the site of a DEA reconnaissance perch that had a view of Norman’s Cay. Between 1978 and 1982 Norman’s was the headquarters for Carlos Lehder’s drug smuggling operation. At the time, Lehder was running distribution for the Medellin Cartel under the notorious Pablo Escobar.
Dinghyexcursion through the creek
We headed out in our dinghy on a rising tide following Russ into the entrance of the creek. In places the creek was quite shallow. Despite the limited tidal range in the Exumas, running the creek during the upper half of the tide offered a bit more water below the prop. The downside of an incoming tide was that the current was running strong in a few places. Our dinghy, with only a six HP outboard, struggled a few times to stem the current. Back and forth we meandered until the bright blue of the deep water cut became visible in the distance. Around a final corner we grounded onto a pristine white sand beach with open ocean to one side and the waters of the creek to the other.
Approaching the ocean-side secluded beach from the creek channel
We eagerly scrambled ashore and planted an anchor high up the beach to keep the dinghy from wandering off on a solo excursion. The white sand of the beach extended out to seaward creating a beautiful spot to swim or just wade in the gin clear water. Finding the trail to Camp Driftwood proved to be easier than anticipated. The trail head was right at the edge of the beach. The actual site of the DEA lookout is also easily identified. In recent years, the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park have erected a sign marking the spot.
Camp Driftwood welcome
The hike to the summit of the hill was fairly easy but we were glad just the same that we had brought sturdy sandals for the adventure. Once we reached the top, we were rewarded with an excellent 360 degree view. The distance to the airfield on Norman’s was further than expected. In fact the view in that direction was not that great. With powerful binoculars, however, it would likely be possible to observe and identify aircraft taking off and landing on the island’s airstrip. Apparently, this was the primary reason for the reconnaissance site. From the hilltop on Shroud Cay the DEA officers attempted to track the aircraft smuggling drugs in and out of Norman’s island and report this traffic back to agents in the USA.
View to the West from Camp DriftwoodView to the North from Camp Driftwood
With our mission accomplished we scrambled back down the hillside to our dinghy and shoved off to catch the last of the incoming current to speed up our return to Alembic. We thanked Russ for the adventure by treating him to sundowners in our cockpit while we swapped sea stories and shared the beauty of this special spot.
“Portland, Maine” a woman exclaims
from the pier. “Did you sail that boat all the way from Maine?” her male
companion chimes in. We are tied stern to at the visitor’s dock in
Ålesund, Norway. The public floats are traversed several times a day by
the parade of tour groups from the visiting cruise ships. It seems we
have become a bonus exhibit for the tour guides. Americans make up a
significant portion of the cruise ship quest list but American sailboats are an
unusual sight in Norway. “We did in fact” replies my wife politely
answering the woman. “Last summer we sailed from the Caribbean to
Bermuda, Bermuda to the Azores, and then from the Azores to Ireland”.
This answer inevitably leads to other incredulous follow-up questions
from the visitors. Their cruise ship
lifestyle is a world apart from our life aboard Alembic, our 42 foot ketch.
By the time we arrived in Ålesund,
we had already been in Norway several weeks. We departed Peterhead, on
the northeast coast of Scotland in late May.
After a two day crossing of the North Sea, we made landfall just south
of Bergen, Norway. Our first two remote Norwegian anchorages gave us a
taste of the amazing landscape and numerous secure coves that make Norway such
a special destination. Fortunately, the landscape makes up for the rainy
weather we experienced in the month of June. The cruising guides warn of
the wet climate especially in the area around Bergen. The west coast of
Norway sticks out into the North Sea like the snout of a walrus. Rugged
mountains rise abruptly from the sea. This geography causes low pressure
systems sweeping into the North Sea to unload the moisture they have lugged
across the Atlantic. This weather pattern, however, also rewards those
who venture further North. The further North you travel in Norway, the
less it rains.
The goal we had set for ourselves
during our winter ashore in Maine was to sail above the Arctic Circle. We hoped to do this as close to the summer
solstice as possible so we could experience the “midnight sun”. This goal
took on more importance one night at our local ski bar, the Loose Boots Lounge,
when we shared the idea with close friends and fellow sailors Cam and Julie.
After a couple of PBR’s it was decided. If we sailed Alembic, our
Whitby 42, north of Bergen, they would join us for a 2 week cruise across 66.5N
latitude and into the Arctic.
Not surprising, sailing on the coast
of Norway is a dream vacation for many adventuresome travelers. Our
daughter Lindsay and her boyfriend David, as well as our niece Danielle and her
friend Blanca enthusiastically booked trips to join us. Luckily, airports
are scattered all over Norway so we were able to arrange arrivals that
dove-tailed with destinations we were eager to explore. Lindsay and David
joined us in Bergen for a cruise among the fjords and quaint coastal islands
that surround this lively and historic city. After their departure, we
hopped north to Ålesund visiting several special stops along the way including Skjerjehamn
where paintings and sculptures grace the surroundings both inside and out.
On our way north in June we had this quiet setting all to ourselves.
When we returned in July we found an entirely different scene! Skjerjehamn
was packed with dozens of boats and hundreds of people enjoying a three day
music festival.
Guest dock and restaurant at Skjerjehamn
In Ålesund, we were joined by the two
enthusiastic recent college grads, Danielle and Blanca. We were eager to
show them the magic of Norway so we set sail for one of the most beautiful, and
uncrowded fjords in this part of the coast. The nearby Geirangerfjorden
is one of the most photographed fjords in all of Norway but this celebrity
status draws a crowd of tourist excursion boats. Instead, we sailed up
the Hjørundfjord just to the west and tied up for two idyllic days at the guest
dock in Øye. From here we had access to amazing hiking on the peaks of
Saksa and Slogen. We also enjoyed a gentrified evening piano recital at the
Union Hotel which is famous for hosting Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany for several
summers at the turn of the 20th century.
Alembic deep in a Norwegian fjord
With our guests already giddy about
these adventures we kept the momentum going by taking them to the southern-most
puffin colony in Norway on Runde Island. The puffins did not disappoint
with their casual tolerance of the gawking admirers. To top off the week
of adventure, we headed back to Ålesund for front-row seats at the largest
bonfire in the world held on the summer solstice celebration. The 135’
wooden tower of shipping pallets burned with Scandinavian precision from top to
bottom over a two hour celebration of the longest day of the year.
Puffin at Runde Island rookeryWorld’s largest bonfire at Ålesund on the solstice
With the departure of our niece and
her friend, it was time to get down to some serious Arctic sailing. As
promised, we met our adventuresome friends Cam and Julie in the city of Molde
with its spectacular downtown filled with flowers. After a quick
provisioning run, we set off for our first stop at the pretty little island of
Magerøya. This little island is a world to itself graced with new guest
docks in sharp contrast to the 19th century merchant hall that currently houses
a small restaurant. The island with its historic structures is under the
care of a group of young people who manage the restaurant, raise wild sheep,
and assure that the setting remains welcoming to visiting boats. Although
it was raining upon our arrival, we had a hardy meal of Bacalao, the delicious
regional fish stew, and learned more about the island history from one of its
young stewards.
One unique aspect of traveling the
Norwegian coast is that most vessels travel along the semi-sheltered channels
leading through the numerous coastal islands. At these high latitudes
during summer it is either daylight or twilight essentially 24 hours of the
day. Given these conditions, we found that it was easy to make 100 mile
hops up the coast in order to savor some of the prime stops further along the
Helgeland Coast. This scenic region of Norway stretches from the
archipelago around Vega to just north of the Arctic Circle. Its portfolio
of natural wonders includes the low lying islands stretching for miles off the
coast, puffin rookeries, and rugged unique coastal mountains. We
cherry-picked a couple of favorite stops that were easily accessible from
anchorages or guest docks including the Seven Sisters near Sandnessjøen, Torghatten near Brønnøy, and
the Svartisen Glacier.
Climbing through the hole in the mountain at Toaghatten
Standing at the base of the Svartisen Glacier
After three hundred adventure-filled
miles from Molde, it was time to cross the Arctic Circle. The Arctic
Circle is not a fixed latitude. It is the southern most latitude where
the sun does not set on the evening of the June Solstice. As the earth
wobbles on its axis, this latitude is drifting northwards at about forty nine feet
per year and currently resides at 66°33′47.8″.
Across the Arctic Circle we sailed, passed a monument marking this
milestone and then we jumped into the frigid water to commemorate our arrival.
After two weeks of
sailing, hiking, and general adventuring we arrived in the large community of
Bodø. We said goodbye to our friends who shuttled off to the airport and
we were back to just the two of us on the boat after a month of visitors.
Bodø proved to be a convenient spot to re-provision and catch up on a few
boat projects. Everything we needed was a short walk from the guest
docks along with an assortment of bars and restaurants.
Since it was still
early July, we were eager to continue our Norwegian explorations to the unique
Lofoten Islands with their stunning landscapes and quaint fishing villages.
We jumped straight to the western end of the island chain with a forty
mile day sail to Reine. This town was voted to be one of the most scenic
in the Lofotens. Fish racks with thousands of cod fish heads drying in
the sun made for some interesting photos. A quick hike up the four
hundred and fifty meter peak of Reinebringen offered amazing views of the harbor
below and the surrounding mountains.
Fish heads drying on the racks in Lofoten IslandsReine from a harborside mountain peak
After a spectacular week absorbing the breath-taking scenery of the Lofoten Islands and enjoying endless sunshine, it was time to point our bow south. We had plans to be in Sweden by mid-August so we took advantage of the mild and settled weather of mid-summer to return to southern Norway. The tug of Norway proved to be strong, however. Instead of rounding the southern end of Norway and sailing to Sweden as planned, we lingered in the fjords near Stavanger, Norway into the fall. We chose to leave Alembic in Stavanger for the winter. We are still undecided which direction we will travel in the Spring. We may continue on to Sweden and the Baltic or we may return to the Arctic for another magical summer. After 4 years of cruising, 22,000 miles, and 27 countries, our visit to the Arctic regions of Norway stands out in our minds as one of our favorite destinations. One summer in the Arctic may not be enough!
