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this is the first longer trip with the new seabird kayak i bought last autumn. designed in sweden, glass fiber and kevlar, equipped with two large plus one little watertight compartment, footrest, steering. most and all of the heavy equipment is stowed well balanced under deck. on deck i have sleepingmats(2 in the winter!) , a day bag in front of me, spare paddle and a flotation suite. |
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the first day i rowed until auesøya, where i stayed for the night on sokken. it is a very idyllic place, with the luxury of an even grass plane for the tent (there is not too many of them around here, most rocks...). the only drawback (with a water temperature of around freezing point) is the fact that there is no place to come on shore but the beach - that means to get out of the kayak barefoot and wade to shore. and the same in reverse the next morning. well, but i managed to get the camera positioned before i froze to the ground. |
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i cannot carry the fully loaded boat, and to protect the gel coat i rather drew the keel over some branches than the sand, stones and shell. slides much easier, too |
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eight years ago hilleberg tentmakers sponsored me with a unna-tent, still in use, summer and winter, light and strong. easy to handle. |
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my camp for the night. looks like living to me! no boats anywhere (norwegians are not at sea in the winter), temperature comfortable at 0 dg celsius. |
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i have never stopped living my boys dreams, actually. |
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scrubbing the can in the morning with water and sand takes the sod off. and i have a cotton bag for the can, otherwise everything will be black in no time. |
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sleeping out in the winter makes you beautiful! |
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who wants breakfast at tiffany's, if one can have it on sokken? |
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there was a lot of moose-tracks around the camp, so i was not too surprised when i heard the steps of a moose coming to the tent at night, then nosy sniffing on the tent. i was slightly worried about the tent-ropes, but the careful moose didn't step on anything. |
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more or less everything i have with me needs to be taken out on the camp, so there is a slight reorganization of stuffing plan every morning. i suppose that would ease down if i would be on a several weeks trip. |
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the next night i stayed in a little bay in blindleia, with the perfect beach... |
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... and the perfect campground. a perfect flat peace of loan, just big enough for my little tent, a young oak to hang up my water bag, and a narrow clift which few over the ocean. |
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optimus ranger 10. runs on diesel or kerosene. |
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condense makes the sleeping bag soaking wet. so in the morning i laid the bag in the first sunbeams to dry a bit up. but that only melts the ice on the sleeping bag and it feels even wetter... when it is really cold, a vapor blocker has to be used. but in the few minus degrees we have now, my wet sleeping bag still keeps me cozy warm. dune bags are more sensitive to water that plastic fantastic. |
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naturally, i have only photos of the calm stretches. there were some parts of the trip that were so rough that i found it wise to wear a live vest. specially with cold water and no other boats around to pull you out of the water if you go around. |
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the last day of the trip. apart from the whether it was beautiful. hundreds of little islands scattered around me, and no people anywhere. |
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one of the few fisher boats i met. he tried, as most fishers, to run me over. had to paddle quite strong to get out of his course, and he kept rightening his course towards me. when i took up the camera, he suddenly swung out of my course. |
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i arrived at my destination, kristiansand. |
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even the guest harbor was dead empty! |
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ready packed, waiting for a lift. my friend kenneth, skipper of bibben came and picked me and the gear up. |