Debi and Jack sailing on SV Iroquois

Yesterday we all ten boats set off from Bergen for Fedje. There was no wind so we all motored the whole 35 nautical miles. It was sunny and hot---not what any of us had planned for. In Fedje we were allowed to tour the marine traffic control center. It's a space age lighthouse on a tip of land looking over the North Sea. We were buzzed in through the security door at the base of the building, went up some stairs and were buzzed through a second set of doors. There was no one around and we weren't sure where to go so we just kept looking for stairs and walking up. We went past their living quarters and kept going up until we reached the very top, which looked like what I imagine an air traffic control center to look. There are two desks each surrounded by many huge screens showing the radar and AIS shipfinder for the coast of Norway, plus some camera shots--one of the naval base and one of an oil refinery. The room is glass all around and you can walk outside all the way around. They let us go out to take photos. They work 8 hours on 8 hours off for a week then they get a three week break away from the station. It reminds one of lighthouse keepers. They were very helpful in explaining their work and answering our questions. One of them said he had warned the ferries about us and told them to stay out of our way! Just guessing, but don't think the US Coast Guard would be so open to visitors like that. AIS which transmits a ship's heading, speed, name and other information lets the receiver know exactly who the ship is, including small boats like ours that have AIS. I can only imagine how different and difficult the task of keeping track of marine traffic must have been when it was all done with only radar and radio.

There are two ships working just offshore by the station. They are trying to cover up a German sub that was carrying mercury to Japan when it was sunk in WWII. The mercury has been lying in the sub on the seafloor. One of the other sailors pointed out that there are probably lots of them that are not being remediated. When we got back to our boats one of the Swedish crews invited us to try whale meat. They had got it in the local store and barbecued it. We both tried it and neither of us loved it. We think it was liver based on the taste and color (deep red), but they didn't know what part of the whale it was.

Today is not sunny and warm, but we were actually able to sail at least part of the day. We had an interesting experience when our vhf radio started ringing like a telephone. We received an individual call. Neither of us was aware this was even possible. It was some people we had met in Inverness who are in Norway and followind us on AIS wondering when we were going to catch up to them. Huh, you learn something new everyday. Now we know how to make individual calls on VHF. It's just like hailing someone on 16 and switching to another channel, but the radio does it all for you.

Svanoy is a really beautiful island, at least what we saw from the sea and around the harbor. We expected only an anchorage but there turned out to be a floating dock with a nice little store and bar/cafe, also free wifi, showers and toilets. There was a tour arranged of the local salmon processing facility. We didn't know what it was but went along because it included tasting. It turned out to be a very small family-run salmon smokery. The third generation of women gave a powerpoint presentation of the company history and the smoking process. It may be called an artisanal smoked salmon I think. They have many different varieties of marinades they add to the packages after smoking. Some of which are made from things they gather in the surrounding forest. One is a plant unknown to us which is a little sweet and tangy. They also have a ramps variety. They collect the juniper for the smoking from the woods around them and use the wood chips and sawdust from the local boatmaker for the cold smoking. I tried all their varieties including gravlax, traditional, pepper, the aforementioned herb, garlic and ramps. They also sell salmon burgers that they make from the scraps. Everything is done by hand by five people. We bought as much as we thought we could eat before it goes bad. All of the fish comes from the salmon farm that the same famly owns and operates. It was one of the most pleasant examples of slow food being practiced both traditionally and innovatively that we have ever seen. The woman who presented her craft displayed a sense of pride and place that was strong, respectful and proud. It was a really delightful experience. Tomorrow there is a fishing spot along the route to Selje so we will try our luck with our new fishing gear and techniques from Jan.