Debi and Jack sailing on SV Iroquois

Yesterday we realized we needed to make a plan if we are to get to Bodo on time to meet Carrie so Jack went through all the guidebooks and charts and identified options and how far each is from the other. I checked the weather and saw there was a short window from around 3 to 10 am today when the wind was not too strong out of the north, of course it is still out of the north. But we thought we could at least make some progress north in that time. There was a meeting of all the boats last night and it was decided to meet in Torghatten on Saturday(tomorrow), then go together to Alstadhaug on Sunday after walking to the hole in the mountain in the morning. Then maybe we'll go on to Hjartoy if there isn't room in the harbor to stay overnight. After that we don't know, but we do plan to be together in Bodo on the 23rd and participate in the Bodo Sailing Club's traditional sail. It's not really a race because there are all kinds of boats from viking ships to the most modern race boats who all go out to one of the islands on the 24th, where they eat a big seafood dinner. This plan works well for us as it gets the group to Bodo on the exact date to meet Carrie. The weather seemed better today than tomorrow so we got up and left at 6 this morning. We thought we were only going halfway to Torghatten because the winds were supposed to increase throughout the day, but it was so calm in the inner passage that we kept going all the way and it was only the last hour or so that we were battering upwind in 20kts. Sometimes when scurrying around the rocks in the inside passages I think of the Shetland Bus guys and marvel at their bravery and skills. During WWII there were Norwegians who took their tiny fishing boats back and forth to Shetland to bring in supplies for the resistance and take out people who were in danger. The fishing boats were so small they were able to hide out in the islands and fjords and elude the Germans. They operated in the winter under cover of darkness. It was called the Shetland Bus and there is a book by that name that I recommend if you aren't familiar with it. Anyway, we thought we could finally be the first boat to the next destination by leaving a full day before the rest of the boats--they were staying in Rorvik, some to do maintenance, shopping, etc. some for crew changes. The crew changes could be a problem since there was talk of an airport strike but hopefully it will work out for them. When we got to the anchorage though there was a boat who had already arrived. It turns out they had left at 3am when the winds first calmed down. So we weren't first, but at least we are not last this time. Tomorrow we'll set up the dinghy and go ashore to walk to the hole in the mountain. I'll try to post a picture of it. As we sail along it is strange to see houses in what seems to be the middle of nowhere. I know that there are such houses everywhere, but Norway either seems to be a good size city or the middle of nowhere. We are anchored in a long narrow cove, the wind is loud but probably not more than 15 knots, the boat is nice and stable as the water is flat. Being at anchor is so much different than tied to a dock, not just because you cannot walk to shore, the whole feel is different, even though there are other boats nearby at anchor there is a pleasent sort of isolation. The boat seems more of an island, independent and on its own. It's especially different than being rafted up several boats deep as we often are.