By 05.30 in the morning, we passed the North Cape which was clearly visible and with the chilly temperature, gave high hopes that there would not be any hazy stuff in the evening when we were coming back for sightseeing. Honningsvag is located on the lee side of the island on which it is located where there also is a natural harbour. Lee side is very relative as the town is located in a very harsh environment where even in the summer things can be very nasty. Hence I always look with a bit of apprehension to this call. The dock is only half the length of the ship; if the wind blows the tender service is challenging and there is no other alternative than just to go “bounce” back to open sea. However when the weather is half decent (e.g. not too much wind) it is a great stop. For visiting the town it’self or for going up to the North Cape. Looking out from the bridge and seeing that the wind was almost zero made my day. Things were looking good.
When we came around the corner the Trolljord from the Hurtigurten was leaving and that was even better news. She was the only ship in the port, recognizable by AIS, and that meant that both piers were free. Normally the Hurtigruten ships use the smaller downtown pier, but as our schedule called for anchoring, I thought that it might have been possible that one was using the bigger dock for some reason or another.
Thus we kept the tenders securely lashed away and went to mooring stations and brought half the ship alongside the dock. The after part was sticking out but the stern ropes could go on two big mooring buoys and so keep the ship in position. Now the only thing we had to hope for was that the wind would not pick up too much. Wind force 5 from the North East was predicted but from that wind the town and pier are well sheltered. Happy guests as well, as walking ashore in the cold is much easier of course than an even colder tender ride. And a chilly day is was, with the top temperature just touching the 50oF around noon time.
Honningsvag is a “new” town, as least as far as construction goes. During the 2nd world war the town was occupied by the Germans, as it was a strategic area for them, and at the end of the war the whole place was burned down; except the church which somehow escaped. Thus all the houses that you see and all the other construction is from post 1945. Near the end of that war most of the Honnigvag-ians were evacuated by means of their own fishing boats. That was their great luck. When the war finished, the houses might have been gone, but the fishing boats were still there.
<img src="http://www.hollandamerica.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/after-war-300×225.jpg" alt="after war" title="after war" width="300" height="225" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2914" /The church is the little white dot in the middle of the photo Thus fishing could start again quite quickly. The town was slowly but steadily rebuilt and is now a thriving town again. Main source of income is still fishing but tourism is an important issue as well. During the season, nearly everyday a cruise ship will call, including the big boys. When we left the Costa Magica passed us on the way up and after that the MSC Poesies will call, both carrying 2500+ guests.
By the mid afternoon, the wind started to freshen up but did not peak more than 25 knots and that is no problem to stay alongside. On the contrary it helped me get away quickly, as I could practice the “blow-away” maneuver. Just let the lines go, give half astern on two engines and back away from the pier. The wind pushed us away from the dock and due to the way the wind catches the balconies of the ship, it has the tendency to turn its stern into the wind. Exactly the maneuver I wanted to make. Going astern, turning the stern into the bay and bringing the bow over towards the breakwater for sailing out.
By 1900 hrs. we sailed slowly passed the North Cape at a distance of 5000 feet. If I would have gone much closer; then you cannot see the top anymore with the Globe and the visitors centre. The top was nice and clear, so I hope that everybody had a good view. When we went further out to the open sea, the sun came out and it was a beautiful evening. Around 22.30 we even saw whales in the distance. Humpbacks busy with bubble feeding, closely watched by seagulls, hoping from some left over’s I suppose.
Tomorrow we will be at sea again, sailing down the coast. It will be a windy day according to the weather forecast but as we will be sailing with the end it should not have much affect on those walking on the outside decks.
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