At 05:45 we made a short stops en at Hammerfest which developed from Kvaloya, ‘Whale Island’ and at 70.39.48 N is possibly the world’s most northern town.
Approaching Honningsvag we sailed through a narrow channel with, to the north the island of the North Cape and to the south the mainland of Norway.
Honningsvag at 70.59.48 N is further north than Hammerfest but is still only seen as a village. Population increase in recent years ought to allow it to claim the most northerly status but few people seem to be worried about it. There were excursions to the North Cape, the most northerly point of Europe, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Barents Sea. We strolled through the town photographing the reconstruction after WW2. The town is protected by snow/avalanche fences.
We departed eastwards on time at 14:15. We headed north and rounded the Nord Kinnhalvoya Peninsula and entered the Barents Sea and within half an hour we are encountering white capped waves and a grey ocean. This is the North Atlantic convergence zone.