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Breaking News … May Day, May Day, but we missed it! At daybreak the Captain reported that at 00:15 the bridge received a May Day call from a fishing boat with two people on board that was in distress and sinking in the Inner Passage off Bodø. We went to its position and were ready

We arrived at 07:40 having passed beneath Finnsnes Bridge before docking at the small terminal at Fissnes. It was 6.5ºC with a wind chill that made it feel much colder. The bridge links the town with Senja, Norway’s second largest island. It is said that its beauty rivals that of the Lofoten Islands but without the

Today we docked in Honningsvag at 08:50 with an air temperature of -5.4ºC and what could be when the sun rises a good day. Today, as we mentioned yesterday, sunrise is expected at 09:13 and sunset at 13:47. The first sighting of the port, which is the closest to the Cape, was actually from bed

We arrived in Tromsø at 08:45 with little daylight, little wind and a temperature of -5ºC. At home we would call this dawn, but work places are already open. Having passed the Arctic Circle and because of the tilt of the Earth away from the sun at this time of year we experience more darkness

Early this morning was the first time we experienced bright and clear light on the voyage. This light can play tricks on the eyes according to the Inuit and today there was a snow covered peak on the horizon which just looked like an iceberg. At 08:30 it was 0ºC and was expected to rise

We departed Ålesund at 09:30 with light snow showers and a temperature of 2ºC. We are heading north but because of the storm we will not be stopping at Brønnøysund. The storm is massive and we have seen it on BBC World Weather. By lunchtime, when we were in the open ocean there were high waves and

We were awakened today by the Captain, who announced that it was 6ºC, the pressure was falling and following our overnight journey through the Inner Passage we would dock in Ålesund about 11:30. He did say that a storm was expected later with Force 9 or 10 winds which would make the next part of

Since last night’s posting we have been informed that 3 crew members had tested positive for Covid. At the beginning of the day this does not seem to be changing anything. We awoke at 9:00 a.m. with the sun only just rising as we had moved one hour forward into European Time. During the night

Storm! At 08:00 we were heading NE in the middle of the North Sea, more or less opposite the Humber Estuary, with a moderate swell and cloud that was clearing. At 09:15 the Captain announced, “that currently the temperature was 9.5 C with winds from the west at Force 6 and a 3 metre sea.

Yesterday, having travelled from Manchester by train, we stayed at the Dover Spa Hotel which is housed within a crescent of 17th century buildings.    It overlooks the Dover Beach between the car ferry port (Eastern Docks and the former Dover Marine Station and the nearby Western Docks). This area is being ‘reinvented’ as the