29 May 2021

Under the virtual omega and into the arctic

May 29th    Nesna - Selsøyvik

A grey and mostly almost windless day. Since I thought that I wasn't going to sail much anyway I decided to go through Aldersundet a detour to the east of the main route between high mountains. 

One of nine (only either operational at a time) transmitters for the US Navy Global Positioning System Omega was located at Bratland in Aldersundet. The antennas for the Bratland transmitter was three 3500 m long wires between the mountains Liatind on the mainland and Aldertind on the island of Aldra.  Before they where dismantled in 2002 the antennas looked really weird on the charts. Powerlines over water usually has a charted height up to maybe 40 or 50 m, but the charted height of the antennas was around 450 m. With the anchors on the mountains being significantly higher.

Even if this farm looks abandoned there are still some farms on the very steep Aldra that is active, both tin he village Aldra toward Aldersundet and Stuvland on the outside. 

After leaving Aldersundet I was able to sail some and after I while I passed the islet Vikingen with its monument marking the arctic circle. It doesn't lie on the circle exactly but is the land close to the main shipping route (where the costal express and cruise ship pass) that is closest.


After arriving ar Selsøyvik I pumped my Advanced Elements kayak and paddled round som of the skerries and islets. 


Really nice, I even saw some seals around 100 m away. But the trip got shorter than planned - I'm really out of shape for this.

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