I woke early again and thought I’d check through the electrical system for any faults that might be contributing to my engine problem. So while I charged the old batteries from the shore I dove into the engine compartment and stripped down all the wiring to clean the contact points for the starting system. Thirty minutes later a flick of the ignition key prompted the engine to roar into life. After a moment of hesitation I decided to snub my dodgy wharf rat and pointed the bow to the open water and waved a cheery good bye to Horten and it ferries.

One of the reasons I decided to head off early was that I was supposed to meet an Indian Chief from Alberta, Francois Paulett, who was making a documentary on indigenous perspectives on oil and gas. I had a long way to go to the rendezvous point in Drøbak where I was supposed to meet him at 11:00, so the motor was put to the test as I charged north.

It rained. In fact it never stopped raining from the moment I left the harbor so I hunkered down in the shelter of the cockpit and braced myself for a miserable few hours of motoring which finally saw my tying up to the wharf at 12:00.

Despite the poor weather Francois was welcomed aboard with his film tech and a couple of WWF staff. Unfortunately there was not anything particularly nice to film unless you like grey mist and rain, so after some brief introductions on film, the guests retired below to have a lunch of buffalo jerky (brought by the chief) and several Norwegian courses. A very odd mix of cuisines, but all seemed to enjoy and then the chief had a nap while I stayed above in the rain and headed for home with no remarkable events en route.
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I am now tied up at the KNS yacht harbor on the Bygdøy peninsula and am settling into life aboard the yacht. It is a lovely setting here that while close to the city, is renowned for its bathing beaches and winding bike tracks through the woods which are fresh and green with spring growth at the moment. Unfortunately I took a tumble on one of those tracks while carrying gear to the boat. As a result I broke a finger which forces me to type with two fingers. Since I normally type with two fingers that is not such a problem but it still hurts!

I seem to constantly couple great times with minor disasters but either way I am looking forward to the next few months living on the water and exploring the fjord. Despite all the various catastrophes en route I wore a smile for at least 80% of the time. Life is good