I took Drijfsijs out for a trip today in order to get out of the house and to breathe some fresh air. It was the first time I had used the boat without Hanneke to help me and the path down to the beach near Nesland is steep, muddy and narrow. But I was pleased to find I could launch and recover the boat on my own without too much difficulty.
A north-easterly force 3 was blowing down Grøtsundet and had induced some sharp little waves. The boat still planed really easily with just me on board, but I found I had to sit a long way forward to keep it flat. The ride was a lot more physical then before too - I couldn't open the throttle more than halfway without fear of bouncing out! I think it would probably have been much smoother if another person had been on board. The trip was enjoyable, but by the time I reached the anchorage at Nipøya I had a sore bum.
I pulled Drijfsijs up a shingle beach adjacent to the anchorage and went ashore to explore. Nipøya is an uninhabited and densely forested island just off the southern tip of Reinøya. I'm not exactly sure why there aren't any buildings on Nipøya because the nearby islands of Risøya and Sandholmen are covered in little cabins. I found my through the forest to the top of the 64-meter high island by following a well-worn but very windy path. I'm not sure if the path had been cut by a person or by the sheep on the island. It was rather well worn and its route seemed more consistent with ovine logic than human.
A clearing on the top of the island provided a good view of tiny Risøya to the north and the twin peaks of skalltinden and solltinden across on Ringvassøya to the west.
After nosing around the beach on the south of the island, where a bit of beachcombing provided an almost brand new rubber buoy, I headed back to Drijfsijs. The return trip was a lot more comfortable as the waves had subsided and the wind was now to my back. By the time I reached Tromso the sun had even come out! I didn't have enough fuel to go much further though. The return trip to Nipøya had used more than half of my little 12-litre tank.