Part I: Seals teeth and whales ears - Scott Polar Research Institute ...

patches of sun. The ferry called at Horten, a nearby island, then it past Ankra and
Otteroy - two large islands - and round a headland to Molde. The first thing we
did was to go to a barber's where we each had a shave and myself a haircut also.
Then we did a little shopping and had coffee and cakes in a konditori. This took
care of the two hours we had to kill in Molde, until we could take a ferry at 11.30
am across the fjord to Vikebugt and Hellend, where we went ashore. From
Hellend we took a bus to Alesund. The road ran through a birch-lined valley with
snow-covered hills on either side and past several ski hotels. This was a much
more traditional region with many old houses, their roofs steeply sloping and
with carved gables. Later we heard that at noon that day two lynx had been seen
near the road - just about when we were passing.
The road passed over a saddle and then ran downhill through a winding
valley to Storfjord and on to Alesund, which we reached at 2.15 pm. The boat
sailed for Steinshamn at 4.0 pm. so we had time for lunch at the hotel Noreg and a
brief look around. I would have a few hours there next Monday to see more of it. I
went to the shipping office to change my passage Alesund to Bergen from
Thursday, 7 July to Monday 11th, as we had not been able get through the work
planned. This meant that I would have only a day in Bergen, but it couldn't be
helped. We had a long trip back, calling at many islands and gradually shedding
passengers until we reached Steinshamn at 9.15 pm.
No whales came in on Tuesday until 10 pm, but I was up at 8.30 am. and
checked on specimens etc. most of the day. Then we worked on plan until 1.0 am.
and were up at 6 am. for the next whale - working on the plan until 3 pm. Went to
bed for a couple of hours then - very tired, up for supper and to bed at 10 pm.
expecting another whale at 2.0 am. Unfortunately I wasn't called as requested and
by the time I woke the whale had been worked up! So disappointing to miss one.
By Thursday 7 July we'd had only 15 whales to examine and I was disenchanted
with the situation. There wasn't really much work to do - mostly hanging around
waiting for whales and when they'd arrived, hanging round waiting for the men
to get on with cutting them up. They came at all hours so we slept when we could
fit it in.
On Friday, 8 July - two whales came in. It was fine and sunny and very warm
and I took some colour photos on the plan - whale carcasses, aspects of their
anatomy and suchlike. In the afternoon when all was cleared away I went for a
walk along the coast and found a lovely place on top of a headland where I could
sit in the heather with my back to a rock and look over the island to the hills on
the mainland. I sat sucking up the sun as a sponge does water, my eyes closed
after a while and beautiful fleeting coloured patterns chased each other over my
retina and I thought of Maureen.
On Sunday 10 July, after coffee at 6.0 pm. we went fishing, for saithe, in Bjorn
Saebjornsen's boat with Asrun S - accompanied by Bergtor S and another chap in a
second boat. There was thick fog, and one couldn't see more than a few yards. The
sea so calm that it mirrored and merged into the mist. It was cold, and through the
mist, the low sun occasionally broke to shine on the greasy calm waters. Standing
in the bows of the boat was like standing at the end of the world with nothing
above or below - a strange feeling - nor was it possible to tell whether the boat was
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