Randøya - Last Trip (May 31 - June 2, 2021)

Monday, May 31, 2021

Unfortunately, the corona regulations changed to stricter rules over the weekend before the last trip. So we are not allowed to travel together with the Norwegian students as usual. Nevertheless, we have two and a half days full of activities ahead of us. The trip starts on Monday at 9 am with a bus ride to Kongshavn, where we load a larger motorboat with all our luggage. Then 15 of us changed into kayaks and the others left the harbor. I was one of the 15 who kayaked. We paddled about 20 minutes to Østre Randøya, where our camp was located. The others were already waiting for us. They unloaded the boat and helped us carry the kayaks.

Upon arrival, we sat together and discussed the rules and how the next days will go. We moved into the old hospital and had lunch outside together. At 2 pm, the first activity began. My group started with fishing and rowing.

We meet Petter at the rowing boats and sit down together to discuss where we want to row. We decide to row to a smaller island, which is not far away. We check the fishing nets and put them back in the box. The plan is to lay out the nets after the evening theory lecture.

Finally, we get into the rowing boats and start rowing. It was my second time in a rowing boat and it was really fun.

We rowed for a while in the bay and then went to a small island where we took a snack break. In the evening, after a historical tour of the island and the opportunity to go into the tunnel systems, we go out again and set out the nets. I was in the accompanying boat, so I didn't do much.

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

The next day, we got up early to pull in the nets. My boat was one of the boats that pulled in one of the nets. We caught three cod and three flounders. Back on land, Petter is waiting for us and he teaches us how to kill, gut, and fillet the cod and flounders.

After we finished filleting the fish, we had breakfast and then changed into kayaks. We planned a tour around the island and decided on a combination of a tour and technique training. After passing the island on the south side, where the conditions were rough, Ida capsized, so Thomas could demonstrate how to rescue her. After that, we paddled back. Then it was everyone else's turn. We formed teams of two and capsized, so the other person had to rescue us. The water was warmer than expected and capsizing was more fun than I thought.

After the lunch break, we went motorboating. First, we went to the larger boat and talked about various symbols on nautical charts and what they mean. Since the large boat was unfortunately not working, we had to switch to the smaller boats, of which only two were still functional. Kjetil explained everything very quickly, so I was a bit overwhelmed. Each of us was allowed to drive and try to land the boat on the jetty.

When the hour was over, I went for a walk around the island with two others, all the way to the north, and later we all sat together and sang with the guitar and ukulele. That night, I slept outside and had a great view of the ocean. Unfortunately, the night was not very restful because it was very windy.

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

After breakfast and cleaning the accommodations, we had our last activity, biology class. We walked about 10 minutes to a small bay. On the way there, Svein told us some very interesting information about Norway's most common bird (Willow Warbler) and we got to taste the Common Wood Sorrel, which is very tasty but a bit sour. When we arrived at the bay, we grabbed a water binoculars, a shallow plastic tray, and a small net. In the water, we collected everything we could find, including crabs, mussels, snails, and a sea urchin, an oyster, and two species of jellyfish.

After searching for half an hour, we sit down together on the beach and talk about the animals we found. Some of the animals were cooked and we got to taste mussels and snails. Unfortunately, we couldn't go to the end of the island to taste the seaweed in the sea because we were running out of time. I would have liked to do that, but I still really enjoyed the biology class and you could see that Svein has a passion for biology.

Since the large boat still wasn't working and only one small boat was working, we had to walk across the island and were picked up there by a boat taxi and taken back to the mainland.

In the following week, we have our practical exam, in which knots, paddle techniques, and much more will be tested. Our planning for afterwards is slowly taking shape as well. After Sara and I want to visit Trolltunga, Kjerag, and Oslo together, I want to hike the St. Olav's Way from Oslo to Trondheim (643km - 32 stages). I'm really looking forward to the experiences and I'm already deep into preparations. Unfortunately, that also means that I will come home much later. I hope you forgive me for that.

I love you all very much.

Your Maike :D