We arrived on the island of Randøya Monday morning, and after a brief introduction with the instructors were divided into the housings by group numbers. My group was put into the old hospital building, in which had been very well refurnished and even had a living area with leather couches. Veldig koselig. After getting settled in and having lunch we went to meet for our first lecture of the week, and my group had ‘large boats.’ Kjetil was our instructor, and he had Peter and Håkon give us a briefing of how the engines and steering of the boats function. I had only driven one motorized boat like this last semester that was from a cabin that my brother and Dad had stayed at in Lillesand, so I had somewhat been familiar with the way it works but had never practiced coming in parallel or parking like we had done this day. I managed to get the engine started on the first pull of the pull cord which was a nice feeling, and had reversed out of the dock without any problems. It was nice getting a good overview of the engine before attempting, and now knowing that the choke needs to be used if the engine had been sitting for sometime, and doesn’t need to be pulled if the engine had been running shortly beforehand. I was able to pull alongside the life boat in which Kjetil was in, and parallel parked quite well aside from coming in slightly too sharp in the front and should had reversed a bit sooner, but practice makes perfect. Håkon was in my boat and helped coach as best as he could along the way which very helpful. After everyone had gotten the hang of how the boat functions, we made a tour around the nearby Islands. Two boats had issues with their engines on the way back to the dock and ran out of fuel, but thankfully there was fuel tanks on board and they were able to get up and going. There was some nice team dynamics at hand though as soon as one boat was stopped, all of the surrounding boats took notice and had stopped to help them as best they could. After the tour we parked the boats at the dock and thanked Kjetil for the day.

The next day my group started out with rowboats with Svein Rune. Svein taught us the most effective methods and mechanics of rowing, in which rhythm and consistency are key. When both people rowing go at the same speed and pace, the boat will go at maximum efficiently, and the people rowing will have to do minimal work when rowing hand in hand. There were four of us per boat, so we were able to transition rowers whenever someone wanted a break. We made the same loop that we had made around the islands in the motor boats the day prior, but this time went the opposite way around, and worked on rhythm and technique along the way. Svein taught us to row with our whole bodies and not just our arms, otherwise we will be very burnt out in a short period of time and will not be anywhere near as efficient as we could be if we in turn use the whole body to propel the vessel forward. It took a while to get the hang of. I had used rowing machines in gyms and it was a very similar movement to rowing in the boat, but doing the actual action of rowing a boat took a lot more concentration and focus than simply using a rowing machine. This greatly helped me along the way though as I knew what form I should have when rowing the boat, and was able to slowly figure out how to incorporate my whole body into each row and not just my arms. The people rowing had to at first communicate in order to get a nice flow going, and after a while any adjustments were made without words as both rowers understood what needed to be done at what time in order to keep the boat going where it needs to.

We rowed around the big island adjacent to our island along the south side and came north along the west coast, and Svein knew of a nice hole where cod liked to hangout along the edge of the island and so we rowed up to meet it. Once here, we were given harps to fish with and sat for about 15 minutes fishing. No body else in my boat wanted to fish so I was fortunate enough to be able to fish the whole time, and after 15 seconds of first dropping my line I caught a nice little cod that Espen and I ended up sharing for dinner and made a nice fish soup out of. This was also a nice time as everyone was able to relax for quite a bit and enjoy the sun and the weather and not have to row as it is a lot of work after awhile.  After a bit of chilling and attempting to fish a bit more, we pulled up our lines and started the journey back to Randøya. Rowing was quite enjoyable and I liked the fact that you got a nice workout out of sitting in a boat, but would prove to be a tiresome way of transportation if it went on for many hours. After arriving back, we returned to our cabin and had a nice lunch, and Sophie and I discussed our plan for the afternoon as we were in charge of leading the next tour. We met with Len and discussed of nice routes to take for our kayak trip, and then went down to the boats to meet with the others and began to instruct as best we could the fundamentals of kayaking and techniques. We instructed the others how to properly hold the paddle and what technique is best to use when in the water, and also how to properly put on a spray deck in order to keep them as dry as possible when in the kayak. After a short off-shore briefing we all loaded up into our boats and made our way into the water to start off the session. We introduced a few paddle techniques and let everybody practice the different methods, and fortunately we had Rauridh along with us to help demonstrate anything we were unable to properly perform, or as well as he could. After paddling around the bay for some time we made our way across the way and into a bay adjacent to us to play some kayak tag. All was going well with technique and tagging, until I had accidentally gone a little too quick into the back of Petra’s boat and ended up capsizing her. I felt extremely bad about it and helped as best as I could, however Len and Rauridh knew how to properly perform a capsize rescue and everyone else got to witness how it all works in the end. Not even five minutes after Petra went over, Espen had managed to capsize himself when making his way across the bay. Everyone paddled up to him and got his boat flipped and drained, and then he had wanted to get into his boat on his own and performed the ‘cowboy entry,’ in which he started at the back of his kayak and “saddled” his way up to the cockpit. It was quite entertaining to witness, but was great to know incase I ever capsize on my own and am a long way out from shore. This also goes to shower how important it is to have a sponge or water pump somewhere in the boat incase a capsize ever does occur, and theres lots of water that needs to get out of the boat. One Espen was good to go, we made our way further through the channel between the two islands, and into a small bay sheltered from the open sea by two large landmasses and a small channel between. In this bay we did a small game where  everyone paired up and each pair had to have one leg of each paddler in both of the vessels and had to paddle across the bay, and after this was done each pair had to stand up while doing the same drill. Lisbet, my partner, was a bit terrified of this and could not bring herself to stand up but that was understandable as it was her first time ever being in a kayak before. After the game, we went through the narrow channel and into the open sea and Len had brought out the tow rope and let volunteers put on the rope while everyone else grouped up behind and formed at first a nice ‘V,’ similar to how birds fly, and then made a solid straight line behind one another to create a nice drift stream that made us all lighter to pull. After messing around with this for a bit, we turned our yaks around and made back for Randøya to end the session. Upon returning to the shore, some practiced their rolling techniques. It was nice to watch and I’ve been tempted to try, but still couldn’t bring myself to attempt on this day. All in all, I think the session went quite well and I think everyone in the group enjoyed themselves. This evening, we met with Kjetil again for an island tour. There was a thunderstorm occurring along the way which I think made it all the better, and we walked around the island to see parts of the military fort left behind for the public to observe and learn from. We sat under a shelter in which used to be a cannon area and he informed us all about the island’s history along with Vegar who also knew some things about the history. After seeing two bunkers, we made our way down to the dock area and into an underground fort. The tunnels around were immense and he showed us an open area that was planned to be a kitchen area for the military members, but was never fully converted and instead just had some sinks and storage areas. Further through the tunnels we entered a massive opening in which could fit hundreds of people, and he told us how this is open to the public in the summertime and there are often concerts and other events hosted here. We followed him up some stairs and he pointed out that there was moss in which only grew under the lights in the tunnel, and the rest of the wall was empty. At the top of the stairs was a chemical wash room with massive doors, and across the other end was – now – museum set up with a draw board of the southern coast of Norway with a desk and phone booth set across from it in which the drawers had a very special skill and that was the ability to write very well backwards, and so if there was an emergency the people at the phone desk would immediately make a call and know at all times what is happening where on the coast. Behind the main booth was another set of phones who would order from these guys. In the other section were machines used to detect submarines and other vessels around the area, and computers and what not. Was a fully underground military office used to protect the southern coast during the war. They had cannons at each end of the Island, and we watched a short film that portrayed all of the military action that took place on the island before the Norwegian Military donated it to the public and is now free to use and observe by all. Was a very neat experience.

The next morning we met again at the kayaks, and Rauridh and Petra led us on a kayak tour around the eastern side of Randøya and north west back across the top of the island. Two pairs made each leg along the way, and took turns leading the group. It was quite windy out and the waves were large which made for a fun time trying to surf. When I lead my first group though I got a little too carried away with the speed and surf attempts and when I looked back I was way ahead of everyone else, and so I noted to always have a look on the group and to stay tighter – especially in somewhat harsh conditions. This was a great day for practicing on the open sea for the next tour we were to take a week after this trip in the southern islands, and I felt a lot more confident in a kayak on the sea after this day as beforehand we had not experienced any conditions like this. We paddled alongside some beautiful islands, and I was amazed by some of the landmasses we came across. Rauridh and Petra did a great job on keeping the group together, and delegating the order in which who should lead the next leg if nobody took initiative. Was a beautiful sunny day and a lot of fun seeing the nearby area. We made our way back to camp after a few hours and had lunch before meeting with Svein for our afternoon lecture.

We did shallow water biology which was very interesting. Espen and Lisbet lead it and made a nice ‘Bingo’ format of sheets with species on the page for us to find in the water, and we learned a lot about the different sea life in Norway. On the way to the shallow area we had passed a massive ant hill, in which Svein went on to tell us that the ants living there have a vinegary taste and that they are the one of the two species of the ants in Norway that you can eat and enjoy. We used a cone like device with a plastic see-through bottom so that you could use it as an underwater telescope, and Synne was my partner. The water wasn’t too cold and we could wade across the whole area to the other island and the water didn’t raise above out knees. We found several of the pacific northwest invasive mussels and some snails, but we also found a clam that was lodged into the sand with his projecting out like a submarine. When bringing the clam to Svein he was absolutely shocked and had said after doing this for 15 years he has never had a student find this species during this exercise, so that was very cool to have found it and he said he would remember me forever. He boiled some snails and mussels and we ate them as he told us about them and the other species that everyone had gathered in the bucket. Espen and Lisbet had told us the information that they knew regarding everything which was interesting, and Svein added whatever he could to give us the most information possible. He’s a very enthusiastic and happy guy and I highly enjoyed the lecture with him. We took a small walk to the south end of the island and found a plant that was almost a cross between broccoli and kale and everyone picked off the flower and ate it, was very good. After a short trek back we gathered everything and went back to the garage.

The next morning we met with Svein again, but this time did deep water biology. This was an incredible experience, and was the first time I had ever snorkeled. We put on full body wet suits and everyone was euipped with flippers and a snorkel mask, and headed to the bridge across the way from the garage. Once here we got into pairs again and entered the water with a collecting bag for whatever species we may find to hold, and practiced my snorkeling. The first dive attempt was quite rough and I definitely swallowed some water, but over a few more attempts I figured out how to get it right and it’s definitely something that is only learned by doing. Snorkeling was absolutely incredible, I had never seen so much life right in-front of me and at arms reach. There were so many colors and something different everywhere you went, and there were many different fish to be seen and starfish and even jelly fish. We snorkeled for about an hour and I felt that I could have been there all day, I was mind blown by the beauty beneath the surface. There was so much life that nobody really knew what they should be collecting and what they shouldn’t, and so at the end of it we had very limited amounts of collected species – Espen was my partner and he had collected most of what was in the bucket in the end, but we learned of some seaweed that is edible and found a few new species that we hadn’t found in the shallow water the day prior.

After the snorkeling everyone refreshed with a nice shower, and we prepped for our night out on the island. We met with Svein Rune, along with Synne, who informed us about fishing with nets and taught us how to release them and use them. We laid them out in the grass and checked that everything was good, and packed them back into the box correctly to be able to effectively drop them in the water before we departed for our island night. We loaded up into the row boats and made our way out into the middle of the main bay and placed two nets in which we would check the next morning upon returning. We paddled our way north through the Skippergada channel, and to the island of Stokken to make camp for the night. All boats went along shore and we scouted the island for the best place to make our shelter, as we knew there would be a lot of rain coming throughout the night. After finding a spot that everybody agreed upon, we discussed who would stay and make the camp while the other two boats would go out and fish to get everyone dinner. I immediately volunteered to go out and fish, and Synne had joined me while Espen and Petra took the other boat. Peter, Rauridh, Lisbet and Sophie all stayed back at the island to construct our shelter. We attempted to fish in the bay right east of the island for a bit and had no luck, and so Synne and I had followed Svein Rune’s advice and made our way northwest of the island just north of the lighthouse, and caught the current that flowed into the bays from the open sea. After reaching the point and dropping in, twenty seconds later we had already caught our first fish which was a pretty nice sized cod. After I had caught one, Synne and I switched roles and she fished while I rowed. It was a lot of work to keep the boat in the right spot fighting against the current, as whoever wasn’t fishing had to continue to row at full pace the whole time in order to keep us from flowing with the current into the rocks ahead. Synne had caught two nice cod as well, and I had one more go at it and snagged another fish which was a red cod different from the others and was very fat. We had some awesome catches. Right as we were heading to turn back in we came across Espen and Petra in the bay who had gone to the other lighthouse out east from the island and had only caught a small pollock. We discussed and figured the five fish we had would be enough for everyone as it was already 6:45 and we were hungry and were sure the others would be as well. We made our way back to the island and brought our fish to show to the others, and to observe the shelter that they had come up with which was absolutely brilliant. Everyone made their way to the shore of the island where there was a nice row of tables placed along a wooden walkway and we chose this as our dinner spot. We filleted the fish and steamed the vegetables, and had a very nice meal. Rauridh made us all hot chocolate, and Len had come and picked up Synne as she was sick and took Håkon to the main island to gather his things. After cleaning up, Rauridh and I rowed our way back to the north edge of the main island to pick up Håkon and found shelter from the rain under a nice little post office on shore. Once Håkon arrived we made our way back to Stokken and headed to the fort to get ready to try and sleep. The rain had started about 9 pm and didn’t stop till 4:15 am, and I had an absolute miserable nights rest and could not seem to sleep. I slept with a life vest on to give me warmth and used my ruttsack as a pillow which I think all together worked quite well, but I was still freezing and could not seem to drift off to sleep no matter how hard I tried. Fortunately no body got wet because our builders did such an awesome job with the shelter, and all of the water was reverted from us. All in all I got about 1:30-2 hours of sleep in and out, and once the rain stopped I got out of the shelter and went on a nice walk about around the island and enjoyed the peaceful morning.  I found Rauridh, Peter and Espen who had gone on a walk about as well, and we all sat around and talked and had some more coffee and hot chocolate as we waited for the others to wake. Once everyone joined us it was about 5:30, and we were to be back no earlier than 7 and no later than 8, and had only about a 30 minute row back to the island. We headed back to our shelter and dismantled everything and loaded up the boats, and sent one boat to pick up Vegar (who never showed), and the other two headed back to Randøya and to the bay to gather the fishing nets. I went in one of the two boats that was to collect the nets, and my boat had got the net that ended dup having more than 15 flounder, while the other boat’s net only collected 2. I was the fortunate soul who had to slaughter each fish as we pulled them up and that was quite something to do first thing in the morning with such little sleep. We stored the fish in their buckets still tangled in the nets under the tunnel entrance where it was cool, and made our way back to our cabin to recoup for a couple hours before meeting to deal with the fish and nets that morning. I had a nice cup of coffee and bowl of oats upon returning, and ended up having a nice shower as well and refreshed myself as I did not want to lie down and sleep as I knew I would want to sleep for an endless period. Once ten rolled around we all met with Kjetil to untangle the nets and get the fish out, and once that was done we then grouped up and he taught us the proper way to filet a flounder. I ended up filleting around 3-4 and got the hang of it after awhile, was different than any fish I had every done as you get 4 filets off of every fish, since their spine runs through the middle of their body. After all of the fish were cleaned and the nets were dried and free, we stowed away all equipment and took the fish up to the kitchen to prepare a massive feast for my group. We deep fried all of the fish and made mashed potatoes and steamed some vegetables and I think it was one of the best meals I had ever had in my life. Was an incredible experience aside from the night of trying to sleep, but all in all I had an amazing time and now have an idea of how to react if I ever find myself stranded and having to camp on an island tonight with minimal supplies and resources. The trip was coming to an end and we cleaned up the fort and loaded our gear and taxi’d back to the mainland. I had an amazing time with the Norwegian outdoor group and with the instructors and all of the activities, it was definitely a holiday of a week.