Coastal Course Ranøya
The second last trip of our course would bring us to the small island of Ranøya, only around 11 kilometers and a short boat trip away from Kristiansand. We would attend the coastal course held from the 28th of May to June 1st learning of the sea and how to live in harmony with it. Since 2004, the island has been open for outdoor educational purposes for ages ranging from Kindergarten to University. The island has an old history with several bunkers that were used throughout the world war.
A key agenda of the course would be for the internationals to integrate and get to know the Norwegian’s as well as have an exchange of learning. Thus, we would be taught by the Norwegian’s many of the lessons such as biology and rules of the sea and we would teach them kayaking techniques and take them on a small tours.
During the course, we would gain knowledge of life in the eco-systems of the sea and tidal waters. This was taught in two different lessons. The first being ‘shallow water biology’ where we observed the ecology of a shallow bay and the second, ‘deep water biology’ where we got kitted up and went snorkelling in and around another bay.
Monday
Shallow Water biology
For my group, this was the first course and a fantastic way to start an incredible week. Upon arrival to the bay, we were given the option to wear waders or simply wade in our feet and shorts. The weather was warm so I stuck to my shorts and set about finding some invertebrates with a net! It felt as though I was a child again, sweeping in and around, lifting up rocks and seeing what treasures I could find. Several white trays, filled with some water were layed out for us to deposit and later study exactly what we had found. The lesson was made fascinating by Sveinn, who was incredibly enthusiastic and I found it impossible not to be interested in everything he taught us that day. Our findings mostly included limpets, crabs and shrimps as well as oysters and winkles which many of us reluctantly tasted.
Perhaps my favourite part of this morning was learning how to identify the gender of a crab by looking under its tail which is there to protect its sexual organs. It was new to many of us that males in fact have two penises! When the crab grows they also shed their shell which explains why it is so common to find empty crab shells on the beach. That evening we were guided around the island and taken into many of the bunkers that not many are allowed to go into.
Tuesday
Deep Water Biology
Our knowledge of the coasts biology was broadened when we undertook the deep water biology course where we would be snorkelling as a means o f collecting various invertebrates and seaweeds. After a short trip to the bunker to get suited and booted we headed out to a small bay. This was the first time snorkelling for me and a whole new world. I was mesmerised by just how peaceful everything was under the water. Similarly, to before, once ashore, Sveinn went through what each of us had gathered. We learnt of various seaweed types including bladder wrack as well as uses for them such as for ice cream or drying it out for use of the sugar.
Island Survival
That evening, it was my groups turn to undertake our island survival night. We would row out to an island and become “stuck” there until the next day with only the stuff that what we would bring as if we were headed out on a day trip.
First of all, the Norwegian’s in the group taught us rules of the sea with a focus on fishing as well as about nets. We learnt that nets must be at least 3meters bellow the surface of the water and at least 50meters apart. We also learnt of the legal size of the net holes and the structure of the net which takes a 3D like form with triple layers of netting. An obvious but important lesson for me was that the nets should be set perpendicular to the shore to for maximum catching potential! With this in mind, we prepared a small net in which we set out before harbouring onto the island. It was important to lay it out on the grass before this to ensure it had no knots and stack it back into the box to ensure it would run out smoothly.
That afternoon, the wind was very strong as we rowed out to the island. Communication to exactly which point we would row to was poor and it was a little scary that we might crash against the rocks as the waves were rather powerful. Nevertheless, we successfully set the nets out and safely came a shore. We spent rest of the afternoon searching for a good sleeping spot which was surprisingly hard to come by as the terrain was extremely bushy and rocky. Eventually a semi-exposed spot by a boulder would become our home for the night. We chose not to take the shelter from the trees for fear of it being a mosquito haven.
We survived well, making our ration pack into a broth and protecting ourselves from the ground using a tarp. The mosquitos were luckily kept away by the constant wind which made what we thought would be a very warm night a fairly cold one.
Wednesday
Tired and bleary eyed, we collected in the nets and rowed for home. Arriving sometime after 7am, we napped until the mornings activities at 10am again. Once met up again, we started by laying out the nets on the decks, removing the few fish we’d caught and any tangles or caught seaweed before stacking them back into the boxes. I was surprised that we had been allowed to leave the fish in the box for the couple of hours without killing them first. In future I think I would prefer to kill them straight away as well as the fact that the meat is ruined if the fish go through a lot of trauma.
My group had managed to catch a few fish, cod, rock fish and a few flat fish. We learnt how to then take care of the meat and cut fillets. This was completely new to me and a little challenging and daunting at first. I now however feel confident that should I catch fish in the future I will be able to successfully gut and fillet them.
Later we would cook a lunch together using the little fish we’d managed to fillet. It was hugely rewarding to eat something from our own labours and this has inspired me for when I go home to perhaps not fish as I don’t live near the sea but to grow vegetables of my own which I can use.
We were pleased that the afternoon would be a relaxed one. This consisted of learning to use power boats, only small ones however as we would learn that more powerful ones require one to have a license. I thoroughly enjoyed this, though it seems like an easy simple skill I soon found out that it was a little more difficult than I would have expected. We would learn of the motors functioning, how to manoeuvre forwards, backwards and most difficultly how to park. I found that I had to have an assertive and confident approach otherwise I would make a mess of things which in retrospect I should apply to learning future new skills. Having practiced the basic skills, the plan was to make a small tour. However, the other group due to row to the island had a minor emergency and we had to use the motor boats to remedy the situation. Rob and I were allowed to use the boat and we had to do several close parkings next to rocks and other boats which I believe greatly improved our skills.
Thursday
“Don’t tell the others but you are the best group I’ve had yet” Sveinn frequently remarked as we took part in the rowing session. Thursday morning was dedicated to learning to row properly. Rowing is a very traditional method of transport. In times before engines, the common way of getting around was always to row. We learnt of the importance of keeping good posture, using the legs as well as using our strength most efficiently. Sveinn stressed the importance of not lifting the oars too high nor pulling them in the water too deep. It was important to let the oars drop into the water then allow them to catch. As a group we apparently grasped the technique extremely quickly and managed the same distance in half the time as the other groups. My suspicions are that this was due to us having to cope with the extremely windy conditions rowing for the first time on the Tuesday. We enjoyed a small break on an island where Rob and Sveinn taught us all the useful knots they knew. The weather was glorious and we had a relaxing row back to the shore.
In the afternoon it was finally the internationals time to take the lead on the activities. I was in charge of teaching basic kayak skills. This was a little daunting as I had not kayaked in a while but when I put my mind to it I realised I knew more than I thought. Though my technique itself is far from perfect, between Rob and I, we managed to teach basic forward, backward and sideways techniques. We also successfully taught various rescues such as the self rescue, T-rescue and X-rescue.
Having taught the basic techniques we set off for a small tour up the Skippergata, round needle eye and back again. Not all could manage the journey so half turned back though we made sure they were in a group that could manage should any of them fall in.
Friday
This was the last day of sunny paradise on Ranøya and a rather spectacular one! Once again my group were kayaking with the internationals in charge. Brad and Laura set a fantastic tour and we enjoyed a beautiful sunny day kayaking round the islands. I enjoyed how we were entrusted to look after ourselves and take responsibility for the route.
All in all this was one of my favourite trips. Nearly the whole week was glorious sunshine and I learnt many new practical skills that I look forward to taking on with me in the future. I particularly enjoyed both biology sessions so much so that I attended the seaweed festival that evening to learn more. I felt confident that should I be stranded for real on an island of similar nature to the one we were that I could easily survive for perhaps a couple of nights. Though it seems obvious, I gained further appreciation for the importance of agreeing on a plan before setting out – had we done this we may have saved ourselves some stress and miscommunications. I particularly enjoyed getting to know the Norwegians and only wished we had had a similar trip nearer the start of the term as it was such a fantastic way of sharing skills and learning more! The Island itself was incredibly beautiful and was a fantastic learning base and a place I will never forget. By the end of the week I came away feeling as though I could comfortably live by and from the sea which I believe fulfils the learning outcomes of the trip.