8/25: Polarlys Headed to Tromso

The good news is that we made our connections and are now headed south to Tromso aboard the MS Polarlys (description below). Winds are now blowing a near-gale in Ingoy so it was good that we headed when we did. I asked Ann whether there was a fear of the ferry service canceling the small boat's trip to Hammerfest and she assured me it would be fine, explaining "they are only concerned when they can't see where they are going in the big wind and that is only in winter." Good enough for me...though I was a bit concerned when each of us had to say our names into a microphone on board the small boat in rough seas...

The kind folks at the 'Polar Bear Society' in Hammerfest took pity on us when we arriver with 2 hours to spare in the rain and allowed us to store gear in their staff room. So, what could have been a nightmare was just really unpleasant in moving all of our stuff from ferry terminal to ferry terminal (we will live). Accordingly, we all have clothes hanging to dry in our little cabin on the "Hurti-." From here on it is checking in to flights and getting ready to endure the longest day possible while flying with the sun on Saturday. It is nice to get to Boston at 6:30 pm but...

Check out the maps of the Polarlys and our route back to Tromso below plus a quick video showing how the fast ferry travels a little more nimbly but bumpier than the Hurti...

This was our 'fast ferry' boat, the Arøy, as taken 2 years ago when the weather outside was nice for taking pictures...not so today in the wind and rain. 

To give you an idea of the sway, I did take this video fresh this morning from the dry inside of the fast ferry. 

Straight from the Hurtigruten website, our boat, the Polarlys and its path south: