We Couldn’t Leave This Arctic Island – Sailing Norway’s Træna Archipelago | Ep. 96

Sometimes the weather decides how long you stay — and in Arctic Norway, that can turn a sailing stop into something much more interesting. In this episode, we leave the tiny island community of Myken and sail towards the remote Træna archipelago, just north of the Arctic Circle. What begins as a short passage soon becomes an extended stay as rough seas and strong winds build between us and our next destination. Our final days on Myken don’t quite go to plan. Much of the footage we filmed there was accidentally lost, but we still get to share a glimpse of this remarkable island: a community of only 13 permanent residents, an extraordinarily well-stocked grocery shop, and a distillery created after two fellow sailors were stranded here by bad weather. From Myken, we make the roughly 20-nautical-mile passage to Træna in beautiful conditions, crossing remarkably shallow, clear water before carefully making our way into the harbour. With deteriorating weather approaching, Træna becomes our home for longer than expected — and gives us plenty of time to discover what lies beyond the harbour. We explore the islands by bike and on foot, visit the historic wooden Træna Church, and discover the extraordinary story of Theodore and Alma: a brother and sister separated by thousands of miles between Norway and Hawaii, connected through letters, a Kodak camera and photographs that eventually became an invaluable record of island life. We also visit the Petter Dass Chapel before taking an early ferry to another island for one of the strangest hikes we’ve encountered so far — straight through a dark tunnel inside the mountain. On the other side we find dramatic coastal scenery, an unusual public shelter overlooking an anchorage and Kirkhelleren, a huge cave where evidence shows people were gathering thousands of years ago. Meanwhile, the weather offshore isn’t improving. With significant wave heights around 2.5–3 metres and maximum waves forecast even higher, we decide there is little reason to force the next passage. Instead, we stay in Træna, watch the forecasts and wait for the sea to settle. Sometimes cruising isn’t about getting somewhere. Sometimes it’s about discovering what you would otherwise have sailed straight past. 📍 In this episode: 00:00 The Myken footage disaster 02:07 Life on remote Myken 03:00 An island distillery with a sailing connection 05:01 Leaving Myken for Træna 06:04 Crossing clear, shallow Arctic waters 07:40 Arriving in the Træna archipelago 09:37 Exploring Træna by bike 09:57 Træna’s historic wooden church 10:55 An extraordinary story from the island museum 11:06 From Træna to Hawaii — Theodore and Alma 13:59 Visiting the Petter Dass Chapel 15:15 An early ferry and a hike into the mountain 16:29 Entering the tunnel 19:04 Exploring a remote anchorage 20:38 A remarkable shelter overlooking the sea 21:37 Kirkhelleren — thousands of years of human history 25:08 Bad weather keeps us in Træna 27:31 Why we’re not sailing 31:54 Finally, a break in the weather 34:26 Next time 📘 Norwegian Cruising Guide We also co-write and publish the Norwegian Cruising Guide — a harbour and anchorage guide for sailors exploring the Norwegian coast. Find practical information about harbours, anchorages, approaches, facilities, and local cruising details for Norway: https://www.norwegiancruisingguide.com We are Kathrin & Daniel, a sailing couple living aboard Polaris Helvetica. After leaving our land-based life behind, we refitted Polaris into a liveaboard cruiser and set sail north to explore Norway, the Arctic Circle, Svalbard, and beyond. ⛵ Watch next: Norway sailing playlist: https://studio.youtube.com/video/ir-Wk_aP-kc/edit Boat tour of Polaris Helvetica: https://youtu.be/4HuXWp3PxR4?si=xRddE1KlsQxdrlAl Previous episode: https://youtu.be/XkzVN0qfmb8 🌐 More from Sailing Polaris: Website: https://www.sailingpolaris.uk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sailingpolaris Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18xwSXRkMy/?mibextid=wwXIfr Contact: dan@sailingpolaris.uk Keywords: Arctic sailing, sailing Norway, Norwegian coast, Norway anchorages, Norwegian harbours, sailing Northern Norway, high latitude sailing, liveaboard sailing, sailing couple, fjord sailing, yacht cruising, Norway by sailboat, Arctic Circle sailing, sailboat life, remote anchorages, cruising guide Norway. #SailingNorway #ArcticSailing #Træna #SailingAdventure #LiveaboardSailing