Paddling a Fjord
Sagvasselva Fjord
After our day of “rest”, everyone was ready for a paddle. As planned we set off early start to head north of Namsos, to a beautiful put-in by Rypnesbukta. While the drive was short, it brought us along stunning views out over the coast, lakes, inlets and islands.
Not long after we put-in on the water, we witnessed what I understand to be a flat rainbow, which is not a common sight (it would be great if anyone had any corrections/confirmation on this). Here are a couple of technical details:
The photograph below was taken at 11:48am (close to midday), facing north-ish.
Lattitude: 64° 34' 31.266" N
Longitude: 11° 36' 27.486" E
At that time and location, the sun was at an elevation of 35.84°. The maximum elevation on that date would have been 38.04°, at 13:20pm.
As I understand it, the height of a rainbow’s arch is based on how high the sun is in the sky when the rainbow happens. Rainbows cannot occur when the sun is above an elevation of 42°. This means you will never see a classic rainbow around midday.
The flattest rainbows happen when the sun is still relatively high in the sky. The sun must be 42° or lower to see a rainbow at all. Rainbows that happen when the sun is at 42° are the flattest, and closest to the horizon.
The “tallest” rainbows happen during sunrise or sunset. Bows that occur when the sun is at its final 1° can span up to 42° in height opposite the sun!
So, to me, this looks like a flat(-ish) rainbow. Certainly the shallowest one I have ever seen.
Is this a flat(-ish) rainbow???
A mixture of sunshine & showers, as we paddled at leisure up through the fjord. We took our time heading north, weaving in and around the inlets and soaking up the beautiful scenery.
Some of the paddlers spotted moose in the forrest along the shoreline. Easily spooked, they moved back in among the trees.
Passing Storbrannøya, we turned and headed west, further up along the fjord. There were fantastic rock outcrops and overhanging sections, with tall trees above and cascading water. It was just great craic on the water, paddling at ease in such stunning nature.
Getting to the top of the fjord, laid out in front of us was a wonderful waterfall. Running load and clear, it gave us lots of fun in the rapids.
Fed from colossal lakes (Sagvatnet) high above, along the plateaus – with several rapids & waterfalls the water roared down the cliffs and into the fjord. This was our intended halfway destination and we enjoyed spending some time playing around. With grumbling stomachs, a lunch spot was also front of the paddlers’ minds.
Massive lakes along the plateau, including Sagvatnet
One of my favourite shots from the paddle
We headed back along the fjord and spotted a nice landing spot on the northern shore, to stop for a bite to eat. After the morning’s paddle, it was a welcome break to stretch the legs and feed the engine.
Plenty of craic, as some of the Irish crew tried out their Jervendukens!
An efficient relaunch and back out along the fjord for a steady paddle home.
Back at Rypnesbukta, we gathered and sorted the gear back into the cars an trailers and heading to Namsos. The plan for the evening was to gather at Asgeir & Hege’s wonderful farm for food and a relaxed chat. What a wonderful end to the day!
Asgeir & Hege’s farm on the banks of the Nordvela tributary that feeds into the Moesen River and onwards to the Namsen River