Archipelago

We are now sailing through Tjøttfjorden, between the mainland and an island realm that opens westward toward the open sea. On the mainland side, you can see the lush island of Mindlandet, swaying gently like a green contrast to the towering peaks behind it. On the other side, facing the roaring ocean, lies a string of islands, skerries, and reefs that have provided food, shelter, and meaning to coastal people for generations. Names like Sandvær, Gulløyan, Skotvær, Lånan, Flovær, and Skjærvær drift along the coast like poetry. Some were once thriving fishing villages, others were used for collecting eider eggs and down — a tradition closely tied to the UNESCO heritage of the Vega Archipelago. Out here, the remnants of a coastal way of life still linger. Small boathouses, old landing sites, and weathered down shelters tell stories of labor and deep connection to the sea. Some are still used in the summer months, others stand abandoned, silent in wind and weather. This is the Helgeland coast at its most authentic — open, fragile, and undeniably beautiful.