SB Day 9: Stokmarknes … Hurtigrutemuseet

Departing Sortland for our next port, we had rain on and off. A good time to watch the scenery go by from the comfort of a lounge … a cup of hot tea in hand.

The distance to Stokmarknes was relatively short … took us just over an hour. We were scheduled to be in port for an hour … leaving us with 50 minutes to see what we could see. Not much in town, we were told by the cruise director … along with the suggestion to check out the Hurtigrutemuseet … less than 5-minutes on foot from where our ship would be docked. So, that’s what we did.

I’ve mentioned that Hurtigruten is Havila’s competition. The other way around is probably a more accurate description, since Hurtigruten began plying the coastal express waters in 1893. Its name literally means “the express route.” As such, the museum is dedicated to the history of the ‘route, rather than the ‘company’ itself. As closely as the two are intertwined, however, the lines between them are definitely blurred.

Hurtigrutemuseet — aka the Coastal Express Museum — is owned and operated by Museum Nord, a regional museum organization in Northern Norway. It works in close cooperation with Hurtigruten, however, as the company has not only contributed historical artifacts and archival photos, but also a retired coastal vessel.

The m/s Finnmarken — which is on display in the purpose-built glass building — is the focal point of the museum. In fact, if you look closely at the building as your vessel approaches Stokmarknes, you can make out the ship inside … like a ship-in-a-bottle, if you will. I bet it is quite a sight to see when approaching the after nightfall as the vessel is lit up and more clearly visible then.

Our visit to the museum was fast-paced … not nearly enough time to read the info panels and also wander the decks of the Finnmarken … built in 1956 and retired in 1993. So, we focused on the ship, figuring we could read more about the history of the route online. Even then, we didn’t get to see everything … the engine room being one of the places we skipped.

Going aboard the ship, which is often described as the “last classic Hurtigruten ship,” was fun and interesting. That we managed to do so without tumbling down the steep ladders … or bruising our shins on the ‘knee-knockers’ … well that was a bonus 😜

(knee-knockers = maritime slang for coamings, the high sills at the bottom of doors on ships)Read more