Norway
Risoyhamn
Risøyhamn: The Channel Village at the Andøy Bridge
- Port traffic
- QuietNext 30 days
Good to know
What to Expect
Coastal voyage ships tie up at Risøyhamn's harbor, which has a modern quay built to take larger vessels. The village had 216 residents in 2018, and the Andøy Bridge crosses the strait here.
- Risøyhamn is on Andøya, the northernmost island of the Vesterålen archipelago.
- County Road 82 runs through the village and links it by bus with the other islands.
- The 750-meter Andøy Bridge is the road link between Andøya and Hinnøya.
- Check your ship's program for the time you are due back aboard.
Tipping in Norway
Staff in Norwegian restaurants are well paid, so a tip is not expected, though rounding up the bill is normal. You will pay in Norwegian kroner (NOK), because euros are generally not accepted in shops.
- Rounding up is the usual habit in restaurants, and about 10 percent is seen as generous.
- Habits with taxi drivers differ, so tip or not as you prefer.
- Cash is useful for tipping a guide who does not take cards.
What Risøyhamn Is Known For
Risøyhamn is a small place with a long trading history, and several of its older buildings survive. Its open-air museum and its summer market keep that history in view.
- The oldest building in the village, Gammelgården, may date from the early 1700s.
- Risøyhamn Bygdetun, part of Andøy Museum, has five historic buildings, among them a boathouse holding the Haakon, a 14-meter fembøring (a large open fishing boat) built on Helgeland in 1880.
- A market, Risøyhamn-martnaden, has been held every July since 1991, with stalls, food and the museum open.
- Risøysundet is a nature reserve and a Ramsar-listed wetland, within a wider bird area of Andøya where several thousand geese stop on migration.
History
Risøyhamn became a licensed trading place in 1777, and its fortunes have followed the narrow strait it stands on. Work to dredge the sailing lane began in the 1870s, the channel opened to larger ships in 1922, and the strait was bridged in 1974.
- A trading place, 1777: Risøyhamn received trading privileges in 1777.
- Richard With, from 1873: Richard With settled in Risøyhamn as a merchant in 1873 and began the work of dredging the sailing lane into the harbor.
- The steamship company, 1881: With founded the Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab in 1881 and later took the initiative for the coastal express route.
- A boatyard, 1907: Risøyhamn Baatbyggeri was founded in 1907 and added two slipways around 1930.
- The channel opens, 1922: Risøyrenna, a channel several kilometers long that lets larger ships pass between Andøya and Hinnøya, was opened by King Haakon in 1922.
- A ship lost, 1940: HMS Vandyck, a British armed boarding vessel held back as a reserve during the Allied evacuation of northern Norway, missed the last convoy and was bombed by German aircraft off Andøya on June 10, 1940.
- The bridge, 1974: The Andøy Bridge opened on September 5, 1974, replacing the ferry from Risøyhamn to Dragnes on Hinnøya.
- The market returns, 1991: The village held its first market in modern times in 1991.
- A wider channel, 2001: Risøyrenna was widened in 2001.
- To learn more ashore: Risøyhamn Bygdetun, part of Andøy Museum, covers local history and the Risøyrenna channel. It opens Wednesday to Saturday from early July to mid-August, and on request at other times; check before you go.
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