Month: June 2016

St Hans evening party was somewhat reduced, as Britt was unfortunately ill, but the was a bonfire on the beach, eggnogg, burnt sausages, pop, chatter, laughter and midges. The latter were irritating. Everyone was batting away with something, a hand, a cap, a scarf, whatever available. Early departure!

We didn’t leave on friday, strong north wind again, or saturday, but frustration was overcome on sunday, slightly less wind but still from the north, and we motored the few hours to Hjartoy (pos: 66 oo.38 / 012 24.42), and anchored in a perfect natural harbour. The wind varied in both direction and strength during the night, but the anchor held.

Hjartoy to Sandnessjoen (pos: 66 01.33 / 012 77.71) didn’t take long, under a threatening sky and later rain. The Foen wind blew, and the temperature shot up to over 20 degrees. Strange. And rows of wave clouds, lenticulars for the meteorologically savvy, stretched downwind. Impossible to photograph. The intention was to carry on after filling up with diesel and food, but it was so miserable that we stayed put for the night.

We left Sandnessjoen reasonably early, and saw, from the middle of the harbour, this:

Had to do a pirouette to get time to fetch the camera, folk must have wondered!

With a gentle westerly wind and nearly flat sea, the sails were hoisted and although boat speed wasn’t impressive, a strong current, with this time, made progress passable, and at last the engine could be stopped. Bliss! Instead of following the main channel, I headed out to sea, with the hope of getting an unrestricted breeze. Check. Lasted all of four hours, before gradually dying away.

Strange meteorological conditions. Cloudbase was only about 150 meters, and all the mountain tops were blanketed, some with a plume downwind. One island had this rather Trumpish “hat”

Motor-sailing, then just motor, over the Polar Circle, at 66 33.77, blew the horn but only the gulls heard, then in to Selsoyvik, (pos: 66 34.51 / 012 58.81).

Been here several times before, and always a kind welcome  Missus very busy with preparations for daughter’s wedding on saturday.

Now that we are north of the Polar Circle, there is the possibility of seeing the midnight sun, but several contions need to be fulfilled, specially that of the sun. It may happen, but don’t hold your breath. Pictures will be taken. It isn’t midnight yet, but the sunset is quite a sight.

Alls well.

 

 

 

Fra Brønnøysund to Vega startet well, as forecast, but the increase in wind came much earlier, so the last hour and few miles were a wet, bouncy, splashy time in a gale, 30 knots. Arrival at Vegstein was down wind and a tricky maneuver into the space beside the bouncing pontoon, on which stood the brave reception committee of Knut, Sturla and Johan, stalwarts of the local maritime preservation society, and friends from earlier visits. Yes please, a hot coffee would be very welcome. That was friday.

It is now tuesday morning, the intervening days have been cold, windy and partially wet, but the summer was gloriously here yesterday for the whole day. Light breeze, blue sky and warmer, and a perfect day to have at those places of potential leaks, at last!. Lots of dismantling, skraping of old sealant and re-sealing. Found also several very narrow cracks, both in earlier repairs and new ones. Maybe it was these which have been the sinners. Borrowed tools from Johan to grind out. New polyester filler. Sunny dry-out. It is now raining again, so frequent inspection for drips today.

My consultant services were used on saturday to design a support for an enormous, ancient grindstone, donated to the museum here, and later to hold the box of screws and hand them out one by one. Sturla held in place, Knut screwed electrically and Johan supervised. (I think there is a picture of it somewhere on this blogsite). Most satisfying to be able to contribute. The structure got its second coat of barn-red paint this morning, the results will have to wait until it gets dragged out into the daylight. It was quite dark in the shed out of the wind and rain. Not much paint on my overalls, just one small mark, on the right knee, as a memento.

The museum/cafe was officially opened yesterday, 11 to 16 every day, and a few tourists came. Britt is in charge, and ensures piles of delicious waffles and liters of coffee (made in an well-battered kettle of impressive size), are ready for customers. Luckily for the workers and their assistants, there is enough for mugs of coffee in the well-earned pauses, and even a waffle if one asks nicely. (Britt usually cooks a few too many). This consultant was also used because of his command of the International, English, language to communicate with diverse foreigners. The men are impressed with Johan’s various engines, in loud motion, and the women ask Britt for her waffle recipe.

I’ll be here for the Midsummer Eve party on thursday evening. Forecast is reasonably realistic for a traditional bonfire, but you never know. But leaving will depend on a sailable wind. I just don’t care for motoring into a cold, splashy northerly any more. Friday afternoon or saturday could be promising.

More reading, as it is raining, then maybe a coffee, maybemaybe a waffle.

All’s well

At last a decent internet connection. I have in previous years praised the system on Josin, ICE. But after an upgrading last autumn, I’m not so generous. Right here in Brønnøysund the speed is enough to part your hair, but up along the coast there has been more nothing than something, and the something pathetic.I suspect problems at the transmitter end. I have had my bits checked by proffs.  So, no bloggs. No reading the newspapers on the iPad with the early morning cuppa. No weather forecasts! Well, forecasts haven’t been all that necessary: Northerly winds of varying strength, mainly strong.

So, from Vaagland, up the long, long Trondheimsleia, past another of Oil-Norway’s installations, Tjelbergodden, with it’s five, or was it six, unused gas turbine generator sets, to Børøysund, where there is a very good restaurant, but alas, it being a sunny saturday evening, the harbour was more than full and loudspeaker music spoke loud.So: Plan B. To Dypfest, (pos: 63 46,90 / 009 34,62), another three hours away, so that was a very long day. Dypfest harbour is only affected by northerly winds, and it was a  it of a struggle to get tied up. No-one around, well, it was nearly ten o’clock, and some quick food and sleep. Next day it blew even harder, so we stayed put, and slept some extra. Maintenance. Including the boater’s worst job. Successful luckily.

Dypfest to Bessaker, (pos: 64 14,88 / 010 19,15). The last two hours, on flat protected water and a marginal angle to the wind, was spent fine-tuning the sails and getting a surprising increase in boat speed. We live and learn, even about sailing! Bessaker is the summer home to German fishing-tourists. Almost all the jetty-space was occupied by fishing dingies, and German cars parked everywhere. Even a Trabant! Very serious fishermen at the filletting table, too busy to communicate, while filletting a seriously large catch. Adjacent Kro, or pub/restaurant had fish and chips on the menu. Yes, you’ve guessed!

Bessaker to Brakstad, (pos: 64 40,39 / 011 11,77). The last bit in an easterly direction so we sailed for the inside of an hour. Another ‘harbour’ affected by north winds, small, deserted. Previous visits have been more lively, but it is still early in the season, and a weekday.  Payment of harbour fees by ‘app’. But no internet available to download the ‘app’. Have to pay on the way back.

Brakstad to Rørvik. Town this time, guest jetty with space, but on the ‘wrong’ side, ie south, which in a strong northerly wind was again a problem. Solved this time with a sort of lasso that can be thrown over something solid. Needed two tries, in the meantime dangerous drifting almost into other boats. Phew! Help arrived just as things were under control. Next door was that Nordlands boat, no-one on it, but a large banner ‘Stop Sellafield’ straining at the mast. Maybe that crew had also had enough of the northerlies and had taken a break. Tanked up with large quantities of diesel, not so cheap here.

Borrowed someone else’s WiFi to look at the weather forecast, which was for ever-increasing winds next day, so decided to start early. Alarm for 5, but woke at 4, and away by 5.30! Nice and calm. No traffic. Boring. Lots of coffee. Lunch was taken very early. Brønnøysund at two-thirty. Snooze. Ships chandlers to buy a new fender. The exhaust from the cabin heater, (yes, it has been in frequent use), blows onto a pulpit-hanging fender if one forgets to move it. Exhaust hot enough to soften the plastic, and then the internal pressure blows a hole, with ‘pop’. Stupid. I’ve done it before. Expensive ‘pop’ that!

Forecast for tomorrow is similar, with rain later, so another early start, about four hours to Vega, where we will stay a few days. Help available to ‘hold the other end’ in the battle to stop the leaks.

All’s well

 

 

Remember your nursery rhymes?

The north wind shall blow,

and we’ll get no snow,

but sailing against it is grim.

So we clothe us real well

to help keep us warm

with the engine doing it’s best, poor thing.

 

It has been a week since the last posting, from Florø, and the sun has shone from a cloudless sky most days, but this north wind is chilly, rarely over 10 degrees. Sometimes the angle tempts me to unfurl the sails, but only seldom do they get to be effective.

Terrain north of Florø is more mountainous, on both sides of the fjord, so the wind blows either against or with. If a side-fjord, then sometimes side-wind, but not for long. Then there are ‘down’ winds, when they curl over the high mountain and down onto the surface. With sails up, this can be exciting, so it is to be avoided.

Another rather wet ride to Måløy, and again suspicious behaviour by the AIS, so next day, which would have been far too windy to carry on, round the Stad peninsular, was spent re-locating various units to dryer places, getting expert and friendly help from the local radioshop to make up new cables and check that it was all working correctly. Sigh of relief!

Surprise arrival was a real Nordlands boat, on a Norwegian Greenpeace mission round the coast to drum up support to close down the Sellafield nuclear plant. Skipper was from a place way up north, with characteristic ability to amuse, and a genuine appreciation of an ‘anchor dram’, (provided by me), to shoo away the wet and cold ride, (it is an open boat, nothing to hide behind). Local paper turned up, interviewed and took pictures. Maybe we will meet again further north. If you are interested, look up “www.neptunenetwork.org”.

Late afternoon we pottered the short distance to Selje island, pos:(62 03,16 / 005 17,74), where St Sunniva was shipwrecked and founded a kloister. Two german masons, repairing the tower, and an eagle, way up on the ridge, feeding two very large young, to plaintive squeaks and raucus squauks. The evening potter was to shorten the distance to Stad, rounding which was forecast to be allright next day. It was correct. Early start, in very easy conditions, which lasted until a few hours before Ålesund. We were not the earliest, as four other boats had started from Måløy, and we were in convoy. Nice to be able to follow them all on AIS, and call them up to ask if they could see me. Yes, it was working fine. No problem.

Two nights in Ålesund, the intervening day, again very sunny, but blowing hard, was used to ride the busses to find electrical things, and shop. Enormous cruise ships in the commercial harbour. An Aussie couple on the bus were irritated but glad when I could tell them that, yes, they were on the right bus, but going the wrong way to the Aquarium. Strewth!

From Ålesund to Tornes, pos:(62 50,19 / 007 02,53), and the wind gradually veered enough to SAIL. Four glorious hours. At last! Balm for the soul.

From Tornes to Kristiansund, again against the wind, and on a bouncy, spray-ey sea, enough to make even me feel queasy. Or was it the sardines for lunch. Revolting, maybe in both senses of the word.

Intended to stay the night in K, but in the early evening, a band started to warm up and test its powerful equipment, all too close to the guest harbour, so I skapered. Westward into the deep fjords, past an enormous offshore floating drilling rig, parked for the duration, to a little protected side fjord, and Vaaland, pos:(63 07,40 / 008 15,90), where there was a jetty, a deserted boat-builders yard, and no-one. Loud hello’s didn’t get response, so I tied up and enjoyed the quiet. Next morning was magic in the sunrise. Mirror water. Not a sound. Majestic, snow-spattered mountains.

And now we are on our way again. Northerly breeze of course. Maybe as far as Børøysund. We’ll see.

 

All’s well.

I’ve got in a bit of a muddle, with drafts written and not apparently sent, (the internet connection has been very erratic), which have then disappeared, so,here is an update.

It is friday, the sun is shining hard in a hazy sky, and I stopped here for fuel for both me and the boat.

Yes, I did sample the hamburger in Bekkjarvik, it was very good indeed, price thereafter. McDonalds will never be the same again.

Motorsailed on to Strusshamn, (pos: 60 24,17 / 005 11,48), a few miles west of Bergen. Been there several times before, a well-sheltered harbour, with shops just up the road. Spent a lot of the next day travelling by buses to Bergen and beyond to buy an FM/DAB radio, same as the one which succumbed to the wetness some days ago. Very efficient bus service. Friendly drivers, willing to help this poor questioning ‘foreigner’, punctual and frequent. Stopped in the center of Bergen on the way back. Lots and lots of people. Three gigantic cruise ships in the harbour, and their passengers wandering around, hoody jacket up, (no, it was not actually raining yet), map in hand with pointy fingers at the next ‘sight’. The trendy young carried a shoulder bag, smart phone in the one hand and a rolled-up umbrella in the other.

Nostalgia crept in. It is almost exactly 60 years since I was in Bergen the  first time, early June 1956. Passage from Newcastle in the fog, summer and sunshine from Haugesund to Bergen. Wow-factor high. Newly in love and on my way to unforgettable days in Hardanger. Sigh!

From Strusshamn, the inland route northward, to Kirkeholmen,(pos:60 41,76 / 005 04,76), a mini-jetty only two tractor tires long, just right for a Josin-sized, where we stayed two nights, the weather deciding. Installed the new radio and read the instructions.

Onward northalong, to Skjerjehamn, (pos: 60 56,58 / 004 57,31), for lunch. The restaurant there has a reputation, and the Cæsar salad was excellent. (Still haven’t found out how to include pictures, sorry, as a statue of the old King commanding the fairway was duly photographed). Lovely weather, but still wind on the nose, so all motoring further, to a natural harbour on the south side of Svanøy, (pos: 61 28,67 / 005 05,92), where we anchored. Long day, over 60 nm altogether, so a quick meal and sleep. 4 am and the wind suddenly blew from the south, waking me up, and I had to find another spot. Back to sleep.

Just for the record, I’ve had a dip almost every morning recently. Temp still not above 14. Brr, but good.

And today, another scorching day and northerly breeze. Having sent this off, we’ll be heading north again. The forecast is for strong northerly winds for the next few days for the famous Stad peninsular, ie, don’t hurry, as we will have to wait, either in Måløy, or somewhere closer to Stad. I have never had to wait for the weather before, although last time northward was well bumpy and wet. Not again thank you.

All’s well