New sailing record

Just had to repeat, in English, what I’d written on the N-language site!

Friday 27th.. july was one of those days which occur very seldom and remain in the memory a long time.

It started in Utvorda (pos: 64 35,67 / 010 56,99) , a very small harbour in the Flatanger area of islands and rocks, where we had ended up because the intended place, Brakstad, was probably over-full of boats which had overtaken us on the way there.

A blue sky sunny morning, with a breath of northerly wind, was promising, and after much motoring navigating through the islands we came out into the open sea where the wind was a bit stronger. I had thought that we had used up all the northerly winds on the way up the coast, so this was a pleasant surprise. Up and unroll the gennakker:

And there it stayed, for nearly eight hours straight, and towed us along at varying speeds for the rest of the day. I chose the route outside the islands on the way, to avoid having to gybe too often, as the gybing technique wasn’t too good, particularly when the wind went over 15 knots and the sheet loading got heavy. (Memo to self: get gybing instruction). The landscape slid gradually and gratifyingly astern and it was very late in the evening before the wind became breeze became waft and the engine had to be started and disturb the quiet again.

The day’s run was 66,8 GPS nautical miles, of which over 40 were under gennakker. Must be sort of a record that. Ended up in Djupfest, (been there several times) just as the sun set into the sea in a glory of colour-clouds.

Since then it has been engine only, from Djupfest to Sistrand on the NE end of Frøya against very wet waves and wind, to Kristiansund, via lunch break Kvenvær on Hitra, in flat calm but contra-current, over Hustavika in calm wind but rolly and choppy seas, to here, Tornes. Over 180 nautical miles in three days must also be a new ‘best’. A heavy thunderstorm last night woke me with a start at to am and rinsed the boat clean of salt, then degenerated into steady dripping drizzle. We stay here today. Clothes wash and other domestics.

All’s well