Northward and eastward into another long fjord
Morning in Fløholm was drizzly and chilly. A dutch sailing boat in the same bay showed no sign of life, so was probably agreed in staying put.
Early afternoon the weather cleared somewhat and we both got active and set off, Josin north, Dutchman south. We waved.The universal language.
The promised southerly wind was there, but too light to just sail, so it was motorsail on, again, to Herland by evening, which was familiar and easy to tie up to.
Next morning, similar conditions windwise, but still overcast. Bother. Motor-sail again northward. No excitement. Islands and nav-marks came and went, passing vessels were waved to, high-speed ferries avoided, until we were past Florø in the afternoon when holes started to appear in the cloud cover. Then this phenomenon: A thermic cumulus to the west at low level bursting upward and merging with a wave cloud. Looked like a helicopter with enormous bulgy eyes. Only bit of entertainment all day!
Then in to Botnan, at the west end of the Bremangerfjord, shaped like an appendix and very sheltered, where we tied up to a pontoon with space for one on each side.
Next morning, it was by now saturday, I opened my sleepy eyes to blue sky and promised warmth. About time! Obviously the heatwave plaguing folk further south had crept up to us summer-hungry souls here further north.
But the wind was fickle, blowing quite hard on the nose from the northeast to begin with, defied and denied by the windmills on the top of the mountain which were quite motionless.
We motored on, past some strange formations in the mountainsides, and past what must be the most-difficult-to-get-to hill-farm in the area, then past the iconic Hornilen, a cliff face falling almost vertically 1 000 meters. Supporting shoulder on its right hand side. Very difficult to photograph.
To Rugsund, under a bridge, just, and through a very narrow channel with 3 knots of current against. Rugsund is known for its old trading place and museum. Luckily got there just as a cabin cruiser was leaving, as there was very limited space on the short pontoon.
I had plotted in this spot as last time I was there, some years ago now, it had a good restaurant. Sadly no longer, the building closed and tired. But the cafe did roaring trade in ice cream and cold drinks in the sunshine.
Next morning, now sunday, was equally sunny and hot, so a quick dip in 19 degrees started the day off well.
Motored all the way eastward into the Nordfjord, in bluesky, hot sunshine, to the small town of Nordfjordeid by mid-day, (an “eid”, I think, is where a river runs out into the fjord and has created a flat space).
The Nordfjord is almost as wide as the Sognefjord, and just as attractive. No surprise that it is popular with the cruise ships.
On the way, a pic of gulls waiting for dinner at an unfenced salmon farm, and a pic of a very useful sign warning of an overhead high voltage span. It said ” m over high water”
It was oven-hot. 34 degrees, both inside and outside the boat. Too much by far. Tied up to the guest pontoon, I lay under a wetted bath towel and waited.
Was disturbed by a loud machine/mechanical noise in the evening. A large black cruise ship had arrived and was busy being secured, not to a jetty or somesuch, (water not deep enough), but to enormous buoys, and a floating bridge in sections, opening out like a carpenter’s folding ruler until it reached the ship. The tourists could then wander ashore. Clever.
Later in the evening, and inspired by all the sunny-sunday swimmers and divers and splashers and paddlers, I measured the water temperature and was surprised to read 22,5 degrees. Hadn’t seen anything above 16 only a few days earlier. Thermometer can’t be that optimistic, surely?
So i immersed myself, and it didn’t seem chilly at all. Unearthed the snorkel and mask, and crept under Josin to clear the detritis half-blocking the logg, and a “string” of seaweed caught in the propeller. Bonus!
Tomorrow is monday and I shall be up betimes to food-shop before the temperature rises to uncomfortable again.
Enough for now,
alls well,
SwelteringJohn
Josin's 2025 cruise 