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Today we wake to blue skies in Norway’s most westerly town of Florø. First order of the day is to cook up a batch of pancakes to celebrate the change in weather and then we set sail for Nordfjord to explore another of Norway’s beautiful fjords … in fact as we move further north, the scenery is becoming pretty stunning in every way you look, with sheer cliffs rising in every direction and snow-capped peaks and glaciers peering out from the gaps in the clouds.

All this good weather and scenery is a much needed balm as yesterday everything did not go exactly according to plan. We had a long day pulling up the anchor at 7:30am and not coming to rest until after 10:00pm. We had an ambitious goal ahead of us in terms of distance to travel but the trip was much lengthened by the fact I forgot to top up the day tank with diesel. The result? The engine dried out and I had to spend the better part of an hour bleeding new fuel through the system while hanging upside down in an oily engine space in heavy swell. Of course I lost the required spanner down the dark recesses of the bilge never to be seen again, requiring various appellations to the Norske gods. This seemed to work – she coughed back to life after drifting helplessly on the seas for nearly an hour. Finally, while checking the fuel lines a final time on arrival I managed to break another essential item on the motor (the engine manifold intake – where the air comes in) requiring another quick fix involving wire and tangential thinking …. Rough but strong …..

After all that we finally descended on the town of Florø after midnight passing the welcome lighthouse superimposed against a beautiful orange sky. Thus I staggered into the town line an oil-covered spectre raised from the deep in search of a cheap hamburger at the local fuel station. The horror of this looming creature was somewhat diminished by the daylight still lingering at midnight this far north but I still raised some eyebrows.

So finally I have stolen the keyboard from Patrick and get the chance to put down some of my own reflections of this trip as we head up the coast of Norway and towards the Arctic circle. Patrick always tends to skim over the details of life aboard in favour of adventures (tall tales and big fish), so I thought I’d start with a day in the life ….

Getting started on Widdershins in the morning means first fighting over who gets up first from the the warm and cosy bed to crawl through a narrow tunnel to the main “living room” of the yacht to turn on the heater. Afterwards it’s rushing back through the freezing cold to wait in bed until the temperature become a little friendlier and we can finally both get up. On our old-fashioned kerosene stove we first have to pre-heat the burner with ethanol until its hot enough so that the paraffin can burn cleanly to heat the water foe the essential morning hot chocolate. After a wash and a hot drink we put as many layers on as possible – wind- and waterproof jackets and trousers, gloves and a warm beanie and maybe some heat pads to keep the fingers warm. Even though it’s early summer in Norway and the nights already last only a few hours, the mornings are usually below 10° C, and when standing behind the steering wheel for four hours non-stop in the wind and weather, it can very easily become uncomfortable.

Yesterday we were lucky enough to have a moderately strong wind from the South, and since we are heading north we could pole out the genoa and raise the main sail. Sailing with the wind at your back is very relaxed since you don’t feel the wind very much, but still make good speed. Yesterday we were sometimes flying overs the waves at almost 8 knots! We made quick progress this way and finally crossed 60° N. The equivalent in southern latitudes represents entering Antarctic waters, so 60° N is a big step to the long anticipated Arctic. And it did feel more arctic than the previous days: as we were manoeuvring through the narrow maze of islands we had a fantastic view on snow-capped mountains. And the weather turned more arctic too with cold gusting wind accompanied by heavy rain. Luckily we found very sheltered anchorage in Oksabåsen, a small island a little south of Bergen. It had a beautiful little beach, and although the rain was pouring down like mad we went out to collect a delicious meal of mussels for dinner.

Right now we are in Bergen – the first time in a bigger city for a while. The waterfront is crowded with snap-happy tourists, so while we were pulling up right in front of the famous “Bryggen” (old, colourful wooden merchant buildings) we felt a little bit like a tourist attraction ourselves. For now we are taking advantage of the offerings of this big city (like doing our laundry, drinking beer in a pub and eating Pølse), but all the while we are looking forward to leaving civilization behind once again on the long trip north.

Well it’s been a cold wet couple of days with near constant drizzle, albeit with some gaps in the weather allowing us brief moments of respite – one of which luckily allowed us a clear view of the stunning cliffs and waterfalls of Lysefjord in Norway’s south west. After a long journey up the fjord yesterday we were rewarded with clear views to the towering heights of Preikestolen some 900 m vertically up from where Widdershins floated below with two in the blue craning our necks to the summit. As we looked up with binoculars we also managed to see a few small heads gingerly poke over the top to look at us.

A little further along the fjord we sailed close to a waterfall tumbling down the cliff and felt the wind blow water upon our faces … a feeling we were soon to get used to as the rain started up again. We made our way slowly under sail back along the length of the fjord and onwards to our night’s anchorage in a very convoluted piece of water known as Arsvågen. After a long days sail it is quite challenging to wind in amongst the myriad of islands in this wild anchorage and pick out the narrow channels that hold enough water for Widdershins to slip through towards the calm inner bay. But we made it and collapsed into our cot with a feeling of a good day behind and more ahead.

Now we are in Haugesund, a large town to the south of Bergen, having a bit of a relax and planning to see Pirates of the Caribbean IV a little later to look for some swashbuckling inspiration for the onward journey. Savvy?

Ships are always a female … so you refer to your yacht as a she. This is some consolation when you are sitting at the bow of the ship trying to fix some disaster involving a jammed sail with the waves crashing over your head and the cold water dribbling down your neck … in such instances it feels good to shout the b**ch-word into the screaming wind. But at other times she is a gentle companion that keeps you company on the cold lonely nights … at these moments the female attributes of the yacht are a balm to the hard edges of a grotty yachty alone after several nights at sea without a soul to talk to let alone a shower to wash in. But no longer. Now this grotty yachty is seriously outnumbered with two girls –Widdershins and the whimsical Léonie. As a result this sailor guy has had to clean up his act somewhat and also give Widdershins a bit of a scrub-up to prepare for Léonies arrival.

So no longer is it simply Pat versus the world and Two in the Blue is really on track as we set off on our one month shake-down cruise from the south of Norway to the north.  So some changes? You betcha! To start with this is no longer a solo act, so from now on expect a new view on things as we pass through this wonderful land …. Things like ballet I expect … Léonie just punched me.

After a few days of acclimation (fancy word for feeding the fish and lying prostrate under the table) Leonie is on board and excited to be feeling the wind on our back as we head north. Over the past two days we have left the south of Norway behind us and have truly reached the west coast at last. Stavanger in in our wake and Lysefjord lies ahead with towering 900m vertical cliffs and plunging waterfalls to be our view from the cabin window tomorrow.

View Vallø to Råsvag in a larger map
Yesterday I braved the long trip around Lindesnes and Lista and am now in sheltered waters once again in the tranquil harbour of Råsvag on the isle of Hidra. As expected the offshore crossing around these exposed headlands offered lots of excitement with strong winds, big seas and a constant rain. In fact I was only 50m away from this island before the jagged rocks washed with curling foam and crashing waves emerged from the gloom. Thank god for the GPS!
After some time to recover from nine hours of non-stop sailing, tomorrow I will point the bow further west. But first it is worth noting that this point marks the end of Sørlandet, or the south coast, and the beginning of the west. I’ll be leaving behind the rounded islets and archipelagos and heading towards the land of the fjords and towering cliffs. In just a few days Léonie gets on board in Egersund and together we head around towards Stavanger after which the direction is all north … the first leg towards the Arctic.

Last week I was enjoying the sheer thrill of sailing with no schedule and an open ocean in front of me. There was no rush and I simply hopped between picturesque harbours and spent the mornings catching a feed of fish or exploring the rocky islets that are my home each night. But time is ticking and I have a way to go before I meet Léonie in Egersund in a little over a week.

I’ve had a run of windy weather and now I’ve arrived at a spot renowned for wind and tricky sailing – right now it’s an early morning in Båli and after a cup of coffee I’ll be heading around the notorious Lindesnes Peninsula. But it’s a far cry from the Bali in Indonesia so familiar to many Australian tourists. Rather than white beaches and throngs of bikini clad tourists, here we have windswept hills and water stirred by the currents that flow around the headland. Yesterday I arrived with strong gusts of wind pushing Widdershins around as I steered through the rocky entrance. This morning – it’s an ominous stillness with fog shrouding the hills and a gentle rain pattering on the deck over my head. But the weather report predicts a still morning before the wind once again roars around Lindesnes so it’s time to don the wet weather gear and head out to sea!

After an early morning departure from Lillesand where I spent the last two days I quickly cleared the narrow entrance and set sail for the West. Today’s task was to catch a fish as a few previous attempts had resulted in me leaving several expensive items of fishing tackle on the sea floor with nothing to show for the effort. So a short sail and I turned in towards the complex of small islands around Agerøya and found a likely spot. Two minutes later I had two nice cod in the bucket and was ready to sail on. Actually it was just a little too easy after having built myself up to spend the day hunting the crafty cod that had thus far eluded me, but fun none-the-less and two is plenty for the day’s meal. So another short sail and I arrived at lovely Knuthavn were I pulled up alongside and started cooking up a storm. Lightly floured cod fillet cooked in a lemon cause and served on a bed of spiced couscous…. Not bad at all and splendid part of the world to enjoy good food.