Category: Trip (Page 3 of 11)

The trip the event was part of

Sunny Days in Geiranger Fjord

May 20, 2023 / fiandadrian

Geiranger, the UNSECO protected, waterfall adorned, cruise ship visited fjord was calling.

We left the lovely island of Sandsøyaon a still morning, and motored into the Storfjorden, and onward towards Geiranger Fjord. An overnight stop at Ikornnes promised hot tubs and cafes, but delivered neither. The mad Australians were on the first cruising boat of the year and the soon-to-become-familiar older chap appeared and moved a water hose onto the dock and checked there was still power available for us. Hot tubs and cafes would remain a luxury to look forward to in the much anticipated ‘season’.

The next day we motored into a crisp windless morning, that became a troll breathing howling head wind and promptly returned to a windless meander. We noted that Stranda was the last real supply center before entering Geiranger. We made a slow pass of the dock and Fi took a giant leap for the Away crew onto the dock and completed a quick restock before we started the final leg into Geiranger.

The fjord became gradually narrower the further we went.

A quick reprovisioning stop where Fi launched from the deck onto the dock and ran into the nearby shops.

After motoring all day, with one failed attempt at sailing, we arrived in Geiranger in the evening. Marveling at the massive cruise ship buoys, we were hoping, given how close they were to the dock, that the ships wouldn’t be visiting anytime soon.

The windless day became more windless and the reflections more spectacular.

The water caught the sunlight creating rainbow waterfalls.

A high speed ferry approached appearing to float over the fjord.

The drone was launched to capture the magnitude of the landscape.

With perfect weather in Geiranger, we decided to stay for a few days, and enjoy the local hikes.

First stop, we sample the local ‘best fish soup in the world’.

First activity was a hike to a waterfall where you can walk behind the falling water, after ascending the steps built by Sherpas from Nepal. We found out that a lot of steps had been placed in Norway by Sherpas with their amazing ability to traverse heights, and carry incredibly heavy things. Being employed in Norway provides the Sherpas with a much higher income than in Nepal, and Norway get safer hikes for their tourists. Win, win. So up the stairs we climb, until we inevitably arrive at the snow line.

Bernie usually likes the snow, but his paws kept falling into this snow.

The waterfall, much like the waterfall in Flam, didn’t have a lot of water falling this time of year, so we sat and enjoyed some snacks, and made the trek back down. Oh and back to the little cafe with the yummy pizzas and soup.

At least there was falling water at this elevation, with a beautiful collar of ice.

After a day of relaxing, cleaning and doing boat jobs, we decided to tackle another of the famous hikes in the area. It involved us getting in the dingy with the big engine on, and blurting around the corner of the fjord to a small dock cut into the rock. From here it was a basically vertical hike up to the farm perched on the side of the fjord called Skageflå. Its a beautiful farm, and used to be the most profitable in the area. Now it has been restored to reflect its hey day.

We passed this training boat that had anchored near Geiranger.

The path to the farm was short, but steep.

The dinghy is right below us. It is reputed that the farmer removed a couple of ladders on the route up at tax time and the tax collector never arrived to collect the tax. Believable.

Navigating down carefully with Bernie, we get back to our dingy and check out this waterfall of course.

Bernie loved the waterfall, and fell asleep in the dinghy.

We’d heard from one of our followers that we should be careful of the rock falls around Geiranger. Upon further investigation, we discovered that the worlds most monitored mountain face is in the fjord, as it is threatening to collapse, fall into the fjord and create a devasting 80m tsunami that would obliterate the local towns, including Geiranger where we were ‘safely’ tied up. This last happened in 1934 when a rock fall caused a 60m high wave that killed 40 people. So naturally, we decided to watch the Norwegian disaster movie called “The Wave” that dramatised a future rock fall event, just to freak ourselves out.

An innocuous looking mountain side that will slip into the fjord one day.

The next day, we chose to leave the fjord, and went past the threatening mountain face of Åkerneset and marveled at the number of monitoring stations on the side.

Our overnight stop, Stordal, famous for its furniture industry was closed in preparation for the forthcoming Easter break. Google claimed the residents were all at their ski lodges reading mystery novels, so after a quiet evening we headed on to Ålesund.

Away squeezed into Stordal harbour for the night.

Arriving in Ålesund in the evening, after the odd sleet storm, we were excited to explore this beautiful city.

The next blanket of snow approaching the marina.

The place was burned down in the early 1900s and has been rebuilt in Art Deco style and it shows. Its a lovely town and we enjoyed a walk up the local hill with two million people from a couple of cruise ships in port to get some spectacular views across the sea.

We met the amazing team from “In The Same Boat”, a wonderful organisation that clears rubbish from the coast line of Norway (https://www.inthesameboat.eco/). You can volunteer on their sailboats and help to clear the worlds oceans of plastic. We were inspired, and at our first stop out of Ålesund we picked up a bunch of plastic, and notified them of the littered beach so they can go there with their team and do a more thorough job than we had time to do.

Our last night in Ålesund, we went out for a lovely dinner at one of the local hotels and watched the snow dump down from the roof top restaurant, and then clear to reveal the beautiful coast.

Next time we start the push north towards Bodø, the arctic, and our new crew member.

Railways and Prayers

April 23, 2023 / fiandadrian

Flåm is famous for its railway. Its one of the most picturesque train trips in the world, according to someone. They were right! It effortlessly climbed through steep mountain scenery, did a U turn inside a mountain and arrived on time to meet the Oslo-Bergen train at the top. You can return to the bottom by foot, mountain bike, skis or as we did, ride the train back down.

There is a stop to take pictures of a waterfall, although there was not much water falling today

Plenty of snow at the top and lots of skiers in the ski lodges

The next day some people turned up in a boat even bigger than ours. We decided to leave our new neighbours to the quay and walked up the valley to the Flåm church.

A fitting end to our walk… a man talking too much

The next day the forecast suggested the trolls would be blowing a hooley down the fjord. It was overcast when we left and the trolls were still sleeping.

We didn’t have to wait too long before they woke and we soon had winds gusting the ususal 8 to 25+ knots. Later in the day we even saw an instant 130 degree wind shift just to keep the sailing fun. We made it over 70 miles almost to the mouth of the fjord by evening.

Sometimes the chart plotter shows a depth of only a few meters when the charted depth is unfathomable. This is not a reason to worry and is caused by layers water confusing the depth sounder, pods of orcas or stray Russian submarines.

Out of the fjord and heading north, our next stop was the busy centre of Florø.

Some people build their houses on the smallest islands. This one had a light on top so ships don’t run into it

Florø was a bustling port with ferries coming and going every few minutes and fishing industry boats. We even saw some locals trying to persuade a goat onto a small boat for a trip it didn’t seem keen to make.

Florø was still emerging from its winter season into the sunshine, so after a two night stop we were off again. We did take the opportunity to walk up the hill and around the island.

More solid doors than Away! German gun emplacements were on top of the hill overlooking the coast.

Our next stop was Kalvåg, because several people had mentioned a nice restaurant there, and that it was the most popular spot on the west coast for cruisers. I guess the cruisers hadn’t yet emerged from winter as we were the only people there. As we came in, a fisherman in a run about (really) came near us shouting in Norwegian and gesturing to the harbour berths near the restaurant. After shouting “Australian”, English was engaged, and we were advised that we could park in the marina at the side of the restaurant. The wonderful fellow (who we would later learn owns the place) helped us with our lines, told us about the restaurant and where the local facilities were, and we were in! Ready for some seafood.

The fantastic hotel and restaurant right in the harbour

Entering the restaurant, we were met by the fisherman, now hotel owner, and enjoyed some food and wine. He introduced us to the chief of Norway Football who was in Sydney when Norway won soccer Olympic gold. The next night an Everest climber and reality TV star was giving a talk… it was that sort of place. We were told about the history. It started as a fishing village with up to 12,000 fishermen coming and going, and 6 women (poor ladies). The owner purchased the land from his brother, and built up the restaurant, hotel and other houses to turn it into a tourist mecca. It was delightful and we were treated to breakfast the next morning on the house. We’d love to come back. The hospitality here was second to none and everyone was so friendly. We understand why it is so popular. And the food was delicious.

What do we think about breakfast off the boat and a little civilization time?

However, the notorious Stad was calling us. Stadlandet is a headland on the west coast that sticks out into the North Sea and there is no choice but to head out into the cross currents, washing machine waves and shallower waters to get around it. Some sailors say they would prefer to round Cape Horn than Stad, so we were feeling a bit apprehensive about our crossing. It is so bad, that Norway are planning to build a tunnel for ships, yachts and other boats through the headland so that people don’t have to go around. A massive undertaking and speaks to how bad of a reputation the crossing has.

Red ship posing in front of mountains on the way to Selja

Our Stad jump off was to be a small island called Selja. It has an ancient monastery in honour of Norway’s only female Saint “Saint Sunniva”. She is the patron saint of Bergen, and it is believed that her remains were found in the cave above the monastery, and she was basically completely preserved. She was hiding there from some attackers, and it is said that “the heavens” caused a rock fall, trapping her and her companions inside the cave, but safe from the attackers. But then they were trapped anyway and died. But her body was preserved – therefore, saint. The monastery was established around 1060.

The monastery, and where the brick structure is up the hill is where the cave is

Monks have a keen eye for great real estate

Dramatic sunset on the evening prior to notorious Stad crossing.

Red sky at night, sailors calm crossing of Stad headland the next day.

As the sun went down we said an appropriate number of prayers for safe passage the next day. The gods must have been listening as we were blessed with calm seas, or perhaps it was the hours of analysing weather, wave and current data, researching peoples blogs and talking to locals to ensure the best conditions to make the passage.

We searched the horizon for signs of wave activity, but the anticlimax was overwhelming.

We motored most of the day, and found a great harbour just north of the headland, protected from the non existed swells to tie up for the evening. The island of Sandsøya was to be our home for the next 2 evenings as we pondered what to do after tackling this horrendous crossing. We had been so focused on the crossing that we had neglected to properly plan the coming days, but that’s easily solved with our charts, guide books and 30 minutes.

We headed off to find a treasure cave. Adrian contrived a route to climb over a mountain to get there.

At the top with the dolls in all directions

The blue line shows the ‘path’ down to the beach. Hiking in Norway is so adventurous.

There is treasure down there, but we left it for others to find

Outside the cave was the remains of a goat still waiting for his owner to return from the cave

The never-tired spaniel took the opportunity for a nap whilst we reviewed the map to find a flatter path home

Our walk returned on the flat past the inevitable white church

Next morning we headed off in search of another fjord.

The Wind Always Blows Down the Fjord

April 17, 2023 / fiandadrian

Away looks slightly out of place amongst the motor boats, office blocks and city dwellers. We had our fill of bright lights and city sounds and were happy to loosen the lines and slip out of Bergen weaving between commuter ferries and tourist trips promising waterfalls, fjords and trolls to I-love-Norway beanied tourists.

Motor boats rafted up behind us for the weekend

The islands around Bergen gradually become more sparsely populated.

Our anchorage required a left turn from a narrow channel into a narrower channel leading to narrower squeeze into the anchorage. The anchorage could not have contrasted more with the noise of Bergen.

A narrow channel from a narrow channel leading to a squeezy bit and a perfect parking space for one.

The next day our route was mostly decided by the height of the bridges between islands. We saw current of over 3 knots at some narrow points, fortunately heading the same way we were. When the channels opened up, we meandered along with a lazy headsail.

We have a weakness for restaurants with a harbour and this one is famous for its fish soup… what more could we ask for? They had opened a couple of days before at the start of April. It seems the season is starting, but its still very quiet.

This statue of St. Olaf was commissioned for Oslo, but Oslo decided they didn’t like it after the sculptor had finished. So he’s ended up here.

The landscape changed as we turned into Sognefjord. The sides of the fjord grew steeper and snow capped.

After a brief search for an anchorage (what were we thinking…this is a fjord), we headed across the fjord for shelter in Leirvik. There are two depths in the fjord unfathomable and more unfathomable. In some places the depths are charted at over a kilometer deep which reduces the crab pot hazard. It also makes anchoring possibilities more scarce, and in deed anchoring is known locally as ‘tying up’.

Leirvik had a brand new jetty and no wind which made docking simple

Leaving the tranquility of Leirvik we were quickly met by 25+ knot headwinds. The wind in the fjord is governed mostly by trolls who sit at the head of the fjord and try to blow sailors away. When they blow it can be over 30 knots, but between breaths it often stops altogether. The wind only comes in one direction, down the fjord. Even when the fjord changes direction 90 degrees, so does the wind. This makes fjord sailing simple, its either upwind, or downwind, with none of those confusing in-between points of sail.

It was blowing 25+ in the main fjord so we turned off to find a quiet lunch spot out of the wind

Our perseverance against the wind was rewarded by an evening in beautiful Hoyanger.

View looking back towards the main fjord from Hoyanger

A spare spot for Away at the end of the marina

The next day the trolls were at it again, but we were determined to reach Flam at the head of the Fjord.

This is an ‘upwind Fjord sailing in Spring’ smile

Our track (wiggly line) shows how a single tack curves around the corner of the fjord as the wind gradually changes direction.

Finally the trolls gave in or got bored, the wind abated and we motored the last section in to Flam.

We can see why cruise ships and fjord tours come here

The fjord narrows as we get to the last turn before Flam

We tried to stop at Undredal for their world famous goats cheese, but aborted when we saw the modest size of the dock and headed for Flam. Flam looked like a quiet town at the end of the fjord, but the cruise ship moorings suggested a different story.

The next morning this was the view from our house.

Season Preparation in Bergen

April 6, 2023 / fiandadrian

Norheimsund disappeared around the corner and we headed back along the Hardanger fjord towards the sea. The wind picked up and we considered sailing for long enough for the wind to die, pick up from the opposite direction, die again and then blow from a third direction. A typical day sailing on the fjord. We motored.

Not good sailing wind in the fjords, but the scenery makes up for it

We found a sheltered spot at the end of an island with an appropriate view to wake up to and tried to remember how to live on anchor again.

Our first anchorage on the end of an island. Nice to change the view from our house.

We stopped at the little town of Uskedal the next day for some exercise and lunch.

Uskedal church is typical of many in Norway, positioned with ice capped mountain backdrops.

Spring is late this year but its trying to arrive

Someone who had attended our talk, noticed us on AIS and emailed to suggest we look at the marks on the rock gouged out by glacier activity. They may not be too clear in the photo but there were deep horizontal gouges in the rock.

Our next anchorage had just enough room to swing around comfortably and some good shelter. In the morning we went ashore to exercise and collect ticks (thankfully just Bernie). While we practiced our downward dog, Bernie practiced his mad spaniel pulling up grass.

Quiet anchorage, dinghy, two exercised people and a mad spaniel

We motored around the islands to get closer to Bergen and found another empty anchorage on an island. It looks like it might get busy in summer but we met only one family who recommended a route for us to walk around the island. Bernie was very pleased. The houses on the island range from tiny ancient huts to modern houses mostly serving as summer houses for Bergenites. There were no signs and limited paths but after several side trips and some help from satellite pictures we arrived back at the harbour.

Bernie made us walk up here for the view

The next day we sailed and motored passed Bergen and into the yard to be hauled out. We rafted up with some of the brand new motor boats that they build in the yard. A light dusting of snow the next morning reminded us why there aren’t too many cruising boats around this time of year.

Rafted up for the night ready for our lift

Well they said it was wide enough for us to reverse into

Clear some snow off so we can see the lift markers

Copenhagen barnacles still hanging around.

We headed into Bergen for a few days while the boat was cleaned, anti fouled and serviced. It was a good break off the boat and a chance to look around and go the chandlery of course.

After safely re launching we took Away across to Bergen harbour to reprovision before heading north.

We had been warned that more people bring their boats in to party on Friday and Saturday. An armada of white runabouts descended on the dock area to meet friends and enjoy the local restaurants. A sleek black boat docked opposite us at dusk. It turned out to be a floating speaker that rattled and vibrated to the thump of dance music from late at night till after nine am.

Next we head north to quieter anchorages to recover from the excitement of Bergen.

Is it Spring yet?

March 23, 2023 / fiandadrian

Since returning from our trip to the UK we’ve been planning for our 2023 cruising and getting Away ready for some arctic water sailing.

Icicles form in late afternoon as the temperature drops and freezes the melting snow dripping off the roof

Winter has sure settled in here in Norheimsund and we are getting used to the boat being covered in snow and ice, and walking through the various tracks using crampons on our shoes. Bernie has had his first experience in proper powder snow and went mad running and running around.

We’ve been completing a few boat jobs, like setting up the dingy, installing more hooks (I love hooks), installing some plant shelves (I love plants) and doing general maintenance and tidy up.

When the sun comes out the views are stunning

Seeing some fantastic weather on the horizon, we plan to explore a little of the Hardanger Fjord. We had heard the arm of the Fjord just north from us was a beautiful town called Botnen that has only 3 permanent inhabitants and is a stunning example of remote Norwegian scenery. So one day, we stocked up with fuel and food and headed out into the sunshine.

Arriving in Botnen the reflections in the completely still fjord were epic.

We need to keep an eye on the ice to make sure we can leave

We spent 2 nights here and managed some walking into the hills with Bernie.

The road leads from the fjord to the houses. There are no roads in from outside.

We noted that we still had a few days of calm still sunny weather and headed further in the fjord to Ulvik and town recommended to us with great mountain scenery.

There was too much ice to reach Ulvik nestled amongst the mountains but we enjoyed the sunset as we headed back to Kinsarvik in the main fjord.

You can watch our little adventure in the fjord here: https://youtu.be/TTYafDfqFW8

Bernie decided a big walk was in order so we followed the ‘waterfall’ track from Kinsarvik. We climbed up beside a hydro electric pipe to an icy monotone landscape. Bernie tried the thin ice at the top of the waterfall and ‘enjoyed’ some on lead time while near the water after that.

There was plenty of dramatic landscapes as we headed back to our sheltered corner of the fjord in Norheimsund. The depth is mostly too great for our depth sounder to register a reading, but occasionally it showed just a few meters depth in the middle of the fjord. We weren’t able to determine if it was a passing orca, layers of fresh water or a stray russian submarine.

The local sailing club invited us to give a talk about our adventures at their meeting. It was so popular that we sold out the first venue and had to be upgraded to the local school classroom! We had spent the previous couple of weeks discussing together what in the world Norwegian sailors would want to hear from us! We figured pictures and stories of white sand beaches, sunshine and turquoise water were a welcome distraction from the winter weather and so we regaled them about our trip up the Australian East Coast in Addictive. Naturally we also added sufficient detail about Away, and a few of our adventures in Europe which resulted in a number of new visitors to Away over the coming days! So much social! Out of all the people listening to us, the only clearly bored person was the 10 year old who took to climbing on her Mum, so we were happy to have been entertaining.

Norheimsund on a dog walk around the lake.

It was finally time to break the winter inertia and start heading up the coast. The first stop is Bergen to clean Away’s bottom and stock up with fresh coffee beans.

Good bye Norheimsund, as we motor Away. The guest harbour is where you can see the red rooves in the middle.

The long road home

February 16, 2023 / fiandadrian

By Fi

Much like our trip over to the UK back in November, we have booked various ferries, trains and cars to get us back to Away in Norheimsund in Norway. Its getting too warm in the UK now.

We left the Squire one cloudy day in a hire car and drove to Bristol to our friends place. Bernie was deposited in one of the local doggy hotels, as we don’t enjoy him frightening our friends beautiful ginger cats. Plus, we wanted to go to Paris!

One enjoyable evening with friends was followed the next day with a tiny packed bag, and the cheapest flight we could find to Paris from Bristol.

What happens in Paris stays in Paris. We’ve been there a number of times now and just enjoy the city.

Unfortunately, due to the industrial action in France protesting the raising of the retirement age, our flight home was cancelled. Quick re-planning resulted in us jumping on the Eurostar to London, calling the doggy hotel and begging them to keep Bernie for a few more days because not only were there strikes in France, there were also strikes in the UK and we had no way of picking him up.

The London hotel we stay in is extremely doggy friendly and they were so excited we were coming back with Bernie that when we turned up without him there were some disappointed faces. We were assured that we were still allowed to stay without him. As it were, we had a glorious few days in London sans dog, and caught up with some wonderful friends, had lovely dinners out and saw a couple of shows on the West End. Delightful!

We didn’t take many photos in London. This is of the hotel main stairway. It is 5 Victorian townhouses joined together built in 1856 and has been used as a base for touring bands since 1975. It is often used for photoshoots and other events as it has such and eclectic style. Its even used in feature films and as a magazine shoot location. We didn’t spot anyone famous this trip.

The day had come to retrieve Bernie and the rest of our luggage. We had been making do with just our clothes for an overnighter in Paris, washing things in sinks by this point. Train to Bristol and our wonderful Sommerset friends ferried us to get our luggage, and then get Bernie, and then get back to the train station in record time! We made it back to the hotel, and settled Bernie in, much to the delight of the staff who gave him loads of pats and scratches.

Getting off the train in Paddington from Bristol with the dog and an obscene amount of luggage. Adrian is carrying about the same as me if not a little more.

The following day was our last day in the UK. We took Bernie to the vets to get his tapeworm tablet for Norway. This means he has 5 days to arrive in Norway from the time he is given the tablet. After a good dog walk and some chores, we packed up and were picked up in a car to be ferried out to our ferry at Harwich. The strikes were still on, so no trains for us.

Overnight ferry to the Hook of Holland, and alas, we were advised that our Holland to Norway ferry was cancelled! Refund pending, we had to re-plan how to get us and the dog back to Norway before the 5 day limit on Bernie’s worming tablet ran out. We research and research, and find that we can spend 15 hours on dog friendly trains from the Hook of Holland to Copenhagen, where we can catch another overnight dog friendly ferry to Oslo, and then a dog friendly train to Bergen and a dog friendly bus back to the boat. It was A LOT of travel and moving with a dog and 4 heavy bags, but we managed it, and found a great dog friendly hotel in Copenhagen for the night ready for our ferry to Oslo the next day.

Arriving after 9:30 pm at the hotel we search for food and find the most amazing Middle Eastern food with garlic so strong we could taste it for several days. This is Copenhagen after all.

We had a morning to look around Copenhagen near our hotel and had a look at the Meat Packing district. It was Sunday so most things were closed, but we’d definitely come back here.

Soaking up some pats on the overnight ferry to Oslo

Oslofjord was a little icy when we came in to dock.

We had decided to spend a couple of days in Oslo as it is unlikely that we would sail there. Away is already north of Oslo. We enjoy some great food, and some long walks to the palace to watch the changing of the guard and also to The Vigeland Park where the artist Gustav Vigeland has his works on display. It was all so dramatic in the snow.

We watched the guards do their thing. They have extremely big guns.

The Karl Johan monument – a marshal of France during the Napoleonic wars who ended up being King of Norway and Sweden.

The first set of sculptures we see as we enter The Vigeland Park is a series featuring a woman and a lizard creature. I am unsure of the significance.

I imagine this is how Bernie feels about wearing his jacket.

These amazing bronze statues are placed all through the park.

This was the only foodie picture I took! This was at a great Italian restaurant, and we also tried the local street food market called Barcode, and a Japanese restaurant.

It was then time to take the train from Oslo towards Bergen. This stretch of railway is extremely picturesque, and an offshoot of this railway is the Flam Railway which is rated one of the most picturesque in the world. It did not disappoint!

I wanted to have a little sleep but the views were so stunning!

After a few hours, we arrived in a town called Voss, hoped on the bus and we were finally home! After 3 months away, we had a few jobs to do to get the boat warmed up and into a home again.

We are now working on getting the boat ready for the new season, and settling into life in the snow, and then the rain, and then the snow.

Away was looking a little snowy when we arrived!

Winter barging, on “The Squire”

February 7, 2023 / fiandadrian

Perhaps you remember from our last blog, we arrived in England and welcomed to the Fi and Adrian Sailing family a narrowboat called “The Squire”. This was to be our home for the 2 months over December 2022 and January 2023. Last year we spent the same time period on another narrowboat called “The Earl” and Bernie loved it so much, we wanted to give him the same experience again. Plus for us, its a nice break from sailing, but still presents lots of opportunities for adventures.

We began our trip unpacking and settling in to the boat, getting to know the ins and outs and making friends with it. We started at a stretch of canal near Fenny Compton in the middle of England.

Good thing we brought the cold weather gear and boots for muddy tow paths

Time to push off! We have to reverse up to the winding hole (a large space dotted along the canals where these long boats can turn around) which presented its own challenges as the first maneuver of the trip. All done though and we were on our way north. Quickly reaching Napton on the Hill, we make a left turn on to the Grand Union Canal bound for Birmingham. The Grand Union links Birmingham and London and was a busy canal in its day, shipping all manner of goods and fuel between these two cities.

We are reminded fairly quickly that this section of the Grand Union has been built to accommodate wide beam boats, and therefore have double width locks. Our skills from the previous year were quickly brought to the fore, and Adrian was navigating into the large locks with me only needing to open 1 of the gates on either side. Phew! The lock doors can be upwards of 3 tonnes so I was happy to not have to open 4 doors every time. We navigate towards Long Itchington, and enjoy the scenery, locks and the local watering holes.

After a few days of this pattern, we find ourselves in Royal Leamington Spa. I used to have to go to work here on occasion so it was nice to see it from a different perspective, and also discover some fantastic places to provision, and enjoy a hearty English breakfast.

By this time we had completed the Calcutt locks (3 locks), the Stockton lock flight (8 locks), the Bascote locks and a number of others, totaling 25. We had achieved this over the best part of a week, and were feeling prepared to tackle the famous (infamous) Hatton Lock flight. The Hatton Lock flight rises narrowboats up 45m in less than 2 miles and consists of 21 locks. Its grueling work, and was not made easy for us as we buddied up with a single handed narrowboater (so it was a little slower) and every single lock was set against us. Plus we started at about 2pm.

These double locks were some of the last built on the canals. They fill and empty quickly but lack some of the clunky charm of the earlier locks

Into the afternoon we went, setting the locks, driving the boats in, closing gates, filling up the locks, on to the next. The snow had settled on the ground and so the towpath and lock gates were slippery to walk on, the dog enjoyed running away from time to time and the night rolled on in. Granted the night time here is about 4PM. Onwards we went, up and up and up and the hours passed by. Every time we finished a lock, it seemed another came out of the gloom. It felt like it was never going to end. They call this flight the stairway to heaven as it is so arduous. Eventually, after running backwards and forwards, setting and resetting locks, grinding paddles, opening and closing closing 3 tonne gates, we reached the top at about 7:30pm. It was dark, we were exhausted, and we closed up the Squire, stoked up the fireplace and settled in for a beer, and a pre made meal heated up in the oven. We’d made in total about 2.5 miles that day and expended all our energy! We planned to explore the area the following day, rather than go and tackle another section of canal.

We weren’t disappointed! The area around the locks is gorgeous, and there is a cute cafe and a pub. Happy.

Onwards towards Birmingham however, and we find ourselves cracking through ice all of a sudden. Arriving in the area of Solihull, we find a few more wonderful English pubs, some good places to provision and stunning countryside.

Locks require good balance on narrow icy gates above a long drop into icy water

The ice is beginning to form, but just round the corner is free of ice where trees overhang the water

Leaving the bank is getting more difficult

The ice seemed to be getting thicker. The day we left to head into Birmingham, we were cracking through inch thick plates of ice. It is loud and it is hard to steer as the ice pushes the boat around to wherever it has split. We manage this by having 1 person steer, and the other person at the front running from side to side getting the boat to rock to crack the ice relatively evenly. Soon we find the stunning English countryside being replaced by industrial buildings, graffiti, and a lot of litter that speaks to the nightly recreational activities in this less than salubrious area of outer Birmingham.

The lock is on the right in the colourful Birmingham suburbs

The canals passes through many of the old industrial areas that they were integral in creating

Dog safely locked inside so he didn’t accidentally get stabbed with a syringe, or eat some human poo, we navigated through the 25 locks that would get us to the centre of Birmingham. This was not without a stop in a VERY brightly lit (read safe) area next to one of the universities here for a sleep overnight one evening.

Everyone is fascinated by ice. Some throw rocks to see if breaks, others beer bottles, and even full rubbish bins

The locks into Birmingham took us under huge bridges and under buildings and certainly had the air of Peaky Blinders. We saw deals being done, smelled the local relief points, and skipped over broken glass and drug paraphernalia. Eventually, the muck and darkness made way to more gentrified buildings and a cute towpath leading to the top of the locks and the centre. Gas Street Basin is the famous centre of canals in Birmingham, and would be our stop over for a few days. And then a few more days, as the ice got thicker and thicker.

A building has been constructed over a set of locks on the canal. The yellow rails are gantries to allow the lock gates to be maintained as cranes can no longer access the locks.

The final set of locks into the Gas Street Basin. They were covered in ice in coming days.

Strange that nobody is going boating today…

The solar panels weren’t providing much power at this time of year

After about a week, the temperatures has risen enough for the ice to again be navigable, and we said goodbye to Birmingham, keen to have some “field” time. For Christmas, we are heading for Stratford Upon Avon to explore, restock, and appreciate the countryside after so much city time.

These ones are supposed to resemble ears

Heading south, we find ourselves on the Stratford Upon Avon canal. A beautiful stretch of canal winding its way through the countryside, dotted with locks here and there, but nothing as massive as those Hatton Locks. We enjoy time moored in fields, and eventually end up just outside Stratford Upon Avon.

It is Christmas eve, so we quickly find ourselves a lovely pub for lunch, and also head to Waitrose for our turkey and Christmas trimmings. We stop off at Will’s birthplace and have a great wander around town. It would be great to spend a little more time here outside of the holiday season, however we need to get going back towards where we started as the winter closures would mean we would be stuck here, so Christmas day comes, we cast off the mooring lines and head out of Stratford.

Christmas dinner is cooked while moored up in a quiet field, and we plan how to get out and through the Hatton Locks again before the closures in a few days.

Christmas was a chance to relax and stay warm

Back to the locks on Christmas day. Not many boaters out today.

We didn’t get too far before we found the canal was empty making it hard to navigate. Some investigation showed the paddles at both ends of the lock were slightly open allowing the water to drain. It took a couple of hours to let enough water through from a large pound a few locks above and we were on our way again.

Not much water in the canal when we arrived

After redistributing some water we were on our way again

*The canal to Stratford Upon Avon crosses an aqueduct*. There is a fence on the tow path side

But don’t step off the boat on the other side

Retracing our steps, we find ourselves at our turn off point. Adrian navigates the Squire through a 7ft hole in someone’s garden, which leads out of the Stratford Upon Avon Canal to the Grand Union Canal and eventually, that huge Hatton Lock flight. Would I have come up the Hatton Lock flight if I knew what it was like, and that we would have to also come back down it, yes probably. Its a great workout. This time however, we mean business and start the locks at a reasonable time in the morning, and even manage to enlist the help of one of our local friends who came along and opened the last 5 or so locks for us (of 21). We felt like professionals at this point! We were done and dusted mid afternoon, and enjoyed a little wander around Warwick with our friend, and naturally had a few beers at the pub.

BUT – we are still not past the closures. We are on track though, and the next day after a bit of a sleep in, we head on through the next dozen or so locks towards Royal Leamington Spa and past the closures. Phew! We have avoided making the same mistake that we made last year where we got stuck behind the winter closures and had to organise to have the boat trucked over to another canal. Oops.

It is just outside Leamington that we have organised to have guests! Friends from the US have organised to join us and experience what is means to live the canal boat life. And we have some fun plans to show them what it is all about! First stop, 8 locks! Followed by a pub meal. It was so much easier having 4 people on the boat with 3 people able to work the locks. A lot quicker too, and so we found ourselves quite quickly at our designated pub for dinner, and predinner drinks.

Our friends were keen to experience more, and we wanted to take them on a journey through the countryside to Braunston, a cute town that includes a haunted tunnel. We spend New Years quietly, in a field of course, and plan to complete the tunnel on New Years day.

The tunnel is interesting as it is a little wobbly. The construction teams started at each end, then realised they were off by a few feet and had to put some bends in it. When we are a kilometre underground we hope their construction is more solid than their direction finding. No ghosts this time.

Once through the tunnel, we enjoy catching up over cards and boat cooked meals (there is only so many pubs one can visit before you can literally predict every menu), and travel along the canal towards the Watford lock flight. This is a flight that is so steep it has permanent volunteers on hand to assist boats up and down the flight. We pull up at the bottom, and I ran up the hill to the lock keepers hut to register our intention to navigate the locks. Registration complete, we were advised to begin the flight. “Red before white, and you’ll be right” the lock keeper said to me, and following his instructions, we let the boat in the lock, wound the red paddles, then wound the white paddles, and we were indeed, “right” making it to the top of the flight quickly. The flight consists of 7 locks, 4 of which are in a staircase configuration. This means you go up one lock, straight into another, and so ensuring you do the paddles in the correct order is important as to not get stuck.

A further way along the canal, and our friends said thank you and good bye, and again, we were just the 3 of us. In a field.

Unfortunately, the UK flu hit us at this point. We found out later that this has been the worst flu season in the UK for 65 years. The country is basically out of cough medicine and paracetamol, so I raided my handbag stash for paracetamol and we learned quickly how to make cough medicine at home.

Good pour of whiskey in a mug

A squeeze of honey

Good squeeze of lemon juice

Boiling water to the top

Slice of lemon floating around

Sip…

Repeat.
Thank you google

So we take it easy. The boating stops for a few days, we rest, drink our cough medicine, try to placate the neurotic spaniel who is getting increasingly more neurotic the longer we need to recover. Eventually we both feel okay to get our boating again, and decide we will slowly boat up to a small town called Welford.

We manage a lovely walk through the countryside in Welford. I am still coughing a lot, and unfortunately in my frustration with this I decide to cough purposely really hard. “CLICK” something goes in my ribs, and the next day I wake up with very very very sore ribs.

The winter light means its hard to take a bad photo. At least we think so.

Bernie as always wanting to make new friends.

By the time we get to Market Harborough, I need to go to the urgent care at the hospital to get some proper pain killers. Opioids in hand, I do start to get a lot better. PHEW! So most of January at this point has been a little – in the wars to put it mildly. But its okay, as we have our lovely fire, and our fields.

Market Harborough featured the usual muddy towpath, until it froze.

We went for a walk to the shops and it proper snowed

After some exploring around Market Harborough, we fill up with water and leave to head south towards our drop off point in about 10 days. The forecast indicates a couple of sub zero nights and it looks there might be some light ice. By the time we re climbing the Foxton locks the ice was becoming harder to navigate.

We found a parking spot with a view and enjoyed an end of day stout on the roof. The next morning a canal trust boat had come the opposite direction breaking the ice by the time The Squire ventured out for the day.

The day was spent ice breaking until we arrived at Kilworth marina the site of our lorry ride 12 months earlier. With coal and fuel on board we were prepared just in case the ice returned with vengeance and we couldn’t move.

The next morning arrived with the welcome sight of the The Duke and The Duchess, our sister ships, breaking the ice as they passed us. The Duchess in particular had great ice breaking capabilities that we appreciated over the coming days. It’s quite easy to follow another boat that is breaking the ice, but the lead boat works very hard.

We tried breaking ice ouselves but The Squire doesn’t do it that well at all.

Whilst many boaters thanked us for breaking the ice so they could move to get water and coal, this day we encountered the nutty fringe who were convinced the ice was damaging their boats, and probably crop circles are created by aliens and chemtrails are poisoning them. They shouted, swore, threatened and threw things. Who knew narrow boaters could get so excited?

This guy threated our friends with a boat hook, and threw stuff, and threw a bunch of colourful language our way. We’ve scoured social media to find his photos, but nothing. Nutters.

Over the next few days the canal defied the forecast and the ice thickened. The Duke and The Duchess did most of the ice breaking, placating the shouty boaters and getting cheered on by those short of supplies. We enjoyed a delightful dinner at Crick with the American couples aboard the Duke and Duchess and got used to people telling us tails of those determined Americans breaking the ice ahead of us.

Ice breaking, Note how much harder the lead boat is working.

Despite our best efforts the ice was slowing our progress enough that we were not going to reach The Squires home at Heyford. We agreed to take it as far as Fenny Compton where our first canal trip had begun a year earlier. It seemed to fitting to end our trip in the same pub it had started.

With bags packed we left The Squire and started the long trip home to Away. Please enjoy these little snaps from the trip.

You can turn anything into a canal home. This is an old lifeboat

Can you have too many steak and ale pies? Yes, yes you can…

What do we do if we meet another boat coming the other way?

Entering the Bosworth tunnel it suggests keeping to the right. Surely boats can’t pass in the tunnel?

Many bridges just carry pedestrians and farm traffic

And others were constructed to frame a beautiful canal scene

Leaving Welford the sun brought out the colour

We encountered lots of wildlife. This robin was particularly friendly.

We often saw this bird fishing along the canal

Look carefully. Yes its a fox sunning itself.

We can’t keep still…

December 2, 2022 / fiandadrian

By Fi

My family tells me that even when I was little, I never kept still. I was always doing something, going somewhere, making plans. Well, it seems that this is still true and true for both of us. Plans have been made for winter, and it does not involve staying in one place.

We aren’t keen to sail in winter at the moment as there is quite a lot of ice and regular storms. And we do need to leave the Schengen area to reset our visa, and also apply for some other permits so that next year we can sail in Scandinavia some more.

So while we were hiking in the woods around Norheimsund, plans were afoot.

When we last left you, we were driving into the snowy Norwegian night, for our next adventure.

We have winter tyres, but we were still pretty careful.

We drove for 3 hours in the snow, in our little front wheel drive Corolla. Holding our breath on the corners and hills, we were happy to arrive in our little ski chalet for the night. This is no where near our final destination, simply a stop for a rest from the intense driving conditions.

We meet a lot of taxidermy at this little chalet. Bernie was quite bemused at the wolf.

Bernie has his first taste of proper snow.

We enjoy a fireplace, pizza and a good sleep in our doggy friendly room, and head off early the next morning, back into the snow for a 4 hour drive to the south coast of Norway – to Kristiansand.

At this point we’re wondering why we have to leave. So intensely beautiful.

From there, we drop off our hire car and take the overnight ferry to Eemshaven in the Netherlands. Surely winter in the Netherlands would be nice! But alas, this is not for us.

Bernie found his bed straight away in our doggy friendly cabin. Settling in, Adrian and I have some dinner in the restaurant and Bernie has a sleep. He also wakes up multiple times during the night to tell everyone very loudly not to worry about the rolly waves.

It was actually nice having someone else drive.

We need to leave Schengen to reset our visas, so 3 trains later, we find ourselves in Hoek van Holland which is the opposite end of the country from Eemshaven. We’ve been travelling for 24 hours so far. Bernie is over it, poor guy.

He’s so bored at this point and wants to go talk to everyone else.

At Hoek van Holland, we board another overnight ferry, have a good sleep this time (thank you Bernie) and wake up in Harwich, England. Passing through passport control, we board another train bound for London. Arriving in Liverpool Street Station, we tube it to Lancaster gate, and our doggy friendly hotel opposite Hyde Park.

So over trains and travelling right now.

Bernie’s first tube experience after getting off at Liverpool Street train station.

After 3 days travelling, PHEW, we have made it to England where our new adventures start! We are utterly exhausted, and quickly find a pub for breakfast beers while waiting for our room to be ready. Once it is, we are all afternoon naps and takeaway food.

Bernie getting his English pub bearings again.

We have 1 full day in London to show Bernie everything the city has to offer. Ever since I first arrived here in 2014, I have wanted to take Bernie to Hyde Park for his walkies and show him London stuff. His focus is mainly cleaning up the streets of London of its wayward food stuffs.

We had some walks in Hyde Park, then we decide to take him to Tower Bridge to look at the sights. He sniffed the sights good.

Yay finally did the bridge after all these years!

We find London’s friendliest pub for dogs and have a nice meal and Bernie enjoys one of their signature “dog tails”.

Ok, to be fair, he was totally disinterested in the “dogtail” until I put peanuts in it, preferring to stare at the corridor where he quickly figured out the lovely wait staff were coming with food.

The next day, we board a train to Bristol, grab yet another hire car and visit friends in Langford. We’ve been here a number of times and love the local pub, and it is always wonderful to see our friends and their little ginger biscuits (read, ginger cats).

All the ginger biscuit love from Al and Billy.

Al and Adrian having some thinking time.

After a couple of days enjoying Langford hospitality, off we go again. This time we are taking our hire car north east, to the middle of the country near Banbury.

You may remember last year, we hired a canal boat for 2 months over December and January. Well we decided Bernie loved it so much, we had better do it again! So, we are very pleased to introduce our new temporary member of Fi and Adrian Sailing (or should I say Fi and Adrian narrow-boating) “The Squire”! The Squire is a 55ft cruiser stern narrowboat, complete with central heating, a coal fireplace, double bed and walkthrough bathroom.

The Squire! Painted up the same as The Earl from last year as we are using the same excellent company – longtermnarrowboathire.co.uk. They have a fleet of about 10 narrowboats on hire all year round for calendar months (i.e, you hire it for the whole of December, or December and January, or July etc – you get the idea).

At 55ft long, The Squire is a little shorter than The Earl from last year, but we like the layout better.

Our new swan friends on the left were already tapping on the side of the boat when we arrived asking for treats.

I can’t wait to be running around with Bernie, doing locks and navigating these beautiful waterways. We plan to head towards Birmingham and possibly south from there, taking in the sights of the countryside, hiking and enjoying the local watering holes. Hopefully we’ll see some snow, but I don’t think so. We’ll save the snow for next year when we are back home, Away.

My face when I realise the Grand Union canal is wide beam and therefore double width locks. Means loads of running around and pushing enormous five tonne gates, four times per lock.

Winter arrives…

November 28, 2022 / fiandadrian

When we last left off, we had just arrived in beautiful Norheimsund in the Hardanger Fjord in Norway, planning to stay here the winter. Norheimsund has not disappointed.

*Norheimsund surrounds a beautiful lake called Lake Movatnet which is fed by the dramatic waterfall Steinsdalsfossen.*

The flat part of white to the right of the middle of this picture part of Folgefonna, comprising of 3 plateau glaciers in the Folgefonna National Park. There is a ski area here, and loads of wild hiking. Our view from Away looks out on to the Fjord and the glacier above.

This stone bridge carries cars and pedestrians across the outlet from Lake Movatnet where the salt water from the fjord mixes with the fresh water from the lake. Depending on the time of the tide and how much rainfall we’ve had, the water rushes out like this, or in from the Hardanger Fjord.

Steinsdalsfossen waterfall is so famous it even has a car park, two gift shops and a coffee shop.

Usually, you can walk right under the overhang of the waterfall, but not during winter. So we enjoy the view with our icecreams. We decided this was part of our conditioning process, as it is going to get a LOT colder here soon.

The waterfall wasn’t always here, the river used to travel further west from where it is now, until one day the river broke its banks due to massive flooding and whether due to an avalanche or build up of snow, managed to change its path towards this overhang. The rock above is hard lava, and where the path goes is a softer rock, hence the overhang.

After a large amount of rain there is plenty of waterfall drama.

Its not long and the colours start changing as each day the sun gets a little lower.

We get a little more adventurous one day and go for a walk up a very large hill. Climbing to 1.5 hours straight up brought us to this scenic campground with stuning views of the Hardanger Fjord. Bernie of course really appreciated the view by sniffing the ground incessantly. He had a great day and fell into bed.

You can almost see the glacier – Folgefonna – in this photo. Its our constant view down on Away in the fjord.

Quaint campground inclusive of huts next to the lake.

We have been walking and walking, and exploring the town. We’ve caught the bus into Bergen and bought some of the most expensive fish ever.

We wander around the old dock areas named Tyskebryggen in Bergen. Bernie was allowed on the bus so he got to have a day out touristing with us.

We do love some interesting street art. Bergen definitely has a more “city” feel than Norheimsund.

More walking.

Views over the Folgefonna National Park from the east side of Norheimsund.

The winter weather sets in and things get frosty. We awake one morning to some icy windows. No snow yet. We are also busily preparing the boat for winter. Norheimsund does get snow, sometimes a lot, and so its best to be protected from that.

Fi does a little trip to warmer weather. Sunshine, friends and family for a short while. Apologies for not being able to see everyone, it was a quick trip!

Bye Fi! Off she goes to Bergen airport to begin her 40 hour journey back to Sydney for a couple of weeks.

Bernie misses Fi for the first 5 minutes.

Adrian stays on dog sitting duties and discovers more secrets in the hills around the town.

Hidden Folgefonna and the entrance to Norheimsund harbour from the Hardanger Fjord. Lake Movatnet in the foreground.

While Fi was away it rained. And rained.

Its borderline freezing… but at least he wore his raincoat to keep the rain off.

And before Adrian and Bernie know it, Fi is back! And brought Arnotts mint slice Vegemite and Milo with her! No time to waste, so more hiking in the hills to get over the jet lag. There is so little sun these days, the jet lag sticks around.

Yay she’s back! And brought the sunshine too!

The low light here makes for some spectacular scenery.

Up into the hills we go one morning! Backpacks packed with our camp stove, tea bags and milk, lunch, water and some snacks.

You trip over waterfalls everywhere in Norway. This one had a particularly interesting opposite bank where the grass stems were frozen solid. Made for some cool photos.

We cook up a hot lunch and cups of tea in the hills. Bernie as always very helpful.

Coming back past the waterfall on the way down. Bernie as usual really appreciating the view.

Those frozen grass fronds in the afternoon light.

Water spray from the waterfall freezes wherever it lands.

Down down we go, appreciating the afternoon light.

More walking and amazing photos. The local lake freezes over.

Not a lot of flowing water left for these ducks.

Its sheltered in our little corner of the fjord, but some days the wind howls off the peaks and the main fjord turns foamy white.

Fi stepped out of the cockpit one morning to this view. The mist was unbelievable and made the whole world look black and white.

Just to prove the photo wasn’t in black and white, here is a local fishing boat making a cameo.

In our typical fashion, we can’t keep still for too long. So some other plans are afoot. One frosty afternoon after preparing Away for some extended alone time over winter, we hire a car, bundling up the dog and some belongings into the back. We say farewell to Norheimsund – its hills, waterfalls, glaciers and lakes – and drive into the cold Norwegian night…

Finding winter

October 18, 2022 / fiandadrian

One of the very great pleasures of cruising is making a plan and then changing it. The freedom to follow ones own program is somehow liberating, if a little disconcerting at times. One evening in Risor we pored over the weather forecasts, discussed visas, sent emails to the brains trust, went through many possibilities and eventually at 1am settled on a new plan.

Watching weather windows for the North Sea crossing change from ‘a nice day out’ to ‘you are going to need a change of underwear’ was weighing heavily on us, when we found what we hope will be an ideal winter hideout for Away in Norway this winter.

We had a call to the marina who noted we were still 300nm away, ‘but thats probably not far if you are Australian’. Agreed, but we need to get our sea boots on and start making some miles between the regular blasts off the North Sea.

See, we can get up early. The street lights are still on.

We prepared to leave at first light. The solo sailor from the 24ft boat in front of us was having his first beer and lamenting that we didn’t drink enough to make a fair race to Kristiansand. We wonder how his race went. For us the wind was just on the nose by 15 degrees more than our forecast. We motor sailed into a bumpy swell all day to ensure we made good mileage and reached Kristiansand by dark.

This little chap flew into the rigging as we were leaving. Fi made him comfortable until he felt well enough to fly back to land.

We arrived just before dark in a lovely protected bay. We knew the winds were to pick up to gale force from the south west, and so we chose a protected spot. This was confirmed by a local as we docked so that was good. She did however forget to mention to us one important point…

Tied up safely to this lovely protected dock.

The next morning, we were startled awake by the sounds of crashing dishes and a large 17 tonne aluminium boat cracking the fragile wooden dock. We were being rocked side to side by the massive wake of the passing fast ferry. Wish our local friend had mentioned that before we got comfortable and decided not to wash up that night.

The two of us spent a few minutes catching flying plates and consoling a shocked spaniel. We gathered our senses, got dressed and vowed to get outta there. We couldn’t stay with that level of wake, and we had half a day before the gale was due to arrive. We started the motor and got out of there quickly, before another wake was due to come through – and before coffee. Not a great start.

Settling in to our new passage, we make coffee, and find a couple of options to hide out the wind. Our path would take us to the island of Helgoya where we thought we might be able to tie up. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts inclusive of getting our rudder stuck on a rock, we decided to leave and find somewhere else. Another 10 miles down the way, we find a beautiful anchorage, empty islands, protection from the gale, and a free deep dock to which we could tie up. We spend a few days hiding from the wind in what really is an autumn paradise, with only sheep for company.

After a few days, the winds died down, and we planned to head west along the coast to an anchorage near Egersund. As the day progressed, we experienced the North Sea swells and wind chop. The chop picked up and up as the tide turned against the wind, and before we knew it we were in washing machine conditions with the boat being rocked around. No one was happy, and we realised we were not going to make our anchorage. A quick replan found a sheltered bay for the night. We were greeted by a local who helped us dock in 20 knots of wind. We were tired after the day, but we didn’t want to stay here as it was simply a port for local fishing vessels, and there was the possibility of making further progress.

Despite the wind being on the nose, we headed out with the motor on, and motor sailed all day. Fortunately, the washing machine had run its cycle, and so the waves were a little tamer leaving the bay.

The only boats we see are fishing boats putting out boat traps

We hold on tight getting into this harbour

Motor sailing all day, we dodged the lobster pots and fishing boats. Evenutally we arrived on an island called Rott at dusk, where we expected to just spend the evening and get going the next morning. What we did not expect was the amazing warm welcome we received.

Waiting on the dock was one of the locals who welcomed us and helped us tie our lines, and invited us to their community hall for a tour, and a beer.

The community building was moved here and reassembled by locals. Its set up for their end of season dinner. The wooden boat in the background was used to ferry pilots out to passing vessels.

We chatted all evening, and eventually needed to get back to Away, to eat and prepare for another big sail the next day. If it was earlier in the season, we would have stayed. The island was beautiful, and we have made new friends who we hope to see again. Thank you Rott, it was truly an experience (I hope you are all reading this!).

The next day was our end of season sailing test where we put everything we had learned to the test, or so it seemed. Getting up before dawn to use all the daylight hours we just managed to get the boat off the dock between gusts. There were gust warnings and gales further off the coast but also the promise of fast downwind sailing. We gybe our way through some skerries , eventually leaving the Stavanger area behind us. The rain increases so we navigate the narrow channel near Norheim from the inside whilst avoiding the shipping and still sailing at 7 knots.

Winds gusting 36 we are truckin up the coast

We are so close to Hardanger Fjord and dead keen to get there so we decide to keep pushing on, even though it was pouring with rain. We are busy sailing, and dodging tankers, and neglect to listen to the new gale warning out. Perhaps we should have.

Leaving the tankers behind, we reach the last stretch of open ocean that we need to cross before we enter the protection of the Hardanger Fjord. Oh, and that gale…

The waves picked up, and the wind shifts. Its time slot between some rocks and island before gybing towards the fjord. The wind jumps to 35 knots on the beam, the seas become white and foamy. The autopilot is struggling to change direction but when we turn it off we can’t turn the wheel by hand. Fi coolly depowers the sails and starts the engine as the rocks are close, and we turn onto a more comfortable down wind blast into the fjord.

Sailing downwind, the boat responds better in the strong conditions, and we hold on, watching as the fjord comes into view, then out of view again as another squall smashes us. Hold on.

Eventually, eventually… the waves even out. The boat feels better, the fjord is here.

Sailing in, we find another protected anchorage, and happily drop our anchor. The wind here is now 2 knots, as opposed to the 30 knots outside the fjord. Sigh of relief.

Another sleep is had. We toy with the idea of spending the day here, but for our final push to our winter anchorage, the day is forecast to be sunny with no winds, whereas the day after is raining and blowing again.

So that morning, rather exhausted and reluctant, we up anchor and motor into the fjord. We are not disappointed with our decision.

Are you sure its not another one of those sailing days?

After a day of beautiful views of snow capped mountains, we are reminded its autumn again. With 30 minutes until we arrive into Norheimsund, our winter berth, the wind increases from 2 knots to over 35 knots. Nervous about docking in these conditions, we cross our fingers that the marina is indeed as protected as they say.

Will we finally find Bernie the snow we promised him?

As we get to the marina, breathing a BIG sigh of relief, we see that it is very protected. Its flat calm water and only a breath of wind. We are amazed at how quickly the conditions change in the fjord.

We tie up, and chat with a local who helped us in. High fives all round and Bernie is already off running and making mischief. All ready to pack up, the weather decided to give us one last challenge, and again 30 knots smashed down the bay, straight into the back of Away. Fortunately, our docking lines were secure, and we just had to try to put up the bimni in 30 knots. Not that easy, but all done, mostly dry, and we opened a bottle of wine and finally, we were home for the winter.