Adventures of Sailing Yacht Mist
After two days at Runde it was time for Ålesund, we needed some supplies.
There was no wind so we motored, it took almost 3 hours. We were lucky to find a got spot to tie up, the harbour was very busy.
Ålesund is a nice little city, we spent two days walking around and did some shopping. We also climbed the 418 steps to Fjellstua.
Sailed distance 15,2 nautical miles.
Time to get round the feared peninsula Statt, the Cape Horn of Norway. We had studied the weather forecast carefully and left Silda just after five in the morning.
At first there was no wind and we had to motor but after an hour or so we could hoist the sails and switch off the engine. The sea was very confused with waves coming from all directions.
We made good progress and the wind increased and the last bit to Runde we sailed with the jib only. There were no other boats at the pontoon when we tied up at 11.30. Sy Matilda arrived soon after and we spent the afternoon and evening together.
The next morning we packed a rucksack and set off birdwatching. Runde is very well known among bird watchers. We saw puffins, kittiwakes, great skua, northern gannet and razorbills. We even saw a white-tailed eagle.
After bird watching we walked down to the Runde lighthouse and back up again. When we got back to the boat we had walked more than 16 kilometres, most of it climbing up and down.
Sailed distance 35,78 nautical miles.
On Sunday the 18th the wind had dropped and we left Kalvåg just before noon. The first couple of ours we sailed but when we rounded Hornelen it was time to start the engine. Hornelen is the highest sea cliff in Europe.
When we passed Målöy we met our friends Lotta and Göran on sy Ontario, we stopped for a chat. A quarter past five in the afternoon we arrived at Silda, we were the only boat in the harbour. Not counting local boats of course.
We went ashore for a walk, 1,5 kilometres round the island.
Sailed distance 26,7 nautical miles.
We left Alden just before nine in the morning, set sail and headed north.
The wind was strait from behind and we had a comfortable sail. Nice weather and nice sailing.
In the afternoon the wind increased and we choose the outside route to avoid dead running.
When we gybed towards Kalvåg the wind had reached 25 knots so we took down first the jib and soon afterwards also the mainsail and motored the last couple of miles to Kalvåg. The harbour was quite busy and we had to pick a mooring on the most outside pontoon. Rolly and uncomfortable. We went for a walk looking for somewhere to eat but the only restaurant was fully booked. The next day the pontoon break into two pieces. We managed to rescue the boats moored at the pontoon, Mist included. We found a spot alongside the quay, just deep enough for Mist.
Sailed distance 34,2 nautical miles.
On Wednesday morning we set sail again and a descent sail to Alden where we moored at the old jetty, not a very good spot due to big tires and a tide difference about 1 and a half meter. After a short walk ashore we moved to the inside of the small floating pontoon, a lot better mooring.
Thursday morning we packed a rucksack and set of to climb the mountain. It was a very steep walk to the top but the view made it all worth while.
Sailed distance 35,2 nautical miles.
We left Bergen the 13th of July and after a stop at the fuel dock we motored north in almost no wind at all. We arrived at Fedje just before 4 pm.
After unfolding our bikes we set off to see the island of Fedje.
There was a really impressing old lighthouse on the southwest point of the island.
Sailed distance 35,2 nautical miles.
We left for Bergen in light winds and with the current against us. We did not have that much diesel left after our little incident at Mökster so we sailed and tacked and tacked all the way to Bergen.
We arrived just before 5 pm and found a spot to moor on the Zacharias jetty. We spent the evening sightseeing in Bergen. It is not a good idea to moor in central Bergen if you do not like listening to people partying all night.
The next day we took our bicycles and cycled to two different marine stores to get some spares and an Ipad holder.
On Sunday the 11th we took the “Bergbanen” train up the mountain and went for a hike, 5 hours and about 15 kilometres.
We also got our new life raft delivered to Bergen, Viking Rescue delivered it almost all the way to the dock.
Sailed distance 31,8 nautical miles
We left Haugesund just after seven in the morning. Downwind sailing in light winds all the way.
When we arrived at Mökster there was plenty of space at the floating pontoon. We went for a walk round the island. Interesting rock formations.
The next day I did some snorkelling and tried to clean the log impeller. We also managed to fill up the diesel tank with fresh water. It took all day to fix.
Sailed distance 44,6 nautical miles.
We motored out through the narrow and winding entrance to Ydstebo harbour.
The wind was in the right direction and we had good sailing all the way to Haugesund.
No problem to find a good spot to moor. Haugesund is a nice little city with a lot of shops. We spent the afternoon walking the streets of Haugesund. In the evening we set of on foot to see Harald Hårfager´s burial mound.
The next day we spent shopping in the rain, mostly window shopping.
Sailed distance 24,8 nautical miles.
After a short stop at the fuel dock we set sail and steered due west, aiming for Lindesnes. No wind at first but after a couple of hours of motoring we could continue under sail only. We sailed past Lindesnes, Lista and Järens reef, 3 places well known for being difficult in ruff weather. We had no problems at all.
When we had passed Jären reef the wind turned against us and increased. The last couple of miles before heading into Tananger we had some beating into the wind but the wind never got above 20 knots so there was no problem, just a bit uncomfortable. We arrived at Tanganger 0900 and only stopped for a few hours to get some sleep and then continued towards Kvitsöy.
Light winds and heavy rain showers all the way. We arrived at Kvitsöy in the afternoon July 5th.
We got some provisions at the small supermarket and then went for a short hike.
