Topic: Lofoten or Bust: The final stretch of an epic journey (Read 14 times)
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Topic: Lofoten or Bust: The final stretch of an epic journey (Read 14 times)
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Once safely in Stavanger, I empty the septic tank and fix the failed pump. I also get a haircut before my new crew shows up. After five weeks at sea, I am being reunited with my wife Eva and daughter Andrea, as well as her husband Teo and their dogs for a few days exploring the area. By the time they arrive in our motorhome, Deamare and I are both looking presentable.
We have a lot to catch up on during our evening meal.
The following morning, our first stop is the fuel berth in Vassöy. Once we’ve topped up the tanks, we cross the strait to Langöy for a few hours R&R before pushing on again. Today’s trip ends in Vikevåg’s guest harbour on Rennesöy.
Photo: Per Harrtoft
The next morning we press on to the bottom of the Lysefjord and moor at Lysebotn, a pretty little village wedged into a narrow valley between the mountains. Retracing our steps out of Lysefjord, we pause for a quick look at Kjeragbolten and a refreshing dip in front of Preikestolen before heading back to Stavanger city centre, where we discover that we have docked behind the stage for that evening’s rock concert, featuring the Norwegian band Ingenting (Norwegian for nothing). The resulting din is far from nothing!
The following morning, Andrea and Teo head off in the ‘land yacht’ while Eva and I make an early start to try to beat the winds due to arrive later that day. Despite the early departure, we encounter big waves when we round the northern cape at Tungeneset and turn south.
Atlantic swells up to 4m high are co*ing at us from three different directions, tossing us around like an ice cube in a cocktail shaker. Frantic use of the throttle to try to limit the effect of each wave takes the edge off it but Eva, who chose this leg of the journey in a bid to avoid the harsher conditions up north, is now in the thick of the worst pounding we have endured so far. After what seems like an eternity, we finally reach the calm waters of Egersund, allowing us a much-needed second breakfast and a nap.
South of Egersund, the sea state remains much calmer so we press on at good speed, reaching Korshavn in two hours flat. After lunch, we carry on towards Lindesnes headland, another potential danger spot. Thankfully, the waves are behind us and we make good speed past the lighthouse on the headland before ducking back into more protected waters.
Devouring their catch of the day in a flat-calm Silda harbour. Photo: Per Harrtoft
The journey continues at a good lick with a short stop outside Höllen before arriving at 5pm in Kristiansund with another 135 challenging nautical miles under our belt.
Kristiansand feels remarkably like my home town of Karlskrona. They are around the same size and both have lovely beaches and a stunning archipelago. We spend the day cleaning and fixing, and exploring the city centre. In the evening, our friends Ulrika and Ingemar join us on board for the final week-long journey home.
We awake to clear blue skies and light winds from the west so we choose, for once, to motor slowly and enjoy the archipelago in all its glory from the vantage point of Deamare’s flybridge. It’s so pleasant that we drop anchor in a nice sheltered spot near Ulvöya to have lunch before carrying on at the same languid pace through countless beautiful passages until, after five hours, we stop for the night at Lillesand. Even here in Lillesand, in the middle of the Blindleia archipelago, there is a bustling harbour with busy restaurants, bars and shops.
The next morning in Lillesand, the sea is mirror-smooth under a clear blue sky and we enjoy another blissful day, pottering slowly through the islands.
Truly spectacular valley views in Lysebotn. Photo: Per Harrtoft
We pass a popular natural harbour on the island of Malöya and then Grimstad before continuing northeast to look for more natural harbours with fewer boats. Eventually, we find a sheltered bay inside Kvalöya where we drop the aft anchor and tie a bow line round the rocks so we can clamber ashore, light the BBQ and spend a magical evening under the stars.
We have been invited to attend a Grandezza owners’ meeting in Havstenssund, Sweden, in three days’ time. However, the most direct route across the Skagerrak strait from Norway to Sweden looks likely to be unco*fortably rough due to high winds, so we follow the coast and try to cross a narrower, more sheltered section of the strait. We follow the fairway in a northeasterly direction over open water until we can turn due north, inside Tromöy then towards Arendal, which we glide slowly past, wondering why Disney chose to name the fictitious kingdom in the movie Frost after this modest Norwegian city.
It’s still windy as we motor on past Risör and then Langesund before moving on to Nevlunghavn, where we moor for the evening at the outer pier with the bow against the high bridge.
Atle Knutsson from the Norwegian boat magazine, Båtmagasinet, co*es to visit after dinner and interviews me about the trip. At bedtime, we find that the wind has changed and the anchor is slipping, so we have to move quickly and raft alongside a helpful Swedish sailboat.
From Nevlunghavn we continue north for a while. The strait still looks menacing so we motor to Mågerö, where we refuel and eat waffles while the rain sets in. Only when we are safely in Oslofjord do we cross to the northern tip of Rauer island.
Vikevåg’s attractive guest harbour on Rennesoy. Photo: Per Harrtoft
Here, the sea is calmer and we can take advantage of the shelter behind the islands to speed up once again. Soon, we’re flying past Risholmen and then east of Hankö before pulling into the marina at Sand on Spjaeröy, minutes before the thunderstorm we’ve been running away from catches us up.
On the next day’s leg to Havstenssund, the waves are on our nose so we take a short diversion north and round Asmalöy for shelter before a faster, more co*fortable ride south.
We cross the border into Sweden without having to check in at any border control and after six fantastic weeks in Norway, we are back in our home country. We soon arrive in Havstenssund, where GBM, the Swedish Grandåezza dealer, has reserved a berth for us.
The evening is a joyful one, with like-minded members of the Grandezza Owners’ Club and GBM’s ever cheerful boss, Rolf Hansson, who presents me and Eva with a bottle of champagne for “the biggest navigational error in getting to the Grandezza meeting” due to our 3000nm detour via the Lofoten Islands!
The island of Gardsoya. Photo: Per Harrtoft
The next day, we make a short trip back north to Nordkoster where, after some waiting, we get a berth alongside the pier. Nordkoster is a buzzing seaside town nestled in among traditional red-painted fishing sheds. We have a final celebratory dinner at a restaurant called Strandkanten.
The next day we say goodbye to Ulrika and Ingemar, who take the ferry to the mainland for their onward travel home, leaving me and Eva to explore Nordkoster’s dramatic cliffs, verdant pastures and sparkling beaches for the remainder of the day.
After filling up the water and diesel tanks, we continue our journey once again, stopping in Vasholmarna to meet up with Jörgen and his wife Lotta in their motorboat. It’s a happy reunion, especially as we now have our wives with us, so we can thank them properly for “lending us to each other” for our boys’ trip to Lofoten.
Korshavn makes a charming bolthole for a spot of lunch. Photo: Per Harrtoft
The next day, we move both boats to a nice new marina named Basteviksholmarna, where we enjoy one final day together before carrying on our journey south for the 400nm trip home.
We soon pass Gullholmen and then continue offshore for a while before ducking in between the islands until we finally arrive at Marstrand. We spend a few days here with our son Martin, Frans and Hugo.
Marstrand is the West Coast’s premier summer hotspot with lots of boats, restaurants and shops to keep everyone entertained. The only fly in the ointment is a sailing boat that crashes into our boat while berthing, leaving scratches in our topsides.
Speeding past Havstenssund’s verdant coastline. Photo: Per Harrtoft
When the rest of the family leave, it is time for me and Eva to go home. We motor through the archipelago, staying close to the mainland at Torslanda and then cutting across to Gothenburg and on through its southern archipelago. After Donsö, we are forced to slow down by building seas and decide to turn in for the night in Träslövsläge.
The next morning, we manage a 47nm leg to the Kullen lighthouse before the autopilot throws a wobbly, and we make a stop in Viken for lunch.
After lunch, we press on again on the Danish side of the strait, passing through the eastern fairway underneath the Öresund Bridge. There we are met by heavy head seas, so we stop and tuck into Klagshamn for the night.
Nevlunghavn makes a handy stop en route to the Grandezza owners’ meeting in Havstenssund. Photo: Per Harrtoft
The following morning, the 9nm passage to the Falsterbo Canal goes quickly and, once through the canal, we recalibrate the autopilot and get it working again. It’s almost as if Deamare knows she’s on the home straight, following the southern Skåne coast until we pass Ystad, and at Sandhammarens lighthouse, changing course towards Karlskrona Angöring and the last 60nm leg home.
At the quay, we are welco*ed by Andrea, Teo and the dogs.
It’s great to be home again but after covering 3,500nm in two short months, it all feels strangely surreal. The distance we have travelled is the same as the distance to the equator if I had chosen to go in another direction. It has been an amazing adventure and by making the most of the weather windows and Deamare’s speed, we have only actually added 200 hours to the engines.
Our journey to Lofoten and back was every bit as magical as I’d hoped, and the adventure itself has left me wanting more, which begs the question – where are we going next?
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