August 16th - august 19th Stokksund - Brekstad

With a ticket to go home booked for the 19th this time in the boat was definitively almost over and it was time to make the final stage to the home port. 

There is something tangible in passing Kjeungskjær lighthouse, the trip is either really starting or really ending. For me it is also the prettiest lighthouse. And for most foreigners (and many Norwegians a tongue twister). 

Just after I rounded the southernmost point of this summers tour at 63º37,76´N I met this couple out fishing the old fashioned rowing way.

Even after a long one and a half month and 793 nm of summer sailing there still was pretty sunsets to be had.

The two workdays spent in Brekstad was (beside working my paid job) being spent franticly chasing face masks that by now had been obligatory on airplanes even in Norway. And trying to tidy the boat and make it ready for managing on its on for a month or more. In the end I got masks and was allowed onboard the Megagripen airplane (SAAB 2000).

Tacking the summer holiday out

 August 9th - 15th    Bessaker - Kuringvågen, Stokksund

For the last day of the summer holiday I was decided on sailing at any cost. In the beginning of the sail the wind was blowing from where I had to go. The waters here was also fairly confined so there had to be a lot of tacking involved. And on several of the tacks I was almost on the rocks before tacking.

From the moring (well noon) the wind was strong enough for me to reef the main a little.

Luckily no ships that I would have had to yield to appeared on the narrow parts.

However at a safe distance I met Statsnets M/S Elektron II transporting a road transport transformer carrier with a transformer. Elektron II loads its heavy rolling load through a bow gate and ramp like a WWII LST.

I ended my summer holiday at Kuringvågen. On Monday August 10th I was back at the boat office. I spent the first fall work week there in Teams meetings, answering mails and even trying to produce some meaningful text or documents. After work hours i took the kayak for a spin on several of the days staying there.

The wind farm on Hardbak fjellet that only had the towers when I was here in May was no finished, even if hidden in the fog here.

A knitted boat - does that really work?

 August 8th Vingsand - Løaholmen, Bessaker

The one day nice, the next day windy and rainy, or at least overcast that has been running since Bodø was continuing. To day the forecast warned for gale and rain from the afternoon. So this became a short jump under engine down to the boatclub at Løaholmen in Bessaker.

I was planning on trying my hands on making muffins in the boat and lacked a few ingredients so I had to take the bike a few kilometres to the bay where the grocery shop, with the oldfasioned name E. Hopstads Enke (E. Hopstads widow). Since the weather was nice I cycled in shorts and t-shirt. But just before arriving the gates of heaven opened and I arrived in the shop in a state of wetness usually only seen in the water or shower. For the trip back to the boat I took out the raincoat that I had in the backpack.

There obviously are a scare of this boat getting cold, why else knit a sweater. The sails are also knitted, I'm curious to how this contraption sails. 

First little sign of the coming autumn - or being further south

 August 7th    Ottersøy - Vingsand

As I already was at the eastern of the strait I chose to take the secondary route on the eastern side of Nærøy. In the northern end there is a power cable and a bridge that according to the chart is 16 m high. 

The top of my VHF antenna is 16,6 m high. Even if the tide was more than 2 m below the chart datum for overhead objects  the passages was made at very low speed and at the highest possible point. Especially the power cable was scary, even if much higher than the bridge in reality.

The crossing of the open to the Atlantic stretch Folla was made in no wind and clear skies.

Near to the end of Folla i passed close to the island of Villa. On Villa what was probably the last built coal fired lighthouse in the world was finished in 1839. It was rebuilt to burn liquid fuel in 1859 and decommissioned totally in 1890. The tower was still used as a lookout for the pilots living in the old lighthouse station. The last pilot left the island in 1946 after which the lighthouse fell into disrepair. Local enthusiasts has since 1976 brought the lighthouse back to its former glory. And as it stands today it is probably the best preserved coal fired lighthouse in the world.

After I passed Villa a boat under sail appeared from west. And even if I claim to have an underdeveloped eagerness to compete. This time the old saying of two sailboats going in the same direction always becoming a race was true. I set sail and the race was on - I lost in the end, and to a boat that should have been slower.

Being in august and this far south nights has become dark. Giving the opportunity to mix light from the sunset with artificial lights in images and real life. As much as I enjoy the light norther nights this also has its charm.

Leaving Nordland is nothing to record

 August 6th    Berg - Ottersøy

Grey, partly rainy head wind and waves trip under motor today. Strangely enough I didn't take any pictures.

Since I knew that the pontoons at Ottersøy has rings and not cleats I prepared the Hook and Moor stick and docking was thus no problem even if I could not use my normal lassoing technique for securing the first important line.

Sailing the narrow straits of Brønnøysund

 August 5th    Hommelstø - Berg i Sømna

The weather showed again its nice side. Breakfast was enjoyed underway in a dead flat fjord. 

At the mouth of the fjord the wind filled in and sails could be set. Direction and windspeed gave me the curate to sail through the narrow and often busy straits through Brønnøysund (all my previous passages had been under motor). Down Tilremsfjorden wind pushed the speed above 5 knots most of the time. In the narrows the speed limit is 5 knots and since I was uncertain on how the land would blanket and funnel the wind I chose to reef the main a little.

There where no noticeable funnelling effect, but much blanketing so I raced through the straits in a whopping 2-3 knots. 

The final narrow strait was mor upwind than the others and there where some bending of the wind so I had to start tacking, and in the end help with the engine for some minutes.

At Berg I was treated to the seasons last spectacular Nordland sunset, and pizza at Klakkskjæret Pub.

The penalty for enjoying the nice weather - I tricked it by visiting friends

 August 3rd - august 4th    Tjøtta - Hommelstø

Forecast for the coming two days indicated rain and gale force winds on the coast. 

Luckily for me this time is that I have friends that spends their summers in Velfjorden so that I could combine visiting them and staying in the very protected guest harbour at Hommelstø.

It rained pretty much the entire stay, but I couldn't tell whether the forecasted wind showed. The image above isn't entirely true for most of the stay.

While visiting I got to assist (or rather since it was me interfere) in the renovation of my friends log house. Part of one of bottom layer logs was rotten, so we had to cut the bad part out and insert fresh new timber.

And then the weather was (really) nice again

August 2nd    Lurøy - Tjøtta

Left Lurøy in dead calm, but after i while the wind filled in. And I got some hours of nice sailing.

The weather was well suited to admire some of the mountains that has inspired a fairytale. Especially the Seven Sisters on Alsten.

In fact the weather was so nice that the skipper dared to immerse his body in the normally cold waters of the Norwegian sea.

Tacking out of the Arctic

July 31st - August 1st    Bolga - Lurøy

Grey and light southwesterly breeze today. And the wind was forecasted to lighten through the day. 

I saw S/Y Ayla that I was buddy boating with yesterday and today taking the main and wide route south. I thought I should be smarter and tack my way directly upwind through the fairly narrow sound just south of Bolga to get further out, on the outside of the high islands Rødøy and Gjerøy, in hope of the wind blowing a little longer and stronger there. It probably did, but in the end (after two hours) I had to give in and furl the sails and continue on engine. But Ayla was at Lurøy several hours before me.

At my cousins summer house there had been a change of crew and two other cousins (and families) from the two that where there when staying over northbound. Thus I took the opportunity for more family mingling and free dinner.

Since I didn't really feel that crossing the arctic circle once in either direction was quite sufficient, I sneaked myself aboard my cousins go fast boat when they where going on an evening tour.