Noorwegen on Merrimac

Bumping our way home

Sun, 10 Jul 2022 22:02:42 +0200

Over the weekend it quickly became clear. Two more days of patience and the wind would veer from south to northwest. That’s a nice direction for heading due south. On Tuesday morning we get up at 6. Not long after, all the preparations are done and we can leave. This time we stowed everything for sea beforehand, because the corner of Norway we have to round is notorious for its rough seas: it’s only 20 metres deep there, while the waves come from an area that’s 200 to 400 metres deep. A drop like that always produces really nasty waves. And so it proves: it’s pretty lumpy, and unfortunately it doesn’t ease off as much in deeper water as I’d hoped. Ella isn’t feeling too great, and I’m also glad I don’t have to be down below with my head in a locker.

Stavanger and Surroundings

Sun, 03 Jul 2022 00:28:27 +0200

After 2 days on the free mooring of the Royal Norwegian Boating Association in Uskjo, it was time to mingle with people again, and besides, we were rather curious about Stavanger. That meant quite a detour, because the bridge on the east side of Stavanger only has 24 metres of air draft, so we weren’t going to make it under. The upside is that we get to see the area. We motor past lovely (yacht) harbours for the locals and very tidy suburbs. The (oil) money is practically dripping off everything. From the east we can’t see Stavanger’s old town, because an enormous cruise ship is parked in front of it.

Ryfylke, Norway

Sun, 26 Jun 2022 10:38:37 +0200

Phew, this is another first for the year – a report written almost live! Last Tuesday we left the anchorage south of Lerwick nice and early again, around 6 o’clock. It was drizzly, dull and cold once more. There was, however, a south-westerly force 5 gusting 6. If you want to head east-south-east that’s perfect: the wind is on the quarter and the sails see it as if it were coming from abeam. That’s because the boat speed of 9 to 10 knots shifts the apparent wind direction. Perhaps another reason why you find so many fairly technical people among sailors – you need to do vector arithmetic in your head to predict the effects, and true arts types may find that a bit more of a struggle.