The Norwegian Tango

Sunday 15th of June

18th century buildings in Son

The Oslo race was starting on Friday. We didn’t want to get entangled in it, so we left on Thursday (12.6.2014) morning and had a great sail back down the Oslo fjord to Son (59º 31.5’N 10º41.2’E) a quiet, small and picturesque town on the east shore half way down the fjord. The wind and the current were pushing us along. We did an average of 6.5 knots running with the headsail alone. The wind pattern in the Skagerrak in settled weather seems to be one of a fresh breeze blowing in the afternoon. As we arrived in Son the wind suddenly increased to 6 Bft. To turn around in the harbour to be able to moor is much easier now that we have a new bow-thruster. Vive les ‘gadgets’!

The wind was forecast (13.6.2014) to stay in the N-NE, perfect for us continuing our journey out of the Oslo fjord. But it was going to increase during the night. We decided not to go to the very remote and bleak anchorage Verdens Ende (59º03.45’N 10º24.9E) (literally: worlds’ end) on the west coast of the ‘skjaergård’ where you don’t want to get caught in bad weather amongst the rocks. We opted for a small fishing village and pilot station Krukehavn(59º04.9’N 10º27.1E) nearby to wait for the strong wind to subside.

calm before the storm with Pelle, Jan and Thor

Little did we know that the guest pontoon was outside the harbour… it was completely exposed to the north, where the strong wind was coming from. Indeed at around 19.00 the wind picked up dramatically and by midnight it was blowing 7-8 Bft (~36 kn). The guest pontoon started to heave up and down. Easy Rider got a late coming yacht along side and both started to dance in sync. But as soon as they got out of sync, the cleats and the fairlead got a real hammering and the motion became very violent. It was further aggravated as we were very near the harbour wall end and the back wash was hitting us from astern as well. Needless to say that nobody slept during this “Norwegian tango” night!

a somewhat tight squeeze

In the early morning the wind subsided and we all went to sleep. What is truly exceptional is that the high pressure continues (the pressure went up 6 mb. during the night!) and the weather has been gorgeous ever since we have left Sweden.

On Saturday (14.6.2014), still feeling rough after the sleepless night we hoped for a reward and a good sail towards Risør (58º43.2’N 09º14.4’E) a small town highly recommended by our neighbours in Krukehavn with whom we had a few aquavits. The wind from the N unfortunately didn’t materialise and just dropped after just an hour’s sail, and then slowly picked up from the SW. In other  words: right ‘on the nose’. Never mind, the weather was gorgeous and Risør was beautiful. We managed to moor right in the far corner of the harbour just in front of the town hall (in 2m depth). The summer season starts officially today.

not quite Venice, but extremely nice...

Today (15.6.2014) we followed another recommendation from our neighbours from Krukehavn (...after yet more aquavits) and entered what seemed to be a forbidding ‘pile of rocks’ of the inner lead of the skjaergård  past the village of Lyngør , the Venice of the South Coast (Unesco World Heritage Site). A beautiful lagoon like village, all with access to the sea. We then followed the narrow channels all the way to Arendal (58º27.3’N08º45.6’E), the largest city on the South Coast. It has a fully automated harbour office automat where you pay your fees and everything you may need via credit card and the entrance code is sent to you via SMS to your telephone…if you have a smart phone.

a rather ominous sign...

With experience the skjaergård, it becomes less daunting and is an unforgettable experience. As long as the S-SW winds continue, we will try and stay in the skjaergård and continue our progress  towards Lindesnes.