Logbook – Week 4

8 June 2023 mano

From Scotland to Norway

Many nautical miles on the program for this 4th week which should take us from Inverness in Scotland to the Norwegian Fjords.

We waited at the beginning of the week for the best weather window and casted off on Tuesday around noon.

We’re leaving for 5 days at sea.

After stopping for a few hours, which was quite pleasant, breathing once again the air of the open sea is a real pleasure.

Lots of fog and humidity for the first two days, then better visibility thereafter: average wind between 10 and 15 knots, calm sea with little sea swell, limited maritime traffic: it feels like being alone in the world.

On board, life is organized around small maintenance work, the shifts two of us do every two hours, the meals the five of us eat together, and long resting periods of time ;-).

We are going up to the Shetland Islands, then going around an offshore drilling platform, before steering to starboard and heading for Norway.

During the week, we crossed the 60th parallel and the Greenwich meridian: from now on, we will sail in the eastern longitudes.

The nights are getting shorter, and the sun rises around 3 am.

Saturday morning, just as planned, we approached the Norwegian coast, and docked around noon in a nice little marina on the island of Sandsoya.

Around 4 pm, we put on our hiking boots and took off for a big 5-hour trudge.

The island turns out to be an exceptional place to observe nature and we are struck by what we see, hear, feel…

We are so lucky, what a privilege!!

We look at the sea in the distance and it’s a strange feeling to tell ourselves “We come from there” and to redo part of the trip in our head.

We got back to the boat late, did not oppose to the shower or the cold beer that were waiting for us with open arms, and ended this unforgettable day with a cheerful meal on board.

On this Sunday morning, the sun is with us and it is a real delight to sail in the fjords, to anticipate the gust of wind descending from the snowy peaks, to contemplate in a “deafening” silence, the wild beauty of this nature.