Logbook – Week 5
Logbook – Week 5
Monday May 15, 2023 – Sunday May 21, 2023
5th week: from Alesund to the first fjords and the Loffoten
Our “silver ship” rests in town during this 5th week and exibits its slender line to passersby.
We are in the heart of the old town.
A wait of several days is looming to let through a low-pressure system, to attend Norway’s major event on May 17, and pick up Amaél who should come aboard for three weeks.
Time at the dock is an opportunity for everyone to go back to our personal habits and reconnect with our favorite activities: walks, music, sport, do nothing, …
The history of Alesund is closely related to the sea. We were fortunate to be able to enjoy a night visit of the maritime museum and it was a very interesting time: we dove into a hundred years of history of cod fishing and its related processing industries, which were at the heart of the economic development of this small town, devastated by a great fire in 1904.
May 17, national day, will remain well anchored in our memories. The beginning of the 18th too ;-).
The whole city is in the street during this event, cheering in traditional clothes, waving the country flag, and children joining the parade to the sound of the local fanfare.
The party then moved to the city bars. Once again, we had to show great commitment (like our heroes at the Stade Rochelais) to explain to the youth, in Norwegian, that alcohol is consumed in moderation. (jeu de mot “en vin” ne marche pas en englais)
With barely enough time to get used to it, it’s already time to leave: one last bier at Dirty Nelly, a fancy dinner on board with our Norwegian friends, and we set sails directly toward the Loffoten.
At 3am on Saturday, we left the port under the seagulls’ applause who had come to town for the event. We encountered better than expected conditions when approaching one of the most complicated areas to sail in Norway. Sunday was more challenging with a more pronounced sea swell, rain, and rocks. In the evening, we reached the fjords and the sea went back to sleep.
We can think about it too.
The adventure goes on.
