Bergen-Fedje
Left Bergen late and motored to Hjelteskjæret before setting sail. Nice tacking in 10-15 kts north wind up the Hjeltefjord to Fedje.
Docked at the quay of single open watering hole, which by the way was occupied by local heroes and English wreck divers from "Jane R" a Glasgow registered herring boat. Captain Gordon had many stories to tell from his trips.
Just before we turned in, a singlehanded trimaran arrived, skipped by sailor from Tromsø. The picture was taken the next day in Sognesjøen.
Fedje-Askvoll
Still sunny and warm! In addition we have proper wind. Tackin towards Sula, but the heavy head sea made us change the course to Sognesjøen and the sheltered run north. Even on the leeside of Sula (more than 500m ASL), close to land and just below the cliffs, the wind sported 30kts - lovely sailing!
The picture shows Losneosen towards Tollesundet
Sognesjøen was in fact a little detour, but after 12 hours of sailing we could tie up to a new floating stage at Askvoll.
Askvoll-Florø
Late departure, motored up Granesundet, then nice beating in 15-20kts NW wind to the guest harbour in Florø.
By Staveneset we spotted the first white-tailed eagle
Florø-Sandshamn
Got up early and tacked out of the Hjellefjord in a nice 15-20kts N-NW wind.
Free of the fjords and islands the sea was pleasant with long ocean swells around 2m high.
The wind eased off and didn't return until we were outside Stattlandet. In the meantime we could enjoy the nature in one of the most feared sea passages in Norway.
Just outside Bremangerlandet, the Gannets were practicing formation flying.
Later on, we passed the shallows Vetrungane, were the ocean swells showed off.
We have passed Stadt and Stadtlandet shows itself like this between the wet showers:
Having safely arrived in Sandshamn, we could calm down at Rosenlund's floating stage and enjoy the view of the mountains which sported fresh snow for the occasion!
Sandshamn-Runde-Ålesund
From Sandshamn we sailed directly to Runde. On the southwest tip of the island, the cliffs raise out of the sea (right).
The Puffins had already hatched and swam in big flights together with Guillemots.
Among all the nesting Gannets, some Cormorants (above) had managed to squeeze in. The Gannets were still constructing their nests and were constantly arriving with pieces of old fishing nets in bright green or orange. Close up, the nesting cliff looked like a colourful patchwork quilt.
At times, 4 White-tailed Eagles were hunting simultaneously among the Gannets.
By tracking the commotion in the flights among the thousands of birds, one could easily spot the eagles.
Below is a tiny Razorbill chasing off two eagles!
The Kittiwakes or the seagull with 3 toes had also found their resort on Runde, probably after being expelled from the centre of Ålesund in 1973, when the nesting cliff there where demolished in order for a new town hall to be built.
The new town hall is now falling apart and must regularly be visited by mountain climbers to clean the facade for potentially dangerous pieces of concrete. Might it be a revenge from the Kittiwakes?
From Runde we sailed over the wreck of Akrendam, which sank in 1725, past Grasholmane over Breisundet to Brosundet in Ålesund, Just outside the breakwaters, Molja our log passed 10000 nautical miles.
The Intercity regatta between the rivalling cities of Ålesund and Molde, gathered many boats on Friday evening before the start on Saturday.
This part of Brosundet is by the locally known as Naftadjupet, or the Naphtha depth. The history behind this name is: When the whole city burned down in 1904, the local dispensing chemist was very agitated because he had to dispense of his naphtha supply due to the fire hazard it presented. And so he did, in a shower of sparks from the fire around him, he emptied it all into the sound. His pharmacy was nonetheless destroyed by the fire.
Harbour days in Ålesund
Days of rest in the harbour with visiting family and friends.