Give every day the chance to be the most beautiful of your life!

The day finally arrived. VACATION! It seems like it took forever for the day to arrive but now its here, and we have also decided the route.

Oslo – Bergen – Oslo

800+ Nautical Miles

As the day arrived and we were all set to sail, the sun shone from a clear blue sky. The wind was northeast and it blew 6 ms, and we were all in a good mood. We have sailed this trip twice before, but each time in incredibly bad weather. Today it is “pinch my arm” weather and we hope it stays on our side the whole trip.

Since it was already late afternoon, we decided to sail for 5 hours, before making a stopover at Bolærne for supper and a good night sleep. But after eating and walking the dog the evening was so amazing and we were awake and really just ready to sail on, so we cast off and set seil for Lillesand, which ment we were going to sail all night long.

Throughout the trip, the warm breeze filled the sails and sailed us off, throughout the day and all through the night. We took turns every 2 hours and tried to sleep a bit in between. We all slept in the cockpit and during the night it got colder. We ended up with blankets, and winter jackets. The feeling of silence when sitting on guard at sea, is like a warm blanket, and you can hear yourself think. The sun went down and the moon took its place and the sun came back up again. The wind got stronger and the waves got higher and with lack of sleep some of us got a little seasick.

The early morning quiet,

the gently rising sun.

Dawn, mist and distant clouds.

A new day just begun.

Wow what a morning. The sun was still big and yellow up there on a clear blue sky and the wind still in the right direction, northeast and 6 ms. We decided to make a short stop at Lillesand. A pretty, quiet little place during winter, very lively in summer. As we arrived at Lillesand the wind had picked up quite a bit, 10 ms, and the inner guest harbor had no available moorings so we had to find a spot a little outside of the village. Well moored we had a little bit of sleep, and a short stroll in the streets and then we cast off again.

Lillesand is situated just 20 minutes east of Kristiansand, and is the charming, younger sibling of the two cities. Lillesand is the town of the sailing ships and an inviting idyll of white painted wooden houses. 

The center of Lillesand bustles with people in its narrow lined streets with charming shops, restaurants, cafés, museums and art galleries. Lillesand Town and Shipping Museum is located in Carl Knudsen-gaarden. The main building is in Empire style from 1827, and is once again in its original colours. Lillesand Town Hall is originally the house of Christen the Merchant, it was built in 1734 and renovated at the beginning of the nineteenth century. 

The inner archipelago affords plentiful opportunity for open-air activities, enjoying the coastal scenery and outports. 

More information? Check out Visit Lillesand

It is a beautiful sight to see the ocean out there, in the glittering sunlight, white sails on the horizon, feel the gentle breeze stroking the skin as we set sail and feel the wind catches the sails and leads us across the ocean to our new destination.

When we set sail and are on our way, we try to live as normally as we can on board. We eat, watch movies, read, play games and talk a lot. We keep vigilant eye on other boats, reefs and islets, but today we are sailing 4 nautical miles off the coast, so it’s most boat traffic we’re watching out for, as well as wind and weather condition. And it seems that the good weather follows us on our way. Did I mention we LOVE this ❤

Far horizon calling.

And the gentle breeze.

Sails are hoisted merrily.

Living life with ease.

On our way to Bergen, sailing 4 nautical miles from the Norwegian coast, we are passing  places and cities we will be visiting on our way back, such as Lindesnes, Norways most southern part, Kristiansand, Grimstad, and Langesund. But at the moment our destination is Egersund.

After cast off from Lillesand we had a great sailing day and night, passing the most southern part of Norway Lindesnes lighthouse in the most wonderful weather condition you can possible imagine. We felt blessed by the weather Gods.

When we pass Lindesnes lighthouse, the evening has started, it has become darker, but during the summer months in Norway, it is never really dark.

There were incredibly strong currents in the ocean in what we head north after passing Norway’s southernmost point, Lindesnes.

Lindesnes lighthouse has 350 years of history, and for visitors it opens a window onto the long maritime history of Norway, and you can learn more through the films and exhibitions they show on site.

Norway’s first lighthouse was lit for the first time in 1656. Sailing ships travelled along the Norwegian coastline because of the safe natural harbours here. At Neset, the powerful currents at the tip of the Norwegian mainland, often coupled with stormy weather, caused many dramatic shipwrecks and groundings in the area.

Today you can visit Lindesnes Lighthouse, spend the night, go on expeditions, visit the museum and have a meal at the restaurant. Check out the Lindesnes Lighthouse for more info.

As we head north, the wind veers to the southwest and falls to 3 ms. It’s incredibly beautiful sight when the sun goes down to the northwest and the moon comes up in the East, all at the same time. And for a little while they stand there staring at each other before the sun loses. But just to come back 4 hours later even stronger.

Eternal may be the ocean.

Strong will be the sea.

Best of combinations.

Them, and you and me.

We arrived Egersund late that night and found the perfect spot at the guest harbor. After we had moored the boat and checked that everything was in order, we sat down in the cockpit, had a glass of wine and lowered our shoulders before heading for bed.

Egersund is a small town located along on the southwestern coast of Norway, only 47 mils or 75 km south of the city of Stavanger.  The town is situated along a strait which separates the mainland from the island of Eigerøya. The village has a population (2015) of 11,473.

Egersund has one of the best natural harbours in Norway, and it used to be the largest harbour in Norway when measured in quantity of fish brought in each year. Today Egersund is a vibrant village during the summer season.

Those who arrive by sea will find a great marina operated by Egersund Seilforening.
To make the welcome to Egersund extra enjoyable, the overnight guests receive their own coupon from Egersund City Center and Kiwi during the summer season. This provides four fresh rolls that can be retrieved at Kiwi located 100 m from the marina. In addition, guests receive fresh local newspapers from Dalane Tidende. (Norwegian newspaper)

In Egersund, there is plenty to do within Culture and Festivals, Activities, Outdoor Activities, Boating and fishing, food and drinks. And if you want an overnight stay away from the boat, you can leave the boat safely in the marina and check in at the city’s best hotel. For more information you can go to the citys web site Visit Egersund. Enjoy.

After a good nights sleep or a half nights sleep, we woke up to a another clear blue sky.  It is amazing how the weather has an influence on the mood :). After a few cups of coffee, lifesaving coffees, and a stroll with the dog, we were ready to cast off again. Heading for Haugesund, a 10 hours sail in nice weather conditions, southwest and 8 ms.

When sailing from Egersund to Haugesund there are a couple of crossings you should be aware of.  Especially if the weather is unstable. Jærens reef is one of them. The reef is famous for its shipwrecks and bad weather. So when doing the crossing check weather conditions, current, wind, waves etc!!

When that said we had the most memorable crossing ever. No waves, 6ms from southeast and the sun reflected in the sea. It was so quiet, and the breeze just kept filling the sails with wind. As I said MEMORABLE <3.

As the day turn in to late evening we are arriving Haugesund where they were in the process of completing the iron man race, which is a triathlon. We were fortunate enough to see the finishing line to the last participant. Impressive!!

Haugesund – The region of Haugalandet and its main city Haugesund can be used as a starting point for exploring the Folgefonna glacier or the Viking Period. And if you love film and music, you’re in for a treat. 

The regional centre Haugesund (population 35,000) is a young, vibrant city which hosts several festivals every year. Amongst them is the Norwegian International Film Festival in August, one of the most important film festivals in Scandinavia. Jazz lovers might want to check out the Sildajazz festival (also in August) and its mix of local and international artists.

If you want to see the surrounding nature of the region, there are plenty of opportunities. Take an excursion to the Langfoss waterfall, which has been nominated as one of the 10 most beautiful waterfalls in the world by CNN. Island hopping to Røvær and Utsira is also a popular activity, and locals will be very helpful if you ask them for advice on the best hiking trips.

For more information see Haugesund and Haugalandet.

It is Monday morning in Haugesund, we have been on our way from Oslo since Friday afternoon and are now getting ready for our last distance before arriving Bergen or Møkster, where Kristin has her family who awaits us and where our last crew is waiting to come on board. Cant wait to see them all again.

We cast off and head for Møkster, a 5 hours sail.

Crossing the Bokna fjord can be hard especially in bad weather, but today as the last days the sun is up, shining from a clear blue sky and wind in our favor 6ms.

On our way towards Møkster we had the pleasure of company from dolphins, a rare sight in these latitudes. So fun to watch them follow the boat effortlessly in the water.

As the afternoon closed in we could see the island out there and felt the pleasure of finally getting the last crew onboard, but also seeing the family again. We anchored at the guest pier, and felt a warm peace descend in the summer sun and was looking forward to a week’s stay at this beautiful island where Kristin had much of her childhood.

During the one week stay on the island we were attending crab dinner, walk on the coastline, attending a birthday celebration and the kids were attending the Møkster activity days which contained sea activities, treasure hunt, paintball, football and much more, for both children and adults. A whole week of being together as a family with the family:)

Oh I forgot to tell you we sent out the kids fishing for dinner – and guess what 🙂

A week with shoulder lowering

Whats Next? 

Cause a little bit of summer is what the whole year is all about.

Summer arrived early this year. I think the spring lasted about 2 weeks before the high temperatures set in and we could throw away our winterclothes and declare the summer for opened. And welcomed it was, indeed, after a long and hard winter. With temperatures up to 30 degrees it was all bikini time.

 

To feel the breeze,  and cast off to get some wind in the sails are the most beautiful view for a sailor and the greatest feeling for body and soul. The sea temperature was around 22 degrees and we were all swimming, jumping, kayaking, using the SUP all day long in the afternoons after work and school and during the weekends. It’s been a long time since we could swim in late May, early June and feel the wellness of the sea. But my goodness how great it felt!

 

If you’re not barefoot, then you’re overdressed

 

In recent years, summer has been somewhat absent in Norway. We have had to wear wool knitted sweaters and the toes have almost frozen to ice by just feeling the temperature of the seawater. So this summer we are in good spirits and think it will be like this until september. Or will it???

 

The summer night is like a perfection of thought

Its June 17, and I am not kidding. It is raining and hailing outside. Yes, hail!! What happened to the 30 degrees and the bikini? I think we anticipated the event a little bit. Seems like we are all back to 14 degrees and wool knitted sweaters again. We put our trust in the weather forecast and hope for more summer to come, soon!

 

I love how summer just wraps its arms around you like a warm blanket

In 14 days it is time for summer vacation, and we have not yet decided where to set sail. But we hope to do the west coast again, visiting the family of Kristin on the island outside Bergen, if the weather permits!!!  If not we have the options like the Swedish west coast or the Danish east coat. But we all love the little island called Møkster. (Mokster). It is paradise on earth for young and old during the summer season, when the weather is good. If you are ever around come visit. You are more then welcome.

 

Live in the sunshine. Swim in the sea. Drink in the wild air

 

Møkster is an island in Austevoll municipality in Hordaland county, Norway. The 1.4-square-kilometre (350-acre) island lies in an archipelago.  The island had 65 inhabitants in 2001, today aprox 50.

The island lies in the central part of the Austevoll archipelago, and as such, it was an important location for the sea-faring people who populated the region. Møkster Church was located on the island from the middle ages until 1892 when it was torn down and the church was moved to the larger island of Stolmen, where it is still located today.

Today there are about 53 people living there and the island is the most populous of the islands in Austevoll without a bridge. During the summer months, the population is tripled with visitors, cabiners and boaters.

On the island they have their own grocery store, post office, pub and restaurant and beautiful beaches. Nature is a wonderful sight, wild and untouched and there are hiking trails in different difficulty degrees around the entire island.

In August each year, a marathon is conducted where well-known athletes also have participated together with the locals and other visitors. An amazing event.

 

Smell the sea and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly.

But time will show where we will spend our summer vacation this year. The most important its time together, lowering the shoulders, good food and drinks, lazy days, time for each other, stick your toes in the sand, read books, play games, do anything and everything that makes the big difference between the busy everyday life and summer holidays. It has nothing to say where we are or where we’re heading, as long as we are having a good time. So time will show where we are in about 14 days. West coast of Norway, West coast of Sweden or East coast of Denmark. We will let you know. Until then, cheers!

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability

 

Happy Summer 🙂

 

 

My love for you is like the raging sea,
So powerful and deep it will forever be.
Through storm, wind, and heavy rain,
It will withstand every pain.

❤

It’s late May and the TwoCapins daughter is getting married to her love of life.  We can not believe she has become so grown up that she will now marry and have her own family. What happened to that little girl with pony tail? Well, its time for her to start a new era, and what a husband she will have! and what a fantastic son-in-law we’ll have. He is the best there is and we all love him.

 

If roses were red and violets could be blue,
I’d take us away to a place just for two.
You’d see my true colors and all that I felt.
I’d see that you could love me and nobody else.

❤

As a liveaboard family, we would so much like the TwoCaptains to be a part of the wedding. So we all decided that TwoCaptains should be the married couple’s romantic ride from the church to “Croftholmen” where the party should be held. We woke up to a fantastic clearblue sky and a big yellow sun and we just knew this would be the best day of TwoCaptains daughters life ❤

We made TwoCaptain festivals with roses, white pillows, white tablecloths, champagne, strawberries, chocolate and flags. Her dad and me were crew for the day, all dressed in white and barefoot, ready to sail away with the married couple after the wedding ceremony. The photographer of the day #Mats Grimseth# , an incredibly good photographer who is both an sailor/adventurer and a photographer took all the photos, check out his FB page on the link! We also had onboard the best man and the maid of honour and one of TwoCaptains sons. What a great team!

To make a wonderful and romantic day and story short, check out the pictures made by photographer Mats Grimseth and some taken by us and see for yourself what a wonderful perfect romantic day it turned out to be. We are very proud of TwoCaptains daughter and her husband and love them to the moon and back ❤

So much love lays ahead of you,
and the best is yet to come!
Be happy and never be blue,
Because two hearts will beat as one!

❤

 

 

Spring, the sweet spring, is this year´s pleasant king!

 

It’s finally spring. The sun is shining and the heat spreads its wings. Flowers and trees are in full bloom. It’s a beautiful sight to see how winter is turning into spring. I love spring and the teeming life that appears.

But our queen is dirty and faded after a long winter and now in need for care and love and a good cleaning and polishing. It is also time to check the boat to see if it needs maintenance and repairs after a long winter. And indeed it was time!

 

The fields breathe sweet, the daisies kiss our feet!

 

After checking the boat there were absolutely something to do, both inside and outside. Of course we had to wash and polish the boat and the teak deck. But this year we also wanted to set up a safetynet to ensure that our little dog could walk safely on deck. We had to change the battery pack too. That was a bummer, but had to be done. We also wanted some windshield in or around the cockpit so we ordered the same fabric from the supplier as we have for the cockpit tent and sprayhood, #Kapell og annat# and then Kristin made them herselves. They got actually incredibly fine when finished 🙂 🙂 and it is working!

 

When it comes to water pumps, bilge pumps etc. in Hanse boats, it seems these are the cheapest you can get on the market. It is strange what boat manufacturers save money on. It seems as it’s the little things. But then again, for a “MCGyver” kind of guy, like my husband, they are easy to replace with better editions. I love my “McGyver” 😉 ❤

We also had to replace the seal on the deck shower when we inadvertently forgot to empty the hose for water before winter set in.  And it proves once again, that freezing temperatures take their toll on seals 🙂 Note to ourselves 🙂

 

Young lovers meet, old wives a-sunning sit.

 

This spring we also got a new oven, slightly bigger than what we had. When you are a family of 4, we needed more gas flares than 2 1/2. So happy wife – happy family 🙂

We’ve had TwoCaptains for a year now and we still love the sailing life. But we have also seen the downside not having seats in sailing position when we sail longer distances. So we ordered two seats and got them mounted. But ordering boat parts from Hanse in Germany takes an incredibly long time and and you are exposed to infinite amount of irritation, and it is so expensive! Just saying!

We discovered that our dingy had suffered some damage. So Knut (Leo) had to buy the

“Repair Kit Epoxy that contained”

200 ml epoxy
100 ml Epoxy hardener
1 m Fiberglass fabric 15 cm wide
225 ml filler powder – Microcapsules (gray powder)
225 ml glue powder – Microfiber (white powder)
1 piece. brush
1 piece. Mixing Cup
1 dm2 grinding paper
1 pair of gloves
1 piece. Stirring Pin
Operating instructions

Cant get any easier than that 🙂 🙂 🙂

 

 

But the best thing about spring this year when it comes to TwoCaptains, was to finally name our Queen – TwoCaptains <3. Champagne for everyone 🙂

 

 

And we hear aye birds tune this merry lay:

 

We’ve lived like liveaboards for a year now, survived the worst winter in 20 years, managed to keep the boat warm throughout the long winter. We have become more united as “family”, we laugh a lot more, we have more fun, we have more time, more time for each other.

 

We have much less stuff and a lot more time to spend outside.

And now when spring comes and we can again use the cockpit, knowing that the warm spreads and the sun will shine. It will be lighter evenings, as we are approaching summer. Then four of us and our small dog agree that moving into TwoCaptains and start as liveaboards is the best decision we have made so far in life <3!

Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo!

 

Wishing you all a happy spring!

Or just the way the wind blow?

It’s Easter and the days off are lined up, total of 11 days, its just like heaven above.

 

After spending 6 months at the dock, it was a pleasure to undress the “queen” her winter coat, that has protected her and us against wind, rain, storms, snow and cold. She looks fantastic as she stands ready to take us out to sea.

It’s Saturday morning, the sun is shining, it’s still below zero, but we loosen the moorings and set sail out the Oslo fjord. Where to go we ask? Copenhagen, family at the west coast, Mediterranean? We wish 🙂 Or just follow the wind?

Follow the wind sounded absolutely incredible, so we did! 

Along the beautiful Norwegian archipilago, it’s an amazing sight to sail with the main sail and jib in 11 knots, even with 0 degrees. We have a saying in Norway,

“there is never bad weather, only bad clothing”

Our first stop was at Bolærne guest harbour. Bolærne is an archipelago in the outer part of Oslofjord. The islands have a total land area of 2.6 km².  There was a coastal fortress from 1916 to 2002. The archipelago is included in the National Park which was established in 2013.

We moored up at the Bolærne guest harbor and stayed the night.  Here you can find a restaurant and large areas for walking, playing, barbecuing or just relaxing.

On the island you will find the former Bolærne fort, which was in operation from 1916 to 1999. The area has been secured, but one gets a good idea of the fort’s size when you walk around the island.

The next morning we decided to sail as much as we could and in not the best weather conditions we ended up in Stavern guest harbor.

Stavern is a small town located south of the city of Larvik. Currently there are around 3,000 inhabitants in Stavern. It is a small town where tourism is one of the most important sources of income. During summer, the population increases to around 30,000-40,000 people, due to camping sites and cottages around the town centre as well as boats visiting the harbour. 

The ice had not yet melted in the inner part of the port, and we were the only visiting boat this day at the marina. It turned out that the water supplies for toilets, washing facilities, and drinking water had frozen during the cold winter and they had still not been able to defrost it, so the marina gave us two free nights 🙂 Thank you:) We are self-sufficient with power through our generator and had full water tanks and enough gas to last a week.

Next to the marina you can find Stavern Fort, which was a military facility located on the island of Citadell iland. The construction on the fort began in 1677. The fortress was expanded in 1687 until 1689 to include three canon batteries and a blockhouse. The fortress served as an important base for Norwegian naval hero Tordenskiold and his fleet during the Great Northern War. Today it is a well known tourist attraction, with spectacular view over the town and the seaside.

We had a great evening walk and when the sunset sets in it is just an amazing view, that cant be missed.

Two lazy days in Stavern was over. We were ready to move on and again we just followed the wind. This time it wanted us to sail all the way to Resø in the swedish archipelago.

“The wind filled our sails with cold northerly winds and in soft movements, we sailed through the shades of blue sea”

 

 

After a good sail from Norway to Sweden across the Skagerrak, we arrived at Resø Guest Port as the only boat. It is easy to see that the boat season has not completely started up here in Scandinavia. We had good space at the pier and had a nice time for two days with walks in the nature and on the beaches. We did not go for a swim!!! 🙂

 

Resø is a small island in the Swedish archipelago and here you can come by car or boat. The nature offers nice experiences and has a rich fauna. In Resø harbor there are still fishing boats that are atactively fishing for shellfish. On the island there is a community with shop, restaurant and a guest harbor with all amenities.

Before we were heading back to Norway we set sail south to the little village of Grebbestad. Here we stayed for one night, ant took the opportunity to swing by the “systembolaget” or “Vinmonopolet” as we call it in Norway! You don’t know what that is??? Cant blame you 🙂  Maybe it’s hard to understand? Let me explain.

Vinmonopolet

” Vinmonopolet in Norway is a Norwegian limited company owned by the state at the Ministry of Health and Care. The company has a national monopoly on retail sales of wine, spirits and strong beer. That is, drinks with a higher alcohol content than 4.75% by volume. There is an age limit of 18 years for the purchase of goods with a lower alcohol content than 22% by volume. For products with 22% or higher alcohol content, the age limit is 20 years. They have 270 stores in Norway, so no need to say you cant find them anywhere:)” Oh, and let me tell you, it was established in 1922 🙂

Well we got our wine and were pretty happy 🙂

The next few days we were on our way back to the Norwegian border. We had very good wind, blue sky and the sun was big and yellow. We hoisted the mainsail and the foresail and headed north to our destination Skjæløy in the Oslofjord. We had never been there before but we knew the guest harbor had opened for the season.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

What a pearl!

Skjæløy is beautifully situated in Østfold with the island of Rauer and Ytre Oslofjord right on the outside. The island consists mostly of cabins and you will get a great archipelago tour if you choose a hike on the roads here. If you want to have a bike ride you can rent one at Skjæløy Marina.

Skjæløy Marina is a top modern marina and guest harbor well sheltered for wind. Very good water quality with an average depth of 3 meters at normal water level.

The guest harbor has new facilities with shower, toilet and complete laundry room. They offer wifi guest services, petrol / diesel at the ATM, septic emptying station, bike rental, boat shop with boating equipment and kiosk goods and a new eatery with all rights at the seaside that opens this spring, Kystkroa Skjæløy.

A trip has come to its end – but the journey has just startet.

We have laughed over this phrase many times 🙂

 “You will see that there is going to be the snowiest winter in 20 years, since we are moving into our boat” 🙂

 

Guess what!

And guess what, it is the snowiest and coldest winter in many years! There have been freezing temperatures down to minus 15 degrees, and if you count in the cold wind, the effective temperatures has been minus 25 degrees.

“Are you cold”, “do you keep warm”, “you must be freezing”, we have had so many question about how we keep warm in the boat. We are so happy for your concerns, but we do not freeze. Our home is as warm as your home, even if ours is a sailboat. 220V, the same as in your houses, and webasto and two small heaters. We are all good, thank you 🙂

Our homeport is a marina that holds a “boblehavn”. That is, the water is always kept in motion and keep the ice away. But a couple of times, large ice sheets have nevertheless settled around the boat. Its like we live on the north pole 🙂

We are fine!

But all in all, we are fine. It has been very nice weather as well, with sunshine, calm water and hot chocolate:) We dream about the Caribbean, the Pacific, the Mediterranean sometimes when the worst cold sets in, but do know the dream one day will come true 🙂

So how are we?

Was the decision to be liveaboards completely wrong, or is this life just as we had imagined?

We love our new life onboard our new home, a Hanse 575. Who would think we should turn to a life in a boat 365 days a year so easily. There have been challenges, but not the big ones, at least not yet.

Lucky to be married!

I’m so lucky to be married to a Mac Gyver kind of a guy. Everything he is working on, turns out the best way. Whether it’s electricity, toilets, sinks, water, heat or the boat’s hull and operation, mast, sail or making storage locations that are easily accessible and functional. He is the best:) When it comes to navigation, he’s amazing.

Who me? I’m one to the two captains 🙂

Well as you can see, we are getting along just fine with this life. There are not many negative sides living this life and the positive sides weigh up to a great extent. The best part?! More time, less stress!!

 

We are finally at our home port.

We are finally at our homeport but it has been a long journey. As we set sail from Bergen to Oslo, we are finally at our home harbor and here we have been since mid-August. Its been a long journey. So much have happened since we set sail from Bergen to Oslo in July, where we brought home our Hanse 575, our new home.

We have settled down in our new harbor and our new home and have now lived in our boat for almost 8 months.

Do we love it? WE DO!

 

The Marina

The marina is located in the Oslo fjord and has everything you need to thrive as a live- aboard as well as 17 other boats with live-aboards. We are a small but pleasant society:)

 

Here is an update a few days after our arrival to our home port.

 

 

As you can imagine or not:) we love our new life so far. But as we say, lets talk when we have survived our first winter 🙂

For now, have a good one:)

 

 

“It gives you the kind of feeling people write novels about”

 

She is ours! We cant belive it, but the text message says, she is yours! We can once again start to dream, we can again begin to plan, we can once again start our lives in the direction we have chosen to go.

With good help from the seller we got everything done within 9 days, as were the days we had until our summer vacation started.

We beacon again to Bergen to take TwoCaptains home to home port. A journey we chose to spend three weeks on in order to see and experience the south coast of Norway. And what a journey and experience we have gained, both for the weather, the hospitality and the amazement for our new home.

“She is a beauty, she is a queen, she is our home”

 

 

 

Our first goal of the trip was Kristin’s home, the island far out there in the ocean where the seagulls speak English 🙂 Here we met our loved ones and the kids could finally move on board. We were all overjoyed to finally be able to begin our journey. Although it’s not yet around the world, the journey home to home port was our first goal.

On our way we visited Haugesund, Stavanger, Egersund, Flekkefjord, Mandal, Risør and Langesund. Here we met more of our loved ones, before we continued to our homeport.

It has been an amazing journey. We have had everything from blue skies and sunshine, 2-3 thunderstorms and a lot of winds, 12-17 ms . We have learned to know the boat’s movements in good and bad weather and we are delighted with the result. On board, we feel confident and well taken care of.

“We have made the right choice”

Heading back to Mallorca for a seatrial & survey of SuenOne.

The day has come and we are on our way to our new coming home at sea. The #SuenOne, a 60 foot sailboat with living comfort as an apartment and seaworthiness as a regatta boat, we are told. We are so excited. Deposit of 50 000 euro was paid and we are now heading for Mallorca for a seatrial and a surway.

What to Expect?

In advance, we had ordered a professional surveyor, Richard, who met us for breakfast to go through in detail what to expect. Richard told us that he had been in contact with the “ship” designer, Mr. Kerr, and had received disturbing information about the boat’s condition.

“It is possible that in Norway we are too well brought up to believe that all sellers have good intentions, and no matter what we always have the “consumer laws and rights”  in reserve“

 

We told Richard that we ourselves also had talked to Mr. Kerr,  Simen, the broker and the owners representative, former owner of Hanse, Mr Schmidt and his contact, about the 41 points of error, from very serious to minor errors that had come to our knowledge from a former survey.

“Still we were too naive to realize that someone really tried to trick us”

We told Richard that we were promised that all faults and failures should be repaired by the owner, or we could have the costs reduced in price on the boat if we would order the repair ourselves.

When we arrived at the marina we were received by the boat’s captain and his sister who today was his crew. The captain told a lot about the boat’s condition and that he had never had problems. They had had some miner faults which were replaced since the boat was new, but otherwise it was in super condition.

We cast off and could finally feel the water beneath us as we set sail. The sun from cloudless skies, and the warm wind caressed the skin as we moved out to sea. It was like heaven above.

“This must be like heaven”

The reality came back quickly as Richard, our survayer, went through everything in the boat. We soon understood that this did not promise well. And after the boat was taken out of the water and checked, it was determined that the boat was not seaworthy!

There were so many and serious faults and design errors at the  # SuenOne # we were told, that if we had come out for foul weather while we sailed the boat up to Norway, it is possible we had not reached our destination!

“It’s a strange feeling to take into account, the fact that someone will sell a boat that is not seaworthy to a family that they knew would be sailing it from the Mediterranean and up to Norway, with all the risks such a boat entails”

Its a strange feeling when you realizes that in the course of a few weeks you do not have a home for yourselves and your children. The feeling of being fooled? Yes. The feeling of being naive? Yes. Lesson learned? Yes.

THE PURCHASE WAS CANCELED

“But there is only one way to go and that is forward”

 

We have a long-term goal – sailing around the world.

But first we will sell everything we own and buy the dream boat and make it our home.

Why? is often a question we get. Madness is a reaction we get. Awesome is another reaction we get.

This is our story!

We’ve both grown up by the ocean, with rocky shores, little vegetation, sandy beaches and blistered islands and a lot of weather.

Knut Ørjan grew up at 71 degrees north – the North Cape, with 6-month polar night, 7-month winter, and with the arctic ocean as one of his playgrounds:).

Kristin grew up on an island so far west, out in the ocean from Bergen that they could almost look over to Shetland, or as the Island crowd said, “When the seagulls came to visit, they spoke English.”:)

We’ve always had an attraction to the sea. We have always had a boat, ranging from a 10 foot rowing boat to motorboats and sailboats. But it is the last 13 years Knut Ørjan has experienced sailing while Kristin was introduced to sail life in 2011.

There is something appealing with life at sea, without motor.

Silence, the grace of sailing, being one with the ocean, waves surrounding the hull, white dazzling sails shining like the sun, wind in the sails, wind in your hair, tranquility descends and sneaks into each muscle. The smell of the ocean and see how powerful the wet element is.

It’s just the ultimate happiness of feeling one with the surroundings.

We follow our dream! There is a deep and heartfelt desire to live simpler and closer to the ocean.

We live our own adventure, as we are still writing new chapters. Now we are going write bind two.

Life in a boat.

Mallorca, an island in the mediterranean that most people connect with the sun, the beaches, good food, nightlife and breeding.

We traveled to Mallorca to check out which boat could be the perfect home for our family the next years to come.

It was early in the morning and in our organiser we had three appointments to see three different boats. The plane was on schedule and some summer clothes and good shoes packed in a bag. We had already been a trip to Cap’Dagde – France in January, to look at two other boats.

It is easy to admit the butterflies in the stomach, and that we quietly reflected on the choice we had taken.

We strolled along the marinas in Palma Town and felt the heat of the sun in the back. The boats were small as large in row and row in their stalls, some shone with the sun, others needed careful care and love.

There seemed to be room for all sorts of boats in the big marinas. The small traditional Majorcan boats in their colorful suit were a sight for the eyes. Like small pieces of art, they lay in the water and our minds wandered to the boats we should see, not exactly small boats but not the greatest either.

“Our boat will be more than a boat, it will be our next home!”

 

She was a catch for sore eyes! 

From the moment we laid eyes on her, it was only her and us. She was THE QUEEN! This strange beautiful sense of chemistry between the queen of the sea and the upcoming owners, is the ultimate feeling!

Uncompromised construction was united with elegant, eye catching exterior design well balanced with modern, extremely comfortable and spacious interiors and created as the ultimate private performance cruise. We loved her at once.