800+ Nautical Miles

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:)