We had always intended to explore the Lysefjiord whilst in
this area , but had been persuaded that the best way to appreciate it was by
walking to the Preikestolen , the extraordinary ledge
that juts precipitously over the Fjiord. Thus at 0330 we were up and gaining our anchor , to be
rewarded by a wonderful sunrise as the sun peeped over the mountains to our
East. 3 hours later we were moored in
the Guest harbour in
Stavanger
,
in good time to catch the first ferry and bus to the beginning of the walking
trail.
It was a lovely hot day with perfect
visibility and we were one of the first up the 2 hour trail . Nevertheless
there were about 20 people on the rock when we got there with more arriving every
minute. The views were vertiginous and
stunning and well worth the considerable exertion required to get there.
Actually it was a peculiarly Norwegian sort of tourist attraction , being well
organised ( the track passed over some fairly erodable land which had been protected by
considerable quantities of rock to build a path) and requiring considerable
exertion to get there , reflecting a
nation in which mountain walking ,running
, kayaking and cross country skiing are
part of the national psyche.
On the way down we passed hordes of folk
coming up ; slim Scandinavians climbing
easily , determined looking Germans striding out in serious walking gear , and some more portly folk who plainly looked in
distress from the heat and perhaps unaccustomed exercise. It was going to
be pretty crowded on that rock later on!
Back in
Stavanger
the previously deserted guest
harbour was now heaving , and the surrounding cafes and bars pleasantly busy –
but we were tired and the thought of a quiet evening anchorage a few miles away
proved irresistible . The only thing that spoilt an otherwise perfect day
was the autopilot which suddenly
developed terminal epilepsy , but a
phone call was made to JD and he posted
a spare bit of electronics to Jaap who was due to
join in 3 days.
Next morning there was a flat calm so the
crew were allowed a lie in . By 1030 the wind had turned into the NW and we
were off – but once out of the
Stavanger
fjiord and
heading South the wind gradually petered
out ,until off Tananger it disappeared altogether and we reached for the engine. To
our horror the starter motor was obviously defunct so we turned around and
inched our way under kite back to
Stavanger
.
The modern miracle of mobile phones enabled us to get in contact with John
Cooper , who put us in contact with an Englisman called Steve and by 7 pm we were tied up in a little marina in a docklands area
, the starter motor was off and Steve reckoned we could have a new one the next
morning ( Saturday) from the Volvo agent
nearby.
Alas it was not to be, and the next
possibility of obtaining a replacement would not be until Monday. We decided to
make a virtue of necessity, hired a car and had two splendid days of walking in
the mountains , swimming in the lakes and picking the tons of wild blueberries
that covered the mountainside. On Sunday night Barney left on the night train
to
Oslo
and the
rest of us turned in with all fingers and toes crossed that we could be under
weigh again the next day.
Monday brought good news , a new starter
motor and a smiling Jaap bearing wine and the replacement circuit board for the autopilot . If he was
slightly surprised to step straight into a 150 mile passage he hid it well ,
but to begin with it couldn’t have been more pleasant as the gentle reach
gradually turned into a run , and at nightfall we dropped the kite , slabbed the main, poled out the number 3 and settled down for the night . The forecast was for fresh
winds round the Naze , and true to form the wind built until we rounded at 0400 with the wind once more at 35 knots from astern, Ben at the helm. surfing at a
steady 10.5 knots with a grin from ear to ear in the bright morning sunshine .
It was a far cry from the discomfort of bashing in to the same wind the other
way – but underlines the fact that this headland has a deserved reputation and
needs to be treated with the utmost respect. On this occasion the wind was soon
back down to 15 knots and by 0500 we were once more under kite in idyllic
conditions. This was just as well as today was pretty special – Bryony’s 18th birthday – and out came the presents and balloons whilst we dribbled and
eventually motored into the archipelago East of Kristiansand , eventually tying up to a rock on the island
of Steinsoya for the traditional barbecue ( we had
been lucky with mackerel) and a welcome swim in the 24 degree waters.
Sunrise
and sunset are leisurely affairs at these latitudes and I
usually woke quite early , so it was a bit of a surprise to wake at 1000 BST .
I had wanted to arrive early at our next anchorage to give us time explore so quickly roused the sleepy crew only
to discover that it was really only 0600, and I had been looking at the timer
on my new watch. There was much ribbing of the poor old duffer – but we set off
along the spectacular Blindlea into the night time NE
wind, scraped under a heart stoppingly low bridge (made
all the more anxious by the Swedish boat behind us leaping up with a camera in
hand just as we attempted to pass under it!) and called in briefly to the charming town of Liillesand before dribbling along offshore to the outer sjkaegard island of Valsoya. Glancing inshore we were astonished to see a huge
dark squaresail and the unmistakeably sinister low shape of a Viking ship sliding along inshore.
Judging by the relative size and number
of her crew she must have been 80 feet long. Back in
Stavanger
we had visited a traditional boat
building centre and closely examined a smaller inshore vessel. The impression
gained was of a genuinely seaworthy craft that above all looked FAST- and one
day I would love to come and sail one in a decent breeze.
Valsoya was quite special – even the Norwegians who were there said so and
our evening and the next morning was spent swimming (25 degrees C!) , exploring
in the kayak and barbecuing supper on the rocks. After a leisurely start next the next day , the
trip to Risor was predominantly under engine. At
first we headed offshore to find some wind , gave up and took the ever
fascinating inshore route , finally sailing the final 8 miles with a nice
little Southerly evening breeze.
Jaap was to leave us in Risor , a fine little
shipbuilding town with many splendid traditional craft. He treated us to a really nice meal whilst we
contemplated a trip across to
Sweden
in no wind.
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