We just had the nicest week sailing the coast south of Oslo with our nephew Philip and his children, Lillian and Philip. I met Philip and his family at Logan Airport, and we flew over together. They stayed in Oslo for the night, and I went ahead to meet Nico, who was waiting at a maritime museum dock in Horten, a 40-minute train ride south of the city. Philip's wife, Susan, remained in Oslo and was going to travel to Bergen while we sailed.  There was a music festival going on in town, and boats were rafted up - everyone was swimming and partying. When Philip and the kids arrived the next morning, we toured the museum and especially enjoyed going in a small patrol sub. A veteran volunteer was staffing it, and it turned out he was a former commander of this type of sub, used to patrol Norwegian waters and keep an eye on the Russians. We had a very thorough tour and learned a lot about submarine operations and life for the 20 crew members on board. Then, in the small world department, our guide mentioned that he had a sailboat designed by a Maine architect named Roger Long. Roger is a friend of Nico's!

After that, we set sail for Hanko, an island about 15 miles south. We docked at the Royal Oslo Yacht Club dock. The island was the former summer home and hunting lodge of the late King of Norway. He was a big sailor, as is his son, and the club is a center for 6, 8, and 12-meter sailboats. His house was very simple, as are most houses here in Norway. We walked around part of the island, admiring the homes and gardens. We encountered a rock cliff in the center of the island with a bolted climbing route. Nico wished he had his gear, which was on the boat.

Next stop was the town of Stromstad, located in Sweden. A new country for Far and Away! We tied up right on the quay and enjoyed watching people passing by. Philip took us out to dinner, and we enjoyed a Swedish dish of hake, mashed potatoes, and tiny shrimps in a creamy garlicy wine sauce with dill. In the morning, we enjoyed delicious Swedish pastries filled with cardamom along with our coffee. On board, we have tried to introduce local favorites such as pressed cod roe caviar in a tube, WASA crackers, pickled herring, brown cheese on toast, and of course, chocolate. The kids hit the snack aisles in the market and found Salt Scum, an extremely salty licorice. They had a contest to see who could eat it with a straight face!

Flying the Swedish flag for the first time

The next anchorage was on the island of Munson. We have tried to show Philip and the kids a variety of places on their short cruise. This one was a shallow bay on a rocky island approached by a tortuous route through the rocks. SO MANY ROCKS. They went ashore in the dinghy and had a swim and a hike. Although I have been calling Philip and Lillian "kids," they are not. Lillian will be a sophomore at Colby College, and Philip is in high school. They were very quick learners and soon were steering and competently helping out with all aspects of sailing the boat.

We have had some good sailing!

Our anchorage

I think they get some wind in the winter here

Wild pansies on the rocks

Last stop was the picturesque village of Skjaerhalden, where we hiked amongst the foundations of 13th-century fishing huts and the glorious gardens of summer homes. 

Philip and family headed off by bus to reunite with Susan in Oslo, while we took advantage of the marina to do laundry and much-needed painting of the boat's brightwork. We sailed north a few miles to an anchorage that had the narrowest entrance. It is very nerve-wracking to travel around these unfamiliar waters. Most people in the anchorage tied right up to the rocks, but we didn't dare. We anchored, but we were still right next to some rocks. We put out two anchors just in case.

Now we are back in Horten, tied up next to the navy destroyer. We went to Oslo by train yesterday to see the ship Fram that carried Anmunsen to the South Pole and then the Kon-Tiki Museum. We wandered the amazing modern waterfront and went back to the restaurant, The Salmon, where I went last year. I've been dreaming of their fried salmon skin with creme fraiche and salmon caviar, so I was happy to have it again. We went to the Munch Museum. He was an amazingly talented but highly disturbed individual.

Off to Italy today - but by airplane. We are leaving Far and Away at the dock. A new friend is looking after her as we leave for a week to join Hector and Cristina Lostri to celebrate their 40th anniversary and his 60th birthday at a villa near Siena. 

Hosta Luego!

     It's the start of another summer of cruising on Far and Away! I'm doing a little test run before I leave tomorrow to join Nico in Norway. He left on May 17 to join the boat in Amoy Havn, near Stavanger. She spent the winter there, in the luxury of indoor storage, while she received a new Beta engine, rigging, and mainsail. We have been working her hard the last few years, and she deserved some Scandinavian spa treatment. Nico took her out on some test runs, and after a little tweaking, she was ready. Nico's brother Philip then joined him, and the two of them have spent the last ten days sailing Far and Away to Oslo.

Back to Scandinavian food - pickled herring

                                             

and whale meat at a party with some new friends.

 

                 He took a walk and saved this poor sheep whose head was stuck.

He also rescued this old dog whose owners sailed off by mistake without him. Nico held on to him until they sailed back.

Nico sailed up the Lysebotn Fjord and hiked. Far and Away is down at the bottom.

It is a place famous for BASE jumping. Nico saw someone hurl themselves off the cliff.

Then his brother Philip joined him, and they had a mix of head winds, lumpy seas, and some good sailing on their way to Oslo.

 

The beautiful new mainsail in action.

After multiple texts and pictures of part numbers, I rounded up the needed boat parts at hardware stores and Hamilton Marine. My backpack is now filled with oil filters, shower heads,  pressure switches, and electrical connectors, as well as fancy clothes for Italy (More about that later!).TSA is going to go wild tomorrow.

The Last Hurrah!

Far and Away is tied to the dock at Amoy Havn, the boat yard near Stavanger, where she will spend the winter. She has been a steadfast ship, taking Nico and Marta from Lochiver, Scotland, through Orkney, Fair Isle, and over to Freja and Bergen. Then she carried Nico and me north to the Arctic Circle and back. The culmination of this amazing summer was the arrival of Phoebe and her fiancé, Zac, for the last week of the journey. It was quite an initiation for Zac, a man of the lakes and mountains of western Maine, but not the sea. A week on a 34-foot boat is certainly one way to get to know the in-laws! 

Naturally, a named storm was expected to hit the area, so as soon as we met them at the station in Bergen, we headed off up Mostraumen Fjord so they could have a fjord experience before we had to hunker down.

It was also my birthday!

An early start the next morning to get back to Bergen before the wind and rain hit.

Cookies and coffee to fuel the helmsman.

Bergen is a vibrant city, rising up from a bustling waterfront. There were three cruise ships in, and throngs were cruising the wharves, the funicular, and the open-air seafood market, but if one walks up the hill, there are quiet cobbled streets lined with lovely architecture and plantings.

Bergen was part of the Hanseatic League and the ancient warehouses are now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

I went a little wild with house and flower pictures.

There were wonderful little images painted on buildings throughout the city.

We got a lot of attention from tourists walking by who saw our American flag. Nico invited a gentleman from China aboard because he was so fascinated by Far and Away. Even Zac became an expert at answering questions. The most common were, "Did you really sail here from the US?" and "How long did it take you?"

The wharf area was quiet in the morning, but it soon became packed. Then the rain and the wind from the storm arrived and people scattered to the shops. We spent the rainy day at the Maritime Museum while Phoebe and Zac found a comfy coffee shop and settled in with their books.

     After the rain let up, we headed south with the goal of reaching Stavanger. Our first stop was Leirvik. We chose it because it was a larger town, and we thought we might get stuck again because strong winds from the south were predicted. It was sheltered but did have much character. Lots of oil rigs were being built or serviced. So we thought we would do a short run to another town, Langevag, at 5 AM before the wind came up. This area was more picturesque. We took a long walk around the peninsula. Even though it is early August, signs of Fall were evident. The blueberries were turning red and the heather was in full bloom.

     The next stop was Rovaer, an archipelago of out islands, about 40 miles north of Stavanger. We entered a VERY narrow channel and tied up to the Kulturehotel. The town has 85 year-round inhabitants, a school, a store and a salmon farm. The farm sponsored two aquariums with local species and an aquaculture exhibit. There are no cars. The island is serviced by an electric passenger ferry about five or six times a day.

The inhabitants, of all sizes, use wheelbarrows to transport items from the ferry.

Phoebe had fun zipping around in our dinghy with the electric motor. She and Nico stopped by a fisherman's boat and purchased a whole bunch of crab claws. Despite no cars, this 16-meter bridge connects two of the islands.

They lined the narrow passage with tires so the ferry and fishing boats can use them like bumper cars as they roar through.

The view of the entrance from our dock. You can't see the narrow opening that was just slightly more than a boat width.

The cube on the right is a sauna. We enjoyed a rainy afternoon heating up and then dipping into the frigid water. It was nice being tied up to the hotel. We enjoyed the restaurant and bar, one night having aquivit while chatting with the staff before the only two guests at the hotel came down for their dinner.

Phoebe and I took a walk starting in a sheep pasture, promptly lost the trail and did a lot of off roading through the spagmum moss and heather. Zac started at the other end and we met in the middle by this bay that had the foundations of stone age fishing camps. Hard to tell the foundations from the general rubble.

It's a wind swept island but the sheep hunker down behind the rocks.

Phoebe and Zac took the ferry to Haugesund to pick up a bus to get back to Bergen before an epic trip back to the States. We sadly parted and made our way to Amoy Havn boatyard. Who knows what next summer will bring?

The view of us, almost over the horizon from their ferry, Far and Away.