Evolene - Nauticat 42

16/06/25 As the forecasted, we woke to the sound of rain pitter-pattering on the cockpit floor above us.  It was grey outside but the visibility was good and we anticipated reasonable wind for the day and so it was time to put on our waterproofs and get going! We cast our lines and slipped out of the marina, with our course mapped northwards.  The wind was fickle at times, impacted by the topography of the land around us - stronger when passing the fjord openings, weaker where we needing to weave between skerries - and whilst it was a bit like playing hokey-cokey with the sail configuration, it certainly made the time pass quickly and further honed my skills with sail trimming.  A particular success was when the genoa (foresail) needed to be unfurled once more and the skipper was quite content to leave me to it to do it single-handedly whilst he finished required boat admin work! The rain continued but our spirits were high - we were rapidly approaching the arctic circle....

13/6/25 to 15/6/25 The area that we currently in is reported to be a favourite for Norwegian sailors, even more so than the Lofoten Islands, and it is easy to see why.  Whilst the current overcast conditions hide the full extent of its beauty we have enjoyed a superb couple of days exploring as we wind further north, weaving in and out of the skerries (this time under sail!) to Vega and having a blast of a downwind sail to Nesna. Sailing through skerries There is an incredible scope and variety of places to spend the night.  Several friends had very kindly provided us with lists of anchorages and places to berth but, now that we're out here, we can see that the options are practically infinite!   By and large we prefer to anchor.  It costs nothing, the boat will swing so that it always has the bow to the wind (providing shelter to the cockpit area), our batteries are well set up so that we will invariably have sufficient power to boil the kettle and cook with, w...

10/6/25 - 12/6/25 Rørvik is an incredibly well provisioned port, that provides excellent facilities for sailors as a pit-stop on their way north.  It is the largest port facility in central Norway and can cater for the smallest to the largest of sea-going vessels. Whilst the population of  Rørvik  is only just over 3,700, it has several large and well-stocked super markets, all within a mile from the marina.  In addition, the facilities at the marina are excellent and we enjoyed our best showers of the journey yet!  (Judging categories: temperature - perfect, stream - strong, cleanliness - immaculate, modernity - very, space to put stuff - ledges, hooks, ample room in the shower, and lastly cost - less than £2 for unlimited hot water.  All in all - utter luxury!!) Rørvik marina, Evolene  on the left We stayed overnight and long enough to do the usual turnaround in boat prep and take a lovely evening wander ashore, marvelling at the black-legged kittiwa...

06/06/25 to 10/06/25 Was a six-hour round trip to Trondheim a worthwhile detour?!  Absolutely!  We could have spent days wandering around this super-cool city.   It helped that we were bathed in glorious sunshine on the Friday evening after our arrival and the city centre quayside was buzzing with locals and tourists alike, making the most of the long summer evening.  Even the visiting cruise ship looked comfortable in its surroundings and added appropriately to the summer vibe. Trendy Trondheim We smartened ourselves up and headed out for dinner, exploring the pretty and meticulously kept city centre, and settling on a local restaurant, 'Jovial'.  Mindful of our budget, we purposely were not going 'fancy' and both ordered burger and chips, and quite quickly agreed that they were one of the best burgers and chips we had ever eaten out.  It transpires that Trondheim's culinary reputation is well founded! Following dinner we ambled along beautiful, tree-...

2/6/25 - 6/6/25 It was time to get going once again!   Fuelled by bacon rolls and having said a temporary goodbye to our friends on Polaris, it was time to top up Evolene's fuel stores and head north.  We motored round to the south side of  Ålesund to a fuel pontoon that had been recommended.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, refuelling a boat is remarkably similar to refuelling a car, save for the location of the pumps!  We berthed alongside, purchased diesel additive from the small shop at the top of the pontoon, fed the fuel pump with our credit card details to let the pump, in turn, feed the boat.  To this point we had used 420 litres of fuel equating approximately to about 4.5L an hour (or about 6mpg when motoring). Sucking diesel Refuelling complete, we set off into cold and showery conditions but a very decent wind.  We had no fixed destination to start with (other than north!) and with hugely enjoyable sailing conditions and next to no wind forecas...

Ålesund is a charming port town, with a population of about 67,000.  Due to a catastrophic fire in January 1904, which destroyed practically all of the town's buildings and left more than 10,000 people without any shelter, the main hub of the town was rebuilt over the following three year period in a very distinctive and pretty Art Nouveau style. Ålesund aperitifs When we arrived on the Friday lunchtime the marina was already bustling and we needed to raft up to a boat already berthed in the marina.  Thankfully the Crinan Canal practice came in helpful and actually rafting alongside (berthing next to and tying up to a neighbouring boat instead of directly to a pontoon) a similarly sized boat proved easier in some ways than stepping down on to pontoon.  There is just the fandangle of the lines to be careful of - making sure they get to the other boat's cleats but through the fair lead and under the guardrails. Our neighbouring boat left promptly the following morning and w...