Cruising Norway – Destination Dreamin’

Howard Steen, at the Cruising Association two weeks ago, spoke about his voyages around Norway over the last 3 years. He did it in a fine craft of a Vancouver 27 called Martha Maria. The clubhouse at the Cruising Association was filled to ‘standing room only’ capacity to hear him.

Howard started sailing about 20 years ago, but since retiring bought in his own boat and has been sailing intensively solo or with friends around Norway ever since.

He has sailed from Oslo to Tromso above the Arctic Circle – and about 1000nm and 50+ sailing days per year. 

Great Reasons to visit Norway according to Howard

• inspiring scenery – hills, mountains, glaciers
• midnight sun, northern lights
• 100,000+ km coast
• types of sailing is vaired – from open ocean to archipelago to pottering in fjords and along coast
• Norwegians are very hospitable
• English spoken almost everywhere 
• history and culture for example, stave churches only exist in Norway, the Viking museum in Oslo
• multitude of empty and unspoiled harbours and anchorages
• usually can anchor in <10m water
• there are also busy harbours near busy cities if you want them
• excellent transportation connections: 16 primary and 29 regional airports, ferries, trains, fast ferries, buses…
• skiing and great system of mountain huts to stay in if you like hiking in the mountains 
• nearly no insects!
• …aaaaaaaand he crossed the Arctic Circle!

Sailing in Norway

• fjord sailing depth can be >1000m deep
• need to know your mast height accurately in Norway because there are so many bridges between the islands
• need to use your engine a lot – only sailed about 30% of the time due to low winds
• used SIM card and a dongle for communication
• fuel is mostly by hose
• they have an excellent Coast Guard
• not allowed to discharge holding tanks within 300m of shores

Wintering in Norway

• the water is warmed by the Gulf Stream so you can leave the boat in the water over winter
• but you get snow on the boat so you need to cover it to protect the decks
• you need to get permission to overwinter from Customs
• he used a diesel heater and an electric fan heater to keep warm in the winter
• overwintering in a small harbour afloat was 500£ (Tromso was much more expensive)

   

Harbour fees 

• only approx 100-150 krone/day (£10-15/day or $16-24/day)
• in a big city like Tromso they were 200-300 krone/day
  (£22-33/day or $35-53/day)
• often harbours were free to stay in in isolated harbours 

  

Some info sources

• weather info at http://www.yr.no
• sea charts at http://www.kart.statkart.no
• cruising guides from the Cruising Assocation – free!
• RCC Pilotage – Norway Guide, edited by Judy Lomax
• Norway Cruising Guide – ebook, by Phylis Nickel and John Harries    

We love it all! Norway’s on our list…

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Destination Dreamin’ 
Previously:  Cape Horn And North To Alaska

Cape Horn And North To Alaska

Nick Pochin spoke last month about his voyage around Cape Horn And North To Alaska in a Discovery 55. The clubhouse at the Cruising Association as usual was packed to hear him.

I didn’t need to direct the Can Opener to take notes – he knows the drill. Legible notes scrawled on the pad he rested on my backside were double quick and with absolute precision. Well done, First Mate!

(Yeah, too bad this write up is weeks after the fact Furrball –  because somebody shredded them while playing subdue-the fake-mouse games on his sofa cushion… 

Like I said, Mate. You leave ’em on the cushion, you take yer chances…)

The Plan
In 2009, Nick said he knew of only 3 boats going this way at this time. He didn’t speak Spanish, his planned route was against the prevailing winds and current, and his boat was GRP (fibreglass) which many advised him against using for this project. Sounded like a challenge and fun to him ( to us too!), so he sat down and planned his voyage in detail.

He selected a crew with a mix of useful professional skills, that would get along well with each other. He bought a Sat phone, provisions, insurance and tools. He did extensive research with his reading list…

The Reading List
He read an astonishing number of books (many from the Cruising Association library), including: 

• Brazil And Beyond, by Annie Hill 
• World Cruising Routes, by Jimmy Cornell
• RCC Pilot, by Andrew O’Grady
• The Ice Master, by Jennifer Nibe
• A Voyage for Madmen, by Peter Nichols
• Rounding the Horn, by David Slavitt

The Route

• UK
• Madiera
• Canaries
• Cape Verde
• Brazil
• Falklands
• around Cape Horn
• Beagle Channel
• Magellan Straits
• Peru
• Galapagos
• Acupulco
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• Vancouver  
• Alaska! 

The Highlights

• scuba diving
• most officials very friendly – though not all that speedy. 
• (One aid to speeding up processes is to have a Swiss crewmate on board if say, the spouse of the local quarantine officer is also Swiss. Somehow paperwork seems to melt away…)
• spectacular waterfalls
• beautiful easy weather window to get around Cape Horn!
• minke whales
• sea lions
• dreaded kelp
• williwaws   
• Falkland Islands have 486,000 sheep and 1500 people
• spectacular scenery  
• …aaaaaaaand they passed a Vendée Challenge boat on the way!

We are mighty respectful of Nick’s achievement. Does Captain Cat want to go to such a cold and inhospitable place? I think not. At least, not unless it‘s summer…

Would you consider such a grueling voyage? What ever would possess you to do so?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener) 

Destination Dreamin’ 
Previously:  Bora Bora
Next: Cruising in Norway