Today has been a cloudy day without wind. Good visibility but a light rain on and off. Just enough drops to dot the teak. Not quite wet but, leaving  irritating drops on our glasses. We motored all day.

Karmoey sound (Karmøysund) had a lot of industry but also some nice stretches.

We motored through Haugesund and were not very tempted to stay.

We steamed on to our planned destination on Rovaer (Røvær) Another gem along the coast. Rovaer is a group of islands NW of Haugesund, almost as far out as Utsira. It has one of the most protected small harbours with a very narrow, albeit well marked, entrance.

We found the taxi stand by the ferry dock – there are no cars on the island.

Walking towards the top took us on a detour across fields and over rocks. We should have taken the blue, not the red, path but, who was to know. Good exercise and nice views rewarded us for our efforts. And, quite rainy on the way back to Sally.

Today has been a lazy day. No wind. light rain, fogy and hazy weather has not encouraged sailing. Yesterday, on the other hand was a very intense day. We woke up to light S wind blowing us against the dock, so we decided to leave before it picked up.

We took on fuel on our way out from Kvitsoey and started sailing around eight. The moderate S wind propelled us along towards the fjords in the east. Breakfast in the cockpit and easy going.

We had light to moderate winds gradually shifting from S to N as we sailed downwind. We passed Stavanger and met this crane, when delivered, the largest in the world. It can lift 2 000 times the weight of Sally.

The plan was to head for Jorpeland (Jørpeland) from where one can take a bus a bitt up the mountain and then walk to Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen). A perfect excursion for the following day we thought – until we checked the forecast.

We docked at 12:45 and a suitable buss was leaving 13:35. We decided to go for it, and ruched form sailing mode to walking mode, redied the boat, bought the tickets online, packed food, water, extra clothes, and other tings for the walk. No time for lunch. Stressful, but we made it with a 3-minute margin that allowed Hakan to rush back to the boat to get the medicine we had forgotten to bring.

The bus took us from Jorpeland to “Pulpit Rock base camp”, some 9 km and 250 m up hill. We had return tickets for “friend”; two adults for the price on one and a half (323 NOK). (You can also go by taxi, call Kalle, the local taxi driver on +47 400 800 39)

The trail from “base camp” to the rock is 4 km and very well marked. It is also “paved” with stones and wooden bridges to facilitate walking. It is obvious that there is a lot of people walking her in the season as the trail is wide and worn.

The clime is quite exhausting. All the steeper climes were on “stairs” made by rock and stones. Uneven and high steps made climbing a challenge.

But the views on the way was beautiful.

We took it in steps resting every km with some water, fruit or snacks. It took us a little more than 2 hours to reach the rock.

Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen) rises 604 meters over Lysefjord. The site grants visitors a viewpoint that both CNN and Lonely Planet have rated as one of the world’s most spectacular.

After taking in the views and taken all the obligatory pictures, we had a well-deserved coffee break before starting the decent. One would think that going down would be easy but, it is still tricky with the stone steps and uphill passages over some ridges.

We arrived back safely with a two-minute margin to closing time, so we got ourselves well deserved bears whilst waiting for the buss. Total time (for us) was about five hours. We had walked nine kilometres with a total of 500 meters uphill.

A nice easterly wind and sunshine took us the 11 nm to Kvitsoy (Kvitøy). This is a small archipelago of low laying islands NE of Stavanger. Kvitsøy is an island municipality. At only 6.29-square-kilometre (2.43 sq mi), it is the smallest municipality in Norway by area and one of the smallest by population.

There are several entrances to the islands, all quite long and narrow. We selected the eastern  entrance which is well marked.

The islands are beautiful. We took the nature path from the lighthouse. It passes a replica of the old light and hjeads westwards over the fields. We met a lot of sheep with their young lambs but hardly any people.

The rocks here are quite different from what we have in Sweden and SE Norway.

The harbour at Ystraboe (Ystrabö) where we are staying is extremely well protected and the village have the small white wooden houses that is now becoming so familiar to us.

Leaving Rasvag, we were shot like a cannon ball out the narrow sounds. They became funnels to the easterly wind with their high mountain sides and we found ourselves doing 7-8 knots dead downwind under reefed main only. Conditions stabilised and swell grow as we continued out to see with a pooled-out genoa added to the reefed mainsail.

Ruff and fast going in a near westerly direction to round the Sira reefs at a safe distance. We opted for at least 100 m under the keel to avoid the confused seas for which the reefs are known. Then northeast keeping the same depth as we passed the islands outside Egersund. Fast going peeking 9,5 knots and averaging well above 7.

The wind died down a little and the sea settled further north, and we had a lovely reach in warm offshore winds. We arrived in Tananger after 10 hours and 65 nm.

Tananger is a small town with a rather large commercial harbour mainly for the oil- and gas industry on the North Sea platforms.

The old harbour is next to the big one and separated by some islands. The village is nice and there are several shops for provisioning. Eva’s cousin and family visited us in the afternoon. We then stayed an extra day in Tananger. Eva needed to see a doctor for some more medication. Whilst she went with the buss to Stavanger, Hakan took a bike to do some provisioning.

The afternoon was windy so we had a nice long walk around the town instead of sailing. We met this old pilot on the lookout.

Please note Sally as the leftmost boat.

We liked Korshavn very much, but it was time to move on. The forecast was for strong winds and still some swell. Farsund was nearby and the way there was not so exposed to the sea. It is a town and we needed to do some shopping.

Once underway, we found the sea state and wind to be OK so we changed course and headed for the next headland – Lista. Downwind sailing and sunshine in the cockpit. Life could be worse.

It took some time to set up for offshore down wind sailing. We had to rigg some more lines and “dance on deck” as Sally rolled in the swell. We use our gennaker sheets on the genoa for the pole, lift and downhaul attached to the end of the pole (using the mid pole attachment points provided as standard puts too much strain on the pole). This fixes the end of the spinnaker pole and gives us full control of the sail. We also secure the main boom with a downhaul. The line is lead to the cockpit and long enough for the tackle to stay attached after a jibe.

The advantage of the arrangement with double sheets prevents the regular sheets from chafing and it allows us to disengage the pole from the sail without leaving the cockpit. We just bring the pole down to the deck. The picture shows it when the sheet is of but the gennaker sheets are long enough to stay attached to the genoa when the regular sheets are used.

Lista is known for its low-lying coastline and shallow waters and should be passed with care. One should stay so fare out that the top of the lighthouse is below the mountains in the background according to the Norwegian pilot. We did – with a margin.

We arrived in Rasvag (Rasvåg) in time for a late lunch. We wre the only guests in the marina. A friendly place with nice facilities and very reasonably prised.

The walk after lunch took us past the white houses to a nice little shop with al the provisions we needed – no need for a town.

Rasvag is on a fully protected small bay on the island of Hidra. A lovely small village with a lot of history.

It rained most of the afternoon but we managed a second walk in the early evening. It took us to the old cabin where the pilots used to sit and look for ships. One can imagine the strength of wind on this hill. Please note the chains securing the smal cabin to the rock.

We stayed an extra day in Korshavn. It was a nice enough day on shore, but the swell was up to 3 m and that did not encourage us to pass the notorious Lista headland. The sea looked calm from ashore, but one can clearly see the swell breaking in the rocks.

Instead, we set on to find the way to the top of the island. We had made one attempt on a shorter walk yesterday. Trying to follow Google maps, we saw a straight line up a step rock. Clearly not feasible.

Today, we took our time and tried from different direction. We had a nice clockwise walk around an up to the top. All in all, some 3.5 km and 100 m uphill in total. The top is 87 m above the sea level. We were rewarded with many beautiful views.

We are hiding from the wind today behind a high hill in Korshavn. The forecast is for storm this afternoon. It is raining from time to time, and we have a chance to catch up on a few things. The most important thing, apart from the blog, is to solve an increasing problem with the smell of the crew. Our shower is used as a storage space, and we are normally reluctant to empty it so it can be used for its intended purpose. Today will be an exception as soon as we have made enough water.

Most marinas offices have been closed as it is still pre-season, and not a good one at that. The advantage being that there is no one around to pay, the disadvantage is the facilities being closed. Luckily, there has been electricity on the docks to keep us warm.

Yesterday was a bit of an adrenalin day. The NE was still blowing, around 20 gusting close to 30 knots (10 (15) m/s). Reefed main and full genoa dead down wind. There is a power cable with 19 m clearance just ten minutes from Lillesand. We have passed it before, but it is still scary as out antenna is around 19.5 m above the water. We passed safely, with no hands on the wheel just in case.

The power cable is soon followed by a scary bridge. This is the start of the very narrow and beautiful “Blindleia”. An old fairway protected from the sea by a chain of islands. It is well marked and has a clearance of 19 meters (we know boats with 20-meter masts to have passed safely) and a minimum dept of around 4 meters.

The fairway is beautiful with wooded islands and many nice small settlements and should not be missed by anyone sailing this coast. Try it under power the first time.

The tricky thing is to figure out where the channel runs as there are numerous islands and possible alternatives. Swedish charts have a line showing the fairway. Norwegian charts don’t, not even the very detailed paper charts we have onboard. You must look for the markers and stone cairns ahead of you and figure it out. Not so difficult as it may sound but sailing with a following wind you feel like you are speeding towards the dangers with little room for mistakes.

From Kristiansand we had company of two other boats. One was a sailboat that we overtook, the other a converted old fishing boat that was steaming ahead of us showing the way. We were faster on the open stretches, and they were faster in the more protected parts. We made good speed and passed beautiful Ny Hellesund before lunch.

The second 19 m bridge, over Skjernosund, was cleared with a margin. Our plan had been to go to Mandal but, the following wind and current was giving us enough speed to continue around Lindesnas.The wind was still strong, and the waves grew as we were approaching the headland.

Korshavn is a small village on the island of Revoey (Revøy). A popular place for fishing and as stop-over for boats going up the coast. Rumour has it that fuel would be cheap here but, we found prices to be like Swedish prices.

We are tied to the municipal guest dock as the only sailboat in the harbour.

The sun came out in the afternoon yesterday and we took a long walk up the hill in Risor to the plumbers for a water tap to the galley. The old one was leaking more than we liked and is now replaced with a shining new one.

We left Risor after breakfast in a moderate to strong NE wind. Dead downwind as we sailed along the coast. We soon realise that the full main is a bit too much in the wind and take in a reef. The boat becomes more stable, and it is so much easier to jibe with the smaller mainsail. We also had the Jutland current propelling us along with its steady flow southwest wards along the coast.

It is nice to be back on this coast and in its lovely archipelago’s. We wind our way through beautiful places such as Lyngor (Lyngør) and quiet sounds between the islands. (You may note the green dot on the mainsail. This is how we mark the sail to know when the first reef is in, and more importantly, when the top batten is inside the mast.)

The coast has a lot of nice channels between the islands. However, the Norwegian way of marking them differs from what we are used to from other parts of Europe. It takes a while to get used to. Here, most hazards are marked with poles pointing to the side you should be on. Nowadays they are also have a stripe or point in red or green to adapt to the international system. The more modern version (lower picture) is more visible.

Even if the thermometer shows close to ten degrees, the wind is cold, and one has to dress for the occasion. In our case it is woollen underwear, fleece polo and boxers, fleece vest, neoprene insulated overall, cap and gloves.

Excellent for the cockpit whilst sailing but, one must be careful and shred the outer layers for something lighter before any kind of physical work such as docking or setting sails. The same goes for going below for more than to powder the noose as the overall is completely non breathing.

We have not seen any dolphins but, we had a couple of kite surfers playing around the boat for a while.

The sun came out in the afternoon and gave us a nice late afternoon in Lillesand. The town is one of many quaint white towns on the coast with wooden houses and churches in the old parts.

We woke up to showers with rain and hail in Risor (Risør). No need to jump out of bed in a hurry.

Yesterday was different with sunshine when the alarm went off at six. We left half an hour later with some frost still on deck in the shaded spots. Not much wind so we motored. Later motor sailed. Eventually, there was enough wind from NE to allow us to sail for some hours.

As we approached the Norwegian coast, the wind died down and the engine was put back in service. Unfortunately, the irregular swell didn’t settle. As we rolled along, our newfound see legs were put to the test and found working. Bloody annoying though when you cook or eat and quite challenging to bring a full cup of steaming coffee to your partner in the cockpit.

All in all, the 59 nm took us some 10 hours. Sunny or light clouds. The cockpit tent and our neoprene insulated overalls kept us warm. The new cockpit tent has some improved features that makes it easy to use whilst sailing as it allows us to remove any half of one side to allow full access to the ropes and winches and still provide good shelter and protection from the freezing northern wind.

Risor (Risør) is a quaint little town with white wooden houses. It is said to be one of the best-preserved towns with wooden houses in Europe. Most of the beautifull houses in the centre were built after the devastating fire in 1861. The town has a very protected harbour and at this time of the year it’s no problem to find space in the old inner harbour.

Timber export and late ship building is recorded from the 16th century. With its charter from 1723, Risor is one of the oldest towns on the coast. Nowadays, it is mostly a “summer town” and the annual wooden boat festival, held the first weekend in August, is famous.

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Sunday was a family day for Eva and a fixing day for Hakan. It is amazing how many small things needs to be dealt with on a sailboat. This year we experienced a lot of air in our fresh water. After some searching Hakan found a leaking pre pump filter. By replacing the filter with an old one, that was kept as spare and clearly market “LEAKING”, the problem was solved. Careful cleaning and gentle tightening of the O-ring seals did the trick or maybe it had just repaired itself during the two years it has been laying amongst the other “could be good to have some time” parts onboard.

Yesterday was spent at the awning makers Rossy (Rössy) where Johan and staff provided excellent service on short notice. Our new sprayhood and cockpit tent was adjusted to a good fit. Now it only needs some time to adapt to be perfect. It is modelled on our old that they made in 2017 with some improvements to keep it tighter and more stable.

The evening was spent with sailing friends that now have traded the boat for a camping van. We walked to visit them and had a lovely dinner. The moon was up on our way back to Sally.

Today started nice with a light and warm southern wind. Well, with 10 deg C and a hazy sunshine it was at least warmer than the freezing temperatures we have experienced so far. We motored across to Kungshamn to take on diesel and some medicines before continuing north.

It is nice and quiet in the archipelago at this time of the year. We had a most enjoyable trip most of the way and met only two other boats during our 20 nm to Vaderoarna (Väderöarna). Although, the April weather lived up to its reputation and turned up a heavy rain shower that for a period turned into hail. And the sea on the 5 nm open passage to the islands, was quite confused and annoying.

We are the only boat in the old pilot harbour and the small hotel is closed. The islands seam deserted except for some carpenters working on one of the houses. We have yet to meet a living sole. On the positive side it saves us a rather hilarious harbour fee (we expect it might have been negotiable at this time of the year…) and leaves us to our own resources – the old diesel air heater is back in business.

We are now on one of the westernmost islands of the Swedish coast. The plan is to cut across to Norway tomorrow and the bow is already pointing in the right direction. Risor (Risör) is about 60 nm to the west.