Heading down the Norwegian coast: Brekstad to Alesund and on to Bergen
Rosinis heads to Svalbard
Bob Hendicott
Mon 27 Aug 2018 15:02
When we left Brekstad on 22nd it was blowing hard from the SW – just the
direction in which we wanted to go, as usual – so we hoisted the staysail, put 2
reefs in the main and started beating into 35 knots. After about 4-5 hours
of hard work in short steep seas we decided we’d anchor in shelter and wait for
the wind to slacken. So we settled in for the night and were up at 0400
for another go. This time we had perfect sailing conditions and had a
wonderful sail down the full length of Trondheimsleia, past Kristiansund, and
into the rather exposed rock-hopping Hustadvika coastline, which we managed to
negotiate under sail at night, just before the heavens opened with a torrential
downpour as the first of a sequence of squalls blew through. By 0930 we
were moored in Brosund, right in the centre of Alesund which is a very
attractive town spread across a chain of islands. Our timing proved ideal
as we discovered there was a food and drink festival in progress, so we had
lunch on the hoof after tasting a number of local delicacies at the various
stalls in the streets. To work off our excesses we then climbed to the
Fjellstua which gave excellent views over the town and the surrounding
fjords.
The next day we needed to get around Statt, the prominent headland that
marks the turn in the Norwegian coast and is widely regarded as the most exposed
and dangerous part of the coastline. After careful scrutiny of the
forecast we decided to leave at 0600 in anticipation of either head winds or no
wind to start with, but beam winds later in the day. To our surprise we
had good sailing from the outset and the wind duly shifted as forecast just as
we reached Statt at around 1500. There are many low bridges and cables
over the fjords which are not always immediately evident on the charts and we
spotted an 18m bridge (our air draught is 17m) between islands on our chosen
route south just in time to alter course around the island in question.
This extended our passage time slightly and we arrived at our next stop, Kalvag,
in darkness at just before 2300, to discover that the pontoon we’d moored to
belonged to the hotel in the village and that it was still open (need I say
more!). Kalvag has been very largely re-built in traditional style by the
very enterprising hotel manager who seemed to own most of the village. He
was a charming man who, when we went to pay for our moorings and use of showers
and washing machines, insisted that we have breakfast in his hotel ‘on the
house’ and came and joined us to explain the work he’d done. The shops
being closed on a Sunday, he also gave us fresh milk and bread. Kalvag was
a great place and it was lunch time yesterday (26th) before we got away, heading
on south towards Bergen.
Yesterday was one of the best day’s sailing we’ve had, beating in dry
conditions, good visibility, and with a good breeze through the rocks and islets
between Kalvag and Sognefjord, then motor-sailing on through the night in leads
that were sometimes only a few hundred metres across in pitch darkness, assisted
by some excellent sectored navigation beacons. We’re now back in Bergen
having arrived mid morning today (Mon 27 Aug) and had coffee and Danish in the
cockpit to mark our arrival. Surprisingly, it’s not raining and is
actually quite warm, so we’re enjoying some down time on the historic waterfront
of Vagen. Barney flies home tomorrow and we’ll be dropping him off close
to the airport in the morning, then Chris and I will be heading across the North
Sea to Edinburgh which is about 4 days’ sail away.
The attached photos show Alesund from the Fjellstua; three further views of
the old town in Alesund with its historic wharves and warehouses; Statt headland
in good weather, and the weather just a few minutes later under a rainbow; three
views of the restored fishing village of Kalvag, and the historic waterfront of
Bergen.
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