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.