Lysefjord

Prekestolen seen from below (square bit in the middle). It is 600m high, there are people standing on the edge, my camera doesn't stretch that far.

Lysefjord

the anchorage

Lysefjord

Lysefjord

The Lysefjord was universally recommended. We stayed in the anchorage with a couple of dutch yachts. best holding seems to be at the furthest end.

what's that?

from head on, at a distance, it looked like a rock with a light on top, with a bow wave..

Lysoya

Lysoya

Ole Bulls island, with a popular anchorage

Fedje

Fedje

Fedje

Fedje is one of the outlying islands. They encourage visitors and provide well marked walks and signposts to the attractions.

Bergen

Looking over the harbour area from the mountain behind the city.

bergen

At the head of the old harbour in Bergen. At the weekend. Lots of motor boats, many with disco-quality sound systems. It doesn't get dark, the music plays all night.

Hardangerfjord

lake at the foot of the folgefonna glacier

From Sunndal you can walk up to the glacier. That's the tongue of the glacier amidst the clouds.

Hardangerfjord

Ken took the helm as we tacked up the fjord to Sunndal

Rosendal -> Sunndal

Hardangerfjord

We'd just arrived in Rosendal when a boat pulled up alongside to say hello - we asked for suggestions for places to go and they said to try the Rock Garden, so we stopped there on the way back from the Baronetcy. Lots of nicely presented stones and information about how they are formed.

walked up to the waterfall behind the Baronetcy

Hardangerfjord

In Rosendal we visited the Baroniet Rosendal, waited a while in the kitchen for the guided tour to start

Hardangerfjord

from Uskedal we travelled to Rosendal. We only went to places that had been recommended to us by locals who we met along the way. Rosendal was thanks to the local headmaster.

Hardangerfjord

walk from Uskedal

Hardangerfjord

stopped at Uskedal and went for a walk.

Hardangerfjord

it was rainy and windy but we stopped complaining once it cleared enough to see the view

wooden boats and houses in Haugesund, stopped to pick up fresh crew, Ken flew out on Ryan Air for a penny plus tax. Spent some time in the Captain's Cabin, a proper pub.

Skudeneshavn - Haugesund

cool way to store your boat

Skudeneshavn

The weather would be lovely for several days, then it'd rain for a few days. This was the only harbour that I visited twice. The next time I went, in July, the boats were rafted 6 deep.

Preikestolen

Preikestolen

enroute to the Preikestolen

Sailed over to Tau to get the bus to the Preikestolen Hytte. From there you have a fairly strenuous, easy if you are Norweigan, walk to the Preke Stolen, the 'pulpit stone', which just out 600m above the Lysefjord.

kvitsoy

Norweigans mostly go on holiday in July. No crowds in June.

kvitsoy

the guest harbour.

Kvitsoy. There isn't a lot of tidal range in this part of Norway, so buildings can be close to the water.

Tananger -> Kvitsoy

"The official name on the lighthouse is Oksafoten (oxfootrock) and it is a so called lighthouse on a column." - thanks, Leif, for the information.

Tananger

a replica longboat

traditional wooden boats are still being built in Norway. One sees many Colin Archer types, these are often quite recent, we found it interesting to see how closely, or not, these replicated the originals: it isn't unusual to see stainless steel rigging and other modern features mixed in with heavy wooden spars and a gaff rig.

tied up alongside in tananger guest harbour, the Swedish wooden yacht was the star of the show. the guest harbour is run by the nearby hotel and is inexpensive and the facilites are, as all over Norway with the rarest exceptions, immaculate

Feistein Light

Simon takes the helm for a great sail up to Tananger

the Norweigan charts warn you to look out for bridges and electrical cables that might have been erected since the chart was published. you must know exactly how high your mast is.

sailing north from Egersund

we arrived in Egersund around 10 oclock at night, too 4 and a half days to cross the north sea

sunshine as we approached norway

the crossing

finally, wind

the crossing

no wind, low visibility

the crossing

then there was no wind at all, we motored for a day and night

the crossing

it was cold

crossing the north sea

there was a cold northerly wind for the first 2 days, it was grey and miserable. progress was slow.

norway - getting ready

Waiting at Shotley for Simon, crew, to turn up. There is a westerley owners association meet and we are the only non-westerley on the pontoon. Finishing off a thousand jobs, every time you do one you find another. Mostly no wind at all, met office have gales forecast for South Utsire, they don't show up on wetterzentrale. It'll be a few days before we get there anyway.