I tried on my brand-new oilskins and realised that they were not big enough for me to wear additional layers underneath. Oh no, this was my first time above the Artic Circle, it was the beginning of May, there was still snow on the ground and it was cold. I had flown to Svolvær, in the Lofoten Islands the day before, and I was about to skipper Isbjøn, a beautiful 48ft Swan, south towards Bergen via Flam at the end of the longest fjord in Norway.
I went to the local fisherman’s shop and bought myself an all-in-one insulated waterproof suit to wear over my oilskins. The temperature was around 4 degrees during the day, colder at night and even colder with the wind chill factor. It did the job, it kept me warm.
Preparation is important
I had three days to prepare the boat, provision and be ready to welcome the crew. It is always a great moment when the crew arrive, excited about the trip and keen to get to know their fellow crew members. We were six in total and a 50:50 split women and men. One of the great things about skippering for 59 North Sailing is their commitment to women sailors.
Traditionally we spend the first day on domestic briefs, deck walk and crew familiarisation followed by a supper ashore. Then the second day is filled with in-depth safety briefs. We talked through different scenarios to minimise the likelihood of potential accidents at sea and what our responses could be. We aim to be prepared not scared. Finally, we were ready, but the weather was not!
Passage planning and the weather
That evening a gale was howling as we did our passage planning, and cold sleet was battering the crew as they ventured out to the toilets. The wind was forecast to ease overnight but we knew it would be creating big swells with short wave lengths, so we planned to sail to Bodø, protected by the Lofoten Wall, the amazing line of mountains jutting out from Norway.
The first passage Svolvær towards Bodø
We departed Svolvær the next morning under grey skies with a gentle North Westerly, which increased as we came outside the wind shadow of the mountains. I was loving being back at sea. As we sailed briskly on a reach across the bay, the cloud cover lifted and, for the first time, we could see the Lofoten mountains and the mountains of the mainland. Wow, they were amazing! After the general excitement of departure, everyone took the opportunity to go below into the warmth. The first watch had got quite cold. We all learned from that. This coast is so beautiful, the temptation is to stay outside longer to enjoy the amazing views, but the NW wind was cold. As we rounded Landegode island (800 metres high) and headed south towards Bodø the sun went behind the mountains. Suddenly the temperature plummeted, the wind backed to the south and now we had head winds. This had been forecast but we had hoped to reach Bodø first. Checking our chart, we saw there was an anchorage at the NE end of the island. So we made our way into Kjelbotn, a beautiful, deserted anchorage, and anchored in 7m with a mud bottom.
Anchoring in Norway
It is not always easy to anchor in Norway, as the water is often too deep and the holding is not aways good. But there are some magical places and it is always so peaceful.
We had a quite night with some gusty conditions as the wind rolled down the mountain, then we woke up to a stunning view of our anchorage - a few fisherman’s huts, a few sheep, but mostly beautiful Norwegian hills.
After a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, we prepared to haul up the anchor, and what a haul it was. It required some careful back and forth with the engine to break the anchor free. Lots of seaweed came up, too, but we got it cleared and headed out.
The inside or offshore route
The great thing about sailing in Norway, is that you have the choice to sail offshore along the coast, outside all the tiny islands and skerries, or through the inland route, winding your way through the islands and fjords. As there was little wind, we motor-sailed for the first few hours taking the inside route through the spectacular landscape. Then the wind filled in and we had an exhilarating fast sail on a broad reach in the flat protected waters of the inner route winding our way south.
Artic Circle sailing in summer
At that time of the year above the Artic Circle, it does not get dark, so you don’t have to think about arriving in port in daylight. We decided to keep sailing south into the evening and stop at about midnight. What a beautiful sail we had, with the sun slowly setting behind us. As we headed into dusk, the wind eased and we motor-sailed the last few miles, crossing the Artic Circle and making port at Tonnes shortly afterwards.
The importance of engine checks
The next morning, on my daily engine check, I found that the alternator tensioning bar was broken. I don’t know when this had happened but it was a significant issue. We have a large bank of lithium batteries on Isbjøn, so I was not concerned about power, but the belt of the alternator runs the water pump which cools the engine. So, if the belt stops turning the water pump, the engine will overheat. I informed our shore support of the situation and briefed the crew. At first it seemed that a fix would be unlikely in this out of the way place. Amazingly, a local retired mechanic, named Knut, was kind enough to weld the broken bracket – a temporary repair. This was great news and highlights a wonderful aspect of comradeship and support of fellow sailors in Norway.
The delay meant that the crew had a lovely hike and showers, and the mist and rain lifted before we departed.
Warping to manoeuvre a boat in small places
There was no room to turn under power and Isbjøn was pointing 180 degrees in the wrong direction, so we decided to warp her around. We prepared the mooring lines and Isbjøn slowly and majestically turned, helped by the wind and careful management of ropes.
As we motored south, with little wind, the alternator belt was squeaking. We discussed what we would we do if the engine failed. We had the full main up, we made sure the anchor was ready for quick deployment, we kept to the windward (safe) side of channel, and regularly monitored the engine temperature and alternator belt.
Weather and the Statt Headland
The Statt Peninsula (sometimes called the fist) sticks out into the Norwegian Sea and is famous for being a dangerous and difficult headland to round. It also marks the delineation between the North and South Norwegian Cruising grounds. The weather forecast was for very little wind followed by a strong Northly, building to a gale. We talked it through and decided to keep pushing south, keeping to the inside route first then heading offshore as the wind veered in our favour.
Pod of Minke Whales
The near endless daylight made night watches eery and memorable. It was so striking to see sunrise so quickly follow sunset with the light never leaving the sky. As we headed south there was suddenly a big change in landscape. We left the high mountains behind and this was replaced by a flatter greener landscape and trees! It was great to see the trees.
We settled into our watches with cooking, pilotage and good company. One evening in misty twilight, with the water glassy, we watched in awe as a pod of Minke Whales swam past us. We all felt lucky and privileged to be out there, feeling insignificant and joyful.
The sun rose bringing with it the wind and we had a beautiful magic sail as we made our way offshore. The wind veered as forecast, we reefed the main, the swells built and we thundered south on a broad reach doing 8.5 kts. An exhilarating sail. The crew had to adjust to moving safely around the boat, clipping-on when on deck, and the challenges of putting on ‘foulies’. As we headed South the night became darker under overcast skies as a weak front came over.
Rounding the Statt Penisula
As we got close to the Statt the wind decreased to nothing and fog descended. We started the iron topsail, put the radar on, made sure the foghorn was ready and carefully nosed our way closer to the headland. As I had hoped, as we got closer to the Statt, the mist lifted and there, laid out before us, was this majestic headland. We could understand why this area could be nasty. The depths were not stable, and you could see the currents swirling. As we made our way back into the inside route the wind increased and we had another glorious sail towards Maløy. We were exhausted but happy. The following day we departed Maløy with just the genoa and started weaving our way through the fjords. What a great day of pilotage and sailing at 8 kts under genoa alone in strong winds. We arrived in beautiful Florø at dusk and decided to spend the day in port to allow the next gale to come through.
When sailing in the fjords and around high islands the winds can be unpredictable, with acceleration zones and wind shadows. When we departed Florø and headed towards Laberget at the mouth of the Sognefjorden, we were expecting strong Northerly winds. With two reefs in the main and alternating between full and reefed genoa, we kept a sharp look out on the water ahead for squalls. We had some exciting and gusty sailing. What an amazing place Norway is to cruise. We couldn’t stop taking photos.
We were headed first towards Laberget, which is at the entrance to the Sognefjorden Norway’s longest Fjord with depths of over 1600m. Then up the Sognefjorden towards Flåm. We inevitably had gusty head winds to start which then died to nothing, so we motored most of the remaining distance. It was a beautiful warm sunny day, perfect for enjoying the many hillside villages and farms dotted between forests and shear drops into the deep fjord. We rounded one corner and suddenly it got much colder. We could see the glacier high up in the distance. As we continued
on our journey the fjord got narrower and it felt there was no way through, until we got closer, rounded a corner and Flåm, our destination, came into sight.
A year ago, when I agreed to skipper this trip, I thought I would get to know Norway. But it would take a lifetime to explore the many islands, skerries, fjords and countless beautiful anchorages. I have learned loads, particularly that Norway is a beautiful country, well worth the effort to sail north.
Article published by Practical Boat Owner October 2025
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