Cruising Through Norway on a Linssen Motor Yacht
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
norWaY An impressive CRUISING AREA GRAND StURDY 590 AC WHEELHOUSE T ext and photographs by André Suntjens n orway captures the imagination of many holidaymakers – regardless of whether they’re travelling by motor home, car, motorbike or boat. norway is a great country, whether you like walking, winter sports, fishing, culture or sailing. it’s a unique opportunity and a great privilege to tour this impressive cruising area in a fantastic linssen Grand sturdy 500 aC variotop. 17 LINSSEN MAGAZINE #47 O n Whit Monday, 25 May 2015, force. Our preparations included lock; at the waiting place there we the ЧЕРНЫЙ ПАУК II (Black Spider navigation charts, safety equipment, called up “Kiel Canal I” and waited II), a Grand Sturdy 500 AC Variotop spare parts, provisions and clothing for the continuous white light! The Mark II, pulled out of the Nautilus because it is even hard to predict the canal is almost 100 km long with the marina in Roermond. On board temperature and likelihood of rain in Kiel-Holtenau lock at the end: there were Alexander (owner), Kris (his this northerly part of Europe. we called “Kiel Canal IV” and again girlfriend), Michela (a member of waited for the continuous white light Alexander’s staff), André Suntjens ALTERNATIVE ROUTE to indicate that we could enter. (captain) and his partner Henriette Having listened to the weather fore- Scheepers. casts and studied them carefully, we LABOE decided not to take the much faster For us, Laboe was the starting point Once they arrived in Oslo, only route via Heligoland and the west of our actual adventure through the André and Henriette would be coast of Denmark, but an alternative unknown cruising areas of Denmark remaining on board until the return route via Groningen to Delfzijl and and Norway. About the same size as journey to the Netherlands, some- then set course, via the river Ems, the Netherlands, Denmark consists time in August/September... for Cuxhaven on the Ems in the hope of the large Jutland peninsula with that the north-westerly wind would a few hundred small islands around PREPARATIONS drop in the German Bight. However, it, so it has a long coastline with We would be undertaking a trip this didn’t happen, so we sailed into many beaches. On the eastern side, with an unplanned route so as to Emden to take the Ems-Jade Canal where we were sailing, were a few be able to anticipate weather con- to Wilhelmshaven, a very rural and fjords, flatter and more wooded ditions. Later, during the trip, we narrow canal with a lot of bridges than their counterparts in Norway. found that long-term forecasts (for and country smells. We spent the We decided to sail round Lolland and one week ahead) were not always night in Cuxhaven before sailing the first Danish port we entered was reliable, especially in terms of wind into the Kiel canal via Brunsbüttel Kragenaes, a small marina/harbour Oslo 18 LINSSEN MAGAZINE #47 in an area with hardly any infrastruc- turbulent. The power and violence contact with the rest of the world. ture. These southern islands are also of the water is awesome and if you This multitude of islands and the known as “the South of the North” are not properly secured, you will tideless sea makes it a relatively shel- because of their mild climate. And, literally be thrown back and forth. tered cruising area. indeed, the weather was glorious Although the stabilisers do ease the But it is often a maze and, without and sunny. We then sailed north conditions, our guiding principle is good, up-to-date navigation equip- of the islands of Fejø and Femø, that all members of the crew should ment, you will become hopelessly which was a circuitous route but sail in comfort. In order to avoid the lost or fix a wrong position. Sailing there was no alternative due to the still considerable swell, we turned 90 here requires concentration, but this shallow water. This route through degrees to starboard and headed for is also necessary on open, rough the Masnedsund and the Ulvsund Mölle (Sweden). It was the right deci- seas. During the last few miles to was very narrow in places and only sion and we sailed into the small and Strömstad, again in Sweden, we were partially buoyed. The old saying “to very welcoming harbour with a great even escorted by the Swedish water sail here you need strong belief and sigh of relief. police, who were coming to check wide feet” definitely applies to this You have to be flexible when sailing. our documents and the boat in the cruising area, which is full of hazard- Sweden was not originally on the harbour. It was probably the Russian ous shallows. Good navigation charts programme, but you have to be flex- name on our yacht that caught their are by no means an unnecessary lux- ible when sailing... Despite the wind, attention. Of course, everything ury. It therefore became an exciting, we had a pleasant trip to Anholt with was OK. Strömstad is very popular but also interesting, day trip to our the waves diagonally on the bow. with Norwegian alcohol tourists who next stop, Fakse Ladeplads. This was Anholt is one of the “never-visit-in- come here by the shipload (including another small harbour in a charming season” ports, with boats moored up with ColourLine/StenaLine) to really rural setting. Just as in a number of to eight rows deep. It’s a fishing port stock up. Norway is not a member of the harbours that followed, it had and, like many Scandinavian ports, the EU and the importation of alco- precisely one mooring that was big has a barbecue area which anyone hol and cigarettes to Norway is lim- enough. can use. It’s a charming small island ited to a certain amount per person. with only 160 inhabitants and an The price of alcoholic drinks is kept COPENHAGEN unspoiled beach but, unfortunately, artificially high by the government in It is of course worth spending a few it also rains quite often. Onwards to order to minimise consumption, but days in Copenhagen. Having sailed Skagen, the last stop before Norway, the result is that people sometimes past the Little Mermaid, the statue or at least that’s what we thought. take refuge in home-made drinks... based on Hans Christian Andersen’s But after leaving the fishing port of fairy tale (which, incidentally, was Skagen, where dozens of sea-going OSLOFJORD smaller than we had imagined), we vessels lay at anchor, we sailed north The next day, while we were on our found a mooring at the Nyhavn quay. along the peninsula and quickly way to Oslo, we were subjected Copenhagen is linked to Sweden by decided to alter course to Stavern, to another check in the Oslofjord, the Øresund Bridge, which is almost to the Swedish coast. After all, we this time by Norwegian customs, 8 km in length. We stayed in the city were not in a hurry and this way we who came aboard to check very for three days, wandering through would be sailing the last stretch well thoroughly for alcohol, cigarettes the shopping district and enjoying sheltered between the hundreds of and drugs. However, it was a very the sunny weather on the convivial small islands. friendly occasion and, with hindsight, and bustling terraces in front of the we could have used a few hidden colourful restaurants. THOUSANDS OF SMALL ISLANDS rooms... The next leg we had planned was to The Norwegian and Swedish coast As we approached Oslo, the fjord Anholt, a small island in the middle consists of thousands of small became narrower and the surround- of the Kattegat. The wind forecast islands, known as the skerries. Many ings even more impressive. was 4-5 Beaufort westerly, but the are uninhabited and some are con- On the advice of the Norwegian cus- sea quickly became rough, with nected to the mainland or a larger toms officers, we called at the Aker steep, short and high waves. As a island by a bridge. You often see only Brygge marina, near the centre, and result of different currents meet- one or two houses at the water’s this was indeed a good suggestion. It ing there, the water in the Kattegat edge and a boat is therefore an was situated in a great location near and Skagerrak often becomes very essential requirement for making the waterfront but it was particu- 19 LINSSEN MAGAZINE #47 Harbour entrance, Strömstad larly busy. We later found out that a Oslo is home to 10% of the 6 million It’s actually typical of all Norwegian regatta with 200 participating sailing Norwegians. It’s a lively, exciting city marinas, which are accessible to yachts would be starting the next with many cultural attractions within everyone. They don’t have fences day. Despite this, we were allocated walking distance. It has fantastic, around them. Harbour dues are to a fantastic mooring. All of us spent busy shopping streets such as Karl standard level, except in the bigger two more days on board until we Johans Gate, with street theatre, cities (Aker Brygge is very expensive (Henriette and André) “had to” stay musicians, artists and stalls. The but you can negotiate the price if behind on our own. Every day we city is also a popular destination for you’re staying for longer). Water explored Oslo and the surrounding many large cruise liners. What is is included, which means you are area on foot or by bicycle and did a noticeable, in the negative sense, are allowed to use drinking water to lot of sightseeing.