Arrival to Mainland Norway!

0550Z 30AUG24, Day 4, Arrival to Mainland Norway!

Current Position: 69 57N / 019 29E, anchored in Hessfjord, near Hansnes, Norway.
13.3 hour progress: 72nm at 5.4kts avg SOG

Passage Summary:
492 nautical miles
3 days 13.3hours (85.3 hours)
5.8 knots average speed over ground
43.7 hours of engine time (51% 😳)
Fish: 1 large cod
Casualties: none!
Rally results: L'Éléphant claimed 1st by 3-4 hours, then Zephyros, followed by Olivia (who may not have known they were part of a rally) 3 hours later

We were able to keep sailing until just after midnight. We sailed until our speed and angle both became less than ideal. Then we turned on the engine and motor sailed into headwinds for the last 20nm into the Norwegian coastline ahead of an approaching low pressure system.

We closed the coastline just before sunrise and the winds quickly fell off amongst the islands and fjords. We had scoped out a couple of promising looking fishing spots and motored over to one dropping our mainsail enroute. We pulled up to the fishing spot around 0515 local, slowed to drifting speed, dropped the line in and hooked a good sized cod. Ten minutes later we were back underway motoring to the anchorage while carving out fillets on the aft deck!

Motoring was in light winds and flat seas so we all took showers while making some water. Besides enjoying being fresh and clean inside the boat, we all found it nice to smell trees on the wind and see lush green landscapes outside.

We dropped the anchor just before 8am next to L'Éléphant and were soon to bed for a solid nap. As expected, someone turned on the wind switch around 11am. The winds kicked up from nothing to gusting over 30kts. This provided for some excitement next door. We held tight but watched L'Éléphant dealing with a dragging anchor and a lot of kelp. Things settled down a bit and we all returned to our naps happy that we had beat this system into the anchorage. The evening saw a delicious celebratory meal of fish tacos that was thoroughly enjoyed before we all turned in again for a good night's sleep.

Thanks for following along! We will head into Tromsø next and enjoy a meal or two out and restock the fresh food. We are all looking forward to a good salad! Produce shoppers may be disappointed in our wake.