Change of crew for the 2007 North Sea race. Ken had been "poached" by Erin and Archie was having a baby (ooooh...that sounds painful!). Anna and Sue joined us to make a total of six and off we went.
As per 2006, the boat was loaded up with enough beer and wine for a 3 week trip and ended up a good 3 inches lower in the water.
The plan was to sail from Port Edgar to Bergen and then spend a week working our way down to Skudneshaven for the start of the 2007 North Sea Race back over to Banff. For late June the weather was rather unsettled and we could see a tight weather window to do the 72 hour crossing before strong northerlies set in. The first part went to plan but then the forecast F5-7 northerly set in earlier than anticipated. Change of direction then towards Stavanger and a cruise round the fjords there.
After a night in Stavanger we headed off to explore the local waters. One of our Norwegian friends had given us a list of potential night stops in the area so we picked out a few of the best.
First stop was Rossoysundet, a deserted island with a pontoon in a sheltered bay. The shipping forecast for North Utsire was Northerly F7-8 but you can see from the picture we were not troubled at all.
No tides makes it easy for mooring and simplifies navigation.
Next stop was Langoya, the summer home of the Stavanger sailing club. As the season hadnt got into full swing, there was only one other boat there and the club house, toilets and showers were all locked up. The weather was still a bit dismal with low cloud but some interesting walks.
The following day the weather bucked up with blue skies and sun and we ended up in Helgoysund. We moored next to a local boat "Millrock" with 3 off duty policemen spending a week cruising the area and managed to lighten the boat slightly with the consumption of the odd can of beer.
The previous year in Norway we had been shown the route to sail through the islands of Kvitsoy, half way between Stavanger and Skudeshaven. Not for the fainthearted with wall to wall rocks, shallows and narrows.
The chart here shows the route we took. It is well worth the trip. You are near enough to see what the locals have on their tables for Sunday lunch and there is a small harbour which will take sizeable yachts.
At one point on the route through the island, the channel narrows down to just over 10 meters which is a bit un-nerving. If you didn't know it was nagivable then it would have been a quick about turn. This has to be one of the "must do's" in this area of Norway. For the visitor, it is a great way to test your piloting skills.
Ten miles to the north of Kvitsoy is the port of Skudeshaven which was the next stop and a few days rest before the start of the race back over.
