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Kattnakken

The large TV tower atop 2,375ft (724m) Kattnakken on the island of Stord was a common sight as we traveled around the mouth of Hardangerfjord. We first spied it from the summit of Siggjo on the adjacent island of Bomlo, and decided that would be our likely next hike. From the anchorage at Karihavet, we…

Siggjo

1555 ft (474m) Siggjo on Bomlo was prominent in the skyline north of our anchorage at Karihavet near Moster. And if the summit was so visible, we could be sure the views from the top would be excellent. Our second day at Karihavet dawned beautifully clear, so we set off in the tender to hike…

Moster

According to Norse legend, the first Christian church in Norway was established on the island of Moster in 995. A millennium later, several notable projects in the area included the construction of the Kulleseid Canal in 1856, the Royksund Canal in 1859, and a successful limestone quarry at Mosterhamn on Moster. The canals remain operational…

The Case of the Missing Oil Leak

An engine seldom “just gets better”—close to never—but our generator was leaking vast amounts of oil from the rear main oil seal prior to the cylinder head replacement. If the generator sound attenuation shield front cover was removed during operation, it would spray the engine room floor and the neighboring wing engine, creating a real…

Ryfylkefjordane

Ryfylkefjordane, the Ryfylke fjords, lie between Stavanger and Haugesund in the southern portion of the spectacular region known as Fjord Norway, where long and narrow waterways wind deep into soaring, snow-capped mountain ranges. We’d only passed through Ryfylkefjordane on our previous Norwegian visit in 2018. On that first trip, our goal was to travel the…

Haugesund

In early August, we returned to a very different Haugesund than the one we’d visited in late September of 2018. The previously tranquil town was absolutely packed with boats, many rafted several deep, and high-speed, muffler-free cigarette boats roamed the waterway. On this most recent visit, we were at the height of the boating season,…

Forresfjorden

After a day of heavy winds and rain following our visit to Skjoldafjorden, we had wonderfully calm conditions to explore Forresfjorden. During our tender tour, we finally got close enough for a good picture after several eagle sightings in Norway from a distance. Below are highlights from August 5th and 6th. Click any image for…

Skjoldafjorden

The Skjoldastraumen is a shallow waterway with swift currents, suitable only for small craft. To allow larger boats to reach the Skjoldafjorden beyond, a lock was built between 1904-1908. For many decades steam ships regularly passed through the locks, carrying people and goods between Skjoldafjorden and the larger centers of Stavanger and Haugesund. Today mostly…

Sjernaroyrunden

Six of the islets in the Sjernaroyane group are interconnected with bridges, with a marked cycle path between them, Sjernaroyrunden, that makes for a wonderful day trip. From the anchorage at Kotavagen, we made a short nine-mile run to Sjernaroyane and anchored for a couple of nights near the community docks at Nodholmen. On our…

Randasen

The hike up 1,230ft (375m) Randasen was among the easiest we did on our return trip to Norway. The tender ride to shore was only a few hundred yards, the trailhead was an easy half-hour walk away and the roundtrip hike from there was only three hours. But the view was as good as any…