Outer Hebrides – Norway – Sweden

2-March-2024

Wow it seems like we just arrived home and its almost time to depart ! We were so busy last season – 2023 – we only managed to up date the web site once – so here’s an overview of where we sailed in 2023, I’m just working on some YouTube stuff now, and an outline of our sail plan for 2024 and 2025 !

Best Sailing – Mike & Jayne

Cruising Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, Orkney, Fair Isle & Shetland

We flew from YYZ to Edinburgh Scotland (see https://gonesailing.finnevans.ca/highland-spring/) in early April 2023, spending a few days in the Scottish capital, taking in the sites, museums, restaurants etc. of that wonderful old city, and then travelled by train to Oban, in Scotland’s West Highlands, where we’d left our boat, Loon’s Lace, in the fall of 2022. We spent several weeks in Oban, in a wee rented apartment, working on our boat and waiting for the weather to improve, April in northern Scotland is a bit cool and damp! New Solar panels & controllers, new windlass motor and controller, Jayne updated our watchkeeper shelter, painting and waxing. We replaced the seals on our Volvo sail drive with the help of the mechanic at the Kerrera Marina.

Spring days turned into early summer and we were finally ready to go sailing, leaving Kerrera for Tobermory near Point Ardnamurchin, and then to the beautiful Island of Coll, where we spent a few days decompressing. We sailed west and crossed The Sea of The Hebrides, anchoring off the white sands of Vatersay, to swim in 9C water and beach comb for a few sunny days. After a wee sail of only 5 miles we tied up at Castlebay Marina, on the Isle of Barra. Kisimul Castle was unfortunaly closed but the town is nice and we enjoyed fine Hebridean dining at the hotel, with our new Norwegian sailing friends, Colin and Randi. Sailing north up the island chain there are peaceful anchorages on South and North Uist, with wild ponies, and quiet walks along rugged cliff lined shores.

After an idyllic crossing of The Minch, we anchored off Dunvegan Castle on The Isle of Skye, and took the dinghy ashore to tour the castle, for 800 years the home of Clan MacLeod. From there we sailed west back accross the Little Minch to Berneray in The Sound of Harris, West Beach is not to be missed, again the water was a little cold for swimming. Sailing north we visited the Shiant Islands, where there are 100,000 nesting sea birds, and then to Stornoway, the Hebridean capital, and road tripped on the Islands of Harris and Lewis. Rounding Scotland’s Cape Wrath in the company of new Scottish friends Alex and Kathy, we anchored in Lochs Laxford and then Erribol, and from there crossed to Orkney’s Hoy Sound, docking at Stromness. Beautiful farms, Neolithic sites & the 13th century St Magnus Cathedral are some visitor highlights.

Sailing from Pierowall Harbour on Westray Island, at the north end of the Orkney chain we crossed 50 miles east to Fair Isle’s North Haven, where there is just enough room for a few boats to share the ferry dock. Nice walking, there are no cars, we searched for handmade “Fair Isle” sweaters, and visited some of the largest puffin rookeries in the Atlantic, and then sailed 50 miles north to Shetland’s bustling Lerwick Harbour.

A North Sea Crossing & Cruising Norway’s Southwest Coast: Sognefjord to Oslo

In Lerwick Harbour on Mainland Shetland, we rafted up with visiting boats from Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Germany. Just 200 miles of the fearsome North Sea separated us from Norway’s West coast, and we picked what looked like an easy weather window to make the crossing.

Once checked in with Norwegian Customs and Immigration at Bergen, the “Fjord Capital”, we were free to explore Norway’s second largest city, and plan our summer cruise along their magnificent southwest coast.

Traversing Sognefjord nearly 100 miles inland, we sailed up Fjaerland Fjord to hike the Mundal Valley and view amazing Boyabreen Glacier, dock next to the cruise ships at Vic and visit their “Viking” Hopperstad Stave Church. From Flam on Aurlandsfjord we hiked to Brekkefossen, rode the Flamsbana railway and then sailed Naerofjord, to anchor under the towering rock faces at Holmaviki. Sailing south we visited Bergen a second time, to re-provision and maintain our boat, before entering Hardanger Fjord, to hike up to the glacier park at Sundal.

With snow forecast and the long summer days growing shorter, we sailed south to Skudeneshavn, rounding Cape Lindesnes to Kristiansand, Arendal, Jomfruland, and found Loon’s Lace a winter home at Wector Yachts in Stathelle, a few hours by car south of Oslo. On our way home we spent a few days in Oslo, its a wonderful city to walk in, and enjoy the museums, shops and restaurants surrounding its historic waterfront.

Spring/Summer 2024 – Norway – Sweden – Finland …

We’ve just driven up to Ottawa to visit the Swedish Embassy, and apply for 6 months extended stay visas. Our sail plan this season is to cross from Stathelle, on the south coast of Norway to Sweden’s west coast. We’ll visit Henan, & Najad Yachts of course!, Gothenburg, Malmo, and then sail into the Baltic, to see dear old Stockholm, and possibly Helsinki, in Finland. On our way south from there the plan is to visit Copenhagen in Denmark, then take the Kiel Canal west to the North Sea, Netherlands and UK. From the UK we’ll make our way to Portimao on Portugal’s Algarve for the winter! Our crew friend Matthew may join us for the crossing from UK to Spain ?? we’ll see…

Well that’s the plan anyway !

Some pix from 2023 – The Outer Hebrides and Norway