Børge Ousland

The citizens of Ålesund were sound asleep when a three-hulled sailing boat glid into their harbour around 04.00. The waters of the inner harbour were almost mirror calm, reflecting Europe’s greatest concentration of Art Nouveau architecture.

There is an interesting story behind Ålesund’s proud and harmonious architecture. The tragic fire that broke out on a January night in 1904 razed 800 buildings, and ten thousand people lost their homes! It’s hard to believe, but only one person died during the great fire. As the prison warden watched the flames approach, he was forced to release his 14 prisoners. As they ran for their lives, he shouted as an afterthought: “Come back tomorrow!”

Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II ordered four ships to sail north as soon as he received the news. They were loaded with food and medicine, blankets and building materials originally intended for one of the German colonies.

It took three years to reconstruct the town, with Art Nouveau architecture that borrows some of its decorative elements from Old Norse design. As an item of curiosity, you may be interested to know that the entire rebuilding project cost 19 million kroner.

At the moment, however, we suspect three sailors are getting some shut-eye, after making the journey from Bergen to Ålesund in about 27 hours.

Rounding Stad, with Vincent at the helm.

This evening Thorleif, Børge and Vincent rounded Stad, also referred to as Vestkapp (West Cape). The tourism industry of the area once published a brochure that advertised “The strongest and most frequent storms in Norway”. That, of course, deserves a prize for Truth in Advertising.

Just south of Stad peninsula are the remains of Selje monastery, where seafarers would once stop to pray for safe passage north or south. Those less patient actually pulled their boats across the mountainous peninsula, at Dragseide, a distance of 5 km and a strenuous climb of 24 metres. Proposals to build a ship tunnel are still being considered.

But as mentioned, our troika made it safely around the Cape; the weather gods must have been friendly this evening. Nevertheless the three sailors are not celebrating by casting anchor in a sheltered cove, however. The trimaran continues toward its next port-of-call: Ålesund.

The stormy waters and treacherous cliffs of Stad have crushed many ships throughout the centuries.

Alden in the island municipality of Askvoll.

A bit past midnight we sailed from Bergen, continuing northward. We’re now at Solund, amongst the islands at the mouth of the Sognefjord. Norwegian marketing and travel literature often describes this as “the longest fjord in the world”. Actually that’s not true; there is a fjord in Greenland that is half again as long – but it’s frozen most of the year and no one lives along its shore.

We’re setting a good pace, having covered a third of the distance to Ålesund in the course of the night. That’s our next port-of-call. By taking turns at the hull we can continue uninterrupted.

It’s great sailing!

Chocolate is a great snack when you’re traveling, also on seaborne journeys.

The fjords and coastal waters were once the main thoroughfares of Norway. For much of the population, they still are. An express boat is approaching.

Sail still hoisted, approaching Bergen. Photo: Ina Schjøtt Brackman.

The unmistakable profile of the trimaran as it enters Bergen harbour.

It was a beautiful evening as we sailed under the suspension bridge that connects the mainland to Askøy, a large island just to the west of Bergen, and we continued slowly to the “City of Seven Mountains”, which has a magnificent approach from the sea. The calm waters of the harbour reflected a violet and blue sky.

Just before 22.00, we moored our trimaran to the side of another sailing boat – space is at a premium in the harbour that is the heart of Bergen. Now I’m going to have a quiet dinner with my son Max, who is returning to Oslo.

We’ll be on our way again a bit past midnight. The gentle wind makes for perfect sailing, and we see no reason to wait. Our next port of call is Ålesund, yet another coastal town with a rich and colourful history; more about that later. I expect our journey to take slightly more than 24 hours.

Børge and his son Max enjoyed a few hours in Bergen, before parting ways for now. Behind them can be seen the wind generator, which provides the power needed on board.

Børge and Thorleif during a relaxed moment in Bergen. Photo: Ina Schjøtt Brackman.

Leaving Bergen by night.

It’s a beautiful morning – at least so far. We’re just south of Stord, one of the largest islands in Western Norway. Our plan is to sail in sheltered waters up the island’s eastern shore.

The green arrow on the map on this link shows our position at 06.15.

Good coffee is essential, especially in the morning. Short of the boat actually capsizing, there is no chance of heavy seas throwing the kettle off this stove!

We have passed Sokndal and are nearing Egersund, gradually making our way up along the coast of Rogaland County. We can now chart a northwesterly course. All is well with the four of us – Thorleif, Max, Vincent and myself.

Update, 20.47: This evening we reached the town of Stavanger, as planned. Or more precisely, we steered the boat into the idyllic guest harbour of Tananger, just outside the town.

Sunny and calm seas outside Jæren, and 10˚C in the water – perfect for a swim!

Gale force winds off Lindesnes, the southernmost point of Norway.

Rounding Lindesnes, the southernmost point of Norway, can be quite a challenge in gale winds – especially in a headwind. We managed all right, but when a human error resulted in a torn sail, we brought our boat into the sheltered harbour of Farsund to make the needed repairs. We have extra sails, of course, but at this point there is no need to rush.

At 01.00 we’ll head out to see again and continue up the southwestern coast of Norway. Sometime tomorrow we expect to reach the town of Stavanger. If all goes well, we’ll be in Bergen on Tuesday.

Børge and his son Max sailing in gale headwinds.

There have been many interviews on board the trimaran – so too when the expedition is actually in progress.

The trimaran - moored for a few hours in the peaceful village of Farsund.