Børge Ousland

The tiny fishing community of Sør-Gjeslingan has a well-sheltered harbour.

Update 20.30: After a stop at Sør-Gjeslingan, we are amongst the scattered islands of Folda, south of Vikna.

Thorleif and Vincent at the country store, re-stocking their supplies of goodies.

Update 00.15: While the Captain slept in blissful ignorance, Vincent and I sneaked onshore and grabbed a burger and a beer in Rørvik. Just too tempting – Cheers!

Our trisail is primarily used to stabilise the boat under extreme conditions.

Sailing north, as always. We’ve now reached the northern parts of Trøndelag. Will try to visit Gjeslingane today, another picturesque fishing outpost from recent past; it’s a bit like Grip, but not quite so exposed. Our next port of call will be Rørvik, which is more or less on the way.

If we are fortunate with the winds, we may reach Bodø on Sunday. We plan to stay only a few hours – enough to buy fresh bread and newspapers, before we head across the Vestfjord to Lofoten. Despite its name, the Vestfjord is open sea, and very exposed to the weather.

Today we have had good weather, almost like summer, sunny and quite warm with a breeze from the north. We sail whenever we can, using our little outboard motor only when we feel progress is far too slow. The forecast calls for northerly winds for the rest of the day, changeable weather with some drizzle tomorrow and the day after, and fortunately with stronger southwesterly winds. We adjusted various storm sail options today – and of course we enjoyed the softly rounded hillsides and island that are so typical of this area.

Our small but very efficient office.

It’s 03.15. The sun is rising over Frohavet, a sea area between the peninsula called Fosenhalvøya and the archipelago of Froan. Sailing has become more of an effort now – we’re tacking into a strong headwind that has increased to 10 metres per second.

Late last night we stopped briefly at Garten in Ørlandet, and partook in a lively gathering at the local chapter of Norsk Flerskrogseilklubb (Norwegian Multi-hull Sailing Association). Our boat looked undeniably humble compared to some of theirs! But then again, size isn’t everything.
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Update 12.20: We’re just now sailing past Raudøyena, two island less than five nautical miles from the county border between Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag. You can see it on the map here.
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This catamaran, with a central overstructure, dwarfs our Corsair 31 trimaran. Nevertheless the size of our vessel was chosen after careful considerations – she is exceptionally agile and has a draught of less than 40 cm. This makes her perfect for the ice-filled Arctic waters we will soon be challenging!