Sailing in Europe again and return to Norway, June 8th to July 14th.

There are big differences in tides here in England, so we had to find the right time to make the various stretches, as in some places we could have 2-5 knots of current against us and we didn't want the wind in the opposite direction, which can make some passages dangerous, but Kai studied maps and tide tables and planned carefully, so it went well 👍😃.

After an "easy" passage, with over 8.5 knots of speed, we anchored next to "The Needles".

We started from there early the next morning to have the current with us. We got that, but wow! it was cold 🥶, misty, cloudy and before the sun started to warm. In addition, we had a headwind 🥺. We haven't worn this much clothes in over 2 years😮😂.

With the current with us, but unfortunately motoring all the way, we arrived at Weymouth, a very cozy town where we stayed for a couple of days. Among other things we explored, we got invited to an open day at the local sailing club 😃.

Having "explored" Portland Bill, which is a dangerous strait, the day before, we then sailed on to Dartmouth. The passage went well, but still little wind and right head on, so engine again 😏.

Dartmouth is a great place and we moored to the visitor's pier up the river. Boats, ferries and sightseeing everywhere. Dartmouth has an OCC office (Osean Cruising Club), so we got hold of a new members flag, "The flying fish".

Fortunately, the weather also got warmer and at the end of the day it was nice and warm, not quite the Caribbean, but really nice 👍😃.

The next morning the destination was Plymouth, to greet Traci and Andrew who were home for a trip for a wedding. They sail ARC Pacific, the boat is currently ( in June) in Tahiti. Unfortunately, there was not enough time to meet, so we changed course and sailed, motoring again 😏, to Falmouth. After 11 hours and 68 Nm, we anchored in the inner harbour.

We stayed here for 4 days.

We (Kai) had the oil and filter changed, and we attended the Falmouth Classics boat race and also the "Sea Shanty" festival. The town was full of people, and there were sales stalls and stages with singers in several places.

Due to several low pressures out in the Atlantic, on towards Ireland/UK, we made a quick decision to leave.

We wanted to use the downwind we would get northwards in the Irish Sea, before even stronger weather arrived in the slightly "unsafe" Irish Sea.

It was a 3.5 day sail to Clyde Marina, in Scotland.

Along the way, we had varied conditions with up to 20 knots of wind +, and a current of up to 3.5 knots. Then it goes quite fast 😃, but if the current is against, there will be unpleasant waves. We also had periods of almost no wind and some motor sailing.

We arrived at Clyde Marina and for the next few days we explored the local area, washed both clothes and Papaki, before taking the train to Glasgow and being tourists for a day. It was a great city, and with lovely weather we walked around and saw a lot.

The next day we went to Edinburgh. It is a very beautiful city. Lots of beautiful old buildings, fantastic works of art. We also went to an illusion centre, it was fun 😃.

We stayed in the marina for several days due to weather out in the Atlantic, which created a lot of wind and waves on the stretch we were going to sail. Due to depth restrictions in the Crinan canal, we had to go a slightly more weather-exposed stretch. We got a little more maintenance done, then 😏👍.

After 1 week in the marina, we set course southwest first, and then north towards the Caledonia Canal.

After it got to dark and difficult to see buoys, we anchored in a small bay and slept for 4 hours before moving on at 05 in the morning. The leg up towards Kerrera marina is an extremely beautiful and green landscape.

We arrived at Kerrera marina in the early afternoon and after a trip to a small "Farm shop" we had a delicious freshly caught fishdinner in the marina's bar/restaurant/office.

The next morning we sailed on to Corpach marina at the start of the Caledonia Canal.

The authorization of the Caledonia Canal was started in 1803 and it was opened in 1822. It took 12 years to build it. It is about 100 km (62 miles) long with 29 locks and 11 swing bridges. About a third of the canal is artificial, the rest consists of Loch Dochfour, Loch Ness, Loch Oich and Loch Lochy.

In the marina, we anchored ourselves well as heavy winds was about to arrive with 30-35 knots off the coast. It was windy and raining a lot in the marina too, but not nearly as much.

We spent the day taking the train to Mallaig, a small fishing village on the west coast. The train went over the Glenfinnan Viaduct. This is "The Harry Potter bridge", where the "Hogwarts Express" went 😃.

The next morning we started into the first lock in Corpach and after 10 locks and a swing bridge we stopped after Gairlochy Locks.

Here we got to talk to "the lock keeper" and got to try at being "lock keepers" - Monica was quite the boss👍😃

The next morning we moved on, no sailing in the canal as we went by motor.

There isn't much to look at in the channel, but the Scottish Highlands with hills and mountains wrapped in a patch of green grass is beautiful.

3 locks and a swing bridge later we arrived at Fort Augustus. Here we were able to do some washing, both clothes and bedding, before we explored the area. Fort Augustus is quite touristy as it is located at the south-west end of Loch Ness. There are a lot of people and activity around the locks as there is a staircase lock where the boats are transported up and down.

We stayed in Fort Augustus for 3 nights and we got to bicycle quite a bit around the area.

From FA it's only downhill in the locks😃🤔

We started early on the descent through the locks and out onto Loch Ness. Here we were able to sail a bit, but it was mostly the engine again. 😏

We saw nothing of "Nessie" (the sea serpent in Loch Ness) 🫣😂 on the crossing and arrived at the next lock, Dochgarroch Lock, where we stayed for 2 nights.

There were many Scandinavian boats in the canal.

We greeted several Norwegians, including "Albicilla", who participated in Arc+ in 2021 at the same time as us. Nice to meet again, at a lock in the Caledonia Canal 😃.

From here we cycled into Inverness, twice. There are nice walking/cycling paths along the canal.

The last stop in the canal, after a stairlock, was Seaport Marina.

Now awaits the crossing to Norway, approx. 400 Nm.

We are looking forward to coming to our home areas, and not least visiting the grandchildren 😍.

The passage across the North Sea started with a lot of wind and waves. The waves persisted even though the wind died down somewhat. We passed several oil platforms along the way, and from a distance they didn't look that big, but they are quite big when you get closer and can compare the block of flats with the surrounding construction.

It was lovely to see the Norwegian coast and the inlet to Mandal after 3 days.

Back in Norway and long-distance sailing is over (as of now), but as all boaters know, plans may change 🤷‍♀️😃.

Now sailing in Scandinavian waters awaits, it will be nice 👍😃

There will probably be less blog writing in the future, so thanks for following to those of you who have taken the time to read and follow our experiences.

Monica og Kai Robert