Passage Report No. 74
Copenhagen to Sweden
Viking ships have always fascinated Skipper. A train to Roskilde, east of Copenhagen; home to a Viking Ship Museum. The city was once a center of Danish Vikings and subsequently, a royal capital.
The Museum houses the fragile remains of five ships raised from the bottom in Roskilde Fjord. They were sunk there around 900 AD, to stop raiding ships using the narrow channel.
As well, the Museum has made replicas moored in the harbour. They comprise attack and cargo vessels. The largest has voyaged to Dublin, where the original was built. She is 30 m long (draft 1 m) and carried 80 armed Vikings under sail (8-12 knots) and oars (2-4 knots). Viking ships voyaged down European rivers and coastlines to the Black and Mediterranean seas and across the Atlantic to Newfoundland.

Skipper's interest is how, much later, such fine vessels did not impress the naval architects of the slow, snub, blunt nosed, European fleets?
Two days in the hustling city is enough. At dawn Sahula departs backing down the narrow canal.
Sahula enters the busy Oesand (Sound) bound for Angelholm in Sweden.
Angelholm is home to Swedish cruising friends. Two wonderful days of chat, wine, food and a tour. Skipper also finds a barber - Lebanese "How long?" Skipper had trawled the main street to no avail. "Five minutes" - short, back and sides.
An easterly light breeze turns to a 30 knot gusting gale. Crew's stomach churns. Sturgeon (seasickness tablet) solves all. Sahula, two reefs, furled yankee revels in sailing. Hours later - a light breeze. Two nights, past Alkoy and Laeso islands, round the busy Skagen. Lingsby Danish Coast Guard; "It (weather) looks good to cross, have a fine sail." Sahula heads out to Norway, into the notorious Skagerrak.
Sahula motorsails to the Norway's south coast.
"We are a Russian vessel, the world's largest sailing ship." A magnificent four masted square rigger, passes to port.

Short nights, early dawn, Sahula heads into Tromlingsundet (east coast - Tromoy Island, south of Arendal). Rocks are close. "It looks to risky - hold on" - Sahula slowly enters and anchors (4m - weed, sand) in a beautiful, tree lined, inlet, spotted with red (iron ore based, long life, wine red, paint) summer huts. 

Wine, chips - celebration!
Dinghy ashore - a long island walk -views of the endless "Skjaergard" islands, north and south.
Clear, sunny day - Sahula departs on a "Skjaergard" odyssey.
An endless cruise between endless islands, rocks and  skerries, marked by an array of poles, island stone piles, green, red, cardinal (yellow, black). Under bridges (19-20 m); through natural "cuts," some one boat width and shallow (3-4m). The glass clear water, seemingly impassable, tests Skippers resolve. Macsea digital chart and detailed paper chart, improve confidence.
Markers are not international. Travelling East to West, red is starboard, green is port. Pole markers and cyclinderical rock beacons (black, white) point direction,
Summer houses, historically small timber cabins (Red, yellow, brown, white) dot most islands, inlets and the smallest bare, rock islets. "They are almost to much" - allowed when Norway's people, suffering poverty and plagues, survived on coastal fishing. Oil changed poverty to wealth (1970's). Modern houses, wilfully spread, changing the cultural -  nature balance. Modern regulation - local and heritage, restricts place and size.

Grimstad, Lillesand, Kristiansand - cities pass; Sahula wends her way.

"There is no real need...for using the Blindleia...to miss...would..forgo...South Norway's greatest gem." (Lomax, "Norway" Guide, 85).
From Lillesand to Kristiansand (some 20km) the Blindeia, canal like, passes under bridges (nerve wrenching 20, 29m - Sahula's mast: 15m), through shallow, rock parting, one boat width, "cuts" (3-4m), past villages and numerous, colourful, summer houses. It is indeed a "gem."

 Past Kristiansand port to Svensviga inlet, anchorage (8-10m mud off a beach) off Sandag Dals Fjord. Skipper and crew hill climbed to "birds" view the Skajaegard's massed islands.

Outboard motor leaks oil restricting use to oars.

Blue skies and a cold, cutting, westerly, greets Sahula's second "Skajaegard" day - "canal" motoring, past Mandal, to the notorious, Lindesnes cape. Gusting an impassable 30 knots, Sahula retreats to Ramslandhavn to anchor (6-10 m outside private harbour walls on west side) and await calm waters.

Winlink HF radio connection provides Grib weather and internet.
Ramsland harbour is "home" to a large, modern factory for "healthcare" - medical "contrast liquid" (for x-rays).

A "lay" day walk (3km) to Spangereid, home in times past (600-900 AD) to a large, Viking community evidenced by over 150 burial mounds and a canal. They built a 900m canal connecting the sea to the fjord. It avoided their long ships rounding the Cape.

Rebuilt in the 1800's, (frustratingly) two low bridges seal it to masted yachts.
"Common in, would you like coffee" A retired couple from their summer home, hail the passing Skipper and crew (who inquired after the Viking mounds). Norwegian hospitality abounds; a tour of the mounds, village and lunch. Lifelong friends.

Sahula departs for Lillehavn, a small, scenic, fishing port immediately before Cape Lindesnes.
Skipper and crew trek to the lighthouse to view the sea state from strong NW'lies. With weather not abating significantly, Sahula will leave tomorrow to attempt a northerly passage, north to Stavanger.
Once there, the Skagaerak commences again and a passage north is not so weather prone.

Next Report: Cape Lindesnes to Stavanger.

Best
David
3/6/12