NORTHERN DELIGHTS
Dale 45 owners Harry and Tricia Hornby spent three summers exploring Scandinavia, taking photographs and immersing themselves in the culture as they went
A Dale 45 owner shares his stunning photo diary of cruising in Scandinavia
n the past five years just about everything has changed. Tricia and I lost our daughter in a tragic accident and Tricia’s father died 18 months later. We decided enough was enough and sold our 25-year-old business. Our Dale 45, Arlette, has been one of the ways we’ve coped with the grief and change – it has helped us greatly to start enjoying life again.
Over the past three summers we have spent a total of 10 months cruising the Scandinavian coastline and canals from Gothenburg in Sweden to Lofoten in Norway. We have visited cities such as Bergen, Oslo and Trondheim, stopped off at remote islands, explored fjords and, importantly, found the time to make lasting friendships with those we met along the way.
The saying goes that work is the enemy of the sailing classes and the chance to live aboard Arlette for the whole summer has been a dream of ours for many years. Now that we have made that dream come true we can say we have passed through some of life’s maelstroms (yes, we did pass through the Moskstraumen) and can look forward again in hope, rejuvenated by our time in Scandinavia.
Over the next two issues we will share some of our favourite images and experiences of this beautiful region with you...
This photo shows the snug harbour at Malmön just a few miles from Henån, Orust where we have been overwintering Arlette indoors. The Isle of Orust is the birthplace of countless Swedish yachts renowned for their seakeeping abilities and beautiful polished teak interiors. These traditional skills may be in decline, but they’ve enabled us to enhance Arlette.
The annual debate about boating expenditure (keep it vague and hope Tricia doesn’t ask!) reached a crunch point when the need for a washing machine aboard was raised after our laundry was dumped on the floor in the washrooms at Marstrand. I had been working up to a request to purchase a new oak tender, cradle and bathing platform to replace Arlette’s much-hated rubber inflatable responsible for my bad back. So, thanks to the washroom incident we now have a neatly integrated washing machine as well as the work of art I refer to as Miss Arlette (see photo on opposite page). The wallet may be lighter but my underpants are whiter and domestic harmony aboard has never been better.
E iv indvik,Sogn og Fjordane 60°59’n 05°04’E
Our first walk in Norway is epitomised by this scene of a wooden motor boat, a fisherman’s hut known as a Rorbu, wild flowers and mountains.
We haven’t always been motor boat owners, having taught ourselves to sail on the Moray Firth before buying a Najad yacht and crossing the North Sea for our first taste of Scandinavia.
Sailing boats may be beautiful and peaceful but over the years we came to realise that we were spending a lot of time sailing in the wrong direction or motoring slowly in the right one.
In Norway many sailors spend so long covering the large distances between major ports that they miss many of the smaller delights. A motorboat changes all of that, allowing you to cover distance quickly and spend time exploring places and meeting people.
rosenda l , Hordaland 59°59’n 06°00’E
Arriving in Rosendal, Hardangerfjord, under the dramatic mountain of Malmangersnuten, we teased our way into the sheltered top corner of the marina and our lines were caught by Tommy and Heidi, a couple from Bergen.
Despite my only word of Norwegian being agurk (cucumber) we soon fell into conversation with them, enjoying a walk together along the river and touring the gardens at Baroniet. Tommy has since helped us find a mooring and an engineer at the Bergens Motorbåtforening (motor boat clubs are a great way to meet locals and source reliable help), introduced us to their dentist and entertained us with great meals. Tommy owns a Viknes, a very popular and practical family boat with its own Facebook group (facebook.com/viknesbaat/) where they doubtless post comments about crazy British boat owners who can only say cucumber!