Letter No 6 sent on 4 Aug 2001 22:32
When Karolina and I talk, it is normally me who leads the conversation. I’m the talker, so to speak, as you can experience right now by my writing about sailing in Northern Norway, where I have never been... Well, I like to “lecture”, as my friends call my nagging when I am always going on about the same thing. Maybe I should have become a teacher, since pupils would expect an instructor to repeat a message over and over again. At least I would try to be pedagogical!

But now I am actually the pupil and Karolina is definitely the master. When she calls on her mobile phone and enthusiastically tells about her adventures and what she has learnt, I am eager to listen. I place a little question here or there, and Karolina gives the most interesting inputs and comments and tells fascinating stories. She has already learnt so much and has so many interesting things to tell, starting from the “classes” they have onboard via tips&tricks of great ways to improve your sailing to hearing episodes of her own sail, the crew’s yarn or stories told by John and Amanda about their previous adventures and expedition members. John and Amanda, Karolina says, are extremely experienced and know most of the cruising community. At the same time friendly and taking no risks with precise navigation and safety procedures.
"On Thursday, August 2, winds had moderated in the morning and the barometer steadily climbed to 1014. The sun made a welcome appearance and we had a great sail to Lödingen, 68.26N, 16.00 E where we found an empty new visitor's float and went exploring the picturesque town perched beneath magnificent mountains with sea views in all directions."
Capt John Neal
Funnily enough, inshore navigation around Lofoten is similar to what we are used to when sailing through shoals, stones and shallow areas on the West and East Coast within the Swedish archipelagos. Blue water cruises might normally head offshore or sail along the coastline, but Karolina feels very comfortable being able to pinpoint every little island or mark knowing their position by eye-ball navigation. However, GPS, Waypoints and dead reckoning is (also) practised onboard, as safety always goes first.
Henningsvaer as per a postcard sent by Karolina

Having said that, the weather and sea are definitely not comparable with Skagerack or the Baltic. They have already experienced what low pressures at these latitudes mean to windspeed. In addition to that, on the charts, some areas being especially dangerous are marked with big warning crosses, like the waters around Stad on the west coast of Norway. A special weather forecast with information about tide, current, wave length, height and fetch as well as the winds are being given for these special waters around Stad. I expect one needs to wait for a weather window to sail over the sea of Stad. Time will tell when Mahina sails over such an area in a couple of days.

Otherwise, the scenery must be the most fantastic one can imagine with beautiful high mountains and spectacular fjords. When I asked Karolina if she gets enough sleep, she just explained that she has no time to take a nap, since everything is so exciting and beautiful. When not on watch, she is just sitting there adoring the scenery, exchanging dreams with her friends or experiencing seamanship. Sailing with John and Amanda onboard Mahina Tiare III must be an expressway to become an experienced sailor while at the same time having a great time!

The boat itself, a Hallberg-Rassy 46, is not only a beauty itself, but also very seaworthy. All six guests onboard Mahina are excited about Hallberg-Rassy’s. When they arrive at the yard in Ellös, Sweden, they will ask for a “group rebate” when jointly ordering a couple of Hallberg-Rassy’s, they have decided. With the Swedish crown so cheap the (American) crew thinks Hallberg-Rassy’s are a bargain. Karolina admits that she has already got used to the size of 46 feet... “I wonder what Leon will say, if you order a new Hallberg-Rassy in Ellös during our expedition before you meet him?” John asked Karolina. “Well, I think he wouldn’t mind!” was the answer. However I never understood what Karolina herself was thinking.
"Saturday morning was windless, so we motored to Henningsvaer, the most authentic and colorful fishing harbor in the Lofotens. Here crew hiked and explored while we got another chance to visit with Gry and Erling and see the nearby harbor they plan to turn into a cruising and kayaking mecca with partners. We then motored in more light drizzle (where was summer?) to Reine, a small fishing harbor. We went exploring once tied to the ubiquitous (and free!) guest dock, first having slowly bumped aground a few boat lengths from another guest float. We had an embarrassing 30-minute wait for the tide to float us free but not without company. Minutes after we grounded, a local sailing boat glided up to us, saying that they had deep water where they were, half a boat length away. Just after saying that, they came to a shuttering stop, so they also decided to have dinner while waiting for the tide."
Capt John Neal
Mahina berthed in Lofoten
They meet very interesting people also onboard other boats sailing in these waters. These are really long distance sailors who are here. One family with their children they met on a Jeaneau-boat was from Marseille in France and on their way to Tromsø where they plan to stay for the winter with their children. One other Swedish couple living in England had just received a “spare half year” in a sudden. So they did not have the time to wait for a new boat and bought a second hand Hallberg-Rassy 39 instead now sailing from England to Lofoten and further on north. On another boat there was a 6 year old child, who already had sailed 16 000 miles, which is more than half way around the world (we sailed 530 nm this summer onboard REGINA...). These sailors do not just come from the next village along the coast! And you should hear their discussions! “What do you think about the port of Tahiti?”, etc. It is another world Karolina is in right now. Maybe more global! I hope she will find her way back again. (Or do I?). The following morning we had a smooth sail through some narrow passages to Svolvaer, 68.13N, 14.34E, the largest town in Norway's Lofoten island group. Soon after arrival, Gry and Erling Beara and their five-year old daughter Ingvild, dear friends who first told us of the Lofoten Islands in Fiji three years ago, came down to the boat for a visit.
Capt John Neal
Yesterday (3 August), they had planned to practise Man Over Board, about the most serious thing that can happen when sailing and which should be avoided for any price. But in case this catastrophe happens, it is good to have practised it in beforehand. Now, my dear readers, you won’t believe this, but the fact is that there was too little wind to practise this today! They had to start the engine and motor the last part into Svolvaer about in the centre of Lofoten. Man Over Board will be practised some other time.
Mahina berthed in Lødingen
Today (4 August) they continued along Lofoten, had lunch in Hemmingsvaer, waited there for the tide to rise so they could come over a shallow part, and then continued to Reine for the night (see the attached map of my last mail if you want to find these places) Tomorrow, they will have a 100 nm passage to south of Bodø into the Holandsfjord with a glacier.
The Crew in a Restaurant in Svolvaer

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