Sailing adventures on a Hallberg Rassy 40 in higher latitudes
Our trip to Greenland took a few unexpected turns leaving us with some unanswered questions about our radar! The weather is sometimes an evil master. We had plan A,B and C ready but it turned out to be a very hard sail and we share some lessons in this post
For the last 3 years we have been using a great app for automatically keeping track of Snow Bear’s journeys. In this post you can read about our experiences and see which app we are using. This is one of the few boat extras that will not put a hole in your pocket.
We had to sail back to Ballycastle to wait for the right weather to go to Scotland and continue North. But we put some of our resources in this post in case other people could find them useful. Ireland is definitely a fantastic place to sail and we
After returning from London, our plan for a smooth transition to Ireland faced unexpected delays due to persistent winds in Greenock. When the weather finally cooperated, we set sail, rediscovering the joys and challenges of life on the water. Anchoring near Belfast channel entrance before navigating the shipping channel to our marina in the vibrant Titanic Quarter.
13th-19th January 2024 After leaving James Watt marina we headed for Loch Goil and went castle hunting. This is quite easy in Scotland as they are everywhere! The reason for the castle hunting was that …
January 7th-12th 2024 On a sunny Sunday morning we finally Cast off the lines! It felt surreal and very unbelievable that we were finally leaving Portavadie harbour. We also learned that Danes and Brits have …
29th september 23 – 16th october 23 So whilst Nordnorskmarine were giving the boat some care and attention Steve spent a few weeks in the UK and Denmark visiting family and friends, returning to Bodo …
On their 560NM journey to Norway, the crew experienced good sailing until their speed dropped to 3.5 knots. Challenging swells resulted in discomfort aboard, with Steve occupying the only comfortable spot. Amid burnt cookies and book-reading challenges, they’ve had dolphin encounters but feel the isolation keenly, especially over deep waters. They’re now acclimating to life at sea.
On 11th August 2023, our group’s boats split, with two of us venturing south, anticipating fair weather. We’re ready for our longest passage of the year, altering our route due to military-imposed no-go zones. We’re bracing for days of motoring, upwind sailing, and the comfort of fresh bread. Steve jokingly challenged Sarah to finish her book, facing a sleepy co-sailor and extra work. Connection resumes in 3-4 days.
On August 11, 2023, after dinner, we rendezvoused with Yuma, who was observing a humpback whale, leading to an hour of exceptional whale watching and photography. Although a nearby fin whale proved elusive to our cameras, we continued southward, sailing in light winds and calm seas despite intermittent rain.