Our 2025 navigation program

On the way to Scotland

We left Vannes at the beginning of May 2025 to reach Aber Wrac'h and the Isles of Scilly before crossing the Irish Sea to Dublin and then Belfast.

On May 30th we find ourselves in Scotland at Campbeltown. After a stopover in the natural port of Tarbert, we go up the Crinan Canal and its 15 locks and 7 bridges, fortunately operated from the end of May to mid-September by employees or students.

Before reaching Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, we anchored at Puilladohbran (following the enthusiastic recommendations of Pikourous and Hatoup!). Next stops: Cana Island and Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye.

We reach the Outer Hebrides very (too!) quickly at Tarbert and then Stornoway.

Too fast, because the winds are favorable and no low-pressure systems are slowing us down. We'll come back to explore Scotland in more detail another year, because the idea of a trip to Norway is still lingering in our minds…

The drive from Stornoway to Orkney took 22 hours, with a short but fairly bright night as it was June 19th at 58° North. We arrived at Stromness marina, the most sheltered spot.

We spent a week in Orkney, which we partly explored by bus and ferry. Scapaflow Bay is steeped in history. There's a particularly interesting museum dedicated to it, showcasing, among other things, the scuttling of the captured German fleet in 1919 and the torpedoing of the Royal Oak in 1939 by the U-47 submarine.

the church of the 700 Italian prisoners who were employed to build the famous Churchill Barriers between 1940 and 1944.

The archaeological site of Skara Brae

Leaving the Orkney Islands via the Pentland Firth requires careful calculation of your departure time, as the currents there are strong (up to 12 knots) and reverse very abruptly. We must admit, we had quite a headache trying to figure out the best time from different sources! In the end, the currents in the official Admiralty guide are the ones to rely on.

Towards Stavanger and southern Norway

Crossing the North Sea from Orkney to Stavanger, 260 NM in 45 hours between two depressions, with 20/25 kt abeam, so pure pleasure and 2 nights of 3 hours... barely dark!

The oil platforms have AIS, thank goodness! A call on channel 16 from a guard ship asks us to change course to avoid a bomb disposal zone, and the Norwegian coast guard issues a "gale warning," but the names of the affected areas are impossible to understand... Our initial weather forecast must have been correct...

The North Sea is protected by the British Isles from westerly swells, so we have little sea.

The arrival in Stavanger between the many islands whose markings are not understood is "interesting" with, of course, a cruise ship imposing itself in the very narrow final channel.

In Norway, marinas are tiny, even here in Stavanger, but very well equipped. However, don't look for a harbor office: they don't exist!

Our very friendly Norwegian neighbors on the pontoons give us a briefing. We need to learn how to use the right app to pay the port fees and get the toilet access code.

No one has any cash anymore, so a phone and credit card are essential to "survive".

The temperatures are summery, much more pleasant than in Scotland, and the sea is at least 17°C on this southwest coast of Norway. There's still a bit of rain, it's only June, but the blueberries by the sea are already ripe!

We head south towards Norway (Cape Lindesnes) where the summer season is in full swing. Magnificent natural harbors at Egersund and Rasvag.

Then, from Cape Lindesnes, we head back up towards Oslo through the channels between the very close coastal islands. There's no question of tacking in these channels; it's as calm as a lake, but our route is very winding, and everyone is motoring.

Inside the islands there is no current and no chop, which allows you to approach the coast calmly and sleep peacefully even alongside granite.

We tried to sail offshore but faced a discouraging 2kt NE current (a whim of the Gulf Stream).

The hardest part in the region is choosing an anchorage or port, as there are so many. Hence the many short hops to enjoy them! The entrances are very narrow, sometimes only two boat lengths wide, but the rounded, rocky coastline is often acrimonious.

Lillesand

Risor

We leave Norway at Jomfruland, a little south of Oslo.

Arrival in Sweden

Finally, a full day sailing! Not much of a change of scenery when reaching the Swedish coast! The country is less wealthy than Norway but definitely more sailing-oriented.

Hamburgsund

Hunnebostrand

We will reach the island of Orust north of Gothenburg on August 18th.

Nabucco is spending eight months in winter storage in Henan, 30 nautical miles north of Gothenburg. The mast has been removed and the boat is stored in a heated hangar at +7°C at "Orust Yacht Services," a shipyard highly recommended by the Swedes and Norwegians we met. They take care of absolutely everything: rinsing and drying the sails, unstepping the mast, polishing the hull and deck, applying antifouling paint, engine maintenance...!!! It's very, very expensive, but it's the price to pay for a peaceful winter so far from your boat, and you don't go to Sweden every year.

We're taking the train back to Annecy, delighted to be able to visit Gothenburg and Hamburg along the way. Next May we'll be stopping in Copenhagen! The journey is easy and comfortable, and gives us time to settle in after a few months at sea.

An initial assessment

Three and a half months of cruising, 1680 NM, 170 liters of fuel for 120 hours of engine use (lack of wind in the Gulf of Oslo), 32 ports and 20 anchorages.

No noticeable problems with this 2-year-old 1070+. Total electrical autonomy with our 230W of walkable solar panels glued to the deck and a 200Ah lithium battery.

Online procedure to follow if you are coming from Scotland to enter Norway, which is outside the Schengen Area. We heard of boaters being fined €1000 for forgetting to complete the form. In our case, the police came to the Stavanger marina to make us fill it out. Norway is not in the EU but is in the Schengen Area. Sweden is in the EU and in the Schengen Area.

These two nations have kept their own currencies: the Norwegian krone and the Swedish krona. The cost of living is very high in Norway; a coffee costs 45 NKR, or €4… slightly less in Sweden.

The essential app for the Norwegian and Swedish coasts, Harbour-Guide , tells you everything with detailed charts and aerial photos: marina layouts and berth locations, descriptions of countless anchorages with mooring buoy locations, rocks where you can dock, visitor buoys... It's indispensable. Navily doesn't measure up, and a nautical guide like Imray isn't very useful for marinas and anchorages. You can also find printed Harbour Guides at local chandleries.

Several apps for paying marinas: Gomarina, Dockspot... Sometimes, in smaller marinas, you can leave an envelope with cash.

You can often reserve your place for the next marina (in July this can be useful in southern Norway and the Gulf of Oslo) via Harbour Guide or directly on Dockspot.

The Norwegians all have a stern bow roller; at anchor, they drop anchor and proceed towards the rock to disembark from the bow and pass a mooring line through the eye-shaped anchor marked by Harbour-Guide. We do it in reverse, and Sophie dives with a mooring line.

Warning: Campingaz is not available in the North. You must therefore either bring your own supplies or buy a regulator and gas cylinder for the country. Keep in mind that the two countries do not use the same gas cylinders!

There are no tides in this southern part of Norway and Sweden. There are no currents between the islands (unlike in Scotland!), and numerous buoys keep the navigator busy. A well-coordinated crew is essential, as reading the chart can sometimes be tricky. The colors of Norwegian buoys are only visible when you're right up close!

School holidays start around June 20th and end on August 15th. The peak season is really in July.

We enjoyed summer-like conditions with plenty of swimming in the sea and inland lakes. Southern Norway and this part of Sweden are a sailing paradise, very popular with Nordic people as it's a bit like their French Riviera, but we only encountered one French sailboat.

This summer of 2025 was probably exceptionally beautiful. We had temperatures up to 29°C in the aft cabin, and the sea temperature south of Oslo reached 23°C. We even had to use the sunshine meter! The downside: the harbors and anchorages are very busy, and it's not always easy to find a berth...

Next year we plan to go north of Bergen to the great fjords....

Some videos can be found at: shpountzaquarelle.jimdo.com