…along the Arctic coast of Norway? Sure there are – plenty! Ok, you might not want to dip into the sea immediately after the hook catched the ground or get your three layers and the cap off for sunbathing, but yes there are beautiful anchorages hidden away behind steep mountains in Fjords between small skerry islands probably with a little farm on one, sandy beaches and emerald colored water. And there is silence! All you will hear is nature. Birds, probably a creek delivering fresh water from a glacier to the sea and the wind humming in your rig. Even after a long sailing day you will have more than enough daylight time to explore the surroundings.
Speaking of daylight – the sun is there – 24/7 – so sunbathing would actually not be an issue, even if it might be cloudy for some hours during day, just wait for them to disappear, the sun will not set until somewhen in July or so anyway. And if you haven’t seen a no-sunset with a reddish shining sun in the true North yet – from end of May until mid of July is then your time to take a yacht out (depending which Lat you are).
If you are lucky it has been snowing in the mountains before you arrived. The scenery with wintery tops up there and summer on the coast line is spectacular. If you are less lucky it might snow in the mountains during your stay. That often means rain on sea level. On the other hand this rain showers bring quite some energy along which makes sailing through sounds and in Fjords very exciting. If you have not yet understood what they mean with katabatic winds – now you’ll find out. I am usually not an »advice giving« guy but here is one of my few: stand by your main sheet! If you are unlucky it snows down to the beaches – can happen but is relative unlikely during summer. Some might not consider the latter unlucky – it’s all just a point of view.
In September the angle of sunbeams immerse the whole indian summer colored landscape into a magical light which leaves you amazed for the rest of your journey and long after. Now during darkness at night you might even spot some early Northern Lights – if the sky is clear. And if you are still underway when night falls you might become one of the few who has sailed under Aurora Borealis. Quite an achievement… Now nature gets ready to fall asleep for a long winter. Autumn in the Arctic is short but beautiful and from one day to another the winter will be back with snow on deck and very chilly air.
The Arctic coast of Norway is a diversified and challenging sailing area with plenty of fascinating wilderness and astonishing history. The people up there are friends for life once they came to know you and the whole place is just to fall in love with. If you don’t mind putting some extra clothing on you are highly at risk to get addicted to exploring Northern Norway. Of course you can’t have everything at once. Midnightsun obviously does not come together with Northern Lights. But that is just another good reason to visit this unique cruising area more than one time.
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