Norway

[Honey]

I am thinking about Norway for next summers cruise - specifically Hardanger fjiord. Can anyone recommend a pilot book / almanac for this area.

If anyone has any experiance of Norway for cruising I would be pleased to hear it.

 

[Sadlermike]

There is no comprehensive pilot of the kind published for the UK, France, etc. The length of the coastline and the huge no. of anchorages precludes this.

The best book is 'Norway' by Judy Lomax, published by Imray. The first edition was published in 2007 but a second edition is in preparation so it may be worth waiting for that.

The Norwegian series (Den Norske Los) is interesting but a luxury at £55 per volume.

I have used other books but found them less useful than the above.

Difficult to offer other advice without knowing what questions you have.

 

[Fascadale]

I was in Hardangerfjord last summer. Great place. We made our landfall on the outlying island group of Espevaer, a very attractive little place and then went on up the fjord as far as Jondal. At Jondal you can take the ski bus up 1200 metres to the Folgefonna glacier and do a bit of summer skiing.

We used the Judy Lomax book, the UK admiralty charts and the Nauticpath software on a small Lowrance plotter. The Judy Lomax book does not have the chartlets or detail that I am used to in UK pilot books, the UK charts give little detail inside the 20metre (I think) contour, and the Nauticpath was OK.

That being said we did not bump into anything; on the whole the water is very deep and any dangers very well marked.

I was given an old Norwegian chart which, at the same scale gave more detail than the UK ones, and there is a Norwegian guide in paperback which gives loads of detail but is very expensive. I'll try to dredge out its name later today.

Be certain of your airdraft and be certain to have all available details of bridges and cables.
We didn't so ended up doing an emergency stop and a U turn for some overhead cables in Heroeysund.


Espevaer

A well marked rock on the way into Rosendal

On top of the world

Another bridge

Enjoy it

 

[Honey]

Thanks guys

Thanks for that Fascadale. The photo's are truly stunning! I have spoken to Sadlermike and he says basically the same as you regarding Pilots etc. I have a computer programme for tides and electonic charts, but are printed tide tables available? or did you rely on electronic data?

 

[Sadlermike]

Tides

The Norwegian Hydrographic Office publisihes an annual set of tide tables for some 20 standard ports. Unfortunately, this is expensive (approx £20).

HW Bergen is approx 1 hr before HW Dover. Tidal streams are not strong south of the Arctic Circle except for Lindesnes and one or two places referred to by Judy Lomax. I coped easily enough with Dover tides and the information in Lomax's book.

 

[EastCoastChris]

Done a little cruising in Norway and it really is fantastic. Quite often ended up alongside large tires that would easily swallow fenders, make sure you have good fender boards to hand.

Chris

 

[awol]

I, too have been considering Norway in 2010. The Norwegian Hydrographic Office produce Norway Small Craft Chart Packs @£50 a pop. I would need at least 3 of these (i.e. £150) and am beginning to wonder whether the chart plotter ("Not to be used for Navigation") might not be a better return on my pennies.

Does anyone have experience of these chart packs?

And, yes, I know that one should always have paper charts as well as a plotter but I was considering fewer, smaller scale charts + the electronic gizmo.

 

[puddock]

I was intending to venture to Norway in 2010 but unfortunately work seems to be dictating otherwise and I won't be able to consider it until 2011 at the earliest.
I have the "Den Norske Los" volumes 4,5 and 6 that I could allow someone to borrow if it helps. (#4 -Stad - Rorvik, #5 - Rorvik - Lodingen og Andenes, #6 - Lodingen og Andenes - Grense Jacobselv)
Norway is absolutely stunning and if I can be of any encouragement to encourage or help someone on their way, to explore the area, I'd be only too happy.

PM me if you are interested.

EDIT: PILOTS ARE PROMISED TO SOMEONE NOW _ SORRY.

 

[pandroid]

Norwegian Cruising Guide

We used the Norwegian Cruising Guide
Its only available as an e-book but its pretty comprehensive and up to date, and of course, its in English.

The Norwegian Redningsselskapet (NSSR) publish a Harbour Guide which you get for free if you join.

We found both useful

Ivan
www.kissen.co.uk

 

[Sadlermike]

Charts and Guides

I disagree with pandroid about the Norwegian Cruising Guide e-book. While it contains a lot of background information about Norway, it is certainly not comprehensive (Lomax contains many more anchorages) nor up to date (the authours admit that many anchorages have not been visited for several years). I took a copy with me this year but would not recommend it. Lomax's book is in a different league.

The small craft chart packs are an economical way to buy charts if you intend to cruise for an extended period within a limited area. Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid expensive charts if cruising Norway. On the first occasion I went, I relied on Admiralty Charts. This was safe enough but very limiting as the scale precludes entry to many anchorages and channels. The second and third times I relied upon a mixture of secondhand Norwegian charts for the areas I intended to spend time exploring and current Admiralty charts for 'passage' sections of the coast. This was an economical but not entirely satisfactory combination in view of the speed of developments in Norway; embarassing to sail ten miles down a sound to find a new bridge built at the end of it. This year I had a chartplotter and this transformed navigation as I confidently entered some fantastic anchorages with submerged rocks in the entrances that I would have been nervous about without the plotter.

My Navionics chart of Norway is now for sale; this is not connected to my enthusiasm for electronic charts!

 

[Fascadale]

I was OK getting about using the Nauticpath chart on my plotter. Certainly it had much more detail than the full set of UK charts I had for the area. As Sadlermike says the charts are good for the "passage sections"

I also have a rather somalian copy of C-Map on my laptop which gives better detail than the charts

There is very little tide in Hardangerfjord, not enough to take into account for passage planning and hardly requiring warps to be adjusted when alongside. The tide gets bigger as you go north past Bergen.

The Lomax book lists the very small number of places, narrow sounds etc, where the tide is an issue, such as here

The sea marks in Norway are very good, usually a post of some sort and usually giving an idication of what side they should be passed.

Making our way slowly into another perfect anchorage. The entrance was very narrow but there was plenty of water.

 

[Viking]

Hi Living here helps. I was in Handangerfjord last summer.
I use both the Båtsportkartserien (smallcraft chart series) for my locla cruising areas But when I'm turing I use the Hovedkartseriens (Main chart series) the small chart series is these main charts cut up. Most if not all your navigation will be A1 eye-ball pilotage. So I plan on the big charts to plot, then use the chartplotter to pilot because the chart looking down you can see the opening say, between Islands but from sea-level its not so easy.
I'm sailing over from England with friend and his boat hopefully next May.
If you need any help or information drop me a note.
Perhaps we could organise a NRC (Norwegian Rally of Cruisers)??

 

[huzar30]

More importantly, what's the weather like? Does it get all the depressions after they've been over Scotland?

 

[Honey]

Thanks guys.

Thanks for all the info and advice guys - just one more question.

As Norway is not in the EU, although it has signed up to many of the conventions, are there any special 'clearing in' formalities or dues and if so at which ports?

Fascadale - any more pics - Was that skiing in summer?

 

[Sadlermike]

Clearing in

You should clear in; Noonsite has a list of ports of entry. Bergen will probably be your nearest.

The Norwegians are very relaxed about clearance. I tried very hard to clear in the first time I went but was told by customs that, as I would be in Norwegian waters for less than three months, the paperwork was not worth the trouble.

 

[Fascadale]

Noonsite gives useful information on getting into Norway, the Judy Lomax book says virtually the same thing.

It is perhaps worth noting the reference to the Certificate of Competence on the Noonsite page.

I have seen it written elsewhere, but I can't remember where, that UK yachts do not have to clear into Norway. We flew a yellow flag at the first place we arrived, made a few enquiries as to where we might find somebody to check in with and then forgot about it.

With reference to Norway and the importtation of alcohol, I heard of one yacht, a 28 footer, that took 600 cans of beer for a five month cruise. We took 100. (600 sounds alot until you divide it by 5 for months, 3 for the crew and then 30 dor the days of the month)

The skiing was in the summer. Its not much of a ski centre, one long T-bar up the glacier with a couple of runs and some very poor quality snow. The lift pass and ski hire were ridiculously expensive but it was well worth it. The bus ride up the mountain is very good and the views from the top are huge. The glacier is part of a very large ice cap that you see when coming up the fjord.

The deep water and low tidal range mean that there are places you can just tie up to the rocks for the night

 

[roger]

The NauticPath chart is good (at least in the Baltic) but usually misses out bridge and cable hieghts and marina layouts. You may need to be a bit inventive with the display controls to get good discrimination between land and water. I would regard the Norwegian charts as essential if only for the aforesaid cable and bridge hieghts. There are some fantastically complex areas in the archipelagoes and I would not like to explore them without paper charts.
The first time I ever sailed in these waters I hired a boat without an echo sounder and was told "We dont fit them; they give you a false sense of security".
Tidal hieghts are not very important in Southern Norway, perhaps a metre or so in Bergen but up near the Lofoten Islands you get the Maelstrom and the Saltstraumen (up to 20 kts at springs and very impressive). Any passage labelled ...strom or ...straum implies a fast flowing current.
Officially you should clear in to Norway. Officially this starts a clock going, giving you the right to sail in Norwegian waters for ( I think 6 months) no longer. Again officially If you leave the boat in Norway you can be deemed to have imported it and so become liable to import duties of about 25 %. The law is not always applied but it remains in force so be aware of the risk.
The fjord areas are world class scenery in my view and in that of Cruise Ship Companies. It is amazing to sail in water 1.3 kilometres deep with snow capped hills of the same hieght on either side.
In the fjords most of the craft are small motor boats so that marinas do not cater for modest sized yachts. At Balestrand for example we stuch out at both ends of a hammerhead with length of 9.6 metres.
Please note that our last visit was in 2001 and changes may well have happened since.

 

[Chartexpert]

Schandinavian charts from www.c-map.eu

We are a scandinavian supplier of digital charts and anyone are welcome to contact us regarding digital charts and navigation i scandinavian waters

We have C-Map and Navionics charts , which cover scandinavian waters quite well

regards

Adam

http://www.C-map.eu


http://c-map.eu