Overwinter Northern Norway

[fifer]

So I've a medium term ambition to sail up to Lofoten in Northern Norway. I'd need to do the trip over a few summers with at least one overwinter in (likely) Northern Norway.

Has anyone done this? I'm vaguely aware of the need to not fall foul of import/Vat regulations but a more pressing concern is finding a safe and cost effective place to leave the boat year round. Any tips?

It seems like it's not necessarily mandatory to put the boat into storage over winter and it could stay on a pontoon/mooring in a sheltered spot?

Let's pretend Brexit isn't going to affect my ability to do this, and hope sanity will prevail!

 

[Ladybirdgaffcutter]

You can leave the boat in the water if you can find a port that definitely won't ice up. My old wooden yacht is over there but in the S East, the fiord (where she was built) is hot in summer, but ices up for months in winter, and they race rally cars on it!
But I left her in the water this year, only 5 miles away, at a small town harbour which never ices up.
It depends a lot on the exact local geography where ice grows.

Detailed planning needed to avoid a squashed boat. There is plenty of info available, various pilot books etc.
Your deck will get covered in ice and snow even in the south, make a plan for your batteries, engine coolant, minimal heating inside the boat.
I have heard of marinas with bubbles blown through the water to stop ice forming, don't know about that.

It's worth joining the Cruising Association for that trip, because the Baltic and Scandinavian sections, and forums, are brilliant, offering tons of 1st hand info about Norway you can't get any other way, lots of 2nd hand Norwegian used chart swapping etc.

I have never had any financial or import dealings with customs, VAT, import duty type people, I did try.. but they said don't worry about it..
I will add if anything else pops into my mind. (Such as: I wish I'd visited Norway sooner, when I was younger, the scenery makes anywhere else feel rather dull..)

The climate is not always what you expect. My boat's quite far south, but out of the last bit of Gulf Stream, so it's colder than the West Coast further north, which amazingly still gets some warmth all the way from Florida. In Bergen it really does rain about 300 days a year, miserable on a yacht.

Overwintering is surprising cheap, I paid £100 for a town-centre berth, for the whole winter. With a helpful guy keeping an eye on the snow build-up, extension lead etc. ( same as 3 nights in Lymington )

Electricity is very cheap or often free, as it falls out of the sky (mostly hydro-electric).
4g mobile coverage is amazing.

 

[Luffe44]

The fjords in the north stay ice free, even when the air temperature gets below freezing. You should be able to get a mooring in Lofoten, in one of the major villages like Svolvaer or Henningsvaer. But If you plan to stay onboard, I would recommend Bodø or Tromsø. Here you have a wider choice of things to do and easier flight connection. The VAT limit for foreign boats has been increased, should now be 18months, same as EU.

 

[dunedin]

I would second the recommendation to join the Cruising Association. Baltic section was very helpful, and have a Baltic Layup Guide which lists CA member experience of places to leave boats. Can also post this question in their forum.

 

[Luffe44]

If you go into the Baltic Sea, you will have a long cruise to get to the North Atlantic/Norwegian Sea ;-)

 

[Minchsailor]

I was in Norway last year, but a bit south of the Loftoten Is, but north of Bergen.

For an expensive country (and it is expensive by UK standards) , the yachting facilities were surprising 'cheap' - pontoon berths and marinas were a fraction of the price of the South coast, and generally better value - posh ablutions, laundrettes, BBQ areas, 'leccy, and so on all included.

I already had crew organised to get me back to the UK, otherwise I would have overwintered there. The tentative enquiries I did make came with prices at least competitive with the UK. No problem now with the customs and VAT for an overwinter stay; one person I spoke to had managed 2 winters.

South of the Loftotens, I think Brønnøysund may have something suitable, and Kristiansund (NB, not Kritiansand, which is a lot further south) will definitely have somewhere to keep a boat for the winter. Not so remote that connections to the UK are difficult.

Have you seen 'Norwegian Cruising Guide' by Nickel and Harris? Vol 1 has a lot of background information, including overwintering.

www.norwegiancruisingguide.com

 

[dunedin]

If you go into the Baltic Sea, you will have a long cruise to get to the North Atlantic/Norwegian Sea ;-)

Yes but the (very proactive) “Baltic” section of the CA has crept outwards - as far as Greenland I think

PS The online only Norwegian Cruising Guide is also good - but perhaps less so for over winter locations.

 

[Ladybirdgaffcutter]

I went the K-kanal and up the Little Belt, up to Skagen, then across the Skaggerak. Very pleasant if you've got time.

From Shetland is the next shortest sea crossing of course.

 

[fifer]

Thanks for the tips on the Cruising Association. I'm sure they would offer lots of help and are an excellent organisation but I'm baulking at the membership fee a little!

The Norwegian Cruising Guide tip is a good one and I'll pick up a copy!

I might overwinter in Shetland or Inverness on the way up there, but either way I'll be crossing the Northern North Sea. I'll save the Baltic proper for another trip!

 

[Minchsailor]

Thanks for the tips on the Cruising Association. I'm sure they would offer lots of help and are an excellent organisation but I'm baulking at the membership fee a little!

The Norwegian Cruising Guide tip is a good one and I'll pick up a copy!

I might overwinter in Shetland or Inverness on the way up there, but either way I'll be crossing the Northern North Sea. I'll save the Baltic proper for another trip!

I think boat storage in the Shetlands is very limited. Much of the yachting activity is centred around community owned 'boating clubs', rather than commercially. Inverness no problem.

Shetland - Norway is a surprisingly short trip. I've done it in 32 hours. Conveniently, on the direct route, there is a gap about 15 miles wide between two oil fields around 60 miles off the Norwegian coast. Outward bound, don't forget to stock-up with duty frees.

 

[dunedin]

Shetland - Norway is a surprisingly short trip. I've done it in 32 hours.

Which is great if you want to visit Shetland. But Inverness to Shetland is itself quite a trip. If just wanting to get to / from Norway, Wick or Peterhead to Tanager is probably a more direct route overall, and doable within 48 hours in reasonable weather window.