Norwegian summer power voyaging

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Steve C. D’Antonio, one of our frequent contributing writers, has been on a power voyage trip to Norway aboard Nikita, a Fleming 78 cruising vessel. Below are some photos and descriptions from Steve about what he’s seeing in Scandinavia. All of his en-route posts can also be found on his website at www.stevedmarineconsulting.com or you can follow his most recent trips at https://www.facebook.com/stevedmarineconsulting/

“The weather remains gorgeous, clear blue skies, 65°F, and light winds. The waters through which we pass offer a mixture of vistas, rural, farms, homes, and industry, there’s even a refinery [ in Haugesund] complete with two oil tankers docked and a flare stack. Even this, however, appears, at least from the Nikita’s deck, immaculate.” 
 

”Upon our departure we make our way to our next overnight port, Haugesund, where we secure Nikita to a bulkhead on a canal or ‘water-street,’ which separates the mainland from two islands, Risøy and Hasseløy. Originally a herring port founded in the 1850s, it’s now home to ship building and oil field support operations. The sound that parallels the canal, Karmsund, represented the main thoroughfare for those heading north; it was referred to as ‘The North Way’ ultimately giving way to ‘Norway’. Along the canal are moored a wide range of vessels, from a timber schooner, and small recreational power boats, to antique vessels, large tug boats, and fishing boats, as well as a 67 foot, aluminum Norwegian Search and Rescue Vessel or redningskryssere (Rescue Cruiser), the ‘Bergen Kreds’. With significant freeboard, a fully glazed pilothouse and its large, distinctive Maltese cross on the bow, she looks to be all business.” 

“The Redningsselskapet, or ‘RS’ is the Norsk Selskab til Skibbrudnes Redning, or the ‘The Norwegian Society for the Rescue of the Shipwrecked’, which is often simply abbreviated as the ‘Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue’.  A cross between a Coast Guard and volunteer fire department, it is financed using a combination of membership fees (not unlike BoatUS and SeaTow in the United States), donations (some of their 50 vessels are named after donors or sponsors), and government subsidies; the vast majority of its over 1,200 staff are volunteers, with the larger vessels like the Bergen Kreds be crewed full time.”

Steve has taught navigation aboard the US Naval Academy’s Sail Training Vessel, served as a navigator for multiple offshore passages including six yacht races, and through his marine consulting company has inspected hundreds of vessels. He is an American Boat and Yacht Council certified master technician.

Steve’s first publication of marine literature in 1994 began his career of documenting ocean travel and he has since compiled an astounding catalog of over 1,000 articles and 1,000,000 images.

https://www.facebook.com/stevedmarineconsulting/

www.stevedmarineconsulting.com

 

 

 
By Ocean Navigator