Summer 2021 was finally here, and Gabrielle (my girlfriend), myself and Lyra our Albin Vega sailboat, were all set and ready to go explore this pristine part of Norway!

In Norwegian we call the southern coast for “Sørlandskysten”. And then there is the word “Sørlandsidyll” (the idyllic south), which describes the idyllic atmosphere you find in this part of Norway. Small coastal towns with white wooden houses and narrow streets just waiting to be explored, and thousands of small islands in the archipelago where one can moor for the night. Without doubt, we were up for a real sailing adventure!

In addition to writing this post I also made three YouTube-episodes which I will post in this article.

Lyra – Our Albin Vega sailboat

Sailing out of Oslo – Part 1

When you live in Oslo, there is no way of getting anywhere on a boat without sailing out of the Oslo fjord. It can be a bit tedious to do this long stretch of water, but with a good wind from the north you can sail the whole stretch in one day. However, we had mostly head wind from the south and ended up spending two days out of the fjord. Luckily we were not in a rush and enjoyed every minute, and especially the wonderful anchorages we found along the way. Get the whole story in the Youtube-episode below.

https://youtu.be/ztUbfTUHenM

Natural harbors, narrow passages and the charming town of Risør – Part 2

In Norway you can moor your boat in what we call for “uthavn” (natural harbors). This is a great way to get close to nature and stay in a quiet and peaceful spot (unless there’s a storm). To do so you can stay on anchor, or you can tie the bow of the boat to the rocks and have an anchor out from the stern. The advantage of Lyra being a small boat is that we can go into places that other sailors can not reach, and have the most idyllic lagoons and islands all to ourselves. Another great thing of sailing down the southern coast of Norway are all the quaint little villages. Risør is one of them, and we head in to explore this little gem of a town. Check out the episode below for the full story.

https://youtu.be/8LW7ndllqlY

We reach our final destination of Kristiansand – Part 3

Some harbors are more epic than others, and at Valøyene just outside Grimstad, we found paradise. A wonderful little lagoon with crystal clear water. Great for swimming and snorkeling. We hiked up to the top of the island and later enjoyed some grilled mackerel and sausages on a rock just above Lyra. Life is great being a sailor in Norway! Also we explore Grimstad, sail through Blindleia (an inland water passage), and make it to our final destination: Kristiansand.

https://youtu.be/NtOJGvWope0

Thanks for reading this post and watching the episodes!

Sailor greetings from Gabrielle, Lyra and Pål