We made it to Norway. The rather uneven passage lengths over the past few days were no coincidence. We had been waiting for a weather window that would make the long crossing of the Skagerrak a sensible proposition. Even now, we are sailing in a meteorological no-man’s-land, caught between a low-pressure system over the northern North Sea and a high-pressure system stretching across Central Europe. As evening falls in Skagen, we watch several Norwegian yachts slip their lines in calm conditions. Their goal is clear: round the sandy headland of Grenen before darkness makes the navigation more demanding. We, however, are in desperate need of a few more hours of sleep and would much rather have at least a little wind to sail with. So we postpone our departure until the early hours of the morning, accepting the risk that much stronger winds and rain may already be waiting for us by the time we reach the Norwegian coast. As it turns out, Norway welcomes us with a thoroughly generous shower and boat wash—free of charge and requiring no marina shower tokens. 

Skagen: Fortunately, a bright moon lights up the crystal-clear night. Guided by the Skagen Lighthouse, illuminated navigation buoys marking the hazards, and the Automatic Identification System, which reliably displays the courses of the many commercial vessels around us, we safely round Skagen Reef, pass the Skagen Traffic Separation Scheme, and finally set our course across the Skagerrak.

Above: A steady stream of ships making their way to and from the North Sea. Below: MS AIDAbella, bound for Iceland, makes the required alteration of course to pass safely clear of us, in accordance with the Colregs.

Top: Our only encounter with another sailing yacht during the crossing: SY Laurin, bound from Skagen to Kristiansand. Below: Crossing the maritime border between Denmark and Norway, the Dannebrog at our spreaders gives way to Norges flagg. Below: Arendal, our first Norwegian port, and the offshore lighthouse at Store Torungen welcome us with rain.