From Bergen to Denmark - a year in Norway comes to an end

It is simply wonderful to unexpectedly meet old friends with family from the "old home" in Norway and that twice. Friends from our 'pre-sail mountaineering' phase of life, who follow our journey virtually or were already on board in Tromsø for ski tours; whose children sail themselves or are interested in doing so.

One reunion took place in Bergen and one in Strusshamn (5 nm from Bergen). We let ourselves in for the tourist atmosphere in Bergen and then for the lonely idyll with sauna in Strusshamn. On top of that, there is a tremendous fishing success, so that six people can now eat fish a few times.

Following these meetings, the two of us set off again through the archipelago, in changeable weather, to Utsira. This island with hidden street art paintings, a lighthouse, lots of sheep and pretty houses is our place to stay for two days.

We walk along an established footpath through the boggy rocky landscape and pass a huge stranded buoy. It's a good thing it didn't strike us at sea.

We buy crab claws and big lobsters at the local supermarket - fresh from the fisherman in the village. We continue our seafood diet with a great mackerel catch. Christine takes oysters and mussels out of the water in the archipelago bays of Lillesand - the crowning glory of our summer menu.

To get to Lillesand, we took another long drive. We like the variation in the meantime, with night cruises and then again short legs or even a few days in one place. In Grimstad we anchor in a rather small bay for the Aegir and moor with a shore line. There are enough hooks in the rocks for this.

The next few days we expect little wind and lots of sun with pleasant temperatures. We take care of a few rust spots on the inside of the ship: Dremeln, priming, epoxy and painting - good timing for this first round. The bays fill up at the weekend. The local boats are moored right on the rocks. We unpack the SUP and chill out on deck. On the island there are berries and mushrooms again - we can't get enough of them.

Our next stop takes us to Arendal. We are moored at the pier in Pollen town harbour and enjoy two real summer days. Even though the season is over, there are still quite a few people on the promenade in these temperatures. Here, too, reunions are an extreme pleasure. We meet Bert & Marlene from the SY Heimkehr. A common topic is corrosion on board - a never-ending story with the feel of a thriller. We are then drawn to a quiet bay behind Arendal to do some maintenance work in the doldrums.

After almost a year, we leave Norway and will briefly hoist the Danish host country flag before landing in Germany. The Kiel Canal, the Elbe and then the North Sea again will be our "last" adventures in 2023 on the Aegir. Soon we will see some friends and family again - in the Baltic Sea, on board, in the home port of Hamburg and later in Cuxhaven. We are looking forward to it!