Some "behind the scenes", just for you! (Patreon)

Hi dear patrons! As some of you might know, our plan for this summer was to sail to the Baltic Sea. Our intended route was around the North Cape and then to Russia to the White Sea. From there we would take the White Sea - Baltic Sea canal (also called the "Stalin canal"), which goes through Russia. (Yes, it is possible to sail through Russia, from north to south!).

We already had the Russian visas and most of the permits in order but then... you already know what happened. COVID19 came and put an end to the plans. Russian border is still not open, and no idea when it will be. Another problem is, even if the border opens, the local bureaucracy will quite likely be worse than during a "normal" year. And in Russia it's not only the customs that you need to be worried about, but the local authorities, which operate independently, and with very  little communication between each other.

So we've decided to scrap this plan and are heading down the Norwegian coast instead. Not a bad option at all, all things considered.

When we get to the Baltic my idea is to sell this boat. Can't sell the boat in Norway due to VAT obligations. I'm looking for a budget-friendly metal boat to switch to, one that can withstand an overwintering (in ice) in Greenland (or similar place). So don't worry, even though next few months will be spent in the "south" (relatively speaking), we're returning to high latitudes ASAP :) I'll post more about the boat search later. But for now, if you know of a good 38-45 ft metal boat for sale in Europe... send me a message!

So currently we're slowly making our way south, and at the moment we're in the Lofoten islands, a very nice destination itself, but if any of you are planning on sailing to northern Norway some day, I also encourage you to look further! Lofoten is nice, but can also be relatively crowded, and there are very few anchorages... so you're forced to stick to the harbors.

Photos are scenic shots from the last few days.

Location map with descriptions is updated at https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1ZB_QECocCo9RhUjRpC3Zzjv_i1PYEYtl&usp=sharing




So now