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We are motor-sailing fast to beat the foul weather expected later tonight. Now we have westerly winds of about 20 knots. However, the wind is projected to shift to the south and blow to a gale. With a bit of luck, we might be able to get around to the south side of Ireland and anchor in the Baltimore harbor before the wind shifts south and strengthens. Even then we will have to make sure our anchor is holding well. Maybe we will use two anchors as Baltimore is not fully protected from southerly winds. Fortunately, this gale is not projected to last long or be especially strong. As usual, I check the weather updates as they come in and keep searching for alternative destinations in case we fall behind the weather pattern.

My last log left you with Pride II anchored in Naersnes, a quiet Oslofjord anchorage. The night remained quiet and all hands woke to a very autumnal morning surrounded by the hills of the fjord. We proceeded to get ready to sail the ship into Oslo, only 12 miles away.

Our entrance into Oslo was typical and grand with a lot of sail and cannons blasting salutes. The afternoon was busy for the crew. Laundry was sent out and the ship made ready to host another reception for the Tourism Branch of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development with Iceland Air. Our ship's agent, Jan Kristian, was there to handle details. He must be good because there were no details. A crew list and other declarations were not needed - the first time that has happened anywhere except upon our arrival into the United States with only Americans on board. As promised, electricity and water were ready and John, our engineer, put the tired batteries on the charger immediately. Oslo turned out to be one of the easiest ports for our engineer. With all the chores accomplished so smoothly, it was easy to set a schedule so each crewmember received a full day off.

My preoccupation while in Oslo was following up on the ship's battery situation. Since Copenhagen, we had been dealing with batteries that seemed suddenly unable to hold a charge in their usual fashion. Communications with our electrical contractor, Mike Christie in Philadelphia, seemed to point to replacing them. Not an easy thing to do in Europe because the type of battery design we use is unavailable in Europe, and the importer in England was out of stock till late October. Meanwhile, we measured the levels of the batteries every hour of the day through each cycle of charging and draining. We were trying to identify specific problems in the hopes of avoiding shipping six new heavy batteries out to the ship.

"Norway in a Nutshell" The crew's major decision in Oslo was whether to take the 24-hour tour of the fjords of Norway called "Norway in a Nutshell." I have never been able to do it myself, but what I have heard about it makes me wish I could. The adventure begins with a four-hour, early morning train up a mountain range to the top of the Norwegian peninsula. From there, a small special train travels down the mountain to a small town at the bottom of a fjord. The tour continues by boat exploring two small fjords. Then it's up the mountain again by bus, switching back and forth across the mountainside. At the top, a regular train continues across to Bergen on the Atlantic side for the evening. Just before midnight, the tour group boards another train bound for Oslo and arrives before breakfast. The entire tour costs only $130 American. After much discussion, Andy the Cook and Lee Vogtman, our Teacher Aboard, were the only ones to make the sojourn. They came back beaming! Maybe I will do that trip someday.

A Military Warning! I got served a warning by the Norwegian military for failing to fax a 24-hour notice of our arrival at the call-in point of the Oslofjord Vessel Traffic Service System! The regulations call for any foreign vessel above a certain size to make an advance warning. Jan Kristian, our agent, was surprised because he thought he had dealt with that regulation. He promised to check into the situation, but it did not change the fact I had to sign a receipt acknowledging that I had been served a warning. A day later, someone from the American Embassy came to tell me that there was some confusion about Pride II's status. Apparently, when registering to visit Norway, Pride II was classified as a state owned vessel. This type of classification normally applies to visiting military ships. Due to the proximity of Russia during the Cold War, national security is high in Norway and Sweden. They keep close track of visiting "state owned" vessels.

The authorities wanted to be contacted the moment Pride II departed Norwegian waters - a requirement we never encountered in past visits to Norway. Just as I was being told this, Jan Kristian came aboard to say that the earlier warning was no longer a problem and offered to make the call to the authorities on Pride II's behalf after she left Oslo.

I have come to the conclusion that Norway is not very friendly to large sailing vessels. Because her itinerary is laid out in advance, informing Norway of Pride II's intended arrival was easy. However, we had favorable weather as we left Göteborg, so we sailed swiftly - so fast, in fact, we arrived 24 hours ahead of schedule. I made the best of the situation by locating a protected harbor on the chart. We anchored for the night before our official arrival in Oslo, which meant we sailed into Norwegian waters before we intended. Evidently this triggered the official warning. What, pray tell, is a sailboat to do? Stay away from Norway? Norwegians are great sailors, so I doubt they would recommend this course of action. Maybe the problem was our designation as a state vessel. Either way, the next time we are scheduled for a stop in Norway, doubtlessly, we will follow the regulations. However, we may still be forced to violate them again if we arrive early due to good weather. If I am the captain on board and it occurs again, I will be a second time violator and subject to financial consequences. All of this because sailboats cannot be rigidly scheduled. What's a sailor to do?

Route to Ireland We sailed to Ireland by the northern route, that is, around the top of Scotland via Pentland Firth, then down the west coast of Scotland and Ireland. There is a 6-mile advantage to going the other way – the inside route via the North Sea and the English Channel. One advantage of the route I've chosen is that if the winds become severe and unfavorable, there are lots of places to duck into along the Scottish and Irish coasts. The first time I chose the northern route was late August 1996. We had mild and mostly favorable weather, although strong westerlys blew in the English Channel. Some strong weather has come through this late September, and there is the threat of more unfavorable weather. Even so, with the fast sailing in the North Sea and the motoring down the west side of Scotland and Ireland, it has been a fast trip. We have sailed nearly 1,100 miles in about five and a half days. Admittedly, we have motored about half that distance. However, by keeping up the quick pace, we are now about to arrive at our favorite home away from home - Baltimore, Ireland!

Later Same Day
Position: Motoring Along the Southwest Shore of Ireland

The foul weather is taking longer to arrive than originally estimated. Meanwhile, we have made good time and should arrive in Baltimore around 2200 hours. The blow will probably come in about dawn tomorrow. The weather is perfectly fair this afternoon so we are able to skirt close to the Irish coast. The sharp relief of the off shore islands is spectacular. We saw Blasket Islands first, then the Skellig Islands, followed by The Bull and The Calf. Soon we will by passing by Mizzen Head and Cape Clear before turning further inshore for Baltimore. What a spectacle! Cheers, Captain Miles

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Past Logs

1999 Captain's Logs Index | December 1998 | November 1998
October 1998 | September 1998 | August 1998 | July 1998 | June 1998 | May 1998
| April 1998 | March 1998 | February 1998 | January 1998 | December 1997 | October 1997
| September 1997 | August 1997 | July 1997 | June 1997 | May 1997 | March - April 1997
| December 1996 | September - November 1996 | August 1996 | July 1996 | June 1996 | May 1996 |

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