The air temperature was just below freezing as we continued south along the Norwegian coast late January, and the surface ice levels increased, particularly near freshwater inflows away from the warming effects of the Gulf Stream.

After departing Kvitsoy, we anchored for a night at Nordragabet near Egersund and saw little ice on a tender tour of the coast. But the surface ice was notable the next morning as we passed more inland through Egersund, an area our pilot guide describes as “ice free during normal winters”. Several of the potential anchorages we scouted were iced-in, but we eventually found a wonderful spot off the village of Andabeloy, in an unusual setting surrounded by large pieces of loose ice.

Below are highlights from January 25th and 26th, 2021. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.

1/25/2021

Moored Ships Position: 58°51.96’N, 5°24.34’E Diverting course to pass behind the Pola Varvara as we approach a group of tankers moored offshore. We aim to make course changes early, so they don’t need to be as large, but in this case we were passing just in front of the ship on its existing course. They turned slightly to port, and we would still pass safely in front, but it was closer than we liked so we chose to take their stern.

Entering Nordragabet Position: 58°27.81’N, 5°52.51’E Entering Nordragabet towards the town of Egersund.

Nordragabet Anchorage Position: 58°27.67’N, 5°54.40’E Our anchorage at Nordragabet in 41ft (12 m) on 175ft (53m) of rode.

Dirona Position: 58°27.64’N, 5°54.40’E Dirona moored in Nordragabet on a calm and sunny day.

Bundled Up Position: 58°27.24’N, 5°52.60’E Bundled up in our Mustang suits for a tender exploration of the area. With the temperature at 35°F; (1.7°C) we’re warm and comfortable.

Havbris Position: 58°27.77’N, 5°53.53’E The cargo ship Havbris entering Nordragabet through the channel we passed through earlier.

Gyarhavn Position: 58°27.92’N, 5°53.19’E A layer of ice on the small bay Gyarhavn along the north side of Nordragabet.

Hellvik Position: 58°28.77’N, 5°52.44’E The village of Hellvik, just outside the mouth of Nordragabet, is a popular location for summer homes.

Eigeroy Lighthouse Position: 58°25.75’N, 5°52.17’E The Eigeroy Lighthouse on the exposed North Sea coast was established in 1854. The light has a 1st order Fresnel lens and is visible for 19 nautical miles.

Seksarvagen Position: 58°26.10’N, 5°53.39’E Traditional Norwegian boathouses in the channel Seksarvagen on the island of Ytstebrod. The sheltered waters and easy access to sea make the area ideal for a summer home, particularly for those who like to fish.

Net Position: 58°26.19’N, 5°52.65’E Large net washed ashore in Lovagen. Catching that in our prop at sea would be a real disaster.

Nautasundet Position: 58°26.44’N, 5°53.08’E The low and narrow bridge across the channek Nautasundet. We weren’t sure we could pass through as the charts show the channel as drying, and the bridge is so low no clearance is provided. But we had just enough water to make it through.

Nordragabet Anchorage Position: 58°27.54’N, 5°54.20’E Our anchorage at Nordragabet with the cargo ship Havbris we watched enter earlier moored in the distance.

Happy Hour Position: 58°27.66’N, 5°54.41’E Happy hour in Nordragabet with the lights of Egersund beyond. Although the days are getting longer and we’re no longer starting Happy Hour in the dark, the temperature isn’t getting any warmer. Tonight it’s 34°F (1.1°C).

1/26/2021

Ice on Snubber Position: 58°27.67’N, 5°54.41’E The temperature fell below freezing to 29°F (-1.6°C) last night, and surface ice froze around the snubber.

Dawn Position: 58°28.18’N, 5°57.01’E Dawn as we get underway from the anchorage at Nordragabet shortly before 9am.

Eiffel Tower Position: 58°28.00’N, 5°58.20’E Egersund’s “little Eiffel Tower”, a communications tower atop the hill Varberg.

Egersund Energy Hub Position: 58°27.42’N, 5°58.88’E Training tower at Egersund Energy Hub, a “centre for renewable energy and green tech”.

Path Through Ice Position: 58°27.15’N, 5°59.07’E Looking back to our path through the light surface ice south of the Egersund Energy Hub.

Storeknut Position: 58°27.04’N, 5°59.17’E As we proceeded south, the fishing vessel Storeknut was slowly working east across the channel with multiple lines attached to shore behind the ship. The appeared to be stretching out net lines as they reeled them onto the vessel. We waited for about ten minutes to stay out of their way until the ship began to work back towards the dock again.

Lines Position: 58°26.98’N, 5°59.15’E AS WE PASS IN FRONT OF STOREKNUT, you can see the lines extending from the stern to shore.

Egersund Net Position: 58°27.07’N, 5°59.15’E Egersund Net has been making fish farming nets since the early 1970s and is currently a leading European supplier with operations along the Norwegian coast. This is their huge manufacturing facility at Egersund.

Thicker Ice Position: 58°26.94’N, 5°59.19’E The ice got thicker as we continued through Egersund. Our pilot guide describes Egersund as “ice free during normal winters”, so we likely are seeing colder temperatures than normal.

Navy Vessels Position: 58°26.20’N, 5°59.14’E Two ex-Norwegian Navy minesweepers moored at Egersund. After being stripped of all military gear, the ships were sold to private buyers for about $300,000 USD each.

Vibberodden Lighthouse Position: 58°25.13’N, 5°59.70’E The Vibberodden Lighthouse station at the entrance to Egersund harbour was completed in 1855. The original light was replaced byt the current one in 1977.

Lygre Position: 58°25.13’N, 6°0.63’E Entering the narrow and shallow channel to the bay Lygre to look for a potential anchorage.

Iced In Position: 58°25.18’N, 6°0.71’E Lygre was almost completely iced in, so we left in search of an ice-free anchorage (or at least not too thick).

View Home Position: 58°22.68’N, 6°2.38’E Beautiful modern view home along the coast east of Egersund.

Rekefjord Stone Position: 58°18.06’N, 6°13.99’E The huge Rekefjord Stone quarry. The company is a European supplier of stone and aggregates for buildings, roads, and and offshore construction.

Cleft Position: 58°16.92’N, 6°17.43’E Distinctive cleft in the cliff at the head of Jossingfjord.

Eagles Position: 58°12.45’N, 6°32.54’E A pair of eagles perched on the rocks at the entrance to Rasvagen on the island of Hidra.

Ito Rasvag Position: 58°12.86’N, 6°34.66’E Entering the narrow channel into Ito Rasvag. It was a lovely town inside and would have been a great anchorage, but buoys in the middle restricted swing room and the small marina there was iced in.

Andabeloy Anchorage Position: 58°14.05’N, 6°40.40’E Our anchorage off the village of Andabeloy in 101ft (31m) on 300ft (91m) of rode. Finding an anchorage with all the ice everywhere was getting challenging, but we eventually found a spot we liked, but the loose ice chunks around us were still quite thick.

Andabeloy Views Position: 58°14.04’N, 6°40.44’E View to the anchorage at Andabeloy (clockwise from top left: forward, aft, starboard and port). It’s a bit of an unusual anchorage, in that we’re surrounded by loose ice. But we loved the setting and found the ice a real adventure.

Dusk Position: 58°14.04’N, 6°40.43’E Dusk looking to the village of Andabeloy from our ice-filled anchorage. It’s really beautiful.

Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise. On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.