MV Dirona travel digest for Akrafjorden to Stavanger, Norway 2018


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9/23/2018: Viking Star
Passing the Bergin-registered cruise ship Viking Star on an early-morning departure from Bergen. We're typically up at 5am most days and generally will get underway immediately so that we can get in earlier to the next place and enjoy lunch or at least dinner there.

For most of our time in Norway, we had light no matter what time we got up, but now with the shorter days we're usually departing in the dark. So long as we don't have a difficult channel to pass through, running in the dark generally isn't a problem. We always pre-plot our course for the day, so we just need to follow it while watching for other traffic and ensuring the navigation markers and other clues all match up with our chartplotter.
9/23/2018: Nordkapp
The 344.7 ft (105.05 m) Norwegian Coast Guard offshore patrol vessel Nordkapp crossing Bjornafjorden.
9/23/2018: Fox Hunter
Samba Marin's Fox Hunter dive boat passing us at nearly 40 knots. The company specializes in support for fish farms and other marine industries. This boat is well-equipped for commercial diving.
9/23/2018: Lukksundet
Approaching the bridge across the narrows in Lukksundet. Fox Hunter is passing under ahead of us and the workboat Katla is nearing in the other direction
9/23/2018: Katla
The work boat Katla passing under bridge across Lukksundet. We've seen a lot of these almost-square-shaped work boats in Norway.
9/23/2018: Anchorage
The view east from our anchorage at the Romsa Islands. After a few days in town, we like to spend some time at anchor to catch up and enjoy some solitude.
9/24/2018: Romsa Islands
At anchor in the sheltered Romsa Islands.
9/24/2018: Akrafjorden
Looking up Akrafjorden on a 57-mile tender trip from the Romsa Islands to Langfossen waterfall. Conditions were a little rough to reach the mouth, but the tender did fine and now we're in relatively sheltered and smooth waters.
9/24/2018: Akra
The village of Akra nestled beneath steep mountains on the north side of Akrafjorden.
9/24/2018: Trolljuv Bridge
Trolljuv bridge, strung 377ft (115m) above the water, is another tunnel-to-tunnel suspension bridge. Thrill-seekers can bungee jump from it with Strikkhopp og Sant AS.
9/24/2018: Fresh Snow
Fresh snow on the mountains tops to our north. Winter is coming.
9/24/2018: Waterfall
Waterfall passing under a bridge along the old Akrafjorden coastal road. The new road passes through the 1.5 mile (2.4km) Markhus tunnel behind.
9/24/2018: Langfossen
Our goal for the tender trip: spectacular Langfossen, rated the best waterfall in Norway in the World Waterfall Database (and the best in the world using an earlier rating system). The waterfall gushes into the Akrafjorden from 2,008ft (612m) above, with a vertical drop of 400ft (122m), dwarfing the tour bus parked below on the left.
9/24/2018: Base of Falls
Two of the three shutes that Langfoss splits into before reaching Akrafjorden. The World Waterfall Database reports that "When surveyed in June of 2011, so much spray was being ejected from the base of the falls that attempting to cross the bridge below the falls on foot would have been tantamount to taking a stroll during a hurricane."
9/24/2018: Exploding
Water exploding in a sea of spray high up Langfossen.
9/24/2018: Akrafjorden Head
Looking towards the head of Akrafjorden from Langfossen.
9/24/2018: Fjaera
The village of Fjaera beneath steep cliffs at the head of Akrafjorden.
9/25/2018: Kvaener Stord
The massive Kvaener Stord yard to our north as we pass at 6:00am. The facility was a leading leading shipyard in the 1970s but now supports the oil and gas industry primarily in building, installing and decommissioning oil rigs.
9/25/2018: First Anchorage
We're just about to pass our very first Norwegian anchorage, Vorlandsvagen, where we stopped almost exactly five months ago on April 29th.
9/25/2018: Ryvarden Lighthouse
The Ryvarden Lighthouse, built in 1849, marks the southern entrance to Bomlafjorden, the outermost part of the Hardangerfjord where we recently made our road trip.
9/25/2018: Akvarell
We'd left the Romsa Islands around 4:30am this morning to round an exposed section, Sletta, before the winds came up later in the morning. We're glad to have stabilizers watching the small cargo ship Akvarell rolling in the swell heading north.
9/25/2018: Stavangerfjord
The Danish ferry Stavangerfjord heading north to Bergen from Stavanger on it's run between Norway and Denmark. The ship is the first cruise ferry in the world powered entirely by natural gas.
9/25/2018: Tonjer Lighthouse
The Tonjer Lighthouse at the norther entrance to Karmsundet.
9/25/2018: North Sea Hall
The huge North Sea Hall in one of Aibel's two major yards. Aibel, originally ABB Offshore Systems, operates in the offshore oil, gas and wind farm industries.
9/25/2018: Gasoline
We're getting low on gasoline, so stopped in at Haugesund for a fill. Here James is filling one of our two 29-gallon deck tanks.
9/25/2018: Haugesund
Moored for the night at Haugesund. We initially were planning to continue south after we'd picked up the gasoline, but decided to make a pass along the waterway through town. The guest moorage had plenty of space, and since we already had the fenders and lines out, we changed plans and decided to stop for the night to explore Haugesund.
9/26/2018: Shore 2
The second shorepower connection is in use and working great. Reading the new data off our "Moored" N2KView display, you can see that "Shore 2" is active at 50hz (white indicator light—green is 60hz), the voltage is 230V, we are currently are drawing 7A, and have consumed 15kWhrs so far on that connection. Over the winter in Amsterdam we'll be running with both "Shore 1" and "Shore 2" active for a combined 32A from a marina that doesn't have greater than 16A connections.
9/25/2018: Smedasundet
Nearly a dozen restaurants with heated, enclosed patios line Smedasundet just up from where we are moored. We had a great lunch on the patio at MM Cafe overlooking the harbor.
9/25/2018: Var Frelsers Church
Looking up to Torgatta to the 1,050-seat Var Frelsers Church, built in 1901.
9/25/2018: Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe's father, Edward Mortenson, was from Haugesund. This statue commemorates the 30th anniversary of her death.
9/25/2018: Mall
Inside one of Haugesund's several shopping malls.
9/25/2018: Porsche 911 GT3 RS
Now we're shopping :). We went into the local Mazda dealership for a closer look at a Porsche 911 GT3 RS in their used car display. I wonder which Mazda they traded for?
9/25/2018: Studs
The Mazda dealer had piles of studded tires ready to install. Winter is coming—time to get south.
9/25/2018: Motorama
We'll just miss a big car event that will be held on the nearby island of Karmoy in a few days.
9/25/2018: Town Hall
Haugesund's neo-classical, pink-colored Town Hall, opened in 1931, was a gift from shipbuilder Knut Knutsen. It was voted Norway's most beautiful town hall in 2010.
9/25/2018: Sorhauggata
Much of the length of Sorhauggata is a pedestrian mall with shops along both sides.
9/25/2018: Strandgata
Shops and restaurants along Strandgata. Stueland's Abothek, in white building at right, looks like an appealing pub.
9/25/2018: Smedasundet
The view north along Smedasundet from the Risoy Bridge. Dirona is moored at right along the quay (click image for a larger view).
9/25/2018: Chandlery
Checking out the local marine chandlery, Chr Baardsen & Son. Like the chandlery in Alesund, the store was much bigger than it appeared from the street and we kept finding more sections as we walked around. We purchased a replacement boat hook for the one that slipped overboard while untangling the anchor in Norangsfjorden.
9/25/2018: Simrad Echo
Simrad is a subsidiary of Norwegian company Kongsberg Maritime. Their vessel Simrad Echo is used for product development, testing, demonstrations and training courses.
9/25/2018: RS Truck
We've seen plenty of Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue vessels, but this is the first truck.
9/25/2018: Bergen Kreds
The Haugesund Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue vessel Bergen Kreds looks very capable.
9/25/2018: Westcon
Westcon offices in Haugesund. They did the engineering behind the all-electric propulsion for the Future of the Fjords tour boat in Sognefjord.
9/25/2018: Olympic Intervention IV
Olympic Subsea's 311ft (94m) multifunctional vessel Olympic Intervention IV docked at Karmsund Port.
9/25/2018: Haugesjoen
Lots of boats moored in Haugesjoen, viewed from the bridge across Nordre Smedasundet.
9/25/2018: Stueland's Abothek
We stopped for a drink at Stueland's Abothek later in the day. The place had a real Irish pub feel to it.
9/25/2018: To Glass
An exceptional meal of the tapas platter at To Glass overlooking Strandgata in Haugesund.
9/26/2018: Wind
The barometer is falling and the winds picked up into the 30s last night. We're enjoying our stay in Haugesund, and the weather isn't great, so we decided to extend a day.
9/26/2018: Bergen Kreds
The Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue vessel Bergen Kreds heading south behind us under Risoy Bridge.
9/26/2018: Dual Shorepower
The Bergen shorepower system allocated only one shorepower outlet per vessel, so we couldn't test both shorepower connections working together. In Haugesund, the power is charged at a fix rate per day based on boat size without fixed plug assignment. So we finally can test the ultimate goal of the dual shorepower project: to draw power from two separate outlets at marinas with only low-amperage connections and double our shorepower draw.
9/26/2018: Dual Shorepower Display
The dual shorepower system ran flawlessly on the first test. Our new N2KView "Moored" display shows both "Shore 1" and "Shore 2" active at 50hz (white indicator light—green is 60hz), the voltage is 223 on Shore 1 and 225 on Shore 2, the amperage draw is 13 on Shore 1 and 12 on Shore 2 and we are drawing 14A on the 240V inverter and 7A on the 120V inverter with the batteries charging at a positive 5.5A. Normally with this kind of draw and only a single 16A connection, the batteries would be discharging in a big way.
9/27/2018: Smedasundet
An early morning view along Smedasundet from our moorage at Haugesund.
9/27/2018: Rasoy Bridge
Looking behind us through the mist from our moorage at Haugesund to the Rasoy Bridge.
9/27/2018: Apartments
The steady rain abated for a bit, so we took the tender our for a tour of the area. These apartments overlook Smedasundet.
9/27/2018: Safe Bristolia
The oil rig Safe Bristolia was converted in 2006 to an 588-bed moored semi-submersible accommodation platform that meets regulations for UK North Sea operation.
9/27/2018: Bering Energy
The LNG carriers Gulf Energy and Bering Energy that we photographed when running north on our first day in Norway. The ships have been here long enough to be visible on the satellite imagery.
9/27/2018: Normand Seven
Normand Corona moored between Normand Seven and Normand Progress just south of Haugesund.
9/27/2018: Polyform Fender
A Polyform fender, similar to our new ones, between Normand Corona and Normand Progress. If they can hold these ships apart, they should be able to keep Dirona off the dock.
9/27/2018: Bourbon Sapphire
Bourbon Sapphire, another beautiful Norwegian offshore supply vessel.
9/27/2018: Normand Ivan
Normand Ivan moored against Normand Fortress on the island of Karmoy. We're seeing a lot of Normand boats in the area. They are owned by Solstad Farstad, an offshore service and supply ship shipping company based at Karmoy, that has a fleet of 50 ships. Last year they merged with Farstad Shipping and Deep Sea Supply to become Solstad Farstad with a fleet of 150 ships.
9/27/2018: North Sea Hall
Another view to Aibel's huge North Sea Hall, a landmark in the area.
9/27/2018: Nordstjernen
The Hurtigruten Nordstjernen, built in 1956, arriving into Haugesund. The Nordstjernen was used in the coastal service until 2012 and now exclusively cruises around Svalbard.
9/27/2018: Normand Skipper
Another "Normand"-named vessel owned by Karmoy-based Solstad Farstad.
9/27/2018: Bunk Houses
Bunk houses .outside the Aibel facility, many of which are on a barge, likely for the oil and gas industry.
9/27/2018: Olympic Intervention IV
Another look at Olympic Subsea's 311ft (94m) multifunctional vessel Olympic Intervention IV docked at Karmsund Port.
9/27/2018: Outlets
Color-coded and labelled hose outlets on offshore tug/supply ship Troms Capella at Karmsund Port. Some of the labels are brine, mud, slop, BO, FW, and FO.
9/27/2018: Scrombrus
Scrombrus, on the quay at Haugesund, is unusually high and beamy. Blog reader Trond Saetre tells us this widespread design is due to licensing restrictions. An under-15m license is easier to get and far more common, so many boats are built just under 15m and then as tall and as wide as they can possibly make them.
9/27/2018: Lunch
We had a great lunch harbour-side at SamSon Tapas. The red glow is from their patio heaters.
9/27/2018: Il Forno
A delicious pizza dinner with a bottle of Barbaresco overlooking the water at Il Forno in Haugesund.
9/28/2018: Traffic
Heavy traffic as we cross the mouth of Boknafjorden at 7:30 this morning, en route south from Haugesund. Several vessels are well to our south and closer by the ferry Stavanger (red triangle) has just departed the dock to our southwest and will cross in front of us, while the ferry running the same route from the other side, Boknafjord, will cross behind.
9/28/2018: Data Center
The Green Mountain Data Center on the island of Rennesoy, built in a former NATO ammunition storage facility.
9/28/2018: Hogsfjorden
Looking southeast to the head of Hogsfjorden with a ferry crossing from the west. The weather is overcast now, but should clear up as the day progresses. Conditions are the best we can see for a few days, so we're going to make a pass up famed Lysefjord.
9/28/2018: Lysefjord Bridge
The 2,096 ft (639-metre) Lysefjord Bridge, one of Norway's many, many suspension bridges, was completed in 1997.
9/28/2018: Tower
Passing under one of the 335 ft (102 metres ) towers of the Lysefjord Bridge. We're starting to get some sunny patches now.
9/28/2018: Rygerdronningen
The modern catamaran Rygerdronningen, delivered this year to Rodne Fjord Cruises, passing us on a Lysefjord cruise.
9/28/2018: Local Knowledge
We enabled tracking on the Rygerdronningen to record where it went and gain some local knowledge on the more interesting places along the fjord. Here you can see where Rygerdronningen stops and moves up closer to the shoreline.
9/28/2018: Sheer
Sheer cliffs rising 1,300ft (400m) directly above Dirona.
9/28/2018: Crevice
A crevice extending from the water right up the cliff.
9/28/2018: Fantahola
The narrow and dramatic inlet Fantahola, on the north side of Lysefjord, is so steep on all sides that we could bring the boat right inside and be within feet of the walls on both sides.
9/28/2018: Visitor Box
Visitor's sign-in box on the sheer wall at Fantahola. We could easily have stepped off to sign it.
9/28/2018: Trailhead
The water-level trailhead for the 3-4-hour hike to the 1,981ft (604m) Pulpit Rock, one of Norway's most famous and popular landmarks. The easier and more common route is a 1-2 hike from a road-accessible trailhead.
9/28/2018: Revsana
The river Revsana emptying into Lysefjord adjacent to the Pulpit Rock trailhead.
9/28/2018: Skrubbatona
Several waterfalls spilling down the cliffs at Tors.
9/28/2018: Naeverdalsgjuvet
Sheer 1,981ft (600m) cliffs at Naeverdalsgjuvet. Lysefjord is definitely living up to its reputation for spectacular scenery.
9/28/2018: Waterfall III
Waterfall falling down through a crevice from far above.
9/28/2018: Pulpit Rock
Looking way up to the Pulpit Rock, the square-shaped projection slightly to the right of center at the top of the picture.
9/28/2018: Angjuvet
Waterfalls on either side of the headland at Angjuvet.
9/28/2018: Hengjanefossen
Hengjanefossen gushing into Lysefjord.
9/28/2018: Blue Skies
Rain had started falling as we neared Hengjanefossen, so we decided to drift there over lunch to see if conditions improved. And they did.
9/28/2018: Florli
Power station at Florli. A 4,444 public staircase, one of the longest in the world, runs beside the pipes to the dam.
9/28/2018: Linhamnen
Another beautiful waterfall draining into Lysefjord at Linhamnen.
9/28/2018: Geitaneset
Looking up to the cliffs above Geitaneset. Lysefjord is so deep and steep to that in most places all 500 feet of our rode would not even reach the bottom. We considered anchoring at at Geitaneset where depths are about 50ft, but it felt a little too exposed, especially with the winds predicted to increase this afternoon and evening.
9/28/2018: Lysebotn
The village of Lysebotn nestled beneath cliffs at the head of Lysefjord.
9/28/2018: Second Trip
The tour boat Rygerdronningen at Hengjanefossen on their second trip of the day.
9/28/2018: Fossana
The river Fossana cascading down the south shore of Lysefjord. This certainly has been a record day for spectacular waterfalls.
9/28/2018: Hikers
Hikers on the Pulpit Rock way above.
9/28/2018: Bergsholmen
The view north from our sheltered anchorage off the island of Bergsholmen near the mouth of Lysefjord.
9/28/2018: Dusk
One of the appeals of the anchorage at Bergsholmen was a view to the Lysefjord Bridge.
9/28/2018: Reflections
The lights of the Lysefjord Bridge and the village of Oanes beyond reflecting in still waters.
9/29/2018: Rygerdronningen
The tour boat Rygerdronningen making a pass through our anchorage before heading up Lysefjord.
9/30/2018: Stavanger
First view to Stavanger.
9/30/2018: Apartments
Water-view apartments in Stavanger.
9/30/2018: Marina
Residences overlooking a private marina on the island of Grasholm.
9/30/2018: Stord
The ferry Stord (right) and the research vessel Pacific Finder (moored at Stavanger.
9/30/2018: Ferries
Stavanger has a lot of ferries. Here are four more just west of Stord.
9/30/2018: Oil Museum
Stavanger is an oil town and the Norwegian Oil Museum there covers the history of North Sea exploration from 1969 discovery to present. It is considered one of the best museums in Norway and is high on our todo list.
9/30/2018: Boreviga i Stavanger
Boreviga i Stavanger, one of two guest harbours in Stavanger, looks quite full on this Sunday morning.
9/30/2018: RS
The Norwegian Rescue Service Stavanger station.
9/30/2018: Street Art
Our first view to one of Stavanger's many street art displays.
9/30/2018: Welcome
"Welcome to Port of Stavanger". We're excited to finally be here, even if it does mean the end of our Norway cruise is near.
9/30/2018: Vagen i Stavanger
Dirona tucked away behind a floating pier in Vagen i Stavanger, the city's original guest harbor right downtown. We're the only boat here and love the spot on restaurant-lined Skagenkaien.
9/30/2018: Tronds Lift 7
The huge boom on the barge Tronds Lift 7 extends right over of Dirona.
9/30/2018: Table Heater
We really liked these table-pedestal patio heaters at one of the waterfront Stavanger restaurants.
9/30/2018: Leopold I
The Belgian frigate Leopold I moored just north of us in Stavanger Harbour.
9/30/2018: Phileas Fogg
The pub Phileas Fogg is one of the many, many pubs and restaurants nearby our moorage in Stavanger.
9/30/2018: Dognvill Burger
A delicious lunch at Dognvill Burger in Stavanger. We'll likely be back.
9/30/2018: Nao Guardian
Nao Guardian's distinctive Ultsein X-Bow inverted bow design. The shape improves rough-water handling and fuel economy, and is becoming the standard for North Sea supply ships. As of 2018, over 100 X-Bow ships have been ordered.
9/30/2018: Hole Opener
Hole opener on display outside the Norwegian Oil Museum. The opener weighs 13,778 lb (6,250kg) is designed to work with a 17.5-in drill bit through the top section of a well in areas with boulders.
9/30/2018: Blowout Preventer
Blowout preventer, used to stop uncontrolled release of oil should a system failure occur, at the Norwegian Oil Museum grounds. In the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico the blowout preventer failed to seal the flow, resulting in the largest oil spill in offshore history.
9/30/2018: Powerlift
One of 120 750-tonne powerlifters used to jack up the Ekofisk North Sea oil installation. The rig had sunk by 2.5m following seabed subsidence due to the extraction of oil beneath and were at risk of damage from a 100-year storm. The topside, weighing 40,000 tonnes, was jacked up by 6m to allow leg extensions to be inserted.
9/30/2018: Xmas Tree
Norway's first oil flowed through this Xmas tree, a stack of valves able to cope with different pressures up to 10,000 psi (703 kg/sq.cm). The Xmas tree was placed over the well and a pipe carried oil and gas to the Gulftide jack-up rig.
9/30/2018: Stord
The ferry Stord departing Stavanger for Tau. This ferry has a single screw and rudder at both ends, the most common bi-directional ferriy configuration. This allows the ferry to operate in either direction (with a switch to change the nav lights) and also allows high degrees of maneauverability. In Mode 1 operation, it runs as a normal single-screw boat with screw and rudder to the rear. In Mode 2 operation, the propellers are live at both ends of the boat. To go sideways, the captain can put the props on both ends opposing each other and both rudders turned hard over to the same side. The ferry will just move directly sideways in the opposite direction.
9/30/2018: St. Johannes
700-seat St. Johannes church in Stavanger opened in 1909.
9/30/2018: Swans
Swans in Breiavetnet, a lovely downtown lake and park in downtown Stavanger.
9/30/2018: Stavanger Domkirk
Stavanger Domkirk dates from the 12th century and is Norway's oldest cathedral still in it's original form. The church isn't open for visiting today (Sunday), so we'll try another day.
9/30/2018: Harbour
Looking down to the harbour from Stavanger Domkirk. Dirona is dwarfed beneath the boom of Tronds Lift 7.
9/30/2018: Street Art
More Stavanger street art on the western harbor shore.
9/30/2018: Load Line
Diagrams on the side of Nao Guardian showing the ship's maximum load line. The circle with the line through it is the standard Plimsoll Mark, certified by Det Norske Veritas (NV). The other marks show the load line depending upon water salinity and temperature. TF is tropical fresh water, F is freshwater, T is tropical seawater, S is summer seawater, W is winter seawater, and WNA is winter north Atlantic.
9/30/2018: Gamle Stavanger
Walking through the cobblestone lanes of Gamle (Old) Stavanger lined with 18th-century houses.
9/30/2018: Villa 22
At Villa 22 restaurant studying a Carta del Barolo by Renato Ratti, over a wonderful bottle of that vintner's Barolo. The winemaker had an event at Villa 22 a few weeks back and is a featured wine at the restaurant. We've always loved big reds from Italy's Piedmont region. Since we were interested in the wine, the staff brought us some of the handout material from the event.
9/30/2018: Evening
Enjoying the lights of downtown Stavanger under the our patio heater on the back deck.
10/1/2018: Ferry
Boarding the ferry from Stavanger to Tau on a road trip to hike Pulpit Rock. The ferries in Norway operate efficiently, but we were amazed at the turnaround time in Stavanager. The ferry landed at 8:57 am, unloaded about 60 cars, reloaded and was underway again by 9:03.
10/1/2018: Trailhead
At the Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) trailhead. The trial is 2.3 miles long (3.8km) with an altitude gain of 1,666ft (508m). This is much tamer than many of the trails we've recently hiked, but we've never seen so many warnings about appropriate attire and the hike conditions. When they advise against high heels, you know you're on a tough trail. :)
10/1/2018: Steps
Stone steps at the start of the hike.
10/1/2018: Boardwalk
Boardwalk crossing a boggy area. Rain has been falling much of the morning, but we expect clearer conditions soon.
10/1/2018: Waterfall
Stone steps passing a small waterfall. The trail is wonderfully built.
10/1/2018: Pulpit Rock
Dramatic Pulpit Rock soaring above Lyseford.
10/1/2018: Overhang
Looking back on the trail to a sheer overhanging cliff.
10/1/2018: Heights
It's pretty much straight down for 2,000 ft (600m). We've been near many cliff edges, but this one has a special way of backing you up.
10/1/2018: Lunch
We found a perch to have lunch and enjoy the setting. Despite the overcast conditions and the lateness in the year, the trail was busy. We passed dozens en route with many more already there and a constant stream arrived.
10/1/2018: View South
A view of Pulpit Rock and Lyseford extending to the south.
10/1/2018: Crowds
We passed dozens and dozens more on the way back. Imagine what it's like in the busy season.
10/1/2018: Crossing Bridge
From the road to Pulpit Rock we continued south and crossed the Lysefjord Bridge that we could see from our anchorage at Bergsholmen.
10/1/2018: FV496
After crossing Lysefjord Bridge, we followed narrow FV496 along the east shore of Lyseford north under the bridge.
10/1/2018: Coastal Road
The drive along FV496 was beautiful. The road is visible curving around steep cliffs just above the water in the distance.
10/1/2018: Ferry
Ferry running north through Lysefjord. The waterfall in the distance is Hengjanefossen.
10/1/2018: Overhang
FV496 is mostly one lane and doesn't even have that much headroom here.
10/1/2018: Footbridge
Near the end of the road at Fossmark, we hiked out from the road to get a view of Lysefjord. There's beautiful little paths and trails everywhere.
10/1/2018: Lysefjord
The sweeping view to Lysefjord near Fossmark.
10/1/2018: Forsand
Looking from the ferry dock at Oanes across the mounth of Lysefjord to Forsand beneath 1,443ft (440m) Uburen.
10/1/2018: Finnoy
Boarding the ferry Finnoy for our return to Stavenger. As with this morning's trip, the unload and load process was super-efficient and we were underway seemingly within seconds of boarding.
10/1/2018: Tronds Lift 7
When we returned from Pulpit Rock, all the ships in front of us had departed. This was a bit disappointing as 56-knot northerly winds were forecast and they would have given us some protection. So we were happy to see Tronds Lift 7 return around 9pm.
10/2/2018: Forecast
The forecast doesn't look great for a crossing to Denmark during the week, but the weekend looks promising.
10/2/2018: Fueling
Bunker Oil delivered 1,193 gallons (4,518 L) of diesel this morning. This is our second fill in Norway—the previous was at Tromso. We still had 557 gallons (2,1083L) left, but pricing in Norway was better than Denmark, our next port-of-call, so we filled up here.
10/2/2018: Phileas Fogg
An enjoyable lunch streetside at Phileas Fogg. The pub is named after the main character in Jules Verne's novel Around the World in Eight Days and is full of 19th-century steamship memorabilia. Jennifer is having a pint of Murphy's stout, something we've not seen on tap since leaving southwest Ireland.
10/2/2018: Street Art
We'd seen a photograph of this street art and were delighted to notice it outside the window across from the Phileas Fogg pub.
10/2/2018: Follow-up Lever
When we hand-streer the boat for close-quarters operation it's always on the follow-up lever. The wheel is there only as an emergency backup. A couple of times during the Lysefjord trip it would not turn to starboard so we replaced it with a spare. This was made more complicated by the fact that we've shortened and machined down the lever itself (left), and increased its range of motion (allowing more rudder angle). We replaced the follow-up lever, used the old, shortened handle, and carefully opened up the range of motion using a Dremel.
10/2/2018: Barometer
The barometer has plunged in the past 24 hours and the winds are picking up as the storm arrives.
10/2/2018: Waves
Stavanger harbour is exposed to the north, where the winds and waves are coming from. 3-5ft waves are sweeping down into the harbour and cracking against the stern of Rogaland moored on the opposite side from us. We're glad Tronds Lift 7 returned and gave us a bit of shelter.
10/2/2018: Rough
Waves are continually washing over the steps at the head of the harbour.
10/2/2018: Boat Motion
Conditions have settled now, but at the height of the storm we were rolling up to 4.8 degrees and pitching 1.2 degrees. This is why the Boreviga i Stavanger is the preferred harbor for pleasure craft—it has better protection from northerly winds. Lighter boats would really be tossing here in the conditions we just saw. But we really like the spot right downtown and it was a convenient place to fuel.
10/2/2018: Skagen
An exceptional dinner at Skagen, in an early 18th-century building steps from Dirona.
10/3/2018: Ubiquity Bullet
We've been having troubles recently with reception on the Ubiquity Bullet that we use for WiFi. It's mounted inside the stack with an external antenna on top. Here James is attaching a test antenna.
10/3/2018: Wifi Antenna
The test antenna got much better reception, so we replaced the WiFi antenna atop the stack with a spare. No wonder it was struggling—it was full of water.
10/3/2018: Harry Peppers
An excellent lunch at Harry Peppers Mexican restaurant overlooking the harbour. 
10/3/2018: Dirona
Looking back to Dirona moored at Stavanger on a tender tour of the area.
10/3/2018: Viking Sun
The Bergen-based cruise ship Viking Sun arrived into Stavanger this morning.
10/3/2018: Olympic Zeus
The anchor handling tug supply ship Olympic Zeus moored in Stavanger.
10/3/2018: Sunk Boat
Tiny Knudaskjeret is ringed with boats, one of which is sunk.
10/3/2018: House
Beautiful house overlooking Galeivagen north of Stavanger.
10/3/2018: Despina
Another another X-Bow ship, the offshore support vessel Despina, at near the ferry docks at Stavanger. The crew were taking on supplies craned down to the open hatch mid-way along the port side.
10/3/2018: Liferaft
Liferaft on display at the Norwegian Oil Museum.
10/3/2018: Cranes
Stored deck cranes, likely from offshore supply vessels.
10/3/2018: Grasholmsundet
Passing through boat-filled Grasholmsundet between the islands of Grasholmen and Solyst.
10/3/2018: Bullock
We an an exceptional tapas meal at Bullock, followed by an equally delicious chocolate dessert.
10/3/2018: Evening
Stavanger harbour aglow at night.
10/4/2018: History
We spent much of the day at the Norwegian Oil Museum in Stavanger. The museum details the history and technology behind Norway's growth as an oil nation through models, interactive displays and actual industry equipment. These panels describe significant events in that history, from 1969 discover to present.
10/4/2018: Heavy Weather
We loved this picture of an oil rig in heavy weather.
10/4/2018: Lunch
We'd arrived shortly after the Norwegian Oil Museum opened at 10am and expected to be there until it closed at 4pm, so stopped for a lunch break at the excellent restaurant Bolgen & Moi in the museum complex. We'd really enjoyed the couple of hours we'd spent so far, including viewing their two movies—the museum deserves its great reputation.
10/4/2018: Drill Bits
Drill bits on display at the Norwegian Oil Museum.
10/4/2018: Models
The Norwegian Oil Museum has some beautiful scale models, some built as part of the design process before computerized CAD/CAM systems were available.
10/4/2018: Goliat FPSO
Scale model of Goliat FPSO, a massive floating production storage and offloading platform deployed in the Barents Sea north of Hammerfest.
10/4/2018: Check Mate
The Check Mate submersible could descend to 2,066ft (325m) and made about 400 dives between 1981 and 1986.
10/4/2018: Drill Cabin
Drill control cabin from Norway's first oil field, Ekofisk, at the Norwegian Oil Museum.
10/4/2018: Valberg Tower
The fire tower Valberg, perched on a hill above Stavanger, was built in 1853 and served as the city's watchtower until 1922.
10/4/2018: Harbour
We could just see Dirona moored in Stavanger harbour from the hilltop beside Valberg Tower.
10/4/2018: Street Art
More Stavanger street art on Valbergjet.
10/4/2018: Bomb Shelter
Huge doors at the opening to an old Stavanger bomb shelter, now an underground parking lot.
10/4/2018: The Cardinal
We stopped in for a pint chosen from the Cardinal's 600-beer selection.
10/4/2018: Solhaugen
Great views from the park Solhaugen west of the harbour.
10/4/2018: Stavanger Konserthus
The striking waterside Stavanger Konserthus.
10/4/2018: Houston
Houston, Texas and Stavanger have been sister cities since 1980. Before oil prices fell in the past few years, there was enough traffic between the two oil giants that several airlines ran direct flights.
10/5/2018: Intruder
Late last night at around 1:30am we heard someone on the boat, but they were gone when James went up to check. All that was left is a footprint.
10/5/2018: Fender Failing
Our 46-month old set of Prostock marine fenders had two fail a year ago in Dublin and it looks like another one is on it's way out. The winds at Stavanger Havn were only 30kts when a storm passed through, but the boat was moving a lot with 1.2° of pitch and 4.8° of roll.