Wed. 18th July Alesund!

The harbour tug blasted out jets of water and a cannon boomed out as the Swan made her way in through the harbour mouth of the fine port of Alesund. A ferry ran past our port side and from the smiling faces of those on board waving to us we could see they were as pleased to see us as we were to have arrived.

It had been a bummly run across from Shetland. There was wind right on the nose the whole way. It started off light and freshened so that at times we had gusts of force 8 coming over the deck. The fridge door flew open coming through the Ninian field and the fos'c'le got a new topcoat of white yogurt, orange juice and Freefields finest blue and green.

We rounded the top of Statt in the early hours and heads began to appear in hatch openings as we found the shelter of the fjords and the Swan was in flat water again. Robbie got on a big pot of gruel and all hands were round the table and soon tucking in.

Soon we were alongside and familiar faces were there on the quayside, hame faces! and plenty of them! we began to wonder if we had ever left Shetland! this was a coach party across with Andrew Morrison and the classic motorbike club Tall Ships Tour as well. Throughout the day among the thousands thronging the waterfront we saw plenty of Shelties and Norweigens with Shetland connections. The cloudy skies of the early morning broke away to bathe Alesund in a summer sun and shorts and T shirts were the order of the day. The crew went ashore to check out the vast range of stalls and entertainments laid on and came back bearing assorted garments and local delicacies.

The crew for this trip are a great mix of people with a common desire; to sail in the Cutty Sark Tall Ship Races and have a good time while doing it. Because of the rules of the Cutty Sark races 50% of all on board must be aged 15-25 inclusive. We have eight youths and three adult voyage crew + four Swan crew members. Among the youths are three musicians who have been joint sponsored by Shetland Arts Trust, The Scottish International Education Trust and The Swan Trust. They are the gifted fiddle players,Jenny Napier and Stuart Grains and the excellent pianist Neil Georgeson. In addition to them our youngest voyage crew member, Terry Balfour also plays guitar as does Tommy Allan and Martha Priest plays mandolin so we are not short on musical talent. Chris Mason and Tristan Barnes are two enthusiastic lads from Norwich. Pauline and Brian Watts are from North Yorkshire and they with Ruth Brownlee are the three adult voyage crew on board. We are also joined here by a young Norwegean television reporter, Kristian Bruaroy, who works for the Norwegean television company TV2. He is on board to film our journey down the coast and to update the TV2 website www.tv2.no/cuttysark So you can follow our travels there as well!

The means of puting this page on the internet while we are here has proved to be fraught. It was to be linked into a mobile phone but the connection couldn't link into the laptop when we got here. Even an expert like Kristian couldn't sort it out. The fact you are reading this means that we have got something through but there was a lot of button pushing and head scratching in between. Anyway, we will try to get something up here each day as far as possible.

Thursday 19th

Everwhere we look there are Sheties! If you head up to the street to get a paper you meet in with kent faces,"Aye Aye boy is dis you!" and down on the waterfront you are weaving in and out of hame folk like it was Commercial Street! Today started off cloudy so no change there fae hame. But as the day went on the sun came out again and we soaked up its warming rays. The people here are very friendly and helpful. The atmosphere is reminesent of of the Tall Ships in Lerwick. Like Lerwick, Alesund is big enough to accomodate the fleet while at the same time being small enough to have that special quality that makes a body feel welcome.

We have a excellent berth here right in the center of all that is happening and there is a neverending stream of spectators and sailors alike passing along our starboard side. Some stop to look and point out the particular way a block is slung or a halyard rigged while the children will ask for the ships stamp to make its mark in their copy of the official race programme. In a area where 30% of Norways total export of fish comes from the locals are obviously well aquaint with old fishing boats and how they are rigged. On the quay beside us two men are selling torfisk, dried cod. From a wheelbarrow big enough to hold half our ships crew they pull out rock hard lengths of wind dried cod and with a viking sized axe proceed to batter the hell out of it on a big pine bench. There is a willing market for their wares and many a krone has changed hands over the barrow handles since they wheeled in this morning.

The musicians were out on deck earlier on and played a session which drew a crowd around us. There is nothing like music for drawing a crowd and while the crowd had passed a number of buskers on the pier they stopped to listen to the Shetland tunes coming from the Swans decks. The crew parade was today. Shetland and the Swan were well repesented. The fiddle players music was cut short though when a water bomb burst over Stewarts fiddle. He thinks it will survive once he ouze's it out. Salt fish and tatties for tea. A new taste for Pauline and Brian although they seemed to take to Shetland cooking.

Friday 20th July

We had a big day today. The local newspaper,Sunmorsposten, hired the boat for their staff and customers. Here is Stuart, Ruth and Jenny to tell you about it......

There was a reception of staff onboard from a local newspaper, the Sunnmorsposten who ate a splendid buffet of many seafood nibbles and delicacies prepared by the one and only Tommy 'the cooker' Watt. He blew each and everyone of the visiting Norwegians drarrs clean off with his dashing culinary streak of desire for cooking!

Jenny and Stuart givin' it licks!To blow the drarrs (male and female) back on again there was some splendid tunes from the musicians who have been given a name for their quick beastly style "The Fiddle Spretters". Ruth, Tommy 'the cooker', Martha, Neil 'Smokey' Georgeson , Pauline and Bryan (who nearly fell off his chair he was so tired after a hard day) went to a classical recital by Norwegian music students. They fairly enjoyed it and thought it was just splendid. Smokey liked it so much he just about felt like jumping on the stage to join in. Neil has earned the nickname Smokey becasue he performed with Pete Stack and the Rayburns, which he felt was a splendid honour indeed.

Bryan had been the last man standing at 5am the previous night retaining his crown as North Yorkshire's leading througher (all nighter). He still managed to climb Mount Godoy (450m high!) with sherpa Martha guiding him to saftey, to keep the champion througher from losing his balance which seemed OK until the descent where Brian overtook 300 sailors on da waddir side. The rest of the hillwalkers, Ruth, Martha, Chris, Tristan and Pauline just managed to keep up with splendid team leader Bryan A few of the crew went up to a beer tent later on in the evening with our new crew member, Kristian and his friend Anette. Kristian is a media reporter for a television station TV2 and is covering all the Swan's progress, gossip, and allround shenanigans or misantirs. Before bed time there were more enthusistic visitors demanding a lok o strong drink/drams. The final visitor needed some encouragement and assistance from Kristian and Stewart to leave the boat by heavily escorting him onto the pier. He then decided to expose his love of water by trying to soak them with the pier's hose so thank's to him they did not need a shower the next morning!

Sat. 21st July The Parade of Sail!

Up she goes!

Robbie gets things organisedThe day dawned with a clear sky and before long the sun was blazing down on the forest of masts that lined Alesunds inner harbour. The waterfront was a scene of activity as the fleet prepared to leave. Bleary eyed sailors stood in queues at the showers and toilets. An excess of farewell partying the previous evening was evident in the motley line up. I heard,"Never again", in four different languages. One Swedish lad said, "There is a carpenter inside my head and he's doing a pretty rough job". Most crews were busy with undressing their ships. Down came the flags and lights and the pennants from previous Tall Ship races. Some Shelties came down to say geerio and wish us well. The supermarket was like a bee hive as crews did last minute stocking up. The torfisk man was battering out the last crangs of cod he had in his barrow. Every boat had a set time to leave harbour and come 11.30 we were slipping our ropes to head out. The musicians played us away from the pier and the crowd of people who had come to see us off clapped and cheered us on. "Thank you Alesund!", we shouted in return for what had been a splendid host port. At the harbour mouth a male choir dressed in suitable nautical fashion sang sea shantys and waved their caps to us as we fell in line to motor out.

Once outside the harbour we got all sail set and sailed over to our mustering area to await our turn in the parade. The sequence for this parade was for a group of three of us smaller class B and C vessels to file in behind each one of the big class A ships. So it would be one big ship followed by three smaller ones, then one big, three small all the way down the line. It was what the harbour board called a "duck and ducklings". We were all positioned to the north of the town and the parade would take us past the harbour mouth and down through the fjords. The harbour tug "Sjobrannsproyta" with her high pressure water hoses jetting out from each side led with the "Statsraad Lehmkuhl"as the first of the class A Tall Ships behind. We were to follow the Omani ship, "Shabab Oman", along with Lotos and Provident.
Swan and Provident

Swan and ProvidentAs we waited there was a call from the Dutch ship "Eendract". They needed a fast rescue boat and an an ambulance. While hoisting sail one of her main booms had dropped two metres onto the head of one of the female crew on board. Her condition was described as serious. They pulled out of the line and made ready to transfer her onto the rescue boat.

Our turn came and with fiddles blazing we sailed past the saluting vessel,"Alesund". A cannon boomed out from her side and we gave them a blast on our old klaxon. Soon everyone was peeling of to go seperate ways. Some inland to Geiranger, some out to sea and we set a course to take us to the small island of Silda just north of Maloy where we had planned a quiet night.

Just before midnight we motored into the stillness of Silda's small harbour. A peaceful scene. No wind. A light in a window here and there as people prepared for bed. The musicians were up on deck to play us in as we were tying alongside the restored "Valentine" who had gone in 10 minutes before. Then we saw the pier was full of people! A gang had come out from Maloy to welcome us in! Before long they were dancing across the deck of "Valentine" and on board us. "Welcome to Silda"!...

Sun. 22nd....Silda to Maloy

Neil tinkles the ivories

Rain. A weet pletch around Silda for the voyage crew and some chores on board for wis filled in the morning. A spot of lunch then we slipped ropes to head for Maloy. There was a mini parade of sail organized for the ships going there and we tucked in front of "Valentine". More rain, heavier stuff. Oilskins on this time. The mountains around us shrouded in a misty cloak.

We tied alongside "Valentine" again outside the biggest pub in Maloy. Why they had thought to put us there we couldn't figure....

Martha-" Some o da voyage crew went fir a wander aboot Maloy but it wisna long before mostly everyone wis in da pub. We're startin tae git a taste fir da lager, if no da prices! We hocked aboot an fan a piana in da back bar so it wisna lang before "Smoky" Georgeson wis haein a tune. Dat boy can fairly play, it got tae da stage at we couldna see his hands movin fir da speed at dey wir goin. Most splendid! Had a peerie fry up when we got back, the poor famished souls dat we wir!"

Mon 23rd.... Maloy Ski Trip

Today the bulk of the crew went into the mountains to try their hand at sking. Tommy, Neil & Ruth were among them, here's what their day was like...

Smokie on the piste"Most of the crew went on a bus trip through awe-inspiring scenery to Stryn and to the summer ski resort up on the glacier 1500m up into the sky. We stopped at Videofossen waterfall on the way up and admired the postcards of gentlemen smoking pipes as the clouds began to break, giving us a glimpse of what was waiting for us. Some serious haggling was required at the ski equip hire shop as the Maloy committee had failed to negotiate the price we had been told aboard the SWAN. Needlesss to say an excellent deal was struck, and boots, jackets, etc,etc., were struggled into as the SWAN crew strutted around like seasoned veterans. From base camp we could see those already up on the slopes, as all that seperated us was the swinging chairs of the ski lift. What an amazing sight filled our field of vision from those precarious chairs. It was like a lunar landscape with colour dabbled with turquiose pools. As we wobbled onto the snow, our heroism we shew as we donned our clothes soon disappeared. Stuart moonwalkingWe didn't know what we were doing. However, it was not so hard after all once we were on the slope, travelling at 100mph at an angle of 45. In fact, as it turned out we were all natural geniuses at skiing and snowboarding. Special mention must be made of Stuart 'Clammer' Grains who despite not having the stylish of sking gear (white gloves and oooey ganzy) showed us all how its done. Sore and weet rear ends and a good sleep on the bus on the way home voted the day a success. An impromptu session with some mexican singing in the bar next door till the wee hours brought a tired and wery crew to bed in the early morning."

Neil was playing again in the bar tonight. Paul, who is Skipper on Rona 2 , and I went in to hear him. Paul was completely bowled over by Neil's amazing talent. His little girl is getting piano lessons eenoo and he saw a maestro at work tonight.

Tues. 24th.....Maloy to Floro...... Wet,Wet,Wet and windy!!!

We topped up on diesel and gas and did a last minute tour of the supermarket for odds and ends. Tommy is planning a Mexican night so in the trolley went the avacados and the tortillas. By midday we were under way and motoring south into a fresh head wind down the Froyfjord. Going past Hornelen we grouped together on the foredeck for the official crew photo. Everyone had to have one so there were a dozen or so cameras to say "Cheese" to! Pauline, Brian and Martha got some lunch going and as we ate the rain clouds filled in from the south and we were soon in a grey world of horizontal rain and misty mountains. It was teeming doon! We had planned to sail but this drowned out everything. The rain eased slowly and the vague outlines of other ships appeared ghostlike in the fjord. A small convoy in fact was underway and we found ourselves in the middle of it. Anna Rogde was up ahead also Loyal. Kapitan 2 was astern and Statsraad Lemkuhl, Wyvern and a number of others were already in. The landscape was lower now. Small islets, some wooded, others just barren rock, were more numerous here. We studied the chart carefully and weaved our way through the narrow channels and sectored lighthouses. The rain fell away enough when we entered the harbour to allow everyone up on deck. A few spectator craft were milling around.

STOP PRESS: Valentine has been dismasted. The fine old schooner had just left Kalvag when it appears she was hit by a squall. Her for'ard mast broke about half-way up from the deck. She was sailing at the time. Details are still sketchy but we hope to find out more later.

Jenny picks up the story....

"There was a search for the laundry facilities once we finally were moored, one out of the three machines were in working order - but then we realised one of the three was actually a tumble drier. A few folk managed to get their undies washed so hopefully that should be an end to the drifting cheesy aroma floating around the cabin. After the Mexican there was an idea to go swimming in the sea, but it wasnt met with many takers. There was much debate over whether or not the "waste" (to put it politely) pumped from each boat floated around for a while or did it just sink to the bottom immediately. Tommy excited by Jenny and MarthaIt was decided that it was probably best not think about it all so after a quick strip off Jenny asked what the temperature was but didnt hang around for an answer - instead she gracelessly "baalled" herself overboard. Terry hunting girls when dad appears
Tommy Allan however had promised to follow promptly but it wasnt until after Martha decided to test the icey waters also that he realised the he would be letting the men's side down if he didnt keep his word. He too was soon gasping and spluttering, but trying not to open his mouth for fear of any unwanted human sharn entering. We thought that was the end of the excitement for one evening until Terry very slickly dived into the waters and in true James Bond style hoisted himself onboard a neighbouring boat and joined two feisty young females for a fun size coca cola. Needless to say he was gone for some time!!!!!!

Wed. 25th July.......The tang factory...

Stuart tells how it was....

"We had an early morning departure from Floro since we had a few miles to cover and Tommy was (strangely) very keen to visit a tang factory in Buskoy. It had something to do with packaging up sea weed, ready to be used for pharmacutical purposes in some far away place - I think! It seems like the summer has been and gone as it has been fairly cold for a few days now, after torrential rain in Floro, which means we don't feel so guilty taking shelter in a fine cosy public house for most of the day. Smokey JapaNeil is champion sleeper today with Terry '40 winks' Balfour managing to have breakfast before 3.30 pm for the first time in a week. Neil has earned an extension to his original nickname because of his new paparazzi style of photography - we think he has taken over ten spools since leaving Lerwick harbour."

With Buskoy behind us we crossed the mouth of the Sognefjord, the longest fjord in Norway, and followed the well marked channels through the islands down to Fedje. Fedje is a small island on the extreme west coast of Norway. It is a bit like a Shetland Skerries but on a bigger scale and with the same friendly people. We had a downpour of heavy rain just as we approached the harbour mouth which got us all scurrying for oilskins. We tied outside the beautifully restored schooner "Lotos" and soon there was a liaison officer on board with the promise of of a free taxi to take us to hot showers and a run round to the karioke bar later.

Tommy Allan's shower was to be a bit delayed though. The generator began to change tone and Robbie noticed the cooling water had stopped coming out. Sarus, or stingy jellyfish, and tang had blocked the cooling water strainer. We tried to clear it but were unsucessful. Tommy volunteered to dive in and see if he could clear it from below. He did but even that did'nt work so when the rest left for showers we took the boat outside again and ran full speed ahead and astern. This did the trick and we tied up again for a late dinner and showers.

Thurs. 26th July......Sun and Bergen!!!

For the trip down from Fedje to Bergen we enjoyed glorious sun and scenery as we motored through the myriad islands and channels north of Bergen. White skin was exposed to the ultra violet and sun lotion was plastered on liberally. There were low bridges and cables to negotiate and although there was plenty of clearance they still look way too low when you approach them at speed. I bottled out and slowed up for some.....just to be sure!

All too soon we were coming into Bergen and many of the fleet had already arrived. We made our entrance with fiddles blazing and our horn honking. Quite a number of Bergeners had turned out to see the ships come in and the quay was lined with interested onlookers. As we came in we heard that one of the yachts, "Adventure", would not be calling in to Harbour Control as they had a problem with their mast. We found out later they had taken a wrong turn and gone under a low bridge.......

The bright lights of Bergen beckoned and the crew headed out to enjoy the city.

This was the official end of the trip for the cruise-in-company crew but most of them were staying on board for the four days in Bergen. To find out what happened next check the Bergen-Esbjerg leg page!