July 2004 -Sail Training International Tall Ships Race Series - Cruise-in-Company: Aalborg to Stavanger
| Skipper: | Andrew Halcrow | |
| Crew: | Ian Jamieson | John Leslie |
| Ian Devonald | ||
| Voyage Crew: | David Watt | Ishbel Raffle |
| Ross Couper | Grant Nicol | |
| Stewart Thomson | Charlotte Wright | |
| Laurie Goodlad | Tommy Hughes | |
| Glenn Tonner | Margaret Devonald | |
| Neil Georgeson |
Aalborg
Our first day in port began with a thick fog that lay over the harbour and wrapped our neighbours masts in a grey cloud. Was this the end of the fine weather? I could hear voices fae the heat of yesterday saying "Yis, weel pay fur dis yit.." 
Our berth in AalborgBut no, by 9am the sun had burned it off to leave us with another scrocher. We had a busy day ahead of us. As well as checking in with Race Control and ordering water, diesel, gas, meeting our Liasion Officers (we had two) we had to buy and prepare food for a buffet that afternoon for Danish Company, Krogstrup Consult. So there was a lot of running round and we were still preparing food when our first guests came onboard at 2.30. The lads were there to play for them but they had also taken along their own musicians so there was no shortage of good music onboard. It all went well and our guests went away having sampled some Shetland music, food and hospitality. 
Buffet onboard for Krogstrup ConsultWe were all well impressed with the show Aalborg had laid on. There was plenty of music to listen to, lots to see and do, and everything was within easy reach of where the boats were berthed. This was how it should be. It reminded me of Lerwick in 1999 and was a good second to there...Small details made a difference like the van that came round in the morning to collect all the dirty laundry and return it clean the following day. Often there are only washing machines available for the crews to use and someone has to stay with it until the cycle is done. The queues mean that some people try to do their washing either before breakfast or after supper in order not to wait half the day. Our Liasion Officers Henrik and Christian were excellent as well and seemed to get by on 2 hours sleep each night.
Rock Salt and Nails and the ladsRock Salt and Nails were due to play over the four days the fleet was in port but the fog at Sumburgh looked like scuppering the whole thing. It lifted long enough to allow them to get through but all their instruments were in Copenhagen or somewhere.....Nevertheless they borrowed from here and there and got on stage in time for the first gig. They went down a storm and did so every night they were there. The lads joined them on stage for a few sets on the last two nights and they did Shetland proud. On the final night they finished with the Danish national anthem and there was not a dry seat in the house.
We also had to do a second buffet as a birthday party for a local woman, The new crew arrived off the Norrona with fresh supplies of smoked salmon, smoked mackerel and other goodies from Shetland Smokehouse and we also had a case of assorted beers from Valhala Brewery in Unst. It all went down very well indeeed. Our guests much prefered the Valhala beers to their local ales and many said that the smoked salmon was the best they had tasted. The lads were there as well to fire off a few sets, this time joined by Neil Georgeson on keyboard who just had time to throw his bag onboard, wolf down some dinner and start playing.
The crowds were shoulder to shoulder along the quay
The four days there fled in and before we knew it we were slipping ropes to set off in the crew parade. Another glorious day with the sun belching down. Henrik and Christian sailed with us in the parade and we stopped off at Hals to slip them off. We were sorry to see them go and had space allowed we would have taken them onboard as they had become almost part of the crew.
Our crew with Henrik and Chris at Hals: A final farewell to our great Liason Officers Henrick and Kristian. Thanks lads!We left from Hals and stuck our bow out into the Baltic. A light NE'ly and flat sea. We had considered going to Gotenburg in Sweden but it was going to be too far out of our way so we made Lillesand on Norways south coast our first landfall. 
Da Riven SwabGlenn bought a peerie dinghy and christened her da Riven Swab and a fine craft she was for 5 quid. We spent the day in Lillesand and went round to Kristiansand for the night. In Mandal we had Antwerp Flyer and Jens Krogh outside us. Laurie, Tommy and Charlie shew their crews how to do a Strip the Willow and soon the pier was hootching wi them in a big birling session.
The Strip the Willow at Mandal The following day the beautifully looked after local boat, Tordenskjold, led a convoy of around 20 boats through a very scenic route between Mandal and Egersund. Once again it was hot and most of the crew were either relaxing on deck, taking in the scenery or catching up on washing laundry. 
TordenskjoldWe spent that night in Egersund and left next day in a real downpour that lasted well through the morning. We stopped off at Tannager for lunch then onto Stavanger for the evening. Time for a crew change again. Most of the folk onboard had been together since we left Lerwick and the boat had become a way of life for them. Now a new crew would sample another four days and nights of sprees and merriment. The charter flight tomorrow would whisk the new crew in and the old hands out and back to Shetland again