Tananger to Kvitsoy

We awoke Wednesday morning to a clear blue sky and calm harbor. A dinghy launch and ten minute walk later, we arrived at the shopping center to buy some groceries. The natives we encountered along the way oriented us to the bus system and trail network.

A little later, as we were catching up on housekeeping aboard Windleblo, a sea kayak approached. The occupants came bearing Coors Light as an offering of welcome and friendship. Little did they know they were returning the elixir to its source! We invited them aboard for a visit. They introduced themselves as Mark and Marilyn, who had moved to Tananger three years earlier. Mark was stationed here by the U. S. Navy, serving as a training officer with NATO emergency planning. Having rarely seen an American flag on a cruising sailboat in Tananger harbor, he had to come out and say hello when he saw ours. Mark was an avid sailor, and had long admired Hallberg-Rassy sailboats. In our short conversation, we learned where the coolest anchorages were in the surrounding area, among other things. We asked where a laundromat might be found, and in reply they invited us to their house to use their washing machine. We took them up on their offer, and enjoyed gin and tonic in their living room as our washing spun. We met their delightful children, Emma, 12, and Henry, 6. Marilyn offered me a lead on solar PV cells for a future upgrade to Windleblo's charging system.

On Thursday, we went ashore to stretch our legs and discovered several historic sites along the rocky shore, including a statue of a Norwegian mariner and a World War II pillbox. The rain hastened our return to Windleblo, where we awaited a text message announcing the arrival of Martin and Dawn, our first crew. Martin and Dawn are the delightful couple I met last year during the 2008 Mahina Tiare III expeditions. Martin, an Austrian, and Dawn, originally from Indiana, now live in Vienna. Several months ago, we invited them to serve as our first "crew" aboard Windleblo. They will be with us until July 14th. Their plane landed at Stavanger airport around 12:30 p.m. A cab brought them to Tananger by 1:30.

A short hour later, we had weighed anchor in a light drizzle and departed Tananger for Kvitsoy, a small fishing village on an island at the mouth of Boknafjorden just west of Stavanger. After a three hour sail, we found a perfect mooring inside the harbor. We tied up and walked around the town checking out the beautiful surroundings. Jocelyn prepared a delicious roasted chicken dinner accompanied by Austrian while wine supplied by Martin.