With new-found motivation after our day off, we continued our journey around the southern tip of Norway. Unfortunately, the wind and waves were still against us, so we had to fight our way around all the way to Farsund, the harbour just beyond the tip.

Somewhere near Mandal, we passed a motorboat with about ten people clearly having a great time. They were drinking, dancing and having a little party on their boat, and they got especially excited when they spotted us, and even more so when they saw the Swiss flag.

They decided that we absolutely needed to join their party and wanted to give us two beers. We weren't entirely comfortable with the idea of getting two moving boats so close to each other that you can literally exchange phone numbers, but they did it anyway and handed us the cans. To show our appreciation, Reto opened one and took a few sips while we waved goodbye and continued on our way.

When we arrived in Farsund, the wind had died completely and we had an easy spot to manoeuvre into. So I decided that today was finally going to be the day I made my first manoeuvre with Lív!

Until then, Reto had done all of them. I simply hadn't felt brave enough to try, and with only two people on board, it's not that easy to practise. One person has to handle the lines while the other steers, which means Reto can't exactly stand next to me and give me instructions while I'm manoeuvring.

But everything went perfectly — I did it!

I was very proud of myself. From now on, I definitely want to do it more often. After all, I have always loved parking cars and was actually pretty good at it, so why shouldn't I be good at parking a boat too?

The next day finally brought us the wind we had been waiting for. It was coming from exactly the right direction, and we were able to sail almost the entire way. What a feeling!

Shortly before arriving at the harbour, we passed another Moody sailing boat. As it turned out, the owner was staying right next to us in the harbour, so of course we had a chat and enjoyed a few beers together in the cockpit. Later that evening, we cooked dinner while listening to live music from the summer festival taking place right next to the harbour.

Sometimes, a day without much wind isn't so bad either. In this case, it gave us the chance to enjoy a warm summer day and even get a few boat projects done. While we motored along the southern Norwegian coast, we finally shortened and organised the reefing lines on our boom - a job that had been waiting for us for quite some time.

Then, completely unexpectedly, the day got a lot more exciting.

From a distance, we noticed that the water ahead looked strangely busy. It was almost bubbling, with dozens of birds flying above it. We checked the charts to see if there were any shallows, but nothing was marked. As we got closer, we suddenly realised why: dolphins!

Before we knew it, there were at least twenty dolphins all around our boat, hunting and chasing fish. They were jumping out of the water and moving in every direction around us. It was one of those encounters that you simply can't plan, and one of the reasons we love travelling this way so much.

The next day, we made a little stop at Avaldsnes, a place with a fascinating connection to Norway's Viking history.

Avaldsnes was an important centre of power for centuries and became one of Norway's most significant royal seats. Around 870, Harald Fairhair established his main royal seat here, and the area played an important role in the early unification of Norway. Its location along the narrow Karmsund strait was strategically important, allowing the rulers of Avaldsnes to control one of the main sailing routes along the Norwegian coast.

We visited the reconstructed Viking village and the museum to get a better idea of how people lived here more than a thousand years ago. Especially Reto has always been fascinated by Norse mythology, so this was a particularly interesting stop for us. It also felt strangely fitting to visit a place so closely connected to Norwegian history while sailing our own little boat, whose name, Lív - meaning shelter and protection - comes from the Norse, along the same coastline.

From Avaldsnes, we continued towards a beautiful little island called Røvær just outside Haugesund. It is a small fishing island with an amazing natural harbour in the middle, providing excellent shelter from the rough weather that can roll in from the open sea.

Somewhere along the way, an unplanned stop in Bekkjarvik gave us another little surprise: the cutest shopping centre we have ever seen, followed by a lovely walk along the water.

And slowly, we were getting closer to Bergen.

Come back for the next blog to join us on our adventures in Bergen and see some amazing pictures from our first fjord!

Day 68: Arendal NO - Luseholmen NO