More than 10,000 years ago, all of Norway was covered by a giant glacier whose edges marched out to sea, freezing the ocean itself. When the ice retreated, it shoved boulders, gravel and sand together into a beautiful island now called Jomfruland, the largest mound of rock and earth in a vast, mostly underwater park. This “geo park” sits far out in the Kragerø archipelago, pushing into the powerful Skagerrak sea of Viking lore. “You have to see Jomfruland,” several Norwegian

Just when you think everything is perfect on a sailboat, a new “adventure” comes out of nowhere like an unexpected rogue wave. This story begins in Brevikstranda, a secluded bay so protected its surface sometimes flattens to dark glass. Tucked away inside an underwater mountain range of granite, Brevikstranda’s heritage includes tales of trolls and magic. Peering at the landscape and seeing no trolls, I did notice, however, that the anchor release switch on our windlass was s

Hellllooo, Norway! Or as they say here, Hejjjjj! Despite noticing that our mast looked like it was leaning to the aft somewhat, the rigging, engine, bow thrusters, and sails worked in tip-top shape. When a sailboat goes into storage, the mast and rigging are removed, the sails are folded and shelved, the batteries unplugged — everything goes into winter hibernation. Then, the mast, rigging, sails, lines — all have to be mounted again for the vessel to launch. Christopher, nic

Dear Friends, Welcome back aboard Star Mist after a llllllong winter! Our voyage last year took a lot of unexpected tacks and jibes. We got stuck “on the hard” (on land) waiting for engine repairs — so we barely crossed into Norwegian waters last September when heavy clouds covered the sky and shivery jabs of winter blew in the cold wind. So this year, we threw off our bowlines in late June in Strömstad Marina in Sweden (where Star Mist sat cozy inside over the winter) and sa