We set sail from Rønnerhavnen at 3 a.m. It was already almost light out—or rather, it had never really gotten dark. The 100 nautical miles that Amy can normally cover in 24 hours would certainly take longer, since the winds were expected to be light. But the wind was coming from a fairly good direction.
After we had passed the large roadstead off Skagen, the first surprise awaited us just past the headland. The strong winds of the previous days had left behind quite a swell, coming from all directions. With light winds, Amy was tossed back and forth by the cross seas, and life on board quickly became miserable. It wasn’t until late afternoon that things finally calmed down, and by evening the sea had become smooth, allowing us a relaxed sail against a light headwind but still heading toward our destination.
There was also an evening show featuring three dolphins, who gave everything they had—you could almost say they were showing off. As always, it was wonderful. The sun had set (briefly) around midnight, but it was still light out. With the current against us, we were only moving forward 1.5 knots, but we were not in a hurry.
Around 5 a.m., however, the wind had died down completely, and there was an unpleasant swell coming from the side, which forced us to lower the sails and motor the remaining few hours toward Lillesand in Norway. We moored at the small archipelago island of Slåttholmen off Lillesand. There’s a small dock there; mooring is free, and it’s incredibly quiet.
