Outside, the wind was blowing at force 5–6 from the west, but inside, along the skerries and through the small natural channels, we were well sheltered. Sailing is practically impossible here anyway, and out there I wouldn’t have gotten any closer to my destination. So we motored along the beautiful Blindleia Strait for the first part of the journey. A real sightseeing cruise. We passed small settlements, vacation homes, harbors, rock formations…
However, the wind kept picking up, so docking at the pier on Bragdøya, south of Kristiansand, turned out to be quite an adventure after all. Here, too, we were able to stay the night for free. The island was significantly larger, and there was a small shipyard where a beautiful old wooden ship was currently getting a new coat of underwater paint. Apparently, this was a popular afternoon destination for swimming and walking. By evening, we were almost the only ones left. I took a long walk all the way around the entire island.
I had already noticed in Slåttholmen—and even more so here—that there are an incredible number of mototboaters going very fast, causing a great deal of noise and unnecessary waves. At first, I was still captivated by the landscape and the tranquility, but I increasingly realized that the tranquility was more visual than auditory. Fortunately, it stopped at night.
