The next morning, I continued on to Mandal. Again, I mostly stayed close to shore under motor power. The scenery along the way was just as beautiful as the day before. Shortly before reaching Mandal, I came across a classic wooden motorboat with a Cuban flag flying at the stern. I would, however, doubt that the man had actually motored all the way from Cuba to here in this vessel.
Surprisingly, there wasn’t a single spot available in Mandal, since the offshore regatta “Race to the Arctic” was set to start the next day and all guest berths were reserved for the racers. Luckily, I did find a spot after all, right alongside the road. It was very bumpy and noisy, but I didn’t care. It was only for one night. Tomorrow I’d be heading off to Scotland anyway.
I’d been here twice before, once with my brother-in-law Michi. At this point the city was way too crowded and noisy for my taste, but here I was able to get everything I needed for the crossing. I took my little trolley and the 20-liter diesel jerrycan to the self-service gas station outside of town, got in line of the waiting cars and came back to the boat with a full jerrycan.
Then off to the supermarket to stock up again. Finally, I filled up the water jugs.
The harbor was a beehive of activity and excitement because of the regatta. It was quite a sight to see.
I then spent the evening planning the route again, checking the weather, submitting the voyage plan to the British authorities, and jotting down the important tide times for my arrival. The weather conditions were anything but ideal. The wind would be very light at first, and a very close haul for the whole trip, but with a little luck, it would be possible with little or no tacking. I was a bit concerned about the two cold fronts that would catch us along the way. The second one, in particular, looked like it would bring strong, gusty winds for a few hours. But it didn’t look like there would be a better opportunity to cross anytime soon.
The next morning, the harbor master stopped by with some rolls. It was a service provided by the marina. I had completely forgotten about it and was very pleased. After a leisurely breakfast and once everything had been stowed away and tidied up, we set off in the early afternoon.
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