Sailing the Ryfylke fjords

A Colin Archer  pilot cutter  heading for Jelsa.

Most foreign sailors coasting Norway, either head for the South coast, the famous fjords in western waters or towards adventures further north, in Nordland and Troms, Finnmark or even Spitsbergen. If they, due to haste, pass over the archipelago disclosing itself east of Kvitsøy (59.05’N) they will miss a unique sailing experience. Maybe the fjords in Ryfylke and Haugalandet do not always measure up to the smoother and sunnier South coast – Sørlandet –, but on the other hand they are much more unspoiled, with surprisingly mixed waters. In changing weather, even the most common seascape or landscape, is suddenly metamorphosed by a “light from within”. Like in the works of Ryfylke-painter Lars Hertervig, the most common crooked pine three or crag suddenly becomes signs of mystery. Throughout your voyage in Ryfylke, green fields, wooded hills and impressive mountains will alternate. In the inner areas, cliffs rise from the fjord, leaning towards you at the edge of precipice. Most famous is Pulpit Rock and base jumper’s favourite, Kjerag, both in the staggering Lysefjorden. But mostly the Ryfylke archipelago – like its people – put on a far more amiable attitude, producing peace in mind.

Stavanger, gateway to the fjords.

Situated north and northeast of Stavanger, Ryfylke is surely where the Norwegian fjord adventure begins. Moreover, finally appearing north of the rough and unprotected coast of Jæren, the fjords offers more sheltered and safer waters suitable for sailing by all means: Few underwater rocks, fair winds, no declination, slightly any tide. In this maze of inlets and islands, you are also offered plenty of beautiful natural harbours and even guest piers. In spite of growing popularity, Ryfylke still has plenty of space - and the locals are not tired of tourism. They meet the yachter with prudent curiosity, friendliness and a helping hand.

Approaching the fjord.

For many foreigners Lysefjorden is the obvious destination, and with good reason, though this narrow fjord is not ideal for sailing. Ryfylke’s abundance of broader and open-ended fjords, on the other hand, offers the true sailing paradise with multitudes of sailing routes. After all a Norwegian fjord – in keeping with the Old Norse word – means a water body used for passage and ferrying, and need not be "a long, narrow inlet with steep sides (wikipedia). The shape alone does not define a fjord, and thus the Norwegians seemingly name as fjord almost any part of their coastal waters. This versatile naming is not that weird. In earlier times the inhabitants of the coast were bound together by the sea. They rowed and sailed, thus letting their traditional routes define what to be named fjord also in the charts of times to come.