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This blog belongs to Eilef Gard. I was born and live at Talgje, a little island near Stavanger, south-west Norway, in the middle of the Ryfylke seascape of islands, small inlets and fjords. This is a fantastic place for sailing. The waters are deep and clear, the winds are steady and here are wide stretches where you can sail for hours on the same tack, or find protected anchorage in narrow passages between the hundreds of islands.

I sail a Vindø, a 33 foot yacht built by highly skilled boat builders at Nötesund warf, Orust, Sweden, in 1988. She may not be the fastest boat,  but is steady and reliable in the stiffest gale, and comfortable below decks. Obtained in April 2012, she has given my wife and myself many fine experiences at sea. We sailed her home from Larvik in the south east. Her name is Vestavind (westerly wind), which is derived from the name of the yard, Vindø, and the westerly winds. Westerlies are good for sailing in these parts of Norway, and are the prevailing winds in the summer season.

To me, wind and sailing are also methaphors for travel. In this blog I share stories from sailing anf hiking trips along the west coast of Norway, and beyond.

Velcome to my blog

Hi, I am Eilef. In this blog I want to share some stories and impressions from sailing and hiking on the west coast of Norway, and beyond. I live close to Stavanger, on a little island in the Ryfylke basin. You can find my stories in the menu above.

My aim with this blog is to share the beauty of the landscapes in western Norway, from the most remote islands out where the open ocean is the closest neighbour, to the deep fjords where the mountains rise up to the sky. People have lived here for around nine thousand years, setting their marks on landscapes and communities. I also hope to show some of the history and contemporary life along the coast.

My roots are in islands, fjords and mountains. Through my father’s line, I can go back eight generations on the same hill, close to the medieval church at Talgje, where I grew up. If I follow my father’s mother’s line, I find my roots in the narrow fjord near Sand, in the northeast parts of Ryfylke. And through my mother’s lineage, I can go back to the deep fjords and high mountains in Hardanger and to Masfjorden north of Bergen, just south of the outer parts of Sognefjorden.

Islands close to home
The Folgefonna glacier in Hardanger
View of Ryfylke
The 12th century church at Talgje, my church.
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