We’re done with big cities. Stavanger and Haugesund are in our wake, and we’ve resolved our internet situation. Turns out the dongle from the UK has a block, so we needed to acquire a Telenor dongle for the enormous sum of US$150. Nobody said Norway was cheap (but we need reliable daily communications for the FPB 64 program).

Espevaer is a tiny port, with 150 full time residents. An excellent place to chill, and see how the Telenor mobile broadband system works (so far, so good). As seems to be the case in Norway, we are laying on a concrete wharf lined with tires. Makes us appreciate bare aluminum topsides.

Offsetting the Noretel costs to a degree is the price of tying up in Espevaer – fifty Kroner or about seven US dollars per day.

We’ve set the flying bridge awning. For rain which we expect to see on a steady basis for a while.

Espevaer was once the richest town in Norway, the result of an efficient and productive fishing fleet. That ended in the late 1950s. Now it is a second home to many Norwegians, with a few folks moving back to live here full time.

During an exploratory walk we met Nils, a retired ship captain and small boat sailor. He was trying to get a coat of paint on his house before it started to rain, and we jointly resolved to continue our discussion aboard Wind Horse during the evening.

An interesting discussion followed wherein we learned that the two catamarans you see in the background are net tenders for the farmed salmon industry (a big business here). Nils agreed with our preference for wild salmon, which he said are almost impossible to buy in Norway.

In the summer, when the sun shines, Espevaer is so full of yachts that you can walk across the harbor.

We think we like it better this way, quiet. While we had resolved to be done with big cities, Nils did a sales job on the attractions of Bergen. As it is right on the route North, we will give it a look.