Off-piste sailing: serene rock-hopping footage from Kragero, Norway (VIDEO)
Already a huge hit on Facebook, we couldn't resist sharing this amazing footage of rock-hopping along the coast of Norway with Trond Sejersted Bødtker sailing a Kragerø Terne.
Close encounters of the rocky kind are normally the stuff of sailors’ nightmares, but the unique glacial grooves cut into the coast of Norway have left something of a playground for anyone with the requisite pilotage skills. Just take a look at this stunning footage!
The Kragerø Terne is a clinker-built design, originally by Carl Iversen from 1938, and is specific to the Kragerø region. The sprit-sail rig, similar to that found on the Optimist dinghy, is ideal for catching the breeze a metre or two above the waterline – just what you need when weaving between the rocks.
And don’t forget the sailing skills on display here. Wide entrances to the sharp corners from the helmsman, plus nifty crew work involving backing the jib and heeling to windward, leaving inches to spare off the bow.
See below for another view of the same course – this time filmed from behind the mast.