Norway. Mainland coast, fjords and islands

Publisher: RCC Pilotage Foundation

Publication Date: 2007, 1st Edition

 At last the admirable RCC Pilotage Foundation has reached Norway and has produced the first real pilot book for the English speaking yachtsman. The author is Judy Lomax who, with her husband David, has probably, over eight seasons, sailed more miles in Norwegian waters than anyone else.When I sailed the length of this coast and to Svalbard I had to buy seven volumes of the Norwegian pilot, now over £40 each, so this seemingly high £45 is excellent value. The figures are staggering: from Lindesnes in the south, in a straight line to the North Cape is 950 miles but the full coastline is 50,000 miles long. This is covered in 300 pages in amazing detail with plenty of aerial and scenic photos, with chartlets showing the best line through the leads but no harbour plans though the photos offer a good alternative. Thousands of anchorages are mentioned with their positions, the nature of the bottom and a comment such as “attractive”, “delightful”, “secluded”, etc. One can guess that a description without a comment means “use if you must”.The initial overview is comprehensive and includes two full page maps showing which VHF channel to use where. (MCA please copy!)There is a two-way glossary, distance tables and a full index.

Any yachtsman even contemplating a visit to this loveliest of cruising areas could be considered negligent if he did not buy this book. - RHR