We didn't move far from Lillesand for our first stop as the forecast was for wall to wall sunshine all day and we were on holiday after all! We needed shelter from a strong north westerly wind which was forecast for overnight. We had a few options but the first place we visited, Hestholmbuktene, was perfect. It was only 2 miles from Lillesand but we took the interesting route, going in the narrow and shallow southern entrance into the wider bay. The anchorage was still busy on the south side from the previous night, so we went to inspect the northern side rocks for mooring rings. We dropped the kedge out and motored forwards so Pete could jump off the front and secure us to the ring. We were alone on this side of the anchorage except for a family who lived there and had a number of boats on mooring bouys by their beach. We spent a lovely few hours in the sun. Pete had a swim and I had the shortest dip in history as the water, which looked inviting, was so cold. By 5pm all you could hear was hammering. Norwegians carry kits with a hammer and various mooring stakes and install their own mooring bolts wherever they see a suitable rock face. Soon we were surrounded and everyone was barbecuing on the rocks. It was a comfortable anchorage overnight.

Having checked the weather, it appeared that we had 5 days before there would be a weather window to round Lindesnes, so we split the mileage into 5 equal parts and determined to move around 8 to 10 miles a day on our return trip.

First stop, on Thursday, was Oygholmen, nicknamed 'Nilen' because it is like a river. The entrance was narrow but opened up into a little bay with shallow mooring sites for motor cruisers. A little further in, where it narrowed again, there was a rock face with room for 3 yachts to tie alongside. There was a Swedish yacht there already and they helped us tie up as the rocks were quite steep. As the day progressed the narrow passage became a hive of activity, with small boats, jet skis and kayakers going backwards and forwards. There was even an ice cream boat with the same jingles as ice cream vans at home. We missed buying one as we were out clamoring over the rocks and gullies. We spoke to a group of older people from 5 motor cruisers who were sitting on deck chairs facing the sun and the view. Pete nicknamed them the Youth Club and they invited us to pop back round later for a drink (bring your own, as is customary here) and a chat, which we did. Later, as the sun descended from view, we completed our Backgammon tournament, which Donna won, much to Pete's disgust.

The next morning we said goodbye to the Swedes and set off for Stokken South, doing a little fishing before retracing our steps through Blindleia. Again we were motoring as there was very little wind. It was warm and sunny again. The entrance to this popular anchorage is 4m deep and about 8m wide. There is a pontoon along the inner edge but this was full, so we were considering places along the outer rock face. As we were doing so the Swedish couple turned up. They had motored round the outside rather than take the scenic route, which they had seen before. As they had a lifting keel and rudder on their Ovni, they reversed in first to check depths. There was a reef about 8m out from the rock wall so care was needed on the approach. We made it safely in. We knew there was a shop about a mile further on but on the other side of the channel, so Pete inflated the dinghy using the dive cylinder, so he could go shopping. Unfortunately the outboard wouldn't start so he went under oars. He rowed to the top of the island, 300m across the channel and then walked to the shop, buying bbq food, beer and ice cream. He just made it back before the oar lock broke on one side. We ate our fill of ice cream and gave the rest to the Swedes. I decided to have a solar shower in the cockpit which was relatively private in relation to other moored boats. I had just dressed when a trip boat came steaming by with sightseers taking video and photos. A near miss! In the evening we had a BBQ on the rocks, cooking curried fish for starters and pork ribs for main. Lovely.

On Saturday we completed our trip through Blindleia, heading to Ny Hellesund. We opted for the Helgoya anchorage rather than the very busy Olavsunddet. We again had assistance in mooring alongside a high rock wall, which the pilot book promised was sheltered in all winds. The guy who helped us told us that Helgoya had lots of old gun sites, 2 famous navigation marks and that there would be a speed boat race in the afternoon. We decided to take a walk, following the blue dots on stones and trees to get to the gravelled walkways. The many gun sites and interconnecting tunnels were very interesting. We also walked up to the Tvillingvardene sea marks, the oldest sea marks in N Europe. They are 2 prominent white pillars on top of the island. We sat for a while waiting for the race but the wind was cool and we eventually gave up. We went fishing from the rocks and caught a nice fish almost straight away. Unfortunately Pete then caught 2 cuckoo wrasse, which are blue and orange and like tropical fish. We threw them back and called it a day. Overnight the wind strengthened and a swell built up in the channel. We were rocking quite hard all night and the plank between the fenders and the rock wall became quite battered. Not what was expected based on the forecast wind direction or the pilot book notes. Luckily the boat didn't sustain any damage.