We left Helgoya to make our way back through the Olavsunddet, a shallow and narrow channel with pretty houses. Unlike our incoming passage, we were not under sail. Unfortunately it was overcast which diluted the beauty a little when compared to our previous passage. We were a little tired after our sleepless night in Helgoya, so decided to head to the closer of our two options for the night. Trysnes was just 6 miles away, a little resort catering to fishing and diving enthusiasts. Our second option would have been Tregde, another slightly larger resort. Had it been hot and sunny, Tregde may have won the vote due to it having a swimming pool. However, Trysnes turned out to be a delightful little place and we had a good berth on the end of the pontoon, with plenty of space. Contrary to the pilot book information there was no electricity or water on the pontoons but there was enough wind to run the airbreeze wind turbine. The reception was officially closed but a man was just leaving. We said we were looking to pay and he asked, 'how much do you usually pay?'. He took 150 NOK from us and pointed out the shower and washing facilities. There was no additional payment for these, so as the sun had now come out, we took the opportunity to wash undies, t-shirts and tea towels, later hanging these on the rails to dry. There was a restaurant on the quayside advertising a buffet lunch, so we decided to take advantage. We had no idea what this was going to cost. We went in and ordered a beer and a red wine and took a seat overlooking the marina. The proprietor said food would be ready for 2pm, saying it was their first day open and apologising for the delay. There was a good selection of food and we tried everything. Fish soup to start, various meats, fried chicken, choice of potatoes, rice and pasta, fresh bread rolls and vegetables. We stocked up on the veg to avoid scurvy! Then we were informed that there would be pancakes for dessert, so we ordered two more glasses of wine. The glasses were a decent size too, unlike some places in Norway where the measures are miniscule. We chatted with an American lad who was hoping to get into Oslo university to do his masters. Pete didn't have pancakes, having already eaten his fill. He missed out as they were very good. Pete paid the bill, a surprisingly cheap 776 NOK (£77) by Norwegian standards. We spent the afternoon reading in the sunshine. When the sun left the cockpit we went for a walk in both directions from the marina, taking pictures of the boat. We then sat on the quayside until the sun dipped behind the trees and after the 3 course lunch, we didn't need any tea. We planned the route to Mandal on the navionics app before retiring for the night.

Monday started out quite bright and sunny as we left Trysnes, just after 1000 hours. However, the pleasant conditions didn't last and a ferocious wind picked up as we approached the first headland. We ended up with 28 knots, on the nose, with a heavy swell and drizzle, followed by rain. We stuck the engine on and motored to Mandal. There was a brief period of blue sky as we headed under the 19m cable and bridge (reported as 16m on charts) but the rain started again as we approached Mandal and started preparing ropes and fenders. As this was our second trip we knew where we were going and found a pen on pier 4, right on the end, just before the bridge which prevents yachts going up river. As soon as we had moored up, the weather dried up and the sun started to come out. We headed to the Meny supermarket for provisions. They have a great beer selection. Pete bought his customary Tuborg, while I, as a more discerning drinker, bought Brew Dog Punk IPA, Tasty Blonde and Liefmans' Yellow and fruit beers. We had a light lunch and went out for a walk. We bought ice creams, as the weather was now warm and sunny, then booked a table at Smoi, the pizza restaurant where we had been with our Norwegian friends. From there we climbed the steps and steep path up to the lookout on top of the hill overlooking Mandal. The lookout is a bit like a band stand but it has a telescope. We took photos of the boat, the marina and views out over the sea. On returning to the town, we stepped into a photography gallery. We ended up having a long discussion about photography, Norway and England with the proprietor, who said he is a famous photographer and has many photography friends in the UK, including in York. We didn't get his card so don't know his name. We returned to the boat and actually dressed for dinner before making our way to Smoi. We shared a Dynamitten American pizza and had some wine. It was a lovely treat.

From Mandal we headed to Baly, about 12 miles away and our last port of call before heading back north. The wind was on the nose again. We arrived in Baly expecting the visitor berths to be on the pontoon behind the breakwater but this was full of small motor boats and a fishing boat. Most of the other berths, on the floating pontoons, we're sporting red flags, suggesting they weren't available to visitors. We motored past the end of the first pontoon and read the sign at the end. I decided it said that the red flags indicated spaces for visitors, so we moored up in the last slot at the end, the others looking a but narrow. We confirmed with the shop and it turns out I am getting quite good at reading Norwegian signage. The shop at the marina was great; a full range of boating supplies, as well as gifts and antiques. We did a bit of shopping and asked about gas supplies and conversion kits, as we were on to our last bottle of gas and it's a small one. We were directed to the fuel station, 15 minutes walk up the road. It was a nice walk. There was a lot of new development going on, building new houses on the canal side and waterfronts. The canal us a short cut for motor boats to miss out Lindesnes but the bridges are too low for yachts. The fuel station had an even better shop than the marina, selling all household goods, DIY and electrical goods, boating equipment and food. We bought the conversion kit and a bottle of gas and I had an ice cream. I had a luxurious shower back at the msrina. That's one without a timer, meaning you don't need to rush and have time for luxuries like shaving your legs. Peter didn't bother. In the evening we went to the bar and sat on the balcony overlooking the marina and then had an early night, ready for our 5am start next morning. However, sunny evening, a shop and a bar means everyone comes out to play, dashing around in their little boats. It's a bit like teenagers at home with their first cars. Every boat that passed created a bow wave that had the boat bouncing around, so we dressed and relocated to the pontoon behind the breakwater, which now had an empty spot. Back to bed!