Coastal Ferry Day 11
Trondheim & Kristiansund
Today you can visit Trondheim in the early morning and then enjoy Kristiansund in the afternoon.
On this day of sailing...
6:30am - 9:30am
Trondheim
26th port - 63.2 degrees north - population 210,000
In the morning you arrive at Trondheim. There is enough time to walk to Nidaros Cathedral and back, but you need to have a moderate level of fitness as it’s approximately 2.5km one way. Alternatively, you can take part in one of the excursions there instead.
Excursions
Today is a quiet day of sailing. It will take some time to leave the Trondheimsfjord.
Approximately 45 minutes before Kristiansund: Slettringen
On the starboard right side you’ll be able to see the lighthouse called Slettringen. It is the tallest lighthouse in Norway, with a height of 45m. It was built in 1899 and became automated in 1968.
Approximately 30 minutes before Kristiansund: Grip
On the starboard right side you’ll be able to see the islands known as Grip. They are very lowlying islands almost without soil.
Grip is a historic place. It hs been inhabited since the Middle Ages, and Grip is home to one of Norway’s 28 remaining stave churches – Grip Stave Church. The church was built in the 15th century and is one of Norway’s simplest stave churches. People settled on Grip due to the proximity to the fishing grounds, and at its peak there were 400 people living there, with up to 2000 fishermen coming in the fishing season.
Eventually people moved to Kristiansund. People still live in Grip, though many of the homes are now summer homes.
Grip lighthouse is clearly visible on the starboard right side. The lighthouse was built in 1888 and it is 44m high.
Approach into Kristiansund
As you approach Kristiansund, you’ll notice the town is built on three islands: Kirkelandet, Nordlandet and Innlandet. The ship will sail into the Sørsundet strait between Kirkelandet and Innlandet, under the Sørsund Bridge.
You will clearly see Nordlandet Church. The church was built in 1913 and is built using granite from the local area. During the bombardment of Kristiansund in 1940, most of the houses in Nordlandet were destroyed; the church survived.
4:30pm - 5:30pm
Kristiansund
27th port - 63 degrees north - population 22,000
About Kristiansund
Kristiansund receive a town charter and trading rights in 1742, making it one of the ‘newer’ towns along the Norwegian coast. The Danish-Norwegian King Christian VI was the one who gave the town rights; he also gave the town its name.
However, Kristiansund is a very old place. It is believed that Kristiansund is one of the earliest permanent settlements in Norway. The town was previously known as Fosna, and the Fosna culture goes back to approximately 8000BC.
Kristiansund was founded on clipfish (klippfisk, dried and salted cod). The process was introduced by a Dutchman in the 1690s, and during the 18th century the production of klippfisk became a major industry. Boats came in from the sea with salted fish that was washed before being salted once more and then hung to dry on rocks. The fish was then put into a press for two weeks to allow the salted water to drain. A lot of the klippfisk was exported to Spain.
At the end of April 1940, Kristiansund was subjected to almost four days of bombing from the Luftwaffe and the town lay almost in ruins. The reason for the bombing was that the Nazis believed the King and government were in town (they weren’t). Five people were killed and 800 buildings were destroyed.
You will be in Kristiansund for one hour, which gives enough time to explore.
Excursions
+40 minutes after Kristiansund: Hestkjær Lighthouse
On the port side you’ll be able to see Hestkjær Lighthouse. It was built in 1960 with concrete and has a range of 15 nautical miles. It was automated in 1986.
+1 hour after Kristiansund: Atlantic Road
You will kind of be able to see the Atlantic Road on the port side (it’s very faint – do the excursion if you want to see it up close!).
The Atlantic Road is one of Norway’s 18 national tourist roads and consists of a series of bridges across the islands.
Hustadvika
Hustadvika is a notorious stretch of open seas. It may be a little bumpy.
+2 hours after Kristiansund: Bud
The traditional fishing village of Bud passes on the port side. The first settlers came here because of the proximity to the fisheries. Bud was important during the Hanseatic period and it increased in size and importance. Bud was one of the largest trading places between Bergen and Trondheim. Bud church is a wooden church from 1717.
10:25pm - 10:35pm
Molde
28th port - 62.4 degrees north - population 32,000
About Molde
Molde is a charming town surrounded by incredible mountains. Molde was founded on fishing, as were many other ports, and salting plants and herring ports were the reasons Molde was officially given town status in 1612.
Tourists began coming here at the end of the 19th century, and Molde developed into one of the ports they would visit. Molde had beautiful wooden houses and gardens, so it naturally became a tourist town. Because of its large gardens, Molde became known as the ‘City of Roses’.
Much of Molde was destroyed at the start of World War II. King Haakon VII and Crown Prince Olav, along with the government, hid in Molde. The German forces subjected the town to massive bombing, and a week later the King, Prince and government fed to London. Molde was left in ruins and later rebuilt in a postwar style.
Molde is famous for its annual jazz festival, Molde Jazz, as well as its football team.
The coat-of-arms shows a whale chasing a herring into a barrel, which is based on an old myth that whales chased fish into the fjords. It also portrays the city’s founding industries of herring fisheries and timber exports. Molde was never a whaling port, however the sight of whales was commonly believed to be the start of the spring herring fisheries.
What You See from the Ship
You will clearly see a large building that looks like a sailboat (at least that is the goal). “Seilet” (the Sail) is a hotel that was built in 2002. Close by is Aker Stadium; Molde’s football team is one of the best in Norway.
Molde Cathedral is from 1957. Three other churches have stood on the same tide, with the first one being from 1661. The third one was destroyed during the German bombardment in 1940.