Sail Norway.

Norway is two sailing countries in one hull. South of Oslo the coast breaks into low granite skerries and pine islands, sailed all summer in shirtsleeves. North of the Arctic Circle the water runs between fjord walls that go straight up into snow, under a sun that doesn't set in June and doesn't rise in December. Same flag, different boat.

In Vestfold og Telemark you're on the Skagerrak coast southwest of Oslo — a maze of skerries, sounds and islands with harbours at Sandefjord, Larvik, Stavern, Langesund and Kragerø, all a short hop apart. In Troms og Finnmark you're based near Tromsø, working the Lyngen and Kvænangen fjords where the mountains come straight out of the water and Skjervøy sits at the edge of open Barents water.

South, the season runs May to September. Wind is mostly southwesterly off the Skagerrak, often filling in as an afternoon sea breeze at 10-15 knots, though a Skagerrak low can bring more. North, the classic window is late May to late July for the midnight sun, with wind funnelled and gusty off the fjord walls but usually settled by morning. From November to January the same waters run shorter, sheltered motorsailing passages built around wildlife, not open-water sailing.

South of Oslo, bareboat and skippered charters both run — the skerries are forgiving enough for a competent crew to take the helm themselves. In the Arctic, charters go out skippered only; tidal fjords and shifting local wind reward local knowledge, and the winter wildlife weeks are built around a skipper who knows where the herring — and the orca that follow them — currently are.

A week's bareboat in the southern skerries typically runs somewhere in the EUR 3,000-6,000 range depending on boat size and month — high season and the bigger yachts sit at the top of that. Skippered Arctic charters cost more once crew, fuel and the shorter operating window are factored in; for a specific boat and week, price on request. Either way, budget separately for marina fees, fuel and provisioning on top of the charter fee.

For the south, fly into Oslo Gardermoen or Sandefjord Torp and drive on to Sandefjord or Larvik — under two hours from either airport. For the Arctic, fly directly into Tromsø; the base is a short transfer from the terminal. Handover is typically a Saturday afternoon; get in the day before if your flight allows it.

Day 1 — Join the boat in Sandefjord, provision, short sail to Stavern for the night. Day 2 — Stavern to Jomfruland; anchor off the sand spit and swim. Day 3 — Jomfruland to Kragerø; walk out to Gunnarsholmen before dinner. Day 4 — Kragerø out to a quiet outer-skerry anchorage, no marina, just rock and pine. Day 5 — Sail to Langesund; buy mackerel at the quay and grill it aboard. Day 6 — Langesund back towards Larvik; stop at Fredriksvern fortress on the way. Day 7 — Return to Sandefjord, clean up, handover.