Norway - Restrictions
Navigation:
Sailing close to military areas is prohibited, such areas being marked on charts and usually indicated by signposts on the shore.
Numerous fish farms are found along the coast, and boats are required to keep a safe distance.
There are various conservation areas for sea birds along the coasts, access to which is prohibited between 15 April and 15 July, including the surrounding sea for 164 ft (50 m).
The shoreline in anchorages is normally privately owned and one should ask the owner’s permission first before landing. By the same token, Norway has strict laws protecting public access, and unless you are within 150m of a home or on cultivated land, anchoring and even camping is permitted.
A warning is issued to boats cruising the fjords to pay careful attention to the height restrictions caused by overhead cables and bridges.
Environment:
No fires may be lit on shore from 15 April to 15 September.
No garbage may be thrown overboard.
Discharge from toilets or holding tanks closer than 300 metres from shore is strictly prohibited.
In harbor, do not use toilet without a holding tank.
For a comprehensive information about topics, data and maps about Norwegian Habitats and Protected Areas, see the webpage Environment of Norway. Surfers and kiters have been fined in some protective areas.
Antifouling for sale in Norway is strictly regulated. Washing of boats in marinas are limited to designated areas with waste water collection. No specific regulation for visiting boats.
Alcohol
In Norway the drink drive limit for boaters is 0,8. If Norwegian boaters are caught with an alcohol level between 0,8 and 2,0,they will lose their right to drive(sail) a boat for one year. With a level above 2,0 recorded they will lose their rights to skipper a boat for 5 years.
Fishing
Anyone over 16 years old fishing for salmon, sea trout, sea char or freshwater fish in waters on common land must pay an annual fee at any post office. A local fishing licence is also compulsory and this can be obtained from sports shops, kiosks and tourist offices. The licence only covers a certain area, and can be bought for a day, week, month or whole season. Restrictions are normally stated on the licence. Live bait is forbidden. Rivers and lakes may also be in private ownership, with their own permits enforced by the owners.
Fishing seasons vary from district to district.
Sea fishing with rod or hand lines is open to anyone, and no fishing fee must be paid, unless fishing for salmon, sea trout or sea char. The closed season for these fish is 5 August-31 May.
Foreigners may only use hand gear such as rods or jigs. Nets and similar devices may not be used.
For fishing laws, see webpage of Directorate of fisheries in Norway.
Flag etiquette
The courtesy flag must be flown from sunrise to sunset only, but not before 0800 and not after 2100. It is considered very discourteous to leave the flag flying after sunset.
Guests are expected to fly a courtesy flag under starboard spreader in the same period as the flag.
Svalbard – permit & SAR insurance required
If you are planning a trip in Svalbard, you should be aware of a number of rules and regulations and of certain local particularities. Details are published on the Governor of Svalbard website.
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No one needs to take a test before or after entering Norway. The info on here is dated.
Thanks for letting us know Steve – really helpful. Yes I see rules changed last week and we’ve updated the biosecurity section accordingly.
The best pilot guide we used was, in fact, an app downloaded to our iPad and phone: https://www.harbourguide.com.
Norway is very capable when it comes to gas refilling. We found that our existing UK Calor bottles could be refilled with Propane by a professional for the same or less than in the UK. We did not have to buy a Norwegian bottle.
Rorvik and Harstad are where we filled our bottles but it seems like you can do it in most major towns. This site is useful: https://www.mylpg.eu/stations/norway/
To be more precise phasing out is a process as I have explained here: http://59nord.pl/en/radio-2/
It will be finished at the and of the current year, so there is still a good chance that this season visitors to Norway may be able to use their FM receivers.
When it comes to weather forecasts I have elaborated on that here: http://59nord.pl/en/weather-forcast-on-nrk-radio/ and here: http://59nord.pl/en/marine-radio-weather-forecast/
I want to highlight that Norwegian radio has shut down their FM senders from 2017 and the only way to access public radio is by having Dab+ in your boat as this is the only transmission remaining.
To access weather, check VHF Ch 16 where they inform which working channel they will broadcast the weather every day at 9:00, 12:00, 15:00 and 21:00 local time.
Being Norwegian, I would like to expand on your statement about all shoreline being private (Restrictions section).
Few countries, if any, give a sailor better access than Norway. The public intention is to keep all shoreline within 100m open to the public. Deviations from this rule are unfortunately many. Some because of existing buildings when the law was passed, some because of too good lawyers. But the general rule is that you can freely use the shoreline.
You can anchor outside the private property. You can take your dinghy ashore anywhere that is not obviously private. You can spend the day at the shore, collect firewood, and pick berries. All this without asking anybody for permission.
Any “private” signs are most often illegal. With exceptions for the densely populated southeastern part of Norway, the vast majority of the shoreline is free to use.