“Ahoy Matey,” I called out as I took the steering on The Golden Eagle, the yacht we boarded in central Tromsø, just a short walk from our Tromsø hotel, the Clarion Collection Hotel With.

I would have added a more piratey “Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum,” if I wasn’t so busy watching the horizon, hoping I wouldn’t ram us into another boat. Luckily for us all, my stint as skipper was brief and I was relieved when Tobias took the wheel again.

We were on our Fjord Sailing excursion from Tromsø, and I was enjoying the splendid view and the breeze hitting my face as I kept warm in my thermo suit.

When I was planning our trip to Norway, researching what to do in and around Tromsø in September, I realised that it was the perfect time for a Norwegian Fjord Sailing excursion.

The weather was great (between 8 and 16 degrees C), the days are not too short, and the fall colours are lovely. Sailing the fjords of Norway was one of the Tromsø excursions on my bucket list, so it was a no-brainer.

I booked our fjord excursion in Tromsø with a tour operator called Pukka Travels, that sails in the fjords 364 days a year.

The night before our fjord sailing trip, we were out till 3 am, chasing the Northern Lights with GuideGunnar and managed to get only a few hours of sleep.

After a quick breakfast at 8 am, we met the three crew members, Tobias, Nick and Jonas (I kid you not!), near their lovely little yacht parked in the Tromsø harbour alongside the Scandic Ishavshotel.

Luckily for us, early September is the lean season in Norway, so we were the only people on the excursion and got their full attention.

Tobias gave us a rundown of all the safety measures to be followed and what to do in the unlikely event that the boat sank. He offered us the thermo suits because the wind chill was brutal, despite the pleasant weather. I gladly took one.

As we set sail along the harbour, Jonas told us about the mountain peaks up ahead and about the stone-age settlements that were found there.

They also pointed out some prehistoric stone carvings on the distant shore as we sailed through the fjord.

Tobias informed us that we needed to catch some fish so they could make fish soup for lunch, or else we’d have to settle for a vegetarian soup. I don't like to fish, but Arun was game, so Tobias gave him a quick lesson with the fishing rod.

Arun managed to get a couple of nibbles, but they got away.

Tobias caught a little fish which he let go since they’re not supposed to catch small fry. He finally managed to snag a decent-sized one for our lunch and proceeded to gut it in a bucket.

While the crew cooked our meal, Arun and I sat at the bow of our fjord sailing boat, taking photos and enjoying the journey.

Soon our lunch was ready, and the crew called us down into the dining room where they served us a piping hot fish soup, accompanied with some bread.

The fish soup was delicious and very filling, and we downed it with the bread pretty quickly. After the soup, they offered us a choice of a number of teas or coffee.

We chose the coffee and sat around the table exchanging travel stories and enjoying a few laughs. Nick happened to be an expat from Australia who moved to Norway with his wife, so we found his experiences quite unique and interesting.

Our Tromsø fjord excursion lasted around 3 hours and, although we didn’t spot any wildlife (it was too early in the year for whale-watching), we had a very enjoyable time, thanks to the amiable and funny crew of The Golden Eagle.

Watch the video of our Norwegian Fjord Sailing Excursion with Pukka Travels and contact them to book your Arctic sail safari in Tromsø.

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