18 MARINA VISIT
Red Boating Association, Fredrikstad, Norway
N
orway occupies the Western side of Scandinavia and, unlike its Swedish neighbour, is a mountainous, heavily-forested land, with deep fjords cutting into its North Atlantic Coast. The city of Fredrikstad, founded by King Frederick II in 1567, lies about 20 kilometres North of the Swedish border and was once voted the most attractive city in Norway. Its centre is on the West bank of the Glomma (Norway’s longest river), while the old town on the East bank is Northern Europe’s bestpreserved fortified town. As it straddles the Glomma, where it meets the outer Oslo Fjord and Skagerrak, it is not only beautiful, but also offers a very conducive environment for boating and a large number of marinas are located in or close to the city. The Red Boating Association (Rød Båteforening), which was established in 1958, operates a small marina at Rødsbukta, near the estuary of the Glomma, providing 110 berths. When the Association was looking to replace its original, fixed wooden docks, the committee enlisted SF Marina to install floating concrete pontoons, with finger piers for members to board their craft. The floating dock was designed and manufactured by SF Marina in Sweden and was completed in May, 2021, just as members wished to begin sailing again. As the pontoons float, they remain at a constant height above the water, providing easy access to boats throughout the entire season. The gangways at the end of each one are hinged to accommodate tidal fluctuations, as well as the annual flooding caused by snowmelt. Fredrikstad, together with neighbouring Sarpsborg, forms the fifth largest city in Norway and was chosen as the final port of call
for the Tall Ships Races in 2005, which attracted thousands of visitors to witness this impressive event. In 2019, the city was once
MARINA INDUSTRY • FEBRUARY 2022
again called upon to welcome Tall Ships to the Glomma, this time hosting the first event in the series.
Rød Båteforening post@rbforening.no www.rbforening.no
