Nyköping to Nynashamn

Up early to buy more exhaust pipe. The shop actually opened at 0645! Managed to dismantle the exhaust and put in new pipe quite quickly Hooray!

We now had ample supplies on board so went off to the Pud School (Hotel and Catering College) for one last time. David on a neighbouring British boat very kindly came with me in his car to take me back quickly to the marina when I’d stored the car and so we gained some time.
We slipped at 1330 and motored off towards Nynashamn in warm sunny windless weather. Arriving at the opening bridge into the “wriggles” west on Nynashamn just after 2000 that evening.
We were pretty tired but very relieved to have got away. The engine and exhaust were working well and the track we’d followed through Stendorren and past Trosa were very beautiful in the sunshine. We moored up at the waiting buoy, had a pleasant supper and a celebratory brandy and went early to bed.

Fixing a leak

Roger discovered reason for water ingress – a leak from the water lock caused by disturbance. After a long and exhausting struggle he decided to take out the lock and substituted a long length of exhaust pipe. He got very tired in the process.

Housekeeping

Fitted sails and got boat habitable.

Test trip

Launch and mast rigging by Jet and Totter – admirably done as usual. Next Roger had his solo trip round to the marina while Kristin took the car round.
Kristin now could pack away our clothes but not bed-linen until we could put the sails on. This had to wait until the rigging was tuned and the boom fitted. Roger found rather more water in the boat than expected but no obvious reason for it.

The missing item

After a lovely breakfast, back to the work and hull polishing. By now we’d found what we’d forgotten to pack – principally a new supply of Teak Oil. We have a little left and may have to try other and inferior brands.

Work and friends

With the hull repairs nearly done the pace of work relaxed considerably. Roger prepped the mast for Monday’s launch and checked seacocks.  The weekend brought in two owners of large motorboats and noisy powered polishers. On had a large roll of polishing paper on a big wheeled stand – that really  is being organised for everything.

We went off to clean up ourselves ad we had a very kind and very welcome offer of dinner and bed from our very kind friends Martin and Maria. Their very novel (when we saw it last year) automatic mower has been joined in the marketplace in Sweden by at least two other makes –expect to see it in the UK in a year or two.

Repairs

Weather a little warmer so repairs went faster. Roger had a random orbital sander to sand the rair work down smooth but it used “velcro” disks which came off randomly at high speed which was frightening. Increasing skill and cowardice reduced the problem but lower hand pressure was probably the key

Work starts ...

The Lanterna Hotel has good public rooms and serves a good breakfast. Work though was hard: transferring kit out of Badger into the car and vice versa. Roger started work on repairing the hull damage we’d got last year and Kristin sorted and stowed kit, much handicapped by the forepeak being almost unavailable because of the sails on the bunks.
The hull repairs (in epoxy) went slowly as the hall was quite cold even when Roger used a hot air gun cautiously to speed matters up. He also fitted a new exhaust water injection bend as the old one had rusted a little. This necessitated disturbing the rest of the exhaust system with unfortunate results.

Lübeck to Nyköping

This was a public holiday so the city stayed shut. We found an unvisited church with morning service and an organ playing. We crept in and hid in a corner but were noticed by the organist when he came out for a smoke during the sermon. We accosted him later and learnt a lot about the organ and a recital at 1800 in the Nikolai church.
We had a very good lunch in Lübecker Hanse and amused ourselves in walking and eating cake till then. The recital was only so-so, dedicated to showing of the organist and the organ rather than making music. This was understandable as Lübeck has just paid an enormous sum for the organ’s restoration.

We pootled off to Travemunde at this point looking for a light snack before taking the night boat to Sweden. Now a light snack is a difficult concept to articulate and we settled for concoctions involving two fried eggs, ham and potatoes.
We got on the boat after getting through the check in system and motoring off into a vast concrete area with no guidance at all. Luckily we’d been told the boat was the Peter Pan and eventually spotted a large cartoon of this figure in the gloom. I suppose this is guidance systems for the illiterate.
We found our cabin and retired to bed happily tired and went to bed after buying a litre of aquavit. Our extra expenditure for an outside cabin was largely wasted as the weather was foggy but we arrived safely and on time at Trelleborg, got caught up in the rush hour and escaped to drive again rather boringly to Nyköping.
Badger seemed fine when we found her but we left her alone. Clocked into our hotel and went off to Kohiro for lovely Sushi before bed time.

Kristin’s birthday

Kristin’s birthday. The roads were nearly empty of lorries so driving to Lübeck (long way) was easier than usual. Once there we booked in to Staudtermaier and went to look for things to do. All the shops and art galleries were shut but we love wandering round town and ate quite well.

Kröller-Müller museum

Peter of the Old House recommended a cash and carry for beer buying in Veurne and we bought a modest supply. They had a new way of operating the check-out. You wheel up the trolley beside an empty one. The operator transfers everything to a second trolley using a portable scanner. You move the trolley to the cash desk and pay up. It means the operators get strong muscles.
Getting to Otterlo in Holland was trouble free but boring. Dutch motorways seem to be on a grid pattern so lots of interchanges. We stayed at Carnegie Cottage with a small if comfortable room and an excellent dining room/art gallery just on the edge of the National Park and very convenient for getting into the Kröller-Müller Museum at 10:00 the next day behind two coachloads of Japanese tourists.
I must try and discover what it is about Japanese society that makes it more important for them to photograph each other in front of things than actually look at what they've come so far to see. They are incredibly good at modelling; falling into poses very quickly.

We escaped the Japanese by going out into the very cold gardens and enjoying some of our favourite sculptures especially Lipfschitz (sic) and discovered a new sculpture of a large red painted boiler suspended from trees and with a maximum occupancy of two, but then retreated inside to look at Van Goghs in a rather differently arranged exhibition with some we had never seen before.

Totnes to Veurne

Up at 0500 to do final packing and drive to Dover. It’s usually the worst drive of the trip with the M25 to traverse. We got there in ample time, had a boring trip to Dunkirk and were in Veurne soon afterwards. The Old House was as welcoming as ever but the town was not. All the top restaurants (according to Trip Advisor) were shut but we revisited Oogappel and had a good dinner to spite them.

Last day in Totnes

We’d packed and were anxious to be off. Kristin had had a hard winter struggling with the Museum and with plans that could have destabilised it. I had gone through one rite of passage into old age – having a cataract operation (successful) and given a largish number of talks.Today was particularly busy: AGM of Probus in the morning, eye exam. That involved Kristin as well as I couldn't drive afterwards, and a splendid dinner and wine tasting organised by Nigel of Totnes Wines.