Fryudden to Blankaholm

A long south going leg to Vastervik in sunny weather but adverse wind. We had some use out of the main ( set very flat) in an initial SW breeze but it then backed to S so we were back on engine only. The first part of the run was very beautiful with narrow passages between the rocks and islands bright with new growth. Later on the route is more open and visually boring. The entry into Vastervik is complex and the buoyage changed considerably a year or two ago so was unfamiliar.

We went to the Vastrvik Sailing club site on Notholmen for the very nice people who moor their boats there. The Pro Marina site next door is very expensive, bureaucratic and unfriendly. The Hemkjopp supermarket in the town centre has vanished and there is nowhere convenient to buy food any more. There is a Willy:S about half a mile beyond the hospital which is better than one might expect. The main supermarket, a large ICA is at least two nautical miles away from the centre with a luosy bus service. I wonder what people without cars do.

After failing to buy food we went off to Blankaholm by the inshore route. On the way there I photographed the rock we nearly bumped on when Heather and Alan were with us. Blankaholm is looking better than I expected with fire damage repaired and the place functioning much as usual. We were royally entertained by Jan and Sonja and our hopes, as always, are for the success of their multifarious activities aimed at rebuilding the community there.

Harstena to Fyrudden

We left Harstena, as always with regret. We motored north into a brisk breeze on a lumpy sea and overcast sky but when we turned west and then south into the main “motorway” channel we managed to sail very enjoyably under the jib. Regrettably the visibility reduced steadily until we chose to grope our way into Fyrudden without enthusiasm but going on would have been daft. Visibility was down to less than a kilometre and further reduced to 200 metres in the afternoon. There is nothing to look at under these conditions and too many people going much too fast. Fyrudden marina is fortunate in that its position makes a stay there almost inevitable. It does little to persuade one to stay. The sanitary facilities, supermarket, restaurant etc. are all fairly poor. One adequate enterprise is the fish stall with a splendid lady running it, who knocked off at 1700 and drove herslf off into the mist in a fast motor boat.
We took ourselves off to Stora Alo to enjoy this SXK ( Swedish Cruising Club) site and to meet with Peter and Ann Marie Hallberg. The weather was warmer now and we had a very pleasant two days there. The local SXK group do a wonderful job keeping this site going.

Oxelosund to Harstena

Left Oxelosund at 1230 and put up main with some difficulty as I had not greased the mast slide. A further problem emerged when the no.2 reefing line undid its stopper knot. We fixed that temporarily by rerunning the no.3 reefing line as the no.2. Replacing the line will be an end of season job.

We had an SW wind when going across Braviken and got some advantage from the main but using the jib was impracticable. Once at Arkosund we decided to go further as the breeze, though adverse, was light and in Spite of the recommendation of a club harbour in Arkosund by Peter Hallberg as an alternative to the Pro Marina place. We eventually made it down to Harstena and anchored in the beautiful lagoon with great contentment.

The walk into the settlement next morning was delightful – in spite of the insect bites that we got. The weather was not too hot and the spring colours were lovely. Regrettably the harbour restaurant menu was uninviting but we got some good bread at the bakers and some, just out of the kiln, hot smoked salmon. Other changes are less welcome. There’s a vast building project overlooking the water supply pond with the red lilies. We thought this might be a hotel but learnt that it is to be an enlarged bakery and a couple of houses to be rented out. The over-large project is funded with EU money which has probably contributed to its elephantiasis. At present it looks horrid. I do hope that it will be OK in 5 years time, probably too late for us to enjoy.

We did see a deer near the settlement and Kristin heard a great northern diver at the lagoon and I heard an owl during the night.

In Broken

Because of friends and company, recovery from the Music Festival and booking passes for another one in Norrtalje we stayed on in Stockholm much longer than expected. We took the opportunity to visit Art Exhibitions both at the Modern Art Museum (Moderna) and at Waldermarsudde. Moderna included some enormous funghi, Niki de Saint Phalle and Surrealists and DuChamp all very interesting. Waldemarsudde included a big exhibition of Bruno Lillefors (superior Peter Scott), Prince Eugene ( very good at evening and morning light) These latter exhibitions also gave a good connection to the Skagen school of Danish Impressionists.

In addition the winds were stronger than we liked and we had the open waters of Mysinngen to look forward to again because we could not go through Lake Malaren because of the bridge closure in Stockholm (now scheduled to continue till late September).

To Broken

A simple motor run back through the skerries to the island of Broken to attend the midsummer entertainments there. We were made very welcome and decided at long last to join the NYSS ( Nykoping Sailing Club). One advantage will be we have a lovely island to stay at when we are less able to travel far with Badger.

We duly gathered wild flowers to decorate the summer pole and watched it raised and danced round. In the evening was a very pleasant dinner and jazz concert before we decided on bed and sleep. We had been screaming at our neighbours for some hours in amazingly noisy surroundings and had got pretty tired. We were up early the next day but others surfaced later, took our subscription and presented us with a members flag. We then pottered off south to Oxelosund to meet briefly with Martin and Maria Morris en route to a family dinner. We took the toy road train into town the next day to shop but found the pontoons of the harbour very exposed to swell. Next time we’ll use the fishing harbour which also gets the toy train service.

To Trosa

We had a little more wind but from the south today starting off in dull conditions. While the eastern, early part of the archipelago is forest, the more western part is covered in houses, perched improbably on cliffs, huddled into crevasses or spread out on rare patches of flat land. Originally they were small summer huts but many have been developed into small palaces – often with very strange architectural extravaganzas. The end of this passage is again in wild cliffed country but then there’s a 170 degree turn at the end of a cottage garden in a very narrow channel where the buoyage changes in mid turn. After this comes a bridge that opens on the hour. We arrived at the half hour and tied up to a buoy. We only had time to make a cup of tea and half drink it before the guardian arrived and opened the bridge. We went through and were again in open water going SSW into the breeze down a fjord. Once in clear water we raised the jib and headed off north west at a good speed in a rather rolly swell by now in sunshine and having a lovely time. At the end of the first leg we had to cross a shipping lane leading to Sodertalje, but luckily did not have to avoid anything large and aggressive.

The idyll continued with a lovely sail right to the turn into Trosa where we rolled the jib and sedately motored up to the guest harbour mooring beside a Hallberg Rassy whose owner said he was aground. We weren't – just.
I went off to have a scout around and to find some black line to fasten our gunwhale rope on a little more securely. Most of the restaurants had boring menus unfortunately and I had no luck with the black line either. We then went off together for food shopping and bought a smoked sik but eventually decided to dine at the Stadtshotel where the menu was better.

Utö to Nynashamnan

We left Utö early and motored the ten miles or so to Nynashamn in calm weather and sunshine. We kept a weather eye out for the large Gotland ferries as we got close but were unable to identify something looking like an immense aircraft carrier. It turned out to be an islet with a lighthouse made much taller than usual by a visual illusion. Just as we got past the ferry terminal a big ferry appeared but we were out of its way by then.

We stopped to buy fuel, noting the very new breakwater, built to commemorate the 1912 Olympic Games sailing events, which undoubtedly will reduce swell in the marina. The lady owning the fuel station said it also stopped the ferries pushing ice about which previously had moved her fuel pontoon. We proceeded south into the archipelago south west of Nynashamnan enjoying the close passages through the various reefs. The Dragets canal (4 metres wide ) passed without incident and we motored slowly through the reeds into Rassavikar to stay the night, dropping anchor in a small bight and swinging in the very gentle breeze.

I rigged the new riding sail but am uncertain if it did much good, the breeze was very variable. Rassavikar is incredibly sheltered and very beautiful, surrounded by thick woods. We have seen eagles here but not this time. We had a pleasant afternoon and evening revelling in the small beauties, a lovely pine tree, an impressive cliff and doing a little work on the boat.

Stockholm to Myssingen

Finally set off from Stockholm at 0820 avoiding the fast ferry boats for half an hour when they all started passing at very high speeds making the water very rough. We were expecting big ship ferries as well but luckily missed close encounters by diving down south on the way to Baggenstaket through a sort of gigantic aquatic railway cutting. Here are some of the most eccentric and expensive houses with tendencies to the Addams family but without the bats. Some have incredibly long flights of stairs (sometimes covered) down to the water.
Once out of the cutting we turned east into a wooded channel. Here an old factory has been eradicated – it looks like a big effort is being made to return the site to nature but just now it looks like a quarry. Baggenstaket is a very useful channel, partly natural and very narrow leading out to sea. It has its little problems;- a biggish passenger ferry uses it from time to time as does a long nosed gravel barge. This is too large to pass in the narrow sections and has a very long conveyor belt boom out in front so it can deliver materials some distance inland. We once met it at the entrance to Baggenstaket and were glad we hadn't been there a few minutes earlier.
Once out of Baggenstaket we hoisted the jib and set off south west in a gentle south easterly breeze and bright sunshine. Badger went very well touching six knots from time to time and catching and passing a cruising cat with jib only and a largish single hull boat with jib and small spinnaker. Badger is just much quieter and faster with the KIWI propeller. As we turned south west for Myssingen we had the wind on the nose, furled the jib and motored the long stretch down to Utö. We went for the first time to the south west entrance. It is a little less easy then the main one but is quieter because not used by ferries. At the entrance itself are clear if small triangles as leading marks but these are difficult to see without binoculars. We moored to a small pontoon on the mainland shore to face the breeze but were in barely 1.5 metres of water. The place was quiet with the season barely begun but changes have happened. The bakery has moved across the road and its former premises have become a large and expensive looking bar/restaurant.

Arrival in Stockholm Harbour and Festival

The day was sunny with a promise of heat but no wind. We packed up our shelter and departed, disturbed only by an oldish man out collecting empty drink cans for the deposit (about 10p/can). We ran back through the lagoons looking much better in the sunlight and out into clear waters towards Baggenstaket canal into Stockholm harbour.
In the early stages we had a lovely motor with few people up and about. Once through Baggenstacket there were many fast motor boats, steering was difficult due to boat wakes and progress became very unpleasant.
We were glad to get into Wasahamn where were greeted as old friends. Much of Wasahamn was given over to a Boat Show but we found room and settled in for a week or more attending the Stockholm Early Music Festival. We were early into the Blue Door restaurant lest it should close its doors early on Sunday and enjoyed Lambfarrsbiffar like homing lemmings. We had chores to do on Monday but managed to get up to date on the Festival.

The Festival lasted from Tuesday to Sunday, leaving little time or energy for anything else. We had much superb music and some surprising duds. The Frieburger Baroque orchestra played Teleman and Bach at high speed with very little feeling – they clearly had a train to catch. The final concert of Equadorian Baroque Music was wonderful, happy and life affirming.
We enjoyed some very good meetings with friends made over the year at this festival and parted with regrets. There was one elderly lady who complained that her balance was failing a little with age and this was affecting her skiing – she found it very difficult to undo her ski bindings when buried in a snow drift!
Since then we've been relaxing and recovering from the concert going. Peter Hallberg and Roger and Gwynn turned up yesterday so we have a lot of company. Fitting out is consequently going slowly. It was only yesterday I checked out the VHF radio and made sure I could get weather forecasts on it. We've been relying on the internet up till now.
We will be heading south now, aiming to see Jan and Sonja at Blankaholm and doing some more exploring on the way. Later we will return north to Norrtalje and more music.

Nynashamn to Tyresoe

Up reasonably early to be ready for the bridge opening at 0800; the first of the season. We breakfasted and nothing seemed to be happening. The bridge number had an incomprehensible message. Eventually a yellow jacketed figure could be seen emerging from bushes. It was joined by another but both disappeared. Eventually, warning bells sounded and the figures reemerged, examined the distant something and conferred. At last they walked onto the bridge while the barriers went down. Instruction seemed to be in progress and at last the bridge opened. We were wished a good season as we went through. This is in fact the Tottnäs bridge which sounds the same as our home town.

Once through the bridge we were motoring (no wind) through a lovely set of passages going first NE for a short distance then through an incredibly narrow curving channel where the buoyage direction changes suddenly in the middle and one is sailing in effect through a domestic garden. Once out its almost due south initially into a deserted lake surrounded by cliffs and trees then, after another channel past crags covered with houses and back through another craggy narrow passage into forest again. We enjoyed both the splendour of the forests and lakes and the beauty and absurdity of the houses and pavilions of the inhabitants. Part way through we went through Dragets canal 4+ metres wide and eventually emerged into open water south of Nynashamn.
The weather was grey when we passed Nynashamn, forgoing the splendid smoked fish stall with some regrets and plodded on into colder air on the long drag through Mysinggen. Round about Dalaro the rain began and it gradually increased in power and ferocity distinctly dampening both our spirits and our persons. We decided to stop at Tyresoe Slott or castle for the night. It’s close to Dalaro but up a very long series of lagoons with many desirable houses to enjoy en passante but less of interest in the rain which wound itself into a torrent as we came in to moor to the quay. We rapidly erected a shelter over the boom divested ourselves and made tea. When the rain eased Roger went off to investigate but found no signs of life in the marina but a rather damp barbecue going on for a mainly young group of people. We huddled on board and let the cooling engine provide warmth. We’d motored 42 miles – a necessary journey but not a pleasant one.