Braviken to Broken

Motored gently off to broken in fine weather. We found the harbour fairly full but no club boats present. There were, however a large group of vintage wooden boats, both sail and motor, including some amazing gentleman's motor boats. One had a separate forward deck house for the crew with a gap between it and the owner's saloon. We stayed two nights enjoying the surroundings but the water was a bit too cold for swimming. Henrik (the harbourmaster) and his family had a very busy time with the harbour full and orders for 112 rolls for breakfast. At 7 SEK each not a bad sideline.

Mon to Braviken

With a forecast of strong winds later, we got up at 0500, breakfasted and were away in calm conditions and bright sun motoring back on our outward track admiring the scenery by 0600. After passing our former anchorage we continued towards the NE south of Inner Karro and on to join the main route just N of Rodakuggan. This part of the route is broad and well marked with highish wooded islands and some interesting skerries S of Aspoja we have yet to explore. Here we saw anchored a three masted ship we had seen previously and then went right up to a starboard hand buoy with a gold crown on it called Kejsaren or Tzar. It is of ancient origin and sailors used to drink a toast when they passed it from joy at getting past the perils of the rocks. Since there are considerable perils in both directions for a sailing ship the toast was probably justified in both directions. Close inspection of the buoy shows empty tot glasses on it. After this buoy the channel widens until we get to the Arkosund complex. It’s quite easy to make mistakes here and I've seen a forty foot Janneau with a broken back from hitting a rock in Arkosund at seven knots.

Because of the expected strong winds, we’d intended to stop in Arkosund but luckily it was just 0900 so we listened to the up to date forecast which was benign and decided to go on across Braviken. The Promarina guest harbour here has been rebuilt, putting all the guest places together where there is least shelter from bad weather and equipping the places with lazy lines. These are slimy ropes you have to drag up from the bottom of the harbour to attach to stern cleats – unpleasant. We went a little further north to look at a yacht club harbour which looked a much better bet but decided to go on. In some ways it was a pity. Arkosund has some splendid ornate late 19th early 20th C houses that are distinctly Addams Family but without the bats. We had a very pleasant sunny sail across Braviken, a little too close hauled for real enjoyment but welcome all the same and went into Oxelosund Fishing harbour which has excellent shelter and a reasonable restaurant. We were met unexpectedly by Roger and Gwyn Robson which was very pleasant. They had stopped at Broken and been told we had joined that club. The fishing harbour was very crowded by people wishing to avoid the promised strong winds which duly arrived later in the day. We spent the next day on chores, shopping via the road train and washing clothes and ourselves. The evening was shared happily with Roger and Gwyn.

Stora to Mon

Up early, releasing the buoy at 0810. We went north under main and motor, getting a little lift from a gentle westerly breeze. We found a Hallberg Rassy making a very cautious approach to Hasko from the south and wonder if he made it. The plotter seemed to suggest it was possible. Several people have now told us to go there as the smoked salmon is superb. We also found people coming from the east who could only have come from a difficult little passage which is a short cut to Harstena from the south. This looks quite difficult on the chart but probably looks much easier on the plotter – it is clearly a familiar passage to Swedish sailors. We had done this once before but reckoned it a little too risky for repeated use.

We left the main route Vaggo, passing between this island and Snuggholmen to continue north, just W of Vasteron and Missjo, now under power as we had a tricky set of passages ahead of us. We turned NW and went along a narrow railway cutting sort of passage between Inner and outer Olsen. There's a nasty little awash rock on the port side of the passage to be avoided but otherwise it was clear. We then turned SW and proceeded carefully through the shallows between Brandsholmen and Grimelso into deep water again. South of Grimmelso there’s a lovely inlet, well sheltered except from the NW where we had anchored some years before and we had been up to this point following a previous track on our plotter; from now on, all was new. The remainder of the days travel was relatively easy, all in “white” (more than 6 metre depth) water and requiring only the careful following of a pre-plotted track till we reached our objective, Mon.

The area, known as Halfjarden, is a delight, much used by canoeists who can go everywhere and who, alone can use any entrance other than the one we did. There is no through traffic and little in the way of fast motor boats. The guest harbour has a large and obvious boat house cum café, largely built by with EU money. Only the root pontoon is available for visitors and will accept about five boats more alongside. Facilities include water on the pontoon, electricity from the boathouse with showers and toilets some distance away. The site itself is mainly concerned with campers, hut renters and caravanners with a substantial number of resident boats. At the far end of the site, a good if very expensive restaurant will serve lunches and dinners. It is a lovely place to visit.

Loftahammer to Stora

Up early and refilled at the automatic fuel station. We've used a lot of fuel this year and the price of a refill is now around £80, which is frightening.

We then got out and set off under the jib in sunshine and in a gentle NW breeze which soon died out but was good while it lasted so we resorted to the engine and set off north up the narrow series of leads which is the main coastal “motorway”in a gentle northerly. This eventually veered NE so we raised the main to get a little lift, cursing all those coasting south with sails out. This is a particularly beautiful part of the archipelago with open water not far away to the east beyond smooth pale grey whale-backed rocks, and forested islands to the west. The forests contain numerous very twisted Scots pines with beautiful reddish brown bark.

For the last few miles the wind veered enough to let us get the jib up and sail to Stora Alo for the night, taking a buoy but missing a meeting with Peter Hallberg, who was in a harbour nearby. We had trouble with the internet connection for some reason that night, possibly a weak signal, so missed a message from him till too late. We saw less bird life at Stora than previously, though the water was full of little fish, sometimes fleeing through the air pursued by predators.

Loftahammar

Motored into Loftahammar to stock up with food, smoked fish and a nice cake. Loftahammar has three good food shops – amazing. The weather is dull and threatening but so far nothing has happened.

We are on our way north now; towards the Stockholm Archipelago and the Norrtalje Music Festival

Vastervik to Loftahammar

Left Vastervik heading north. We had a nasty rolly swell outside in open water so dived as quickly as possible back into along inlet with a “back door” into Loftahammar that we have used before. We did a little sailing when we got into calmer waters but the wind died soon after the swell. We ended up in a quiet lagoon for the night. I modified the anchor chain stowage slightly so we have less chain in the main locker where it piles up in a heap when unanchoring so we have to push the heap over several times to stop it blocking the hawse pipe. It seems to have been effective.

To Vastervik

Left Blankaholm for Vastervik, enjoying the scenic route once more. It is very enclosed, complicated and beautiful, quite unspoiled. We managed some very gentle sailing until close to the Vastervik entrance and then motored in to Notholmen once more.

We had an engineer look at Badger’s transmission which seemed to have got noisy but he said it was OK. Kristin had some blood tests and we tried to buy food with a little more success. Frankly, carrying supermarket loads for a couple of miles is very unattractive.