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.