Pinch me – am I in heaven? 16 June 2013 We explored Trosa town which edges a narrow river with charming houses and little motor boats before trickling down the fjord for a sunny, very light-wind day in and out of islands. At Nynashamn a couple of days of rain made chores tolerable. The town was host to the 1912 Olympic sailing, its grand villas, casino and hotels dominate rocky outcrops and inlets. We met Michael Whistler on Thursday 13th June from the Stockholm commuter train which stops behind the marina office and beside a fish smokery. Since then we have been living the dream: Sunshine and SW breezes (6-16 knots) have carried us tranquilly (under sail – we are getting braver) through yet more rocks and islands, from Nynashamn to Sandham (described as Sweden’s Cowes but more like a small Salcombe) on Sando via Uto island and Malma Kvarn on Fagelbrolandet. Uto is a nature conservancy site but we rock-scrambled over moss and lichen as directed by a sign post to view a 1719 Russian soldiers’ stone bread oven (not much left – see pic). Then SO lucky, a local doing chores in the church allowed us in to see the oldest church organ in Sweden before we moved on to iron ore mines that yielded two million tonnes between 1150 -1879. 13 Uto is also famous for its bakery; we have feasted on chocolate-coloured bread and smoked salmon, smoked prawn pate, knacker-brot and fig jam. Friday night partying at Uto was noticeable so we wondered what was coming when, on Saturday night, the Malma Kvarn cruising club apologised for forthcoming music and dancing and invited us to join them. It turned out to be gentle waltzing to Glen Miller on the wood decking! Tomorrow, 17th we head West for Vaxholm then Stockholm. Furthest corners and summer itches 21 June 2013 On Monday 16th we departed our most Eastern point of the trip (59.17.35 N, 18.55.4 E), leaving Sandhamn (without regret; opposite Lokholmen might have been nicer) for Vaxholm, just short of Stockholm city centre. We passed north of Varmolandet then the tiny rock of Ronnh at 11.35 am reaching 54.25.778 N, 018.21.941E, our most Northerly point. The turn coincided with even warmer weather so we introduced summer procedures – getting bottles of water frozen regularly as a makeshift fridge and setting up mosquito netting nightly. Immediately East of Vaxholm is a huge fortress island, also used as a prison, which successfully defended Stockholm in the 17th/18th centuries; from the roof there were extraordinary views of cruise liner funnels above trees as they passed other islands on their way to Stockholm. Entering The City by sea is exciting (18th June), we crossed major channels, bowing to the might of liners, then approached ever-grander buildings, ships, towers and palaces (and the fun fair). We had reserved a berth at the Wasahamnen (Vasa Marina) and found ourselves tucked under trees in a quiet corner. 14 City Life 21 June 2013 SG took a breather and became a dormitory for 3 days. In Stockholm, public transport tickets are 30% cheaper if you buy from corner shops before boarding; tickets last for 1 hr 15 mins, enough to get to Drottningholm Castle (by tram, train & bus) or just the 2 km into the city centre. From the bell tower of City Hall we could see across islands crammed with domes and steeples to the Wasahamnen. Highlights were the Vasa (a 1650s naval ship that sank in Stockholm harbour minutes after her launch and was lifted in the 1960s), the old town streets, the Chinese Pavilion at Drottningholm Palace and the museum of leisure boats that included a huge collection of outboard engines, early Stars and a Venetian style Royal Ceremonial barge, all in immaculate condition. On Wednesday we heard ’30 seconds from Mars’ playing in the park beside us; by contrast on Thursday a delightful organ recital (introduced in Swedish and English – the lingua-franca) in the unattractive Cathedral. We were sorry to say goodbye to Michael Whistler, who had been with us since Nynsahamn. Today is Midsummer; leaving Stockholm we passed under bridges with traffic at a standstill as everyone makes for the islands for all-night partying; one couple had it right, their helicopter was parked on a rock beside their picnic. We took the Baggensstaket route out of the city; being a major holiday, craft were going both ways – scary as the width is 20′ in places. 15 Out of the gulley and across a fjord, we thought Gustavsberg sounded interesting. Although the home of Arcona yachts, it was DEAD so we retraced our track for about 2 miles then on to Saltsjobaden, now home of the Royal Swedish Sailing Club where we were met with the warning that partying was about to start and would finish tomorrow morning. Saltsjobaden, Midsummer night, 1 a.m. 22 June 2013 We wimped out of all-nighter but got this shot of the sky. There were plenty of people around partying – v. quiet this morning! Michael Whistler noted in Sandhamn that the angle between sunset and sunrise is about 45 deg; with fresher breezes, nights are more peaceful when tucked behind rocks and trees so we didn’t do justice to midsummer night (only the 1 am photo). From wilderness to steel mill 28 June 2013 After Saltsjobaden we alternated anchoring with marinas, from the tranquil island of Agno we returned to the mainland at Dalaro where 18th century customs officers were at loggerheads with local pilots so each had a separate lookout hill. Then the island of Rano where herons squabbled with ducks and terns paddled around with swans, the pic doesn’t do justice to the light in the fjord entrance on a perfectly still evening. Landsort, our next stop (25th) is an extraordinary island, 3 km long and very narrow, it marks the southern tip of the Stockholm archipelago. We tied up shortly before the sewage lorry arrived by ferry. Our request for a map of the island was met with raised eyebrows “There is just one road - it’s in front of you”. Stunning wild flowers and birds lined the track; at the far end the old lighthouse had 2 ancient cannons and a circle of WWII guns and comms rooms inside the rocks. The village behind it had the tiniest harbour for 3 modern pilot boats, we watched one leave, at speed, with about an inch spare either side of the harbour entrance. On our way home we spotted 16 a sign for ‘batteri’, not knowing what to expect we were utterly amazed at a 1973 Cold War huge gun installation, thoroughly camouflaged; beneath (underground and inside rocks) are four floors of accommodation where the defence team could live for a month. Next day we enjoyed a GOOD sailing day, downwind for 4 hours, wiggling our way to one of Sweden’s biggest ports, the steel plant at Oxelosund (we stopped at the Fiskehamn there on the way North). Needing supplies, this time we went to a marina nearer the town centre. Advantages – M got a haircut (total time in and out, 15 mins) and a big ICA had a fresh fish counter where we bought salmon steaks and elk mince. The 27th started with a dull motor (too much into wind and too many course changes to manage sailing as well as rock-hopping) before turning West up the Gota Kanal fjord. For 3 delightful hrs we sailed between islands until 1 mile short of Stegeborg where the channel is only a few feet wide and the wind died behind trees. The medieval castle ruin was our aim; an excellent audio guide is included in the £5 entry, built in a mix of granite and bricks, the latter are 600 years old. The ice cream shop beside the marina kindly agreed to freeze water bottles overnight for our ‘fridge’. On dealing with natural harbours 28 June 2013 · Having reached our furthest destination, we have slowed down and started to explore natural harbours. Swedish cruising chartlets show red lines along the shore indicating precisely where to tie to rocks or trees (chandlers sell rock picks, hammers and wedges if you want to set up your own cleats). The last post explains where we have been, this one is about going ‘au sauvage’ in the Baltic. So far we have chickened out of mooring to rocks and have anchored (and dragged on our first attempt so have avoided reed beds since), surprisingly rocky shores, even steep to, hold better. Rock-mooring needs the right kit; at the front end a split pulpit and rigid ladder on the bow. These are needed by the bowman who has to leap from the point of the bow onto the island before the yacht hits the rocks 17 head on. From SG, trying to leap 3′ down and backwards on to an uneven surface from a position involving toes balanced on the outside edge hanging one-handed from the spinnaker halyard (rope which is fairly tightly attached to the pulpit) is daunting. At the back end, whilst steering the boat straight at the island, about 70′ from the shore the helm drops from its clamp a hefty anchor (attached by a roll of heavy duty tape also attached to the stern) and checks at the point when the bow-gymnast can make it to the rock. We watched a boat leaving; a lad climbed 30′ up rocks to release a bow rope tied to a tree, a second person, holding the bow, grabbed the rope, chucked it and themselves onto the boat which then set off without the lad, picked up the anchor, circled, by which time he had chosen his rock from which to leap for the bow in the 15 seconds the yacht gave him to climb aboard.