TripSailor.com® Sailing Blogs

Left the anchorage at 1130 and decided to take the inland route towards Saltsjobaden marina (very posh apparently!) We had looked at the inland route via the Baggensstaket to Stockholm and decided that we could make it through, the book suggested depths of 3m!  Went past Saltsjobaden and decided beacuase it was windy and also not a nice weather day we would push on to Stockholm and spend a few days there before going on our train trip…more of that soon!

Arrived in Stockholm and moored on the quay outside the Vasa museum and went to check whether the berth they had got for us (we need 11 days) was wide enough…yep okay and so here we are in the middle of Stockholm in the Wasahamnen next to the Vasa museum and its marvellous!!! 

Open the last bottle of bubbly please Steve!!!

Another pop to the next anchorage kind of day, weather okay but blowing 20kts! Had a great sail to Malma Karvn guest haven where we planned to stay but it was tiny so we wandered round the the nearest anchorage!  Did the bows to rock mooring again and stayed on board to sunbathe…...not for long though as those black clouds came over again….boo hoo!

Watched the footy….Spain beat Italy…......now its Germany v Turkey and Russia v Spain….......who do I support???? Next game Wednesday!

Did a 20m hop today up the islands to another anchorage. This had a really tight entrance with not much water underneath and a couple of leading lines in. We then tucked in around the corner and decided to do our first bows to the rock mooring!  This involves Steve dropping a stern anchor out 2 or 3 boat lengths out and then me jumping off the bows (well stepping down the ladder then ‘jumping’) and finding a tree to hug and attach to!  We managed it…...the boat looked great!

Oh dear….didn’t get off the the best start this morning…it was blowing a hoolie and so get out of the berth was going to be a bit tricky.  This is how is goes…Steve winds in the stern warp attached the the grip thingy which is then attached to the stern buoy! We then creep back slowly with me letting out the bow rope slowly until we reach the stern bouy…....easy!  This time though the bouy was alongway back and I ran out of rope (needed 40m of rope….now found some in a locker….damn!) and Steve had trouble unclipping….he asked for my help and so I came back before getting the last of the rope in from the water….the result was rope wrapped around the prop in 20knots of wind…...with now no engine!

Its at times like these being married to a yachtmaster who is cool under pressure (Unilever training!) is even better than usual!  We got a bit of jib out and tacked up to the fuel jetty (which was were we were going anyway!) and parked under sail!  Very cool!  The guy running the fuel then contacted a friend who was a diver (just happened to be a navy under water mine expert!) to come along whilst on holiday! to get the rope off.  He arrived with a full dry suit and gear…the water was 10*C very cold!  It took him about 20mins to get rid of it all and cost us 500skr!  Oh well first time for everything!

Anchored opposite the Church at Uto Island and then cycled into the main village!  There were black clouds overhead but we just made it before the rain came!  Had a drink in town, bought some of the famous Uto bread which weighed a ton.. and tasted of liquorice!!  very nice.

Did a longer trip today to Nynashamn guesthaven, 48miles in total.  Arrived early evening.  Small city (can’t really call it a city…...a town really). Found out that tomorrow, Friday was the party day for the midsummer holiday and so decided to stay put for 2 nights and watch the pole dancing !! Also found out that the beer shop (Systembolaget…state owned…bizarre!) was due to shut for a long weekend in 20mins…crisis for Steve and his lack of beer in the bilges situation!  So off I ran to find it! Its a very strange affair, you have to take a ticket (like the Clarks shoe shop!) and then walk around with an order form and pen and look at the beer and wine locked away in glass cabinets!  You then right down the codes and quantities and then hand it in when your number is called!  It would have been a very laid back way of buying alcohol if the shop wasn’t mobbed and was closing in 5 mins!  Managed to get loads of wine and beer though so mission accomplished!

20th June

Stayed in the town on the Friday, wandered to the festivities and saw the ‘maypole’ being lifted. Everyone was in good spirits! Had dinner on Kaikoura complete with Swedish midsummer napkins!

Great sail again today to Arkosund!  Marina was very tight and so we managed to perch on the end of the berths with a bouy mooring, it was blowing 20kts and so hard work! Suzie Too came alongside us!  Had another very friendly local come along and welcome us to the marina, the Swedes have been very friendly! 

We left Hollie and Suzanne watching St. Trinians as Suzannes knee had swollen up after jumping off the boat onto a rock, ouch! Found the ‘supermarket’ with a pub next door….it was shut by the time Steve David and I came out with shed loads of shopping and so we went on an expedition to find beer!  Finally got back to the boat nearly 3 hours later! whoops!

Watched the footy in the evening, Sweden against Russia….they lost 2:0, who am I going to support now????? That young blonde Russian is quite cute!

Used the Baltic Sea book by Brian Navin today (for the first time in ages!! not detailed enough) to go to a must do anchorage at Harstena!  Great place though a really narrow gap with lots of rocks around us!  Anchored in a lovely spot and then went a shore for a walk to the ‘village’ about 30mins away. Then found a great bakery (someones home!) chose some yummy rolls and danish pastries and paid for them in the honesty box! Very cool!  Lovely island Brian was right!

Managed to sail for 17miles today into a lovely anchorage at Kattilo.  Anchored in about 6 metres of water, Suzie Too moored at the next anchorage up bows to the rock.  Had Sunday dinner on Monday (tradition!) and then went for a lovely evening walk on the island.  Spoke to a Swiss couple who we had seen in Ystad, in a boat registered in the BVI, we had wondered why they had got a swiss flag! Only a few houses on the island and a very nice countryside walk!

to be added…..my birthday weekend!

Pottered up the coast to our next anchorage…a mere 10 miles away!  Great coastline! Really deserted too, no one (except Suzie Too of course around!)