Year 1 : The Baltic

Oxelosund - our final destination

Solero — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 19:54:00 +0200

The SW winds continue, and we are heading into it, so we have to motor sail nearly all the way to Oxelsund this morning.See Great Sailing Mystery n...

Our last night cruising

Solero — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 09:03:00 +0200

With some sadness at the end of our trip, we head for our last night at an anchorage. We head back to Ringson, as its pretty windy today , and it p...

Dave to the rescue !!!

Solero — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:53:00 +0200

The next morning we have to deal with the matter of our German Attachment.

By the time we surface, the german chap is already in ...

Dr Dee to the rescue ???

Solero — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 08:43:00 +0200

I’ve added a bit to the end of yesterday’s post, so go back and read it NOW, or...

What a difference a day makes

Solero — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 08:33:00 +0200

As you can see, the next day is chalk and cheese with yesterday.

Beautiful sunny day with a light breeze. Its shorts weather toda...

Still windy. Still raining

Solero — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 08:51:00 +0200

Still windy. Still raining.

Shall we move ? Where to ?

It doesn’t look too bad…..

...

Savo Krog

Solero — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 05:57:00 +0200

The weather is going downhill, now the ‘summer’ is over.

Very changeable. We had a beautiful day yesterday, a...

Uto : Oh No !

Solero — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 05:47:00 +0200

We have a plan, and its a fine plan.

Its now a week since we were at a marina. We would like to have a night a...

Sandhamn : part II

Solero — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:50:00 +0200

We know the drill now.

Sandhamn is much quieter than when we visited a couple of weeks ago. But we don’t want to stay t...

4 hour lunch trip - again

Solero — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:51:00 +0200

Christie would like to tie to a rock in the outer skerries, so we are off for a day trip to the rocks…..

We head out to...

Ekno

Solero — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 22:42:00 +0200

A short sail today. We see our pommie friends Hornpipe sailing by in the bay, and exchange greetings. We missed them in Waserhamnen as we stayed at...

Erikstorpsvikin

Solero — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:48:00 +0200

The fog did lift in the morning.

We have had a problem with our autopilot – just like Dave it would stay on a set cours...

Napolean Bay

Solero — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 07:38:00 +0200

We leave Stockholm by the southern route, the Baggensstaket. It passes between steep hills lined with houses (with many many stairs). We have a cou...

Stockholm

Solero — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 20:52:00 +0200

So here we are in Stockholm.

We go to Wasahamnen Marina, where we have a gas bottle on hold. Finally we can swap our empty Danish...

Vaxholm

Solero — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:41:00 +0200

On our way to Stockholm now. Vaxholm is on the channel in. It is the site of a fort protecting said channel.

We sail (just) in a ...

4 hour lunch trip

Solero — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 09:31:00 +0200

We (well Dee…) decides we will go for lunch on the island of Moja at Wikstroms Fisk Restaurant. Famous in the archipelago, as the last fi...

Gallno

Solero — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 09:21:00 +0200

The wind has decreased, now only 20 knots, so we are off. We have short sail today. Put a reef in the mainsail (decrease its size) and we work up t...

Can we leave ???

Solero — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:58:00 +0200

Well, it blows strongly all night and pours with rain.

The next morning the place is covered in fog or cloud, with visi...

Sandhamn

Solero — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:36:00 +0200

We leave today for Sanhamn. A big yachting and yacht racing centre for the archipelago. We tried to visit on our way north to the Alands, but they ...

Paradise ???

Solero — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:40:00 +0200

Dee, having gone through the guide books yet again, found this wonderful place called ‘Paradiset’ – or Paradise.

Angso

Solero — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:06:00 +0200

After the rain and fog finally lift after midday, its time to be off. We’ve had 2 nights here and scarcely seen another soul.

Back to Sweden

Solero — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:56:00 +0200

Finally the northerly change has come, so better wind deirection for a SW passage. Wind is 20 knots.

We (and dozens of others) de...

Mariehamn

Solero — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 07:35:00 +0200

15 NM and we are back in Mariehamn, with about 20 other boats just this hour. And they come all day. Many many Swedes seem to be waiting here for t...

Who wants to see our bottom ???

Solero — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:40:00 +0200

Proper post tomorrow, but for those interested in seeing the stern of our boat on a webcam, follow the link to

Back to Mariehamn

Solero — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 07:28:00 +0200

Its time to head eastward to a jumping off spot for Sweden to await some good weather. We have SW winds for the next two days (we need to head SW t...

Kastleholm

Solero — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:19:00 +0200

We had planned to sit out the day here, as rain and 25 knot winds were forecast (there’s that word again)....

Bomarsund

Solero — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:13:00 +0200

Wind is forecast from the SW, so we plan a trip to Bomarsund. Decide to put the genoa only up, as it is easier to gybe in the na...

Leaving Mariehamn

Solero — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:43:00 +0200

A leisurely departure from Mariehamn at midday, after finishing our shopping.

Wind on the nose, so mainly moto...

Off to the Alands

Solero — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:33:00 +0200

Monday 12^th july

Happy Birthday Margot. We are thinking of you.

Today...

Just keep going

Solero — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 03:46:00 +0200

We have the light wind on our tail today, so don’t feel we are going very fast. But the wind strengthens by midday, and by 1pm we are nea...

Namdo Island

Solero — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 03:34:00 +0200

Great day for sail again – thank you weather gods. Quite a wide expanse of water to sail today, so a change from the narrow channels. Ple...

Nynashamn

Solero — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:21:00 +0200

Back to sunny blue skies again. Another lovely day for a sail with 8 knots of wind.

The scenery has been stunning. Photos can onl...

Rainy day

Solero — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 23:19:00 +0200

After nothing but blue skies in Sweden, it rained overnight. Looked like clearing so we set off, only to find it was only a lull in the rain, so we...

Trasso to Harstena

Solero — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 23:01:00 +0200

What a BEAUTIFULDAY

Lovely blue s...

Eko to Trasso

Solero — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 22:38:00 +0200

Had a lovely relaxing day at anchor yesterday. Had heaps of chores to do. Check the gas, shorten some lines, give the topsides a wash and polish&am...

Eko to Trasso

Solero — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 22:38:00 +0200

Had a lovely relaxing day at anchor yesterday. Had heaps of chores to do. Check the gas, shorten some lines, give the topsides a wash and polish&am...

Trasso

Solero — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 07:34:00 +0200

On the move again. Nearly hit a rock on the way out – well spotted Dave. So Eko not our favourite anchorage.

Made our w...

Our first Baltic Kiss

Solero — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 07:39:00 +0200

An amazing morning. Absolutely no wind, and the water is like glass, admittedly with about 10 boats all heading north making some wake.

&l...

Kalmar

Solero — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 07:24:00 +0200

Heading east initially today, and the wind was light and due west, so the motor gets a work out. The wind finally kicked in sufficiently to get up ...

Lazy Day

Solero — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:22:00 +0200

Slept in.

Lovely omlette for breakfast prepared my beautiful wife.

Bit of time to read a book.

Nearly a Doyley Day

Solero — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:00:00 +0200

No wind this morning. A lovely blue sky day.

We went into town and got our Swedish mobile phone and ...

Our best day yet!

Solero — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 20:41:00 +0200

Not much breeze out this morning, and running downwind. So out came the gennaker (a type of spinnaker). We were very chuffed with ourselves for g...

Leaving Denmark

Solero — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 10:09:00 +0200

Today we sailed out of Denmark and into Sweden – which is only 5 miles away, but the first time we have sailed into a ...

Copenhagen

Solero — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 08:13:00 +0200

We had 3 days here having a walk around and seeing the sights.

Its a lovely city with a relaxed feel,

Helsingor to Copenhagen

Solero — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 08:03:00 +0200

We had a visit to Kronborg Castle this morning – perhaps better known as the Elsinor Castle of Hamlet. They seem quite happy to be associ...

A big day

Solero — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:24:00 +0200

Its a great day to head east with a lovely northerly breeze of 10 to 15 knots. So away we go – even Dave was up before 7am !

<...

Ebeltoft Day 2

Solero — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 18:18:00 +0200

What a pleasure to have an untimed shower – luxury. I had my nice hot shower at 6am (this early sunrise is still killing me), Dave said i...

Ebeltoft

Solero — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 17:37:00 +0200

A much nicer day today. Bit boring by comparison. The wind behind us and only 8 knots, toddling along at 5 knots nice and smooth and level R...

Well, that was fun (?)

Solero — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:57:00 +0200

Another day, something different.

We motored out through the winding fjord at Middlefart (the view spoiled somewhat by some very ...

On our way

Solero — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 07:51:00 +0200

Here we go at last.

The pump and instrument display have been replaced, the rigging adjusted, the little bits and pieces fixed, t...

Haderslev

Solero — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:18:00 +0200

Well , here we are back at the X-yachts factory for a couple of days.

We have a few repairs /replacements to attend, and we have ...

Aabenra, still

Solero — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 22:30:00 +0200

Arrived Aabenra on friday just before midday, to be told the sail factory guys were already going home, its Friday !!! Wish we had those hours in A...

Aabenra

Solero — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 22:22:00 +0200

My apologies to the Danish for not being able to type their A’s AE’s and O’s properly.

We left Faab...

Faaborg

Solero — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:03:00 +0200

Short day today to Faaborg, only 19 NM. No wind unfortunately. And visibility poor. Those tall ships kept appearing out of the gloom looking like g...

Off to Aerosund

Solero — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:53:00 +0200

At last the rain has stopped and we up anchor for our next leg.

Sailors spend hours and hours discussing anchors etc, so will fil...

Dyvig

Solero — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 20:00:00 +0200

Well we are off at last !!!!!

All gear stowed, provisioning done, beer and wine in supply. We did a run to Flensburg (Germany)&am...

Haderslev

Solero — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:50:00 +0200

Well, its been awhile, but the action is finally starting !

We had some time in the UK with Dee’s English relo̵...

One week to go

Solero — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:40:00 +0200

One week to go till our departure .

Madly trying to get ourselves organised for there, and get stuff sorted here so it is ok for ...