Tuesday 7 – Friday 10 August
Just after dawn on Tuesday morning, three friends from ‘home’ strolled along the pontoon, fresh from their overnight ferry after a weekend-long party in Helsinki. Fortified by a full English breakfast, and possibly bewildered by a full Skipper’s briefing, we slipped the lines for a gentle introduction to cruising: 12M motorsailing with genoa in light winds, on flat seas, amidst lovely scenery. We returned to our ‘builders’ anchorage, for supper of Rendang Curry and Mango & Passionfruit Mousse.
Relatively early on Wednesday morning, we set off for the open sea and Sweden. It soon became apparent that we were not going to be ‘third time lucky’ on this passage, as a brisk SSW pushed up a choppy sea before we were even clear of the islands. We were soon down to second reef and staysail, and two of our company kept up a steady communication with our trusty buckets, Jimmy 1 & 2. Having taken the precaution of seasickness remedy at the appointed time, our remaining guest valiantly resisted any and all discomfort, in spite of over-exposure to the elements that later resulted in blisters and sore skin.
It was with immense relief all round that we finally slid into the more sheltered waters of the Swedish East coast, dropped and furled the sails and motored into our selected anchorage off Torparö, East of the Stockholm archipelago. We’d sailed 33 Miles in just under eight hours, touching a top speed of 8.2 knots; our average speed was four knots…and it didn’t rain. Recovery was swift once calm waters were regained, and the atmosphere relaxed over supper of cottage pie or fish pie with spicy colcannon topping, followed by baked nectarines.
Having chosen an anchorage for its shelter from forecast wind, the first entry in the following morning’s log reads “less weather than expected last night”; doubtless this contributed to a good night’s rest, and it was with renewed enthusiasm that we weighed anchor, stripping the chain of a discarded fishing net and disposing of it safely, and set off for another 38 Miles in warm, if sometimes damp, weather. Helming was shared more evenly today, and once again we hit 8 knots, reaching in lovely conditions.
We treated our fantastic new recruits to a night in our secret ‘beaver/osprey’ anchorage, relaxing over another cockpit supper of baked nachos with minute steaks, the latter perfectly cooked by Skipper on the back step. Dessert was warm raspberry frangipane tarts, narrowly avoiding disaster due to a temporary oversight in the galley.
Friday being the final day of this trip, we relaxed a little as we flew the genoa here and there to complete the final 15M into Stockholm. We docked safely once again in Wasahamnen, but our guests seemed oddly reluctant to depart for their hotel – had they enjoyed the experience, or was it just exhaustion and relief at surviving kicking in?
Thank you, guys, for a great farewell meal (safely on terra firma), a wonderful time, and some very special memories. You’ll be welcome back any time.