Fram's Voyages
31 July
Örnö - Bullerö
Distance to Destination: 17.8 NM
Time to Destination: 4 hrs 3 min
Wind: NE 6-8 m/s
Weather: Mostly overcast, still chilly 16C
We all slept late, especially Varga, exhausted from yesterday’s swim, no doubt. We went for our hike that we missed yesterday. Örnö is a very pretty island with lovely walking trails. We walked through the woods to the next bay which had a little island with a club house which we walked round. Picked some blueberries for our breakfast yoghurt too.
Madeleine and Alfie took a short-cut back to the boat; they swam. Dan and I walked around to the other side of the bay where the dinghy was and rowed the few meters to the boat. Alfie had already found the Italian espresso cooker and was busy making coffee when we got to the boat. People don’t usually make themselves at home in my galley, and I normally only use the Italian coffee cooker for special occasions; Dan and I drink mostly nescafé. But it was nice to get a hotel cup of good coffee when I got to the boat. And why not have the good coffee anyway?
After breakfast we got the boat ready, lifted anchor and motored out. We were able to sail close to the wind the whole way with the main on reef 1. Bullerö was pretty crowded, but we wanted to try a land mooring like everyone else does. So we found a good spot at the end of a line of boats and dropped the anchor off the back and inched our way in. All was looking good until we went BUMP. Hit a rock, not hard but enough to jar the boat. We backed away, tried again, this time Alfie managed to jump off with a bow line, but each time he pulled us in we hit something, there must have been a ledge under the seaweed that we couldn’t see. Dan got very impatient with us all and called off the effort. We anchored free in 12 meters of water and vowed never to try this stupid land mooring business again. Poor Alfie got stuck on land because we couldn’t get close enough for him to jump back on. But he took it well. Once we were settled, Dan rowed over and got him.
Bullerö is a very cute island otherwise, used to be owned by Bruno Liljefors, a famous Swedish painter of wildlife. He invited his other artist friends like Zorn to hunt birds and enjoy the fresh air. The hunting cottage has been turned into a museum of copies of his works as well as information about the people who have lived on the island and the flora and fauna. There is a sauna there as well. Free of charge and on all day, the only request is that one puts more wood on the fire when they leave so it stays warm for the next group. Bullerö is one of the outer islands so the trees are smaller more rockier than islands like Örnö. Madeleine and Alfie went ashore for a walk and took a sauna before dinner. Varga was not allowed off the boat; she is in the doghouse so has to accept doing her business on board on her little mat, which she did in the evening.
We had a nice dinner with lots of very enjoyable conversation about everything from politics to sports to life in Africa.
30 July
Wasahamn - Kolnösviken, Örnö
N59 04.863 E18 23.088
Distance to Destination: 27.7 NM
Time to Destination: 5 hrs 50 min
Wind: NW 8-12 m/s
Weather: Overcast and chilly 14C
That NE wind was cold today. I couldn’t get a laundry time so will have to make due.Dan and I ran around Stockholm getting wine and food for the next week. Madeleine and Alfie arrived around noon, and we left as soon as they were settled. Alfie hasn’t done much sailing in his life. He did sail to Mön with us last year, so we are hoping he will survive.
We motored out of Stockholm harbor past all the cruise ships and dodging all the island ferries coming and going. We took a right turn when we got to Nacka and slipped into Baggesträtet where we were able to have lunch in the calmer water. I made hamburgers for the first time ever on Roam. Dan bought frozen ready shaped hamburger patties and I just had to fry them up and put then on a bun. We thought they were great. After Baggensträtet we headed due south to Örnö. We had a following wind so unfurled the Genoa and let the main stay packed. Spray was whipping off the waves and we sailed along a good clip. When we approached Kolnösviken we could see lots of boats in the bay but as usual, only one boat anchored free, so plenty of room. We all decided to go for a walk on the island so Madeleine rowed Varga and me to shore but it was pretty lucky that we even made it to land: Madeleine was a rusty rower, so we changed plans and I left Madeleine and Varga on shore to go get Alfie. As I rowed away, I saw Varga looking at me very intently and felt that it was perhaps a mistake to leave her with Madeleine; she’s never been very high up on the dog totem pole. But it was too late to turn around so I continued. The rowing was really difficult because of the wind. I made it back and Alfie was woken up (again) from his nap and told to get in the dinghy forthwith. We rowed back to shore and unfortunately, Varga got it into her head that she needed to go back to the boat so she ran away from Madeleine just as we were pulling up to shore. I called and called but no Varga. We searched for her, I searched in the water thinking maybe she was doing another swim to Roam, but I never saw her little head. We spent about a half hour calling her and walking along the shore. Madeleine walked out on the dock at the end of the bay and the man in the other anchored boat bellowed out so loud that the entire bay could hear him. “Have you lost a dog?” “How the hell can you lose a dog!! I have it here on my boat, I saved it from drowning!!” Talk about embarrassing. Madeleine called over and said we’d be right there. She and I rowed over there and got a big balling out by the guy. He threatened to report us to the police because dogs are supposed to be on leashes at all times. We got her back , thanked him which he didn’t want to hear, and rowed to Roam where Dan took over and rowed over to pick up Alfie. Nice start to our sailing week. NOT. We all had a stiff drink and decided the best thing was to move on. I was very happy that she survived, but still can’t understand why she felt the need to swim out to the boat, it was a long way away, not like Grinda where the boat was barely 50 meters away. And she picked the wrong boat as well, must have her eyes checked.
We had a nice dinner of bangers and mash and Cole slaw. The wind continued all through the night.
29 July
Bosön - Wasahamnen Stockholm
Distance to Destination: 11.3 NM
Time to Destination: 2 hrs 47 min
Wind: E 4-5 m/s
Weather: Sunny with cloud cover, cooler; 25C
Harbor Fee: 485 SEK
We left the dock at 11.30. Noticed that it was cooler today with high clouds. Felt good. We had some wind for once. We had to tack until we got round Lidingö island then it was smurf sailing the rest of the way. The way in to Stockholm harbor has very heavy traffic; both ferries, tourist boats, cruise ships and private boats. Motor boats are particularly annoying as they seem to believe in “safety in numbers” which means they do all they can to come as close to other boats as they can. The wakes from all of these boats can be quite trying at times, sending sails and boom flying with the rocking back and forth. Today was no exception.
We reserved a slip through dockspot.com as we wanted to be sure to have a place to pick up Madeleine and Alfie. When we got here there were no signs as to where to go and you couldn’t see the slip numbers because they were placed on the dock where they are only visible if you are right on top of them. We pulled into an empty slip and I ran over to the harbor office and was told where our slip was. It is inside all the other docks which is great because there is a lot of waves and surge in the rest of the harbor. The waves don’t reach in where we are. So good move booking through dockspot. I couldn’t get a laundry time, it was totally packed. Showers were nice and we are right outside Nordiska Museum and Grönalund, just a short walk to Skansen.
Dan went to see his sister Fritzika and pick of things that Tatiana left for us. I spent the afternoon walking with Varga, grocery shopping and resting my knee. Took a walk around the neighbourhood after dinner.
28 July
Velamsund - Bosön - Bosön Bay anchorage - Bosön
Total Distance: 6.6 NM
Time: All day
Wind: E 0-2 m/s
Weather: Sunny and hot 30C
Harbor fee: 225 SEK
We spent an extra day at our anchorage in Velamsund. Took a long hike to find the family Summer estate; Fredriksro on Värmdö. We traipsed through wild forest, Varga fretting the whole way, no trail to follow; just the sun to keep us going in the right direction. Captain Dan is an expert at orienteering so of course, we found the summer estate. The 3 houses look exactly as they did in Gross Pappa’s time; Parkvilla, Sjövilla and Bergsvilla. Light yellow with Beige window trim and red main door. The architecture is similar too. We ran into Agneta Horn who owns Bergsvilla. She is great grand niece to Grosspappa’s daughter, and had a chat with her. The walk back was through fields and over rock faces in the woods. Went for a swim afterwards and then spent the day reading our books.
This morning we left early to a perfectly calm and sunny day. All the other boats were still asleep. Turned off the engine when we got out into Askrikesfjärd and sailed ever so slowly on the jib. But is was a gorgeous day and we weren’t in a hurry. We had a date with our daughter Stephanie who is a flight attendant for United Airlines. She worked a flight to Stockholm and joined us for lunch. We took the boat out to the bay and anchored for swimming and a Greek salad lunch. After several more swims, we went back to the harbor for dinner. Lovely evening with a lovely daughter.
26 July
Bosön - Velamsund 2 via Nacka Strand and Velamsund 1
Total Distance sailed: 30.8 NM
Extra Crew.: Fritzika Dölling and Pat O’Neil
Wind: E 0-3 m/s
Weather: Sunny and hot 30C
I was over-ambitious with breakfast this morning. Caroline and the children were leaving at 08.30 for Bromma airport and their flight to Falsterbo, so I wanted to give them a good send-off meal of cheese omelets with bacon and toast. I used my new induction stove plate which is brilliant. Now we can save gasol by cooking with electricity when we are in marinas. But it was so hot already at 07.00 and cooking made it even hotter, it was unbearable down below. I asked myself; “why are you doing this Margaret?”. Everyone put on a good face but I could see that it was too hot for this kind of food. Never mind. We walked with them to the bus stop and hugged and kissed good-bye, waving to them as the bus pulled away from the curb. We will miss them. It has been such an enjoyable week with them onboard. They were all great crew and great company. We both felt we got a lot of quality time with Caroline, and Olivia and James seemed born to be on Roam. Such good helpers and happy children. I’m a very proud Mother and Grandma:)
We went back to the boat and cleaned up, then motored off to Nacka Strand to pick up Dan’s sister Fritzika and her beloved ex-husband Pat who is from Canada. Once we had them onboard we sailed, tacking all the way up Askrikefjärd to Velamsund, about 7NM. Pat had the helm and did a good job when he wasn’t talking; Dan had to keep reminding him to keep closer to the wind if we were going to get anywhere. To be fair, it was difficult because we were talking all the time and there was a fair amount of traffic in the area; what with ferries, sailboats, motorboats and cruise ships. But it was very enjoyable and Dan got all caught up on the family news. Once we anchored we went for a swim then had a late lunch of greek salad and bread. One more swim and then we set off again for Nacka Strand. We had to motor most of the way as there was barely any wind. The sea was very choppy but not from wind; from boats. On the way to Nacka strand, about 10 cruise ships passed us, both coming and going to Stockholm. Fritzika used to have an apartment in Lidingö where she could sit on her balcony and watch the ships go by so she knew the name of the ships and the companies they belonged to before they even got close enough to read. We dropped them off and then headed back out. Looking at the clock we could see it was quite late so we decided to be lazy and just motor back to Velamsund for the night. Varga hadn’t been ashore all day and Dan was loath to blow up the dinghy now that we had it all stowed away so he came up with the brilliant solution of putting Varga on the yellow safety buoy and me swimming her to shore. I was doubtful but it worked. She stood very steady on the U-shaped float device as I swam using just my legs and pushing the device in front of me. She did her business and we went back to the boat and had cocktails and dinner of green salad and grilled chicken breasts.
25 July
Grinda/Hästholmen - Bosön via Kalvholmen
Distance to Destination: 15.9
Time to Destination: 4 hrs 43 min
Wind: SE 0-4 m/s
Weather: Sunny and hot
Harbor fee: 225 SEK including electricity
Woke up bright and early this morning to find Caroline already in the water behind the boat having her morning swim. I quickly jumped into my bathing suit and joined her. The water around here is green and kind of murky, like being on a lake, not like the west coast which is crystal clear. But this coast doesn’t have red jellyfish so that is a plus for East coast. Olivia joined us and we had a nice swim. The sun is already hot at 07.00. Dan and James got up and we all had breakfast in the cockpit. Roam’s signature breakfast is yoghurt with fruit and granola, knäckebröd with cheese, marmalade and marmite and coffee/tea.
Caroline took Varga and the children to shore in the dinghy; Olivia rowing and Varga looking like that was the last place she wanted to be, she fixed her eyes on me (standing on Roam) the whole way. After a few moments I heard Caroline;s “Varga, come here!” “Varga come here RIGHT NOW!!” I looked up and saw a little white furry head in the water swimming towards Roam. It was Varga. We’re not far from shore; maybe 50 meters but of course I was afraid she wouldn’t make it, so jumped in and swam to meet her. We swam the last bit together and I lifted a very shaky Varga up on the bathing platform. Such a silly girl. Caroline went off on a walk with the kids and when they came back James was rowing. He continued to row without a tether around the boat. Suddenly he started screaming and we all looked up. The ferry had gone by and its wake was incoming. The waves were maybe 50cm high but I think from the dinghy they looked mountainous, James panicked and was unable to row back to the boat. Dan jumped in just as the waves came and held James and dinghy in place till they passsed. So, only 09.30 and we’ve already carried out 2 rescue missions today.
After breakfast, we made ready to sail and Dan hauled up the anchor with his little helpers. We sailed and motored alternatively, depending on the wind. Olivia and Dan sat up on the bow and O screamed with delight every time the wake from the ferries came and made Roam bounce up and down. Roam hit one wave perfectly and they got totally drenched from the splash. We went to Kalvholmen where we anchored for lunch. Everyone went swimming and then we had hotdogs for lunch. After one more swim, we lifted anchor and sailed/motored to Bosön. On the way, it was so hot that we felt the need to swim. The kids were down in the salon playing cards so we decided to play a trick on them. A ferry went by leaving the usual wake. We called down to them to come up and look at the big wave. I was standing poised on the port side and just as they came up I pretended to lose my balance and fall overboard. They both screamed in shock, then laughter when they realised it was a hoax. I had a rope tied to the boat in my hand and trailed after the boat in the lovely cooling water. Caroline jumped next and then Olivia came down via the swim platform and hung on the ladder in the water with me beside her. The boat was moving at about 2-3 knots so pretty easy to keep a handhold on the platform.
When we got in to Bosön, we changed the jib back to the Genoa as jib needs some repair work on the bottom edge that has rubbed against the pulpit and frayed. Kids, of course, helped out. Dan also emptied the dinghy, dried it out and stowed it away for now. Dan barbecued steaks for dinner and we had a very nice farewell dinner in the cockpit. It was quite warm when we went to bed and with no wind, it made for an uncomfortable night.
24 July
Bullandö - Grinda/Hästholmen
Distance to Destination: 11.3 NM
Time to Destination: 2 hrs 54 min
Wind: None
Weather: Sunny 30C
The children spent the morning in the dinghy rowing. Dan tethered the dinghy to the boat with a long rope to keep them safe. James is doing really well and able to row out and back to the boat. Livie takes it more as a game and laughs her head off when she rows in the wrong direftion. Caroline went to the store and bought enough fresh rolls, cinnamon buns and croissants to feed an army. And our little army ate up every last one. We filled our water tank and left the dock at 11.00. There was no wind so we motored the whole way. The day’s entertainment was another lesson on shoe-tying for James. There was much groaning in frustration both on his part and on ours but he finally got it and Caroline took a video of the process to send to Peter.
We anchored between Hästholmen and Grinda. It’s a lovely spot open to the east and west but since there’s no wind, it didn’t matter. I made Greek salad and garlic bread for lunch which is when we discovered that one of the ferries goes by the islands at full speed and leaves behind a very big wake. The children find it very exciting to sit on the side of the boat and watch the waves come and rock us. Luckily it only happens a couple times a day. We rowed to land to walk in to Hemviken. The walk was about a km and trail was both woods trail and rock trail. Had ice cream at Hemviken before walking home again. Most of us swam back to the boat while Dan and James rowed the dinghy with Varga.
Spent a very tranquil evening on Roam. Lots of boats are here, both anchored and tied to shore but it is peaceful
23 July
Husarö - Bullandö
Distance to Destination: 16,3 NM
Time to Destination: 3 hrs 54 min
Wind: W-S 0-3 m/s
Weather: Sunny and warm
We needed to fill up on water so skipped across the bay to Finnhamn; but they were full and everyone was sleeping. It was 09.00. People on this coast start the day very late. There’s basically no movement until 11 or 12. We recalculated and decided to go to Bullandö as it has everything we need plus a really nice sauna. Motored most of the way. James had his first lesson in learning to tie his shoes. He got the first part but the loops were beyond him so we took a break.
Got a good place at the guest dock at Bullandö and went for a long walk with Caroline, kids and Varga. When we got back we went to the sauna which is a huge room for both men and women and has a whole wall- window looking out over the harbor. It was a bit hot outside to justify a sauna, but we did it anyway. Dan Caroline and the kids dipped in the harbor water. I obstained. Don’t like swimming in harbor water; no telling what might be in that water.
22 July
Själbottna - Husarö
Distance to Destination: 7.3 NM
Time to Destination: 2 hrs 13 min
Wind: w 2-4 m/s
Weather: Overcast mostly, some sun.
We left Själbottna after breakfast and a short walk on land for Varga’s sake. The area wasn’t very friendly for walking around on land. There were a lot of cottages on the seaside so couldn’t make landfall in nice spots. Found a rock we could land on. Sailed out on the Jib alone and used it for the entire sail to Husarö.
Husarö is a very cute little island with red painted cottages built higgeldy-piggeldy all around. There’s a little grocery store and a gas station but no water. Big disadvantage. We took a walk and picked blueberries for our morning yoghurt.
21 July
Träskö - Kyrkogårdsön (Siarö fortress) - Slätbottna
Distance to Destination: 22.5 NM
Time to Destination: 6 hrs 4 min
Wind: S-SE 3-5 m/s
Weather: Sunny 25C
After a morning swim and eating our freshly picked blueberries for breakfast with our yoghurt we readied Roam for another day at sea. The children have a very hard time remembering where their things go and need constant reminding, but we are confident that they will get there. However, they are incredibly helpful with whatever we let them do. They dry dishes after meals and like to help Dan on deck. They enjoy sailing and feel very at home on Roam. When they are not helping out they enjoy playing cards. Svarta Petter, Spit, they like all kinds of card games. Dan and Caroline made a tactical error in teaching the children to play Spit. It is a very competitive game and almost always ends up with the participants fighting. Olivia and James were no different and had many fights that we had to break up. Reminded me of my own childhood playing Spit with my sisters and all the fights we had over who hit the right pile first.
Olivia and James helped Dan haul up the anchor while Caroline and I rolled out the Jib and we sailed silently out of the anchorage. We weaved in and out of islands and red or green markers, sailing all the way until we got to Kyrkogårdsön, after 4 hours, on the west side of northern Justerö. We grabbed a buoy and while I steered in to the dock and Caroline got ready to jump on the dock with our bowlines, Dan fed the line from the buoy which unfortunately was too short so Dan had to quickly extend it with another line. These buoys are crazy far from the dock! We got all settled then walked up to the little café where we bought tickets to see the fortress. In 1930 the military built a new fortress to guard the waterway into Stockholm. They blew the top off the rock and built a camouflaged new top with gun turrets and a moat. Underneath was a series of corridors blasted through the rock to form sleeping quarters for the soldiers, an officers mess, communications room and several other rooms for various purposes. But before any soldiers moved in, they found that the underground quarters had water constantly leaking in making the conditions dangerous to the health of the soldiers. The fortress took several years to build and was never used. Now it’s just a museum. Not very impressive museum either, we all agreed; certainly not for the 70 SEK it cost to go in there.
We went back to the boat to have tea and then departed for another anchorage for the night; Själbotten, which turned out to be nothing special, not even good walking paths but it was a good secure anchorage and we had a nice swim before dinner. Bangers and Mash for dinner.
18 July
Gustavsberg - Bosön, Lidingö
Distance to Destination: 17 NM
Time to Destination: 4 hrs
Wind: None
Weather: Sunny and hot, 25-26C
After 2 days in Gustavsberg cleaning the boat and clearing space for our daughter Stephanie ’s visit and then daughter Caroline’s visit with her 2 children Olivia and James, we tootled off to Lidingö. Our reason for Lidingö is that Dan’s mother’s funeral on 19 July.
We had to motor the whole way as there was no wind. We went through the Bagges strätet again with it’s narrow passages. This time though we met first a ferry in one of the narrowest passages. Luckily it blew its horn so we could hear that something big was coming and move aside. Shortly after the ferry a barge came through and we had to quickly stop and turn around where the passage was a bit wider so the barge could come through. The rest of our journey was uneventful. We stopped at a fuel station and filled up on diesel as well, just so we have that done.
Stephanie’s plane from Newark was cancelled last night due to thunder storms. We had so been looking forward to seeing her; it was a great disappointment.
We arrived at Bosön’s guest dock at about 14.00. Got all settled and had a quick lunch. I took the bus in to the town centre to get my hair washed and properly dried so I would not look like a sea hag for the funeral. Tatiana was always very well dressed and groomed and I did not want to shame her at her funeral.
16 July
Bullandö - Gustavsberg
Distance to Destination; 30.9 NM
Time to Destination: 6 hrs 6 min
Wind: None
Weather: Sunny 22C
We spent the first half of the day getting the repairs on Roam finished. Dan got the parts from the marine workshop for the water intake pump around noon and put it back together but it continued to leak every time we tested it. He went back to the workshop with a screw that was leaking and they gave him a new washer for it. Tried that and it worked so we got ourselves organised and left the marina at 15.00. There was no wind at all and it was a beautiful day for traveling in the Stockholm archipelago. This place is constantly surprising me with its beauty. We motored the whole way to Gustavsberg on Ingerö. Dan has a friend, Ulf Hjelmgren, who he knows from his childhood summers in Fiskebäckskil, who very kindly lent us his slip at Gustavsberg. It’s a very nice little town. The main industry there is a china factory called Gustavsberg. All Swedes know of it and many have it in their homes. Dan dropped me off at the guest dock and Varga and I walked to his house to get the key. He was out of town so left it in a flowerpot. Trotted back to the marina and unlocked gate C and found Dan already settled in slip number 49.
We had a late dinner and took a walk around the town.
15 July
Bullandö Marina, Värmdö
We arrive here this morning after motoring from a small inlet on the south side of an island called Tjägö. It was nothing special, just an anchorage that had good coverage. We had no coverage at our last anchorage and felt out of touch with our girls. Dan has been concerned that the boat batteries are not charging when the motor is running. This is not good for sailors like us that prefer to anchor out in secluded bays for days on end. It forces us to check into busy expensive marinas much more often than we would like. So we looked in the harbor guide book for a marina with a marine shop and found this one on Värmdö’s east coast. It’s a big marina with all facilities. Once we got settled, I went off to the laundry room and grocery store while Dan went off to find a marine electrician. We were both successful and now we have boat batteries charging while engine is running (1500 SEK for 15 minutes to have a look and tell Dan what to do)and clean clothes (80 SEK for two machines). Clouds rolled in at 14,00 and a most magnificent thunder/lightning storm ensued and lasted for about 2 hours. The rain is supposed to last until this evening. So we’re happy to be where we are.
13 July
Grinda Hemvik - Lökaön east side
N59 24.320 E18 57.490
Distance to Destination: 30.1 NM
Time to Destination: 8 hrs 10 min
Wind: NE-E 0-2 m/s
Weather: Sunny and warm, 24C
No Mobile Coverage out here: total Black spot
We were very happy for the sunny nice day, but there was no wind. We motored across in and out between islands, across bays and through narrow channels. We saw lots of ferries racing back and forth carrying passengers out to the islands for the day creating huge wakes. A little bit of wind came up finally in the afternoon so we hoisted the sails and shut off the motor and had a very lazy sail tacking our way up between Möja and Lökaön, round the top of Lokaön where the wind died and we had to motor the rest of the way to the bay. It’s a lovely bay, open to the East but big enough to anchor which we did and then Dan decided that he wanted to try a land mooring. So I let out the anchor slowly and idled forward to the rock face on the west side of the bay where Dan jumped ashore and tied 2 lines to 2 trees. It’s amazing how it can be so deep right up to the rock face, so that even a sailboat with a long keel can approach with no trouble. Dan was right pleased with himself. I prefer anchoring free as these places tend to fill up and people like to be next to each other so before you know it, you’re in a marina configuration again. We were lucky this time, only one other boat came in to moor beside us and Dan very cleverly jumped off our boat and went over to catch his lines so he was able to mov the boat a bit farther away. We went for a walk on shore, then Dan relaxed in the cockpit reading while I put my yoga music on and did an hour of yoga and knee exercises. We both swam after that. The water is still 15C. Very refreshing. On the positive side, the cold water keeps our provisions fresh. I have moved all our fresh vegetables down to the space under the sofas, so they keep nice and cool. Beer and wine keeps really cool too.
12 July
Stora Älgö - Grinda Hemvik
Distance to Destination: 10.2 NM
Time to Destination: 2 hrs 53 minutes
Wind: No wind
Weather: Sunny 23 C
Harbor Fee: 420 SEK inclusive (rip-off)
Started the day with a climb up 101 steps to breakfast with Hasse and Annika. Hasse made scrambled eggs and bacon. We sat out on the deck and had our breakfast and watched the big cruise ships coming in. Their view is really amazing. We said our good-byes and left their dock at 08.30. It was completely calm so we motored out into the waterway and started looking in our chart book for a good place to go. Dan chose an island called Grinda that is supposed to be great for kids. Thought we would check it out for Caroline’s visit with her two children next week.
We had to motor the whole way as the wind never came up enough to sail. Arrived at Hemvik harbor on Grinda at 11.30 when people were getting ready to leave, so lots of available spots. There is one long T-shaped dock and 2 smaller docks for motor boats. We were directed to a slip next to a big motor cruiser. We got Roam settled in, this place has dock lines that connect to an anchor that you fasten onto your stern when you have your boat where you want it. Dan used our home bowlines that have shock absorbers on as it got a bit rolly when the ferries sped past. The harbor is completely open to the west.
I took Varga on shore and went to the harbor office to pay our fee. Was rather surprised that it was so expensive here as the harbor facilities are not the best; 2 bathrooms, 2 showers for over 100 boats. It’s more of a campsite than a marina. But on the plus side they have a little restaurant that plays music all day and a grocery store with fresh bread in the morning. A hostel for people coming in on the ferry is just up the hill and there’s a farm with cows, pigs and chickens that kids can pet. Like all the islands around here, the islands consist of rock and forest.
In the late afternoon Dan went for a run and I took the nature walk with Varga. Picked blueberries
Vaxholm - Stora Älgö (Hasse’s Place)
N59 27.439 E 189 24.741
Distance to Destination: 8.2 NM
Time to Destination: 2 hrs 21 min
Wind: NW 2 m/s
Weather: Sunny and warm, finally. 24C
Harbor Fee: 330 SEK inclusive
It was a beautiful day finally so we left that very noisy crowded Vaxholm which had a very unpleasant surge due to all the ferry traffic coming and going. We were constantly rocking back and forth. We took our time with just the Genoa and floated along. Saw the American Naval ship Mount Whitney leave Stockholm harbor. Must be rather daunting for them to navigate through the narrow passage ways out of the inner islands, through the outer islands before reaching open sea. They were moving very slowly and carefully. We sailed into a cluster of islands and dropped our anchor in the one farthest in called Kalvholmen: N59 25.922 E18 25.866. It was really lovely. Surrounded by forest and rock cliffs. We took a swim and had a greek salad for lunch. After an hour of relaxation, Dan picked up the anchor and we motored out. Hasse, from Skanörs hamn, has a summer place on Store Älgö that he invited us to come for a visit. It was just across the waterway from Kalvholmen so we took our time and sailed, tacking our way there. He gave Dan lat-long coordinates but there were several docks so we started looking around to see if he was out. I saw their little dog Oliver, a white Bisson Havanais, running down the steps from a cottage high on the cliffs. Then we saw a man in a motorboat waving his arms and with the binoculars saw that it was Hasse. He had been towed in his motorboat after being out looking for us. Something happened to the motor. He shouted instructions where to drop our anchor which we followed. Of course, the wind had to come up in full force just then making it a tricky manoeuvre to turn and drop the anchor in close quarters, then sidle up to his dock. He and his daughter Johanna caught our lines, Dan put out an extra anchor just in case, though Hasse assured us that the wind would die completely as soon as the big cloud overhead passed by. We hopped off Roam onto a huge dock and deck with sun chairs and small tables and lanterns lined up along the edge. We climbed 101 steps up to their cottage which is a very cute Falu red wood cottage with white and blue trimming. They have built a wood deck around the whole cottage giving lots more room to move about. The house is built onto the rocks so the deck also makes for easier walking about outside the house. His wife Annika was up at the top of the steps waiting for us with a glass of Cava with mango bits. She showed us around and we stood looking out at their fantastic view over the bay. It was really beautiful. Hasse took us for a walk with the dogs around the island; it’s very small, maybe 1 km long and 300-400 m wide. Varga and Oliver got along brilliantly and had a wonderful time together, racing all over the place chasing each other. We had a lovely dinner on the deck of BBQ’d pork tenderloin and sausages with roasted potatoes carrots and onions, and spent the evening talking until after midnight. We asked how they get all their supplies up to the cottage because you can only get there by boat and there are no shops on the island. Annika orders ‘Mathem’ which is an online grocery delivery service that comes out by boat with a great big fridge/freezer onboard, to whatever island or bay you are in. For 300 SEK they pack and deliver your goods. All the wood that was required for the dock and decks both down on the water and up at the cottage were either delivered by helicopter or piled onto Hasse’s motor boat and driven out then carried up 101 steps. All the furniture in the house also had to be carried up 101 steps from the boat. It was truly staggering to imagine it. The cottage has 3 bedrooms, kitchen, living room and bathroom/shower. Everything you need for a summer on an island. Hasse kept pouring Captain Morgan rum which he called Capt Fantastic. He regaled us with the most hysterical stories of his business dealings throughout his career. He was into opening restaurants including a very ambitious plan for a sports bar with star guests and sponsors from the NHL. All Swedes of course. The wind eventually did die down and we had a pleasant sleep on board Roam. Next morning Hasse made scrambled eggs and bacon and coffee for breakfast and then we said our good-byes and left with a list of islands we should visit while we are up here.
10 July
Örnö anchorage - Vaxholm marina
Distance to Destination: 35.2 NM
Time to Destination: 7 hrs 18 min
Wind: N 5-10 with much stronger gusts
Weather: Sunny and 20C
Harbor fee: 330 SEK inclusive
Dan hauled up the anchor at 08.30. Most times in this coast the bottom is mud and has really good holding. There was no major wind during these 2 days so no pull on the anchor and it came up easily. We motored slowly through the narrow passage out and once free of rocks awash, we hoisted our sails and started northwards. The wind was from North so we had to tack our way up the waterway between islands. When we got to Saltsjöbaden we started up the motor and took down the sails and then motored through the most amazing tiny waterway called Baggensträtet, which runs for several NM and under 3 bridges and comes out at Nacka into the main waterway leading to Stockholm. Along the way we passed high cliffs on either side of the waterway with houses built up on top, maybe 50 meters up, with stairs that went down the side of the cliff face down to the water where they had docks and little beach houses. Imagine taking 250 steps down to take a morning swim and then 250 back up again before you can have breakfast! And I shudder to think about getting all the way down and forgetting one’s swimsuit….
We headed north past a bunch of islands and knolls and arrived at a very crowded and noisy Vaxholm marina about an hour later. A dock master showed us to a spot that we didn’t think existed but we managed to get in and he took our lines so I didn’t have to jump off and do it myself. Prices have gone up now that we are close to Stockholm.
We took a walk once we were settled, to try and find Iwo’s birthplace. Iwo’s father was an officer in the Swedish Navy and had command of Vaxholm fortress. They lived in an officer’s house on the park which is close to the harbor. After a lot of walking and looking and a very lovely Vaxholm, we think we found the house, at least it resembles very closely the photo in Iwo’s autobiography.
This will be a good place to come back to with Caroline, Olivia and James. We will take the ferry over to the fortress and do the tour.
8 July
Nynäshamn - Örnö anchorage west
Distance to Destination: 19.8 NM
Time to Destination: 4 hrs 18 min
Wind: N-NW 4-5
Weather: Overcast and chilly. 16C
We set our sails as soon as we got out of the harbor and the the shipping lane. Big ferries come into Nynäshamn several times a day and one doesn’t want to get in their way. It was chilly again today so Varga had her life jacket on to keep her safe as well as warm. We were dressed in long underwear and our foul weather gear. The wind was light but we managed to sail most of the way. Had to lower sails and motor the last 35 minutes or so. The bay we chose has a very narrow entrance with shallowest passage at 2.7 m. We draw 1.6m. Once you’re through that it opens up to a nice big bay with plenty of room for several boats to anchor. However, most boats choose to drop an anchor and tie their bow up to shore to a tree or big rock. Roam has a very perky high bow making it difficult to jump off and on so we dropped our anchor out in the middle of the bay. During the course of the afternoon another 5 boats dropped anchor near us and 11 boats tied up to shore. Dan blew up the dinghy and I rowed ashore with Varga sitting up on the side looking eagerly ahead to land. Örnö is about 10km long and maybe 3 km wide. It’s mainly forest with cottages here and there. There is an active sailing community and a what looked like a kids’ camp. The counties that own these islands are very good about supplying clean outhouses, and wood sheds with lots of wood for campfires. Varga and I found a nature trail where you could hike or run 3.2, 5.4 or 8 km depending on which colour you choose. We stuck to the road for this walk as Varga is not fond of walking in the woods. She doesn’t like the long grass, high trees and I think she sees trolls everywhere. She certainly yelps in fear enough times in a walk.
Next afternoon, we decided to stay another night as it was so nice and peaceful here, we all rowed ashore and Dan took a run on the 8km trail and Varga and I took a hike on the 3.2km trail. It was really beautiful, old old trees, twisted and bent, some had fallen over in some storm. Most forests in Sweden are cared for and groomed; dead trees get removed and new trees get planted, but this forest was completely untouched by human hands. We picked blueberries for our morning yoghurt and looked for chanterelles, but no luck there. Varga was very skittish the whole walk in the forest, mosquitos freaked her out this time. Sigh. There are huge boulders and cliffs on these islands on the East side of Sweden and sometimes the trees grow up right tight against them. Fallen trees often take the whole root work with them and then one can see that they grew on a rock with no room for deep roots. It’s not at all surprising that they fall over.
We took a swim when we got back to the boat; water is still 15C, but clear and green.
6 July
Västerfjärden anchorage - Nynäshamn
Distance to Destination: 25.6 NM
Time to Destination: 6 hrs 32 min
Wind: S-SE 4-6 m/s
Weather: Sunny and calm, beautiful day about 20C
We fell asleep to howling wind last night and woke up this morning to a very peaceful world. The sun was shining; it’s perfectly light out at 03.00. There was just a very gentle breeze and it wasn’t as cold as it’s been the last few days. We had a quick breakfast and then got underway. The anchor took a bit longer than normal to bring up as it had really dug itself nice and deep. We did feel very safe at our anchorage even as the gale raged with very heavy gusts of about 16 m/s. We were soon on our way negotiating a very narrow passage to leave our bay, you can see it in the photo above, the passage between “Lilla” and “Äskh” up at the top of the picture. Once through there we hoisted our sails and shut off the engine. The next 6 hours were bliss; light, mostly following winds and glorious sun. Varga really let loose and relaxed in her little cozy basket.
We had some very narrow zig-zag passages to negotiate but it went fine. I made quesadillas for lunch and by 15.30 we were in our slip at Nynäshamn. You have to be very careful and not miss any markers on the way into the little entrance as there are dreadful shallows just to starboard that one needs to avoid. Great big ferries come in here; high speed ferries from Gotland and cruise ships as well. But they come in and out of the big entrance that we avoided. Nynäshamn marina is huge with plenty of slips available. It’s very well run and part of dockspot.com so you can actually reserve a slip in advance. We don’t do that, we don’t think it’s fair play somehow. But we’re registered so it’s easy to check in as they have all our info on record. Once we were checked in we went for a walk up to see the Nynäshamn church; very modern and built in 1930 on top of the cliffs where a beacon used to stand. It was financed by the townspeople who held lotteries and flea markets to earn the money to pay for it. The town centre wasn’t much to see but Dan went for a run and said it was beautiful so we will rent bikes tomorrow and take a long bike ride to see the environs.
4 July
Oxelösund-Västerfjärden anchorage
N58 44.052 E17 26.490
Distance to Destination: 15.3 NM
Time to Destination: 3 hrs 30 min
Wind:SW 8 m/s
Weather: Sunny in the morning, clouds rain thunder lightning in late afternoon. 18C
We loaded up on diesel and water before leaving the harbor at about 10.00. There was a good SW wind blowing so we were able to hoist our sails almost immediately. We followed the inland waterway on a marked out course pretty much the whole way. It was at times extremely stressful as some of the passages were so narrow, we thought there must be a mistake. In one narrow passage we had to zig-zag from side to side with very tight turns between green and red sticks. Varga, however, was not in the least bit stressed..
We only put our motor on when we entered the little group of islands which was our destination We needed good protection from W to N as a gale was forecast to come through in the early morning Friday and last all day. We wound our way around rocks and isles until we came to a large bay surrounded by forest. There were a couple boats already here but there was plenty of space so we found a sheltered spot where we could tuck ourselves in for the next 48 hours and dropped our anchor.
After a late lunch, Dan blew up the dinghy and Varga and I went to shore. I found a path that leads to the outside of the island through a very old forest. Some huge twisted and eerie looking pine trees blocked our way at times and we had to climb over fallen trees. I noticed some strange looking poop; couldn’t be moose, too big for deer, hmmm. Then noticed how the ground in places was dug up, tufts of dirt laying scattered at the base of pine trees and realised it must be wild boar. No wonder Varga was skittish! We retraced our steps and went back to the safety of Roam. In the afternoon as I was doing my yoga on the bow, black clouds rolled in and brought a lot of rain and thunder and lightning. One of the strikes went down just on the other side of one of the islands around us. We spent a cozy evening reading our books in a nice warm cabin with Roam’s heating system that Dan finally succeeded in getting to work. By bedtime, about 10 more boats had come in and anchored in various spots. Wind gusts during the night were 12-16 m/s which can make our mast start to vibrate very unpleasantly.
3 July
Arkösund-Oxelösund
Distance to Destination: 14.2 NM
Time to Destination: 2 hrs 38 min
Wind: NW 6-10 m/s
Weather: Sunny but chilly 14C
Harbor Fee Oxelösund: 260 SEK inclusive
Varga and I took a morning walk to the badholmarna, which are little islands, rocks connected by wooden bridges where people go out to lay in the sun and swim. We Left our slip at 10.30 and with a good breeze, hoisted our sails as soon as we were out of the harbor. We followed the markers out and then set off through the islands to Oxelösund. The way was, as per usual around here, fraught with obstacles in the way; rocks awash, small isles, shallows, etc. Even weaving round these, we managed to sail the whole way to Oxelösund. It certainly keeps us alert and on our toes. Dan sets our course for each leg and I steer. As we approached the entrance to Oxelösund, it was difficult to differentiate the islands/rocks that we had to sail around in order to get in. For the longest time it looked like we were sailing straight towards land with no entrance. But as we got closer all became clear and the last bit in to the harbor was easy. We docked using buoys that we catch from the bow and attach to our stern. A nice German man caught my bowlines so I didn’t have to jump down on the floating dock.
Oxelösund is an old industrial town since about 100 years back. It’s main industry is Svensk Stål AB (SSAB ) which processes and exports iron ore. In the 70’s a new processing plant was needed so they basically built over the old town and created a new one. The new town centre is completely without charm, it has a shopping centre with a few stores; ICA, Systemet, Apoteket and a few clothes stores. Also a restaurant that thankfully showed the Sweden-Holland soccer match. The harbor is huge and there are actually 2 of them. We wondered how such a small town could have such big marinas and came to the conclusion that it must be people who live inland and want to keep their boat on the coast so that they can easily reach open sea. The town has made an ambitious effort to decorate with flower beds spelling WELCOME at the main roundabout as you come in to town and there are information boards in various spots telling the history of Oxelösund. 4 railroad tracks lead into the the factory and tankers are always docked on the pier on-loading.
Went in to town to watch the women’s soccer semi-final Sweden vs Holland. We were about 15 supporters in the bar. Sweden lost.
2 July
Håskö - Arkesund
Distance to Destination: 18.4 NM
Time to Destination: 4 hrs 7 min
Wind: NW-N 4-6 m/s
Weather: Overcast and rain all afternoon, colder, 11C
Harbor fee Arkösund: 250 SEK all inclusive
3 Lovely days here at our anchorage. We have been swimming, hiking, reading our books, and basking in the sun. There is a dock for about 12 boats to tie up to, and paying guests can avail themselves of a sauna, jacuzzi on the dock and a café to hang out in. It’s all very rustic but very nice with goat skins on the benches and all kinds of oil lamps hanging over the long dining table. Dan has been out running around the island and I have been doing Yoga and exercises on the bow of Roam. Varga took an unexpected swim when she leaped prematurely from the dinghy to the swimming platform on Roam and missed by about 20 cm. She came up spluttering in shock and I hauled her out by the scruff of her neck. What a sorry sight she was.
We woke up to a chilly cloudy morning, not at all like the last couple of weeks’ sun and 20-30C.
After a light breakfast of coffee and a hot roll, we pulled up the anchor and rolled out the Geno and sailed silently out of this lovely bay. Definitely a place to come back to one day.
We followed the inner coast way marked out by red and green markers up to Arkesund. We were able to sail until the last hour when the wind moved to due north. Motored the last bit. Arkesund is a summer resort town, there’s no real community here. During the off-season, the population of Arkesund is 172. There are beautiful wood houses of all colours and full of decorative details. There used to be a train that came from Norrköping to Arkesund in the summer for all the summer guests to spend their summer by the water. But that is gone now. There is a grocery store, a restaurant, a pub and a hotel. Down by the marina there’s a fish store selling smoked fish. Our walk took about 20 minutes to see it all. Dan went for a run and I read my book; Tankestenen (The thinking stone) by Fritz Iwo Dölling, my father-in-law, who passed away in April this year.
Had some of our lamb leftovers for dinner and watched the US beat England in the WC women’s soccer.