Fram's Voyages
29 September 2019
Summary of a summer of sailing in the Baltic
Time on Roam: 66 days
Distance Traveled: 1679 NM
Nights at Sea: 5
Nights at Anchor: 29
Night in a harbor: 31
Total Harbor Fees: 6800 SEK
Total fuel consumed: 75 liters
Total fuel cost: 1350 SEK
Our original plan for our summer sailing in the Baltic was to start with Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Estonia, then cross over and sail down the Swedish coast. Well, weather and family events changed that plan. Dan’s mother Viva Tatiana died on June 28 and her funeral in Stockholm was set for the 19th of July. We decided to sail up the Swedish coast instead so we would be in position to attend the funeral and to pick up our daughters who wanted to sail with us during the summer. I was not thrilled at the idea of sailing along the Swedish east coast and its archipelago. I saw mosquitos, dark islands covered in trees, a morass of shoals, rocks, islands to navigate around and the summer algae that comes every year to the Baltic west of Gotland. But it had to be done, and the reality I discovered, was a very beautiful archipelago with gorgeous, picture book islands, incredible nature, blueberries galore and even some chanterelles. We saw very little of the dreaded algae during our time there. The swimming was lovely everywhere we went and the winds were always perfect for our purposes. We found any amount of protected bays and inlets for anchoring and took long hikes with Varga. All in all, a wonderful place that I would warmly recommend to anyone.
Sailing up and down the east coast we stopped at places I’d only vaguely heard of during all my years in Sweden. Places that have a special history; whether for fighting off Russians to protect their island or village, surviving the devastating results of royal decrees forbidding the felling of oak trees or forbidding dogs on Öland to protect the royal hunting grounds, or creating an industry like iron ore production that has helped enrich Sweden. I feel that I have a much better picture of this country as a result of our travels. While we recognised the names of the towns like Västervik, Valdemarsvik, Arkesund, Oxelösund and Nynäshamn, we now know that they are all lovely in their own way.
We sailed as far north as Mariehamn on Åland which is part of Finland. There the weather seemed to be changing and all the boats had returned to their home harbours. We felt the fall coming on. So instead of continuing to Helsinki and Tallin, we opted to head home. After 3 days in Mariehamn enjoying the beautiful town, the maritime museum with a tour of the Pommern, a 4 masted Barque, we left early one morning and sailed for home. Our daughter Stephanie was home in Falsterbo and Kimmie was enjoying her last days of maternity leave so we did not want to miss either one.
We have spent 66 days on Roam, sailed a total of 1679 NM, anchored, stayed in marinas and have a new home away from home marina in Stockholm; Bosön on Lidingö. It was perfect for all the time we had to spend in Stockholm, had great communications and was just a 10 minute bus ride and 2 subway stops from the city center. The best part of Bosön was that there was always a slip available for us.
Dan and I and Varga have been very happy living on Roam, we all agree on most things, though Dan seems to have a problem with Varga always choosing to settle down in just the spot he wants to sit. Other than that, it has been problem free and we have enjoyed the closeness that living on a sailboat provides. We got a lot of quality time with each other, our children and our grandchildren, and that’s really what it’s all about.
Roam went into her land cradle on Sunday 29 September 2019. Launch next year is at the end of April so check back with us then!
Next year our goal is to circumnavigate the United Kingdom. Can’t wait!
1 September
Dragör - Skanörshamn
Distance to Destination: 13.4 NM
Time to Destination: 3 hrs 45 min
Wind: E 0-6 m/s
Weather: Foggy to start with then sunny, 16C
We took a walk in the morning to buy fresh bread for breakfast at the bakery on Main Street. Went for a swim just south of the marina and then hung out until the fog lifted around 10.00. We took the route north of the windpark figuring we could get over to the Swedish side of Öresund and be able to sail the rest of the way home when the wind came up from the East. It worked like a charm. The last 2 hours were good sailing. We were sad to see it end.
31 August
Skanörshamn - Dragör, Denmark
Distance to Destination: 12.7 NM
Time to Destination: 3 hours
Wind: SW 5 m/s
Weather: Sunny, 18C
Decided at the last minute to take a last sail on Roam. Had a good sail over to Denmark; sailed south of the windpark. After docking, we went to the annual Herring Market, had a Carlsberg in the town square and enjoyed a nice dinner on Roam. We stayed in the new marina as it is less congested.
5-16 August
Karlskrona - Skanör
Distance to Destination: 165 NM
Time to Destination: 34 hrs 44 min
Wind: SW-W 7-12 m/s
Weather: Overcast, rain, some sun, 15C
We had a long way to go to get home. Stephanie and Kimberly were waiting for us in Falsterbo.
We were tired of the overcast windy-coming-from-the-wrong-direction weather. Sick of wearing our foul weather gear and long underwear, full up with Roam bashing into the steep high waves of the Baltic. We just wanted to get home. The wind was forecast to go over to SE and S during the day, so we jumped on that and left the dock in Karlskrona with high hopes.
Once again, fate threw us a curve ball. The westerly and southwesterly winds hung on persistently throughout the day. Roam did her best but she just does sail close enough to the wind to make satisfactory progress. Dan tried several sail-setting options but none of them got us closer than 55 degrees off the wind. This meant that we were basically going back and forth, making very little progress with each tack. Frustration!
Around tea time the wind did go over towards SE for about an hour, but then the southwesterly came back with a vengeance and we were heeled over by the strong winds slowly losing the progress we had made. Going was very very slow.
By nightfall we managed to reach a point between Brantevik and Kivik on the other side of Hanö Bay. We tacked several times trying to get down around the corner so we could sail directly west. But it took hours. During Dan’s watch from 00.30-03.30 we made about 10 real NM. When I came up for my watch, I could still see Kåseberga’s light to the west. It should have been behind us by now. There was a full moon and lots of ships travelling in the shipping lane, so at least we had company. During Dan’s watch, a lone sailboat motored past Roam, no sails up, just motoring crashing into the waves and rolling drunkenly.
Rain came off and on throughout the day and night. It was too rough to cook food so we nourished ourselves with knäckebröd and tube cheese and water. Varga was miserable on this sail. She had an upset stomach and refused water and food. She just lay pathetically wherever we put her. Poor thing.
Next morning it was sunny and warmer, but not warm enough to take any of our foul weather gear off, just felt good on the face. We took turns between the helm and sleeping. Finally at about 13.30 even Dan gave up and we furled the jib and started the motor. We went close to land to get smaller seas near Gislöv and motored past Trelleborg, past Falsterbo Canal, and finally past Måkläppen when we could round the corner and sail again to Skanör. JOY! Turning that engine off and feeling the boat surge on the wind was bliss. We sailed the rest of the way on the west wind.
As we entered the channel to the harbor we made out 5 figures on the breakwall; Steph, Kim, Oscar, Arvid and Fritz waving to us. Such sweet faces! Varga was so excited when she saw them, I was afraid she was going to jump off the boat and swim to them. But she stopped short of jumping. We docked and walked right off the boat, no tidying, straightening out the mess, just left it and went home with our family. So glad that this ordeal is over. The last 10 days have been truly challenging; sailing wise. Glad I was at least sharing it with the best thing in my life; Captain Dan.
14 August
Kalmar - Karlskrona
Distance to Destination: 40 NM
Actual Distance to Destination: 65 NM
Time to Destination: 13 hrs 25 min
Wind: SW 7-10 m/s
Weather: Overcast, rain, some sun, 16C
We left the dock at 06.00 behind 4 other boats, all from Germany, all going south. Once again we had difficult winds making it a slog. Dan rigged the sails with the jib inside the stays, extremely tight with the idea being that we would be able to make a path closer to the wind thereby shortening our sailing time to our destination. But for some reason it didn’t work. Roam was sluggish, not able to make over 4 knots. The other 4 boats pulled ahead of us and disappeared. Time for some action. Dan released the tight rig on the jib and we immediately surged ahead with an average speed of 5 knots. Go figure. Anyway, felt much better on the helm and on the mind, as we now skimmed over the waves. The sea was pretty rough and we still had to tack. Around mid-day it got really rough out there. The waves were about 2-3 meters high and the space between each wave was just a few meters. Roam did a lot of crashing into waves and dipping her bow underwater. The spray hood shielded us from most of the water but there was a lot of splashing.
We came about and sailed closer to the coast where the waves were smaller. 2 boats behind us did the same thing. We had hoped that the wind would go over to west as it was forecast to do, but it never did. By the time we got down to the corner around which lay Karlskrona, it was 18.30 and we were knackered. SMHI weather forecast said the wind would stiffen during the night so we decided to go into Karlskrona, get a good night’s sleep and continue home next day.
Felt good to be on land after a rough day at sea. We had dinner, took Varga for a walk and slept like the dead.
12 August
Oskarshamn - Borgholm Öland
Distance to Destination: 27 NM
Actual Distance to Destination: 41.5 NM
Time to Destination: 8 hours
Wind: SW 10-12 m/s
Weather: Sunny with rain squalls and some thunder and lightning. 22C
After 3 days in Oskarshamn due to inclement weather, I was going stir-crazy. Prepared to brave the headwinds of 14 m/s just to get out of that harbor. Dan did his best to calm me down and keep me sane. He took me out to eat twice in the same day which is unheard of for us. We went to a kebab place in town that was fantastic. In the evening we went to Pinchos for tapas. Very very nice. On Sunday, though, I was combing the web for any weather report that showed a window of opportunity; a lull for however short a time would work for me. Dan kept shaking his head, No we can’t go out in this Margaret. We went for a walk to a high place overlooking the sea to check if it was really that rough. It was. Dan went for a run while I did Yoga. Just as I was feeling utterly powerless, Caroline called and asked if they could come to the boat for an over night. YES!!! They had been to a wedding in Linköping and when she looked at the GPS she could see that she was only 2 hours from us. This propelled me into positive happy action to get the boat ready and make dinner. They arrived at 19.00 and we had a thoroughly enjoyable evening, night and morning. The children were thrilled to be back on Roam, “where they belong” as they say. After we said good-bye to them on Monday morning, we readied Roam and left the dock at 09.45. We took the inner coastal waterway for the first few miles. It was lovely, different from the archipelago up north; lower and smaller trees. Half way through, we saw that the depth was too shallow for us, so had to go out into the open water. Dan put in reef 2 to balance the boat in the high winds. Seas were about 1.5m. As we had headwinds, we had to tack our way to Borgholm. This took much longer than a direct route would have, but we felt good because we could see that our tackling was showing results. Varga slept or dozed in her basket all covered with a blanket. She goes into travel mode and doesn't come out of it until we come into the harbor. Got here at 17.00, starving as it had been too rough to make anything to eat on the way. Immediately after docking, I set to in the galley and made hamburgers which we wolves down. Then went for a walk, took a sauna at the hotel, shower, had a beer in the bar and watched a movie, The Wife. Depressing.
7-9 July
Mariehamn - Oskarshamn
Distance to Destination: 259 NM
Time to Destination: 60 hrs 22 min
Wind: SW-W 0-10 m/s
Weather: Sunny mostly with thunder clouds here and there, especially south of Stockholm area. 16-23C
We spent an extra day in Mariehamn to rent bikes and see more of the area. Mariehamn is truly lovely. Wide tree-lined streets, pretty houses, everything in order. We biked on well-kept bike paths which seem to be the norm here, bike paths will take you everywhere a car and/or a pedestrian can go, as experienced by us when Dan led the way with the map and took us on a very rocky, root covered path through the woods which ended in about 40 steps up to the road. But it sure was pretty! We rode through the town center and stopped at a yarn shop to buy a needle for fixing a hole in the sofa on Roam. The shopkeeper was very nice and helpful, I ended up buying both of her selections; a straight needle pack and a hooked needle pack. We exchanged some small talk while she doted over Varga who was allowed to come into the store; a privilege that she promptly violated by casually urinating on the doormat on her way out of the store. MORTIFIED!! I couldn’t believe my eyes. Dan who was standing with her at the time did a vanishing act and vaporised. I had to go back to the counter and tell the shopkeeper what Varga had done and could I please have some paper towel to clean it up. She was very kind and got the paper and I daubed it up as best I could. I apologised profusely and she said don’t worry, she’d drop the mat off at the cleaners on her way home. I asked if I could pay for it, but she declined. So I left feeling very ashamed. I found Dan half way down the street standing behind a street light pole. I told him how it went and how nice the shopkeeper was, so he suggested we go buy her a bottle of wine, so we did and she was very surprised and happy and I felt much better.
Back at the boat, we cleaned up and got Roam ready for a long sail. We have been discussing this for days, where to go next. We wanted to see Helsinki and Tallin before turning for home it’s a very long way and the sailing season looks to be pretty much over up here. Very few boats out and harbors almost empty. Looking at the weather reports for the coming days we could see that we would most likely be stuck in Tallin for several days due to strong west winds in the Finnish Bay and southwesterly winds in the Baltic. Both of us are feeling a bit homesick too so we looked at each other and silently agreed to go for home.
We left the dock in the morning after buying extra fuel and set off for points south. We had a south wind to contend with but it was only 5 m/s so set off back the way we came, towards Arholma. When we reached the outskirts of the Swedish archipelago we tacked and found ourselves on course for Estonia. A good sailboat can keep a course of about 15 degrees off the wind. Our boat with it’s long keel can keep a course of about 55 degrees off the wind. So we felt very frustrated that we weren’t making better headway. We chose to go around the archipelago instead of through it. Not sure if that made much difference in time, it was certainly longer but the going would have been more difficult along the inner route as you have to negotiate best routes between and around the islands and you wouldn't be traveling at night. At any rate, when we wrote in the log of our first 24 hours, we had traveled only 90 NM 14.1% of which was the extra distance due to tacking. We were still sailing along the archipelago just south of Stockholm; very disheartening. “We’ll never get there!!” I wailed into the wind at one point. We sailed through huge swatches of Baltic algae as we made our way south so no swimming off the boat.
We took 3 hour watches during the night and had to motor for about 4 hours when the wind died in the middle of the night. I thought this was great because it meant we could travel on a direct route for a while and maybe make some distance south. Dan hates using the motor; especially at night when he has to sleep, but it was music to my ears.
Next day started with a very big rain squall that was thoroughly drenching. Varga had the best place on the boat, tucked up under the spray hood in her cozy padded bed. Once the rain stopped, the wind came up again from SW and we continued making our way south in a very roundabout way. Very few boats out so felt rather lonely. There was a good breeze and since we were sailing close hauled, we were tipping enough to make it very difficult to cook food. So we didn’t eat much more than knäckebröd and water all day. I made a ham hooch in the evening with macaroni, not because we were hungry but because we were really tired and felt we needed something to keep us going. At midnight the wind shifted to West and we could finally sail straight south. Our 24-hour mileage was 112 NM. Varga, of course, had to relieve herself in the middle of the night. I tied a rope to her life jacket handle and she went out on deck but though she did many circles and looked like it was about to happen, she would hold it and move to another spot. This went on for about 10 minutes, so I ran back and got her little green mat and put it up on deck in the bow and she went right to it, sniffed, and relieved herself. It had been over 36 hours for her. I don’t know how she can hold it so long but she doesn’t seem at all put out by it. Dan and I were relieved that she finally got it done.
The third morning of our journey was sunny and about 23C. JOY! We basked in the sun as the boat gently floated south in light winds. We took a morning swim off the boat in algae-free water and got ourselves all cleaned up after 2 days in foul-weather gear. The west wind djed completely at around 10.00 and there was no wind until 12.00 when it came up from East. After our swim we motored until we had enough wind to put up the sails again. We reached Oskarshamn at 21.00. There was plenty of room, hardly any boats are here. We can feel very definitely that the sailing season is almost over. Once we were settled, we had a very well-deserved bourbon followed by pork chops with rice and cream sauce. Bad weather is coming in tomorrow, 10 August, so we plan to sit tight here until Sunday.
5 August
Arholma Anchorage - Mariehamn, Åland
Distance to Destination: 30.4 NM
Time to Destination: 6 hrs 28 min
Wind: SW 2-5 m/s
Weather: Sunny and warm 24C
We were the first ones to leave our anchorage today. People on this side of Sweden are very slow starters. No one leaves until around 10-11 around here. We slipped out at 08.00 on gentle winds. We weaved our way out of this little cluster of shoals and islands until we were in the open then set our sails. It was a very nice lazy sail, no boats in our immediate vicinity though we saw a couple cruise ships going to and from Stockholm. We did, however, see a lot of algae in the water; some patches were so thick that it looked like a green/yellow carpet. this is a phenomena that happens every year in the Baltic due to the pollution from the countries bordering it. It got better as we neared Mariehamn.
Finland maritime uses mostly cardinal markers to mark out a channel instead of the usual green/red markers. But we made our way in with no trouble. ÅSS is a lovely marina on the western approach to Mariehamn. They have all facilities, restaurant and are close to the town center. We took a walk up to the town and back before the rain and thunder rolled in around cocktail time. Put up the tent and were high and dry.
3 August
Stora Asken - Arholma
N 59 50.706 E 19 07.382
Distance to Destination: 26.4 NM
Time to Destination: 6 hrs 34 min
Wind: NE 7-11 m/s
Weather: Sunny mostly but chilly 16C
As planned, we left our anchorage early this morning. The wind was already up around 7 m/s from NE; which was not good for the direction we were going. Dan put in reef 1 in the main sail. We had to tack all the way up the sound between Yxlan and Furusund and then continued to tack, though less often through Furusund’s way and Gräskö way. There was a race boat competition going on round Gräsköfjärd as we sailed by; about 11 speed boats flying over the waves. We tsk’d tsk’d “what a crazy sport and what a waste of gasoline!” A few cruise ships went by from both directions; Stockholm and Mariehamn or Helsinki. By the time we got to the outer islands, the wind had increased so Dan put in reef 2 on the main which gave us a smoother ride. Soon we were sick of all the tacking back and forth. Were we to continue, we would be doing the same all the way to Mariehamn. Arholma was only 7 NM away and would require max 2 tacks. It was looking very attractive. We did some figuring and checking the weather charts then turned Roam to Arholma. Tomorrow will be better for Mariehamn. We are anchored in a protected bay on the southeast side of Arholma. Dan blew up the dinghy and we went ashore for a walk around. It’s a very pretty place, lots of woods trails and red houses with white trim. There’s a sauna here that you sign up for a time, pay 20 SEK via Swish and there’s a dock for swimming after the sauna. There’s a little grocery store and a café a little ways away. But the mobile coverage is at one bar, a distinct disadvantage.
We spent the evening looking at the charts and discussing what to do. We find that Helsinki is an awful long way away; 128 NM from Mariestad, Tallinn is another 45 NM from Helsinki and after looking at the harbor guides for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, there don’t seem to be very many places to stop requiring us to make long sails. Also, it’s getting colder. No decisions made, we’re letting it simmer on a back burner.
2 August
Bosön - Stora Asken
N 59 38.285 E 18 50.146
Distance to Destination: 29.5 NM
Time to Destination: 6 hrs 36 min
Wind: NE 2-4 m/s
Weather: Sunny and warm 20C
Alfie left for London at 07.00 this morning and Madeleine’s train went at 11.00. Varga had an appointment at AniCura Vet at 10.00 for certified de-worming before we enter Finland in a few days. It’s for the tape worm which Finland has rooted out does not want to get it back.
We walked Alfie up to the bus stop: about 1 km. Hugs all round and fond farewells. Madeleine and Dan went for a 5 km run while Varga and I walked back to the boat and got breakfast ready. At 09.00 we were back up at the bus stop. Said good-bye to Madeleine at Ropsten subway station with more fond hugs and kisses and took the bus to the Vet. Our appointment went smoothly and we were back on Roam at 11.30. We got things tidied up, ate lunch and then took off for points north. The winds were lovely and as we were inside the outer islands, there were no waves just wind ripples, just the way we like it, gentle movement forward, no tacking, just pure sailing. Lots of sailboats were out so the scenery was truly beautiful. Towards evening, we looked at the harbor guide and found a bay at Stora Asken which would give us protection from NE winds. It was nothing special, kind of dark but anchorage was good and we are planning on leaving early tomorrow morning for Mariehamn in Åland. No mobile coverage here.
1 August
Bullerö anchorage - Bosön via Ägnö for lunch
Total Distance: 36.3 NM
Time out: 9 hrs 13 min
Wind: NNE 5-10 m/s
Weather: Overcast in the morning, sunny rest of the day 25C
Harbor fee Bosön: 275 SEK
Dan and I got up early and left our anchorage. We hoisted sails as soon as we were out and shut off the motor so the kids could sleep. The wind was brisk and we had to sail close to the wind and tack a few times to get through the narrow passages. Madeleine and Alfie woke up about an hour before we got to a little bay on an island called Agnö, north of Örnö. We were more or less retracing our tracks of the previous 2 days due to the winds. Had hoped to sail north and west back to Stockholm but that was not to be. Anyway we felt very lucky to find Ägnö, it’s a really lovely anchorage, protected from all winds and big enough to accommodate 100 boats; most of whom tie up to land with a stern anchor. There were about 5-6 boats anchored out but we had no trouble finding a good place. The sun came out and suddenly it was a beautiful day. I made brunch of coffee (Italian coffee), ham and cheese omelet, hash browns and beans in tomato sauce. We sat in the cockpit and enjoyed it as well as the warm sun on our backs. Madeleine and Alfie swam to shore to go for a hike. Dan and I took the dinghy and Varga on a tight leash and had the most amazing walk. This place is beautiful, so dramatic with the high rock formations dropping almost sheer into the sea. You could see how the ice age split some of them and left them lying in strange positions juxtaposed on each other. The woods were the typical wild woods we’ve come to know here and then suddenly we came upon a lovely meadow. This island is probably one of our favourite islands yet.
Back at the boat, we had tea and then set off for Bosön. We sailed the whole way, tacking. Alfie and Madeleine worked the Genoa, Dan navigated and I steered. It was a fun afternoon. Once out of Baggensträtet and into the Stockholm channel, we had to look out for cruise ships that were coming and going and using different routes. We watched one sailboat sailing blithely smack in front of a huge cruise ship that had to slow down for him as the channel was too narrow to pass by him and the sailor couldn’t move fast enough to get out of the way. We got sweaty just watching it.
We arrived back at Bosön on Lidingö at 19.00. Madeleine and Alfie went to the store to get some munchies for cocktails and I got dinner ready. Dan barbecued Beef tenderloin, I made mash potatoes and a cabbage salad. We sat up late talking and Madeleine and Alfie packed for their journey home tomorrow morning. It has been a pleasure having them on board, they were great crew and very amusing company. No one got seasick so I’m hoping they will come back.