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Stockholm to Gotland and beyond! All to ourselves tied up on Lila Husarn With Wendy and Graeme on board, we left the hubbub of Stockholm and started south.  Mooring on granite outcroppings is only part of the fun of the Stockholm archipelago.  We also were manoeuvring through narrow channels between cottage-covered islands, giving them a taste of what we have done this summer.  We had a very scenic and uneventful motor inside the protection of islands along the Swedish coast to Nynäsham.  With the weather stormy and a crew member ailing (poor Kate suffering from a nasty cold), we spent a couple of days poking around the delightful town.   Picking the weather to perfection, we had the most glorious sail across to Fårö on the Swedish island of Gotland.  With calm, sparkling seas and wind on the beam, we zipped across The Baltic Sea.  Sailing in The Baltic is just glorious.  Even Graeme who frequently suffers from 'mal de mar', w...

To Scandinavian seafarers, these are what the rock anchors look like. They are properly known as 'archipelago anchors'. Like many of us, we spent a ridiculous amount of time watching YouTube sailing videos through COVID.  One of our favourites was RAN Sailing Episode #225  where they moored up against a sizable granite island in Sweden and spent a day or two stepping ashore, exploring the island, having picnics, enjoying sunsets ... all without deploying or even needing a dinghy.  This looked so cool, it inspired us to go to Sweden and try it for ourselves. Roll forward to this summer.  We are floating around the Stockholm Archipelago where tying up to rocks is considered quite normal.  We had the gear required, the shore lines, the stern anchor, the rock anchors and hammer, but the idea of driving  Chinook  towards a rock was very daunting and quite contrary to good seamanship! We were in Åkersberga and Niklas asked if we would help him sail ...

The Stockholm Archipelago The Stockholm Archipelago is just stunning.  Made up of over 24,000 islands and skerries, it is a boaters' paradise with limitless anchorages, bays, island settlements and rocks.  Its proximity to Stockholm does mean having to contend with the chaos of ferries, motor boats, yachts, kayaks and every other watercraft you can imagine.  But, as with the busiest areas of the Rocky Mountains, it is also possible to find those more secluded and less frequented places - particularly when you hang out with a local! Crayfish Party!  A Swedish summer tradition complete with crayfish paper hats and decorations. Thanks Niklas, Carl and Myra After popping out of the Göta Canal and into The Baltic Sea, we travelled north to Åkersberga to meet Niklas and to greet the first visitors in a merry parade of relatives and friends. Being able to pull onto Niklas' dock and enjoy perks such as borrowing his car and washing machine, greatly simplified our preparation...