Some Rock in the Stockholm Archipelago - 59° 25' 16" N 18° 58' 27" E

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 Myrca and launch her new Code Zero.  He had purchased this new sail but was hesitant to use it single-handed so enlisted our help.  As a sweetener, he suggested we spend the weekend aboard, tied up to a rock on Saturday night then head to Sandham (a VERY popular island) for Sunday lunch.  There he planned to leave Myrca with friends and we would zip back to Åkersberga in their power boat.  Well, what sane person would decline that offer?

Our route

We had a great sail.  The Code Zero performed so well, we have added one to the top of our "ways to spend money on the boat" list! Tying up to the rock turned out to be quite simple.  Drop the stern anchor, head straight for the rock, stop just before you whack into it too hard, have someone leap ashore with the bow lines, find a suitable crack (or a handy tree), bang in an anchor and bring a line from each side of the bow to the anchor and back.   Too easy!

Nik and Sean did the leaping, Nik does the anchor placement and pounding.

Myrca tied to a rock

Same rock, same boat - just such a lovely photo, we had to include it!

Of course, a picnic table 

Feeling confident and somewhat cocky, we decided to try this fancy manoeuvre ourselves.

Flash forward two weeks.  We are now back on Chinook with Gab and Ian.

After making our way to a spot recommended by locals, we drove Chinook towards it, dropped the stern anchor, Sean leapt ashore, whacked in a couple of anchors in and bam, the boat was tied up! 

At rest!

It was a glorious evening (funny that, when tied to a rock, the weather is always calm).  Niklas and Lotta came out to meet us.  Last time we saw Lotta was in Cherbourg and we joked that the next time we'd see each other was tied to a rock in Sweden.  And here we were!

How is that for manoeuvring sixteen tons of sailing ship?

Success at snuggling up to a rocky island!

....

Bowsprit hanging over granite?  That's very, VERY close!

Looks good, even from a distance.

Done properly, with lines at 45-degrees on either side. 

Doing this exercise, twice, has made us both measurably more confident in boat handing.  When getting ready to depart, we needed to have someone ashore to remove the anchors, but be able to have that person climb back on Chinook.

Our solution? Drive Chinook forward, v-e-r-y  s-l-o-w-l-y, until it is pressed against the rock.  Yikes!

It worked beautifully.  Sean climbed aboard with the removed anchors and Kate neatly backed away from the island.