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| Utklippan from the top of the lighthouse |
Our next stop was another dot of rock, this time off the Swedish coast. Utklippan is actually three skerries. Skerries are small, rocky islands that are found in clusters just off the coast. They are named from the old Norse word sker meaning 'rock in the sea'. And yep, we think that is a very apt description!
The harbour was blasted out of the rock in the 1930s to provide a safe refuge for fishing boats during storms. The harbour had just undergone some major work. We felt completely protected and Chinook loved being tied to the solid concrete walls.
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| The harbour entrances are tight but, once inside, it is snug, calm and well-protected. |
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| Utklippan is actually a few islands with no pedestrian-friendly connections between them. |
The more observant reader may have noticed that the harbour consists of two islands ... neither of which hosts the lighthouse. This was not very conducive to a lighthouse visit, considering we did not have the dinghy inflated! We all pondered how we would make our way to the lighthouse (and main) island when Jenny came back to Chinook from a preliminary scout of where we were tied up. She announced that she had found a solution - rowboats!
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| Community rowboats with a information sign, inviting users help themselves but to eventually return them to their proper spots. |
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| Row, row, row your boat! |
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| The lighthouse, still in full operation, allows visitors to the island to climb the 108 steps to the top balcony. |
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| What a view! |
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| Aren't we a handsome bunch! |
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| 360° of Gord. |
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| Remnants from when the island was militarily important. |
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| Out of commission but still a good photographic prop. |
We arrived in the late afternoon but the increasingly longer days meant that we had several hours to explore the islands, visit the lighthouse and do some aviary observation ... all before dark.
As the daylight faded, we settled into the saloon aboard Chinook and prepared dinner. It was peaceful, quiet and soon to be dark. Tomorrow we would press on to Kalmar.
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| Lovely and calm |
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