23 June 2018. Flatön to Skaftö(Lindesholmen)

Still but cool morning. By the time we took our morning swim some wind had got up so we did not spend long in the water.

Just lazing around. As with many anchorages round here there is nothing much to explore ashore.

22 June 2018. Knarrevike Kile to Flatön (Handelsman Flink)

Alongside the restaurant's pontoon at Handelmans Flink.


Midsummer celebrations. Raising the maypole. Then we all danced round it.



Cable ferry. The island has one at each end, each crossing a narrow channel which can have significant wind and current. The ferry has electric drive.  The power cable unwinds from a big spool as it moves along.

21 June 2018. Henån to Knarrevike Kile

Cosy anchorage well protected by trees.

20 June 2018. Henån. Run in the rain

Not nice weather for sailing. So we went for a run.  Unsurprisingly it was not nice weather for running either and we got soaked and frozen.  Also tiring as we went further than intended and took a wrong turning or two.  Harbour was quiet so we put all our clothes in the wash.

19 June 2018. Henån. Exploring by bike

18 June 2018. Gullholmen to Henån

17 June 2018. Käringon to Gullholmen

16 June 3018, Skårhamn to Karingön

15 June 2018. Marstrand to Skårhamn

14 June 2018 - Marstrand

13 June 2018 - Utkaften to Marstrand

12 June 2018 - Roro - Utkaften

11 June 2018 - Roro

10 June 2018. Vinga to Rörö

Our first sail through the W coast rocks and islands (the skärgård), so we took it carefully with only mainsail. With light wind and wide channels there was no great problem with pilotage. As it was a fine weekend a short way from Goteborg lots of boats were out.



We stopped for a swim and lunch at a little anchorage. Gradually the sky clouded and the other boats left, so we took the hint,aided by the weather forecast and motored the short way to Rörö.

Moored in Rörö soon to experience our first proper rain of the trip

9 June 2018. Læsø to Vinga (Sweden)

Not as sunny but still warm and with light wind. Today the morning dip was taken with foot protection - for me cheapo not-crocs and for Pam fins (which comically hampered her entry and exit on the shallow-sloping beach). The reason was a warning of the possible presence of scorpion-fish, which lie hidden on the bottom. Stepping on one can result in a painful sting described as "bee sting x 10".

Rather a slow passage. However it crossed the main ship route into the Baltic, so we were kept busy watching for ships and avoiding one.

Anchored at Vinga.


Vinga has a very distinctive daymark and lighthouse


Also a small harbour (seemed full - we were anchored in the next bay) and pilot station, of which no sign of activity.

8 June 2018. Chilling out in Læsø

Very warm and sunny but not enough wind for a passage to Sweden. It's not a long way but we don't want to motor all the way.

We started the day with a run in the supposed cool of the morning. With hardly any wind we soon got hot. Returning along a road through the woods seemed a good idea. However we got bitten by flies when we stopped.

Then a swim. After breakfast we needed a rest so didn't do much else. With a fine weekend in prospect the harbour started filling up with Swedish boats.
Run on Læsø

Breakfast in the cockpit.

7 June 2010. Exploring Læsø

Salt-making old style. Nice job on a cold day. Læsø used to be an important salt producer, as they cam pump up super-saturated ground water which is 12-14% salt, though they don't seem to know why.


Læsø is the only place where they used to thatch the houses with eelgrass. Does not look as neat as reed or straw but they say it lasts a lot longer. The art of thatching with eelgrass had been lost, but a recent project has worked out how to do it and is restoring some of the houses. It looks as if they have put too much on, but all the old houses look a bit like this.



We biked to the other harbour on the island and also to the village in the centre, visiting the salt centre and the thatched houses. Easy cycling in terms of hills, but some of the roads were very long and straight.

6 June 2018. Anholt to Læsø

Sunset at Læsø

Rather a long way for a light wind day. However it was warm and sunny and there was no need to motor

Læsø is completely flat and almost entirely sand. Swam off the good beach in extremely clear water. Will explore tomorrow.

5 June 2018. Exploring Anholt

We explored the west part of the island which is desert. The road is too sandy to bike to the eastern tip and too far to walk. So we came back and swam from the beach by the harbour.


We used the cooking facilities. They have a kitchen, free to use. Also they light the barbecue at 6pm, so we had BBQ sausages and cooked veg

4 June 2018. Grenaa to Anholt

3 June 2018. Samsø to Grenaa

SW wind. That's handy and also a little stronger than yesterday. We had a broad reach up the side of Samsø and after a while it seemed the wind would hold, so we carried on up the coast (the alternative bring to turn the other way and stop at Ebeltoft).

The cruising chute had an outing and then got put away in favour of goose-winged genoa. After a while it grew a little cloudy ahead, could not see the headland, looked like rain, heard some thunder, wind went light and funny so took down the genoa, heard rain on the water not far away.

All these things suggest it would be a good idea to take down the mainsail while it's easy, but we did not. Then strong wind and hail hit us hard and the boat heeled a long way even with the mainsheet completely eased and the sail flogging. Pam eventually got the sail down and secured. We motored slowly towards Grenaa but with 30+ knots of wind behind we went quite quickly (in the initial gusts the wind meter had showed more than 45 knots). No chance of entering the harbour and box berth in this wind, so we turned round and motored into the wind to hold station whilst the storm went past. Eventually it seemed we were heading back into the bad stuff! So we turned round and headed for the harbour, thankfully not pursued by the storm.

Quiet evening after the thunder had passed

2 June 2018. Samsø

Clear and sunny but hadly any wind. Went ashore early(ish) and had a run round part of the island - this time without having to clamber over rocks. Rather a warm day for running. Still no wind so we had a lazy day at anchor. Went ashore and bought smoked salmon and strawberries for supper.


This marks the place where the Vikings dug a canal across the narrow part of the island so that their fleet could leave to East or West

1 June 2018. Korshavn to Samsø (Langor)

Rather slow beat (first windward sailing of the trip so must not complsin) in warm sun and cool wind. Pam saw a porpoise.

Anchored at Samsø and had a swim in water at 20C whereas in the open water the temperature was 15 or 16.