The last leg to Stockholm

We have done a lot of biking to explore the inland area. Sweden is a mass of lakes and pine trees, pretty much what you’d expect really, it does what it says on the tin.

Keep a good look out, you never know who may be watching you in the forest!

There are no zebra crossings on the canals but rabbits, well that’s a different story.

Once out of the Gota Canal we were into the Baltic proper. The temperature is dropping rapidly; we are after all on a latitude level with the Orkneys and in a few months the locals will be skating where we are sailing! We did have to wrap up when the wind blew.

Sweden is known for its many archipelagos, the most well know being off Stockholm but the island are spread all along the coast; beautiful cruising grounds.

As we got close to Stockholm real estate become more and more of a premium. There are some homes in pretty extraordinary places on the islands and get a load of the slide on the left, you could have some real fun on that!

Stockholm is a beautiful city with a lovely water front.

Melanie is flying home from Stockholm. I am now taking the boat 150 miles south to put it to bed for the winter; the storage price halves once away from the big city. I had beautiful blue skys and there cold air produced some beautiful early mornings.

That’s it for this year. The boat is sheeted over for the winter as there will be 2 meters of snow around by Christmas; I just hope I have got all the water out of the pipes or the –25 temperatures will lead to a messy start next year!

The Gota Canal

Once out of Lake Vanern we were into the Gota canal proper, about 100 miles of half lakes and half canals which meander across Sweden where you could get close up and personal with the locals!

All the locks in the Gota canal are of the older English style and size; there was no large shipping here. The lock gates were all mechanised but, like our locks, when lifting up in a lock the water enters the lock through sluice gates which causes a rather frightening turbulence. Unlike a canal barge the flared narrow bow of a yacht with its relatively low weight is easily grabbed by the turbulence which pushes the bow one way, pauses then throws it quite violently back the other way. The danger was the lock walls; despite 8 good size fenders we did sustain one bruise on the timberwork.

Chatting up a Swedish yacht I learned that there were nice fresh water
'Norway Lobster' to be had by the cunning; lobster is a grand word, langustine we would call them or famously not caught by Waddy and I in Ireland, Dublin Bay prawns. This highly skilled hunting expedition requires 1 net purchased from the local book shop for £5 and some bait fish cunningly secured from the supermarket. Put a couple of the bait fish on the giant safety pin in the centre of the pot and throw the pot over the side. Retire below for a calming cup of tea, after a few hours creep quietly up on deck to retrieve the pots and........

Yes Waddy it really does work!






Hows this for a seaside home?!








Some of the canal sections got a little tight.

There were a lot of bridges most of which opened on demand (note busy, very handy crew member rushing round the deck)

Locking down was much more sedate; the water simply drained out of the bottom of the lock gate, no fuss, no turbulence and no stress!


This is the top of the final flight down of 7 locks - almost in the Baltic!

The canal and Lake Vanern

I have discovered from my thoroughly modern computer literate Mum that if you want to see the photos full size just left click once and hey presto!

The inland trip across Sweden is 210 miles long,  about half of which is canals and half lakes. The first leg is the 40 miles up the Gota River to the sizeable lake Vanern, at 100 miles long the biggest lake in Sweden.

The river trip was all under motor as we were against a 1 knot current and the winds were light. 

After 4 hours we reached our first lock, a somewhat nerve racking experience, they were huge!

Locks have a fearsome reputation because of the severe turbulence caused as the uphill gates are partially opened and the water rushes in to the lower lock leaving any boat not properly secured whirling about in the maelstrom of current, all the while trying to manage ropes as the levels change and the rope tensions change with it.
In fact it was a piece of cake. The locks are big and have bollards set into the walls to secure to. The locks allow the water in through grids in the bottom of the lock rather than through the gates thus preventing any turbulence , this results in a barely discernable rise in water level whilst the crew nonchalantly hold onto the ropes in one hand moving them up bollard by bollard as required; easy when you know how!

The Swedish waterways are mad busy in July when the whole country goes on holiday then in August they suddenly empty out leaving the place empty and we very much felt like we had it  to ourselves, fine timing indeed. At our second lock there was a cargo vessel coming the other way for which we had to wait. We tied up alongside a waiting wharf and within a few minutes a wandering minstrel appeared from a little boat moored ahead of us. He came to serenade us with what he translated into English as a ‘keyed violin’, an extraordinary and very beautiful instrument with which he played us two Swedish melodies.

The cargo vessel emerged from the lock and we were once again on our way, from time to time we shared the river with some pretty big traffic!

We spent the night tied up alongside a disused lock where we barbecued under a conker tree.

There are 5 bridges between the sea and Lake Vanern, all opening on demand with a few interesting variations on a theme.

After the final lock staircase to 130’ above sea level we came out into Lake Vanern. The lake shore was beautifully forested which made for some lovely scenery for a walk, a swim and a picnic; rather surprisingly, at 20 degrees the water was not as warm as the sea but wonderfully refreshing. We set off across the lake beating into a light wind; after 20 minutes out of nowhere it sprang up to 20 knots and the boat healed hard over just as I was talking on the phone to Tim. ‘Whoa’ we both went, hanging on for grim death; I glanced behind me just in time to see the boat hook, which I had not put away properly after the locks, disappearing over the side – ‘boat hook over board’ went out the cry! 3 times on our travels so far the boat hook has swum for variety of reasons, how many lives did this boat hook have? I knew it would float because I had collected it from a lee shore in Scotland when it was dropped trying to pick up a bouy in 30 knots of wind. We swung the boat round as fast as possible but Melanie had lost sight of it when she looked down to whip the hot mugs of tea out of harms way. Search as we might there was no sign of the boat hook, it did not stretch to 4 lives, down to Davy Jones' locker it would go.

The following day we went ashore for a bike ride. Sweden is remarkably flat. Much of it is forested with lakes scattered everywhere with field after field of golden wheat swaying in the breeze between the forests.

It was a lovely hot day with a gentle breeze, barely enough to sail but we drifted sedately towards our next stopping point. On the way, quietly melting from the heat, I decided I needed a dip. I stopped the boat, stripped off and launched myself head first over the side, realising, just before my head hit the water, that I was still wearing my sun glasses! Whoosh - they were whipped off my head. I thrashed around madly looking for them but alas, sun glasses do not float and they went to join the boat hook in Davy Jones' locker.

Melanie, God bless her, seeing that I was running away with the Wally point score, clearly felt she needed to even the score. As we came to anchor she let out the chain but several feet had gone out before she realised that the anchor had not moved, it needed a gentle shove over the bow. A gentle shove she duly gave it and the anchor then dropped the few feet available to it only to come taught after its fall with a twang that flicked all of last nights wet gooey mud off the chain and spread it all over the boat and all over Melanie! I did try not to laugh.

The shores of the lake are littered with small islands amongst which we anchored for the night. We found a most beautiful spot for a barbecue where a glass of wine washed away what few troubles we had.

Oslo to Gothenburg

At the beginning of July Melanie and I flew out to Oslo to find the boat safe and sound tucked up as I had left her just south of Oslo. The weather was stinking hot, the first job was a swim in what could have passed for bath water at 24 degrees! This weather was set to look after us for the next two weeks.

Our first outing was to visit Oslo, a day trip an hour away on the train. This was our introduction to Oslo; whatever he is on I want some!!

After Oslo we headed south to pick up Tim and his girlfriend Lucy a few days sail south saying goodbye to Norway and entering Swedish waters. On the way we went ashore for a bike ride around the local country side; we stumbled upon the Norwegian answer to our stone circles, a stone ship - I was the Viking captain!







After picking up Lucy and Tim we headed out to the Koster Islands; a small archipelago and national park a few miles off the coast. In the 30 degree heat swimming and barbecues on the beach were the order of the day.












Lucy, who had never sailed before, took to it like a duck to water; it won't be long before my job is under threat!










Lucy took the helm for a belting sail south while Melanie tried to relax on the front deck. I had optimistically said we wouldn't be tipping much; full marks for determination!





The whole of this coast is littered with myriad little islands. The rock is polished smooth from the receding of the last Ice Age some 10,000 years ago. On the whole there is very little vegetation giving the whole coast a feeling of sparseness.Taking the 'inside passage' made for some interesting sailing, a narrow channel between two inhabited islands can be seen behind Tim and Lucy.






There are dozens of pretty coastal towns, all sporting many little water front boathouses painted in the traditional rusty red colour of Norway and Sweden.








It is very easy to get lost in the maze of inter island passages but never fear, help is at hand!

Heading for Oslo

On our first leg from Stavanger after rescuing our damsels in distress, Gord took this little video clip of a fun days sail. The wind is blowing 25 to 30 knots (about force 7), we are heavily reefed running before the wind with no main and about half of the genoa (front sail) doing 7-8 knots, about our maximum speed. The swell is about 9' causing us to surf occasionally.

We have spent a week doing the island strewn east coast  from Stavanger to Hankosundat, my stop for Oslo. 250 miles characterised by sun, wind, pretty rock rimmed anchorages, holiday homes (everywhere!) and even a bucket full of mackerel, caught at 3 o'clock and on the plate by 7 as we continued our sail up the coast.

The winds were very predictable, northerly in the morning swinging south in the afternoon as the sea breeze kicked in; we spent the mornings exploring and the afternoons and often late into the evening sailing.

The islands make for some interesting mooring. With insufficient room to swing around an anchor amongst the little inlets, the Norwegians tie up to bolts fixed in the rocks; that is the back of the boat!

We did one fabulous bike ride into the interior. Rolling hills, pretty villages and littered with little lakes. However, there was trouble on the way! My pedal had been giving trouble for a while. I ordered a new set on the internet which are waiting for me at home but too late. Half way through the ride, the pedal fell off, in the middle of nowhere with 20 miles to go! The thread screwing the pedal into the crank had worn to the point that it wouldn’t hold. Hmm, now what? Being an ex-boy scout (or more truthfully having had mechanical trouble in the past and not had the right tools) we were at least prepared with a spanner.
A corner of the map wrapped around the thread seemed to pack it out sufficiently to just hold it in. As long as I peddled with my left leg and used the right only to rotate the pedal, it seemed to work and we set off to limp back to the boat. Every few miles the pedal fell out but we were getting closer until…. finally the pedal decided it was having no more of it and gave up the ghost. It had been a hilly ride, we were about 5 miles from the harbour, fortunately flat or downhill the rest of the way. With my hand hooked into his waistband Gord towed me the final few miles. Thats what friends are for! That’s the pedal in my right hand with the empty crank beside it.

Our bucket of mackerel had 2 fish remaining; it was time to try my smoker again after last years somewhat embarrassing attempt (paraffin instead of meths). Armed with my newly purchased bottle of meths, the wood chips went in and we shut the lid on the smoker to see what would happen. 20 minutes later, hey preso, beautifully cooked smoked fish!

 It tasted rather as if, well, as if it had been sat in a bonfire for 20 minutes! To tell you the truth I was not enamoured with the taste.  I think I shall have it ‘au naturel’ next time!

One of the small groups of islands we passed through was home to the little village of Lingor.  With no roads and no bridge to the mainland it was a quaint place indeed.

The sun is now setting on the first half of my adventure in Norway. I am going home now for Melanies birthday (it is her 50^th on Monday). She and I are coming back in a couple of weeks to set off to Sweden, through the lakes and canal system to Stockholm. Tim and his girlfriend Lucy will be joining us for a few days early on.

Lyse Fjord

It does rain in Norway! 

It was a rugged moonscape of rock dotted with snow patches that greeted us as we got to the top. The weather started to deteriorate, visibility dropping to as little as 50 yards and the wind gusting to 30 knots at times, rugged indeed! The base of the clouds scudded along at about cliff top height so we go glimpses of the grand scene below in gaps in the cloud. We hope it would not get any thicker for when we arrived at our objective, the top of the massive vertical cliffs we had seen on the way up the fjord with water cascading down the shear drop. The route was well marked through the rock and snow. After 2 hours we came across a cairn and signpost, clearly pointing to our destination nearby but by now the fog had completely closed in around us. After 200 yards the markings petered out, it was not going to be safe to go on. Getting lost up here could seriously spoil our day! Just as we turned back 2 walkers spotted us and called out that they had found the cliffs. They pointed us in the right direction and within 200 yards the top of the cliff opened up before us and the cloud parted, divine intervention?! What was laid out before us was one of the most amazing sights I have seen. The scale is impossible to convey in a photo, you have to come and see this for yourself! 

This boulder is also quite an attraction; since Victorian days people have stepped out onto it to have their photo taken 3000’ above a fjord, but it was not for us on a wet windy day!

For the descent from the cafe we had taken our trusty bikes for an exciting 7km  gravity driven thrill ride round 74 hairpin bends and through a mile long tunnel in the pouring rain. The sunglasses are to keep the rain out of my eyes!

After Lyse Fjord we left the fjords behind us and headed for the lowland south of Norway to make some miles towards Olso. We stopped in at Stavanger then headed off into a forcast of force 4 winds and blue skys. It very qickly became apparent that the forcast was wrong as we got out into the main channel out of Stavanger. 

Rescuing damsels in distress!

The coast line is now quite different. Generally low and  very rugged, surprisingly arid and rock strewn.

Over the last 3 days we have had some very beautiful anchorages, 

collected a vast quantity of kelp and a few giant cockles on our anchor (breakfast?)




 

 and this evening enjoyed an excellent chicken dinner under way with a warm gentle breeze and some lovely sunshine!