Monday, May 29, 2023

Törehamn - Haparandahamn

After some well deserved sleep, we took off at noon. As the night is light, we can arrive to the destination at any given hour without an issue. We raised the mainsail just outside the harbour and were on our way towards south, for the first time on this trip!

The strong wind on beam gave us a reasonably quick sail, with average speed of 5.1 kn! When we reached the offshore portion of the trip we reefed the sails without losing any boat speed. Bigger sail area doesn’t always translate to speed. The closer we got to Haparandahamn we saw from the place names that we already had crossed the language boundary. Most islands here have a Finnish name.

As is the tradition, we got a nice maneuver gust, so we moored to the fisher pier, as we saw that all the fishing boats are still on land. Whether we can stay there or not will be discussed with the harbourmaster when he comes back tomorrow morning.

We found also the Gothia club flag left by Manfred.

• Distance today: 42.9NM

Sunday, May 28, 2023

Junkön - Törehamn

The gale blew past without incident, and we happily slept late. After a late breakfast we turned the boat around in the narrow harbour with lines. Then out and towards North.

Today’s sail was a pretty mellow one. We gybed down a narrow and winding fairway with a reefed main. Extra excitement was provided by quite a few missing fairway buoys - the ice left only a week ago, and they haven’t had a chance to fix them yet.

Eventually we reached our target, the yellow buoy that marks the northernmost navigable point of the Baltic Sea. We sailed around the buoy and tied up to the marina next to it. Then we got invited for dinner and drinks aboard the only other sailboat present, a German Scampi out of Kiel. Buoy party FTW!

• Distance today: 31.2NM
• Total distance: 1111.3NM
• Engine hours: 0.5
• Lunch: lentil coconut curry

Saturday, May 27, 2023

Junkön

The second night was a fast one. Double foresails and full main meant that we were proceeding with hull speed. Our hydrogenerator kept our battery full, even when the off-watch was using the electric blanket to thaw themselves out after watch duty outside.

The difference in the amount of light between the two nights is astounding. Only about 89NM to the Arctic Circle! This photo was taken on the darkest hour of the night, 2 hours after sunset and 2 hours before sunrise.

Junkön harbour is tiny but cute. There is some small scale fishing industry still left. You know you are coming in early when you get to say good morning to the fishermen when they are going out. For us this means breakfast, a bit of sleep and exploring the island while waiting for a gale to roll over us in the early hours of Sunday.

While we’re in sub-arctic waters of southern Lapland and it is still quite cold outside, one of the benefits of cruising here is that every harbour has a sauna. Time to sample the one here and enjoy the howling wind from a warm place.

• Distance today: 32NM
• Total distance: 1080.1NM
• Engine hours: 0.4
• Lunch: spaghetti with avocado sauce

Friday, May 26, 2023

Bay of Bothnia, 135NM NE of Ulvöhamn

Now that we’re above 64°N, it doesn’t really get dark at all. The sun sets around 11pm, there are a few hours of twilight, and by 2am it is rising again.

These passages have their own rhythm. Six hours of rest, then six hours of sailing alone, listening to podcasts and keeping watch. We have the meals together, but otherwise it is very much single-handed sailing, done serially.

We’ve been on a beam reach since morning. Changing wind conditions have meant using the full main and genoa, and occasionally the staysail with main in the first reef. As I write this, we’re sailing with both headsails and full main to power through some opposing waves.

As on the previous days, this sea is very quiet. A bit of shipping that politely make way for us, some seagulls, and not much else. Now the landscape is also flatter as we left the High Coast behind.

• Distance today: 113NM
• Total distance: 1048.1NM
• Engine hours: 0
• Lunch: feta avocado salad

Thursday, May 25, 2023

Bothnian Sea, 22NM NE of Ulvöhamn

We spent an extra day in Ulvöhamn to wait out a blow. Then, the next day, as work laptop was closed we hoisted anchor and headed out. An “auf wiedersehen” rang from the shore. Lille Ø was the first visiting boat this year, we had been told.

As we will head more north, the last couple of weeks has been constant monitoring of the ice charts. Now finally the Bay of Bothnia was ice-free enough that the Finnish icebreaker fleet could head to summer quarters. This means we could continue sailing! Convenient, given that this is another long weekend.

We’re now following the Swedish coastline - some four-ish miles offshore - on a broad reach with the windvane steering. The sun is already low in the horizon, and the next watch change is at midnight. Soon we’ll enter the Kvarken area.

Happy Towel Day, everybody!

• Distance today: 22NM
• Total distance: 935.1NM
• Engine hours: 0.2
• Lunch: pea soup

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Storön - Ulvöhamn

What a lovely day for a spinnaker sail! A south wind started coming up around 11am, so we detached from the buoy and hoisted the Parasailor. Then it was a leisurely glide past the monumental fells of the High Coast, with the Parasailor dampening the waves for the office worker.

When we reached our target bay, the local wind started funneling again, and we switched back to white sails when the whitecaps started showing up. Better safe than sorry, though this time the wind remained in manageable quantities.

Our original target was the extremely protected island on Mjältön, but when we arrived there we noticed the piers were still on land and the internet non-existent. This is why we always have backup harbours. We motored the 4NM channel to the nearby Ulvön.

This is quite a lovely old fishing village. After Scandinavian mooring to the town dock we went for a stroll. A bit eerie to not see any humans anywhere, but that place is very pretty. The views from the “pilot hill” were especially nice.

• Distance today: 27NM
• Total distance: 913.1NM
• Lunch: chanterelle risotto
• Engine hours: 1.6

Monday, May 22, 2023

Lustholmen - Storön

After work it was time to set sail again. We took the inside route as we wanted to see the High Coast Bridge. They call it the Golden Gate of the North. Inside route also ment that you can effectively forget the wind forecast as the high hills create their own wind. From 15kn to 0 and back and everything from beating to broad reach while going to the same compass course.

The high hills make it also impossible to evaluate distances. What at first glance seems like short tacking can be 2 NM and a 15 min stretch. As we approached the SXK buoy at the bay we both were convinced for a while that the buoy must have moved over the winter as it was practically on the beach! Getting closer we saw the depth 50 meters, 30 meters and closer. The buoy sits tightly in 10 meters of water about 50 meters from the shore.

After securing the boat to the buoy we put together the banana-boot and headed to shore. Partially the landscape looks like someone built it in Minecraft, partially it is impassable woods and partially it is what we call “pirunpelto” devil’s field. The nature trail took us to the other side of the island where we were greeted with signs that the lake was actually a medieval fishing harbour that needed to be abandoned in 19th century because of rising land closed the secluded bay from the ocean.

Now we are sitting on the shore preparing to cook some dinner on the fire.

• Distance today: 12.9 NM
• Total distance: 886.1 NM
• Lunch today: Miisas cous cous salad
• Engine hours: 0.6

Sunday, May 21, 2023

Juniskär - Lustholmen

While the passage from Stockholm archipelago to Sundsvall had been lovely, today’s sail was more on the frustrating end.

Forecast had a steady force 4 from southeast, which sounded awesome given that we were going northeast. What was the reality was basically a day without wind, apart from a couple of local high wind zones. And when combined with the 1-2m swell offshore, that made for quite bumpy going. It was interesting to cook a proper meal with the stove hitting each end stop of the gimbal every few seconds!

After a few false starts (wind-no wind), we decided to save the sails from the heavy slamming in the waves and motored. When we finally turned into the “protected” channel towards Härnösand, we decided to try sailing again. The wind came back with a vengeance. From 2kt to 27kt in just a few minutes. Luckily we had put in a reef! Lesson learned: here among the high hills of Höga Kusten, the local wind effects are the thing to look for, not the weather forecast.

We tied up to the island base of the local yacht club. For a small fee we can use their facilities, including a very nice wood-heated sauna. Looks like we were quite lucky with our timing - apparently the club only installed the piers earlier today. The bay was still frozen two weeks ago!

• Distance today: 32NM
• Total distance: 873.2NM
• Engine hours: 5.5
• Lunch: shiitake and egg fried rice

Saturday, May 20, 2023

Juniskär

The night brought with it a little bit more wind and we were gliding on the waves smoothly. The northen horizon glows with sun’s rays and it is just pure magic to do night passages this time of the year. Dusk and dawn simultaneously on the northern side and stars and night sky on southern side.

We got Starbuck, our windvane, dialed in so smoothly that all we needed to do, was to keep lookout and ourselves warm. Entertainment for the night was provided by Turku Radio informing regularily the channels where you can get info on the locations of the ice breakers (!!!) and weather. With the sun warming us during the days and the vibrant green leaves it is easy to forget that Bay of Bothnia is still partially covered with ice!

We caught a SXK buoy in Juniskär and get to enjoy sunshine and the first T-shirt weather day (at least as long as the sun is up).

• Distance today: 69 NM
• Total distance: 841.2 NM
• Lunch today: feta salad
• Engine hours: 0.1

Friday, May 19, 2023

Bothnian Sea, 137NM N of Runmarö

A full day offshore started with light winds where we had to steer by the electric autopilot. This sea area is really quiet! We’ve only seen a few cargo ships and maybe a dozen seagulls all day.

Today’s highlight was the first noon sight practice on our loaner sextant (thanks Wilfried!). We ended up 7NM from the GPS position. Good enough for many landfalls, but maybe not for avoiding reefs.

In the afternoon watch the wind filled in and we were able to steer on the windvane again. The hydrogenerator assisted in producing power and we made some water.

We expect to sight Höga Kusten sometime in the early morning hours. Nights are getting really short up here, with only hour or two of slightly darker dusk.

• Distance today: 98NM
• Total distance: 772.2NM
• Lunch: cheese and vegetable wraps with homemade yoghurt
• Engine hours: 0