It was a dream come true: buying a sailboat and setting off on a long sailing adventure during the summer. Yet within a week we were very close to giving up.
The dream was turning into a nightmare.
Nothing was going our way: things didn’t work or broke, the weather was not on our side- it was wet and cold- and we were all constantly bickering. Constant boat works were not helping our confidence.
Four partly sunny days on a picturesque, deserted little island in the Norrköping Sound, mostly by ourselves, helped us. We caught up on boat jobs and found our groove in the small space.
Only to arrive back to our home port after a couple of hours sailing, having lost confidence in our boat and in ourselves again. I felt like I was swimming up some frighteningly strong rapids. At the same time, we were still tethered to land, our campervan and our back up system.
Deep down I knew we needed to cast off those bowlines; We needed to leave behind the backups, the safety net and trust in our a little boat, our sailing abilities and our little family unit. (All of which were strong and healthy, well up to the task at hand.)
On a lovely June day, we finally set off from our home port to start our epic summer adventure with a little 30 nautical mile hop along the coast. After a beautiful start, with everything working, we rounded a head and encountered some frightfully, un-forecast, strong winds.
The waves picked up, the kids felt queasy and someone yelped each time a little gust pushed us a bit more into a heal.
The helm was heavy and the charts showed lots of submerged rocks around us that we were weaving around.
I questioned my sanity of embarking on this mad adventure.
“How could I put my family in such danger? I’m so irresponsible! I really know so much less about sailing than I thought I did.”- these were the thoughts playing in my mind as I battled the waves, my strengthening seasickness and clung on to the tiller for dear life. **
Then, just like that, we turned into sheltered waters and had time to take in the beauty of our surroundings. It was peaceful and picturesque. It was what I had imagined it to be like.
“Could this work after all?”- I pondered, as we sailed in the early evening sun.
That night, after we tied up on our first unfamiliar destination, I slept so deep and peacefully, like I hadn’t in months.
Let the sailing adventure begin
Nyköping, our first real stop eased us into explorer mode- with its beautiful riverside walk, castle and free walking tour. It set the tone for the rest of the trip too: while I love sailing, I definitely wanted to mix in some cultural activities, find non-boating things to do.
From this first wonderful stop, our journey took us up old trading routes, past some significant lighthouses, secret (now defunct) military bases and wove through lots of island, skerries and just simple rocks.
Visiting Utö in Sweden and Sandhamn we got a sense of some of the glamour of archipelago tourism of yesteryears and today. Contrasted with natural harbours only shared with a few, we learned that there is something for everyone along the Swedish coast.
Open water crossing
The jump across the Åland Sea – a mere 35nm- made us nervous.
“We’ll be out of sight of land and crossing with ferries and tankers”, we fretted. We set up a watch rota, but despite being becalmed in the middle of the sea, we made it to Mariehamn for a very late bedtime.
Mariehamn and then the rest of Åland totally enchanted us, captured our hearts with the beautiful coastline, unique red rocks riding from the sea, and the amazingly hospitable people we met.
Taking a secret WW II route along the north coast of the Åland islands really brought history alive: we’d had learned about this route at the fabulous maritime museum in Mariehamn.
Sailing from Åland to Finland
After the amazing hospitality at Glada Laxan (the Happy Salmon) on Bärö, our first encounters with Finland in the northern Archipelago were a bit more edgy. We experienced Eastern harshness here, despite (or maybe because of) the extraordinary high temperatures more reminiscent of the Mediterranean than the Baltic. A few people, a few chance encounters, however, changed our view. Some people are just amazing: You connect for a moment in time and it changes the course of your travels for the better.
Three blisteringly hot days in Turku left us wanting to come back to this eclectic city again soon.
Then again we were ready to head back to Nature, to islands, away from masses people, cars and craziness of city dwelling.
The long way home
We were on our way back now: The visit of a friend and start of school loomed. Our time was finite now, our route more prescribed and the weather changing like the 10 year old growing wonderful easy-going child to a moody teenager, one moment thunder and lightening, next moment warm and gentle.
Yet the excitement and enchantment of the places awaiting our visit didn’t disappoint.
Seili, the island where first the leprosy patients, then the mentally ill were banished to. Where they really ill or were they just an inconvenience to their family? Today the island welcomes visitors wanting to relax in a unique environment of history and diverse nature.
Heading out to the outer archipelago was challenging, but oh so worth it. The Finnish Ütö is bit of a contrast to its Swedish namesake. This is a final frontier with resilient residents and a distinguished lighthouse. From here we debated routes and timings. We got it wrong and got caught in a thunderstorm. Did you know that you can do 2-3 knots on bare poles only in some boats? We learned this, while making sure we stayed clear of our metal rigging and donning rubber boots, just in case lightning did strike us. It was scary!
Back to Åland
Kökar then provided such a cosy welcome that we didn’t want to leave. When we did, we had the fastest sail on Mariposa and were rewarded by another picturesque harbour and amazing home-baked kardemon buns at Rödhamn. Oh Åland, you were so hard to leave! Not because of the fickle, undecided weather, but because of your beauty and hospitality.
Our trip across the Åland Sea was very different from the first crossing- rough and fast. We tried heaving to to rest a little and ended up heaving from the waves. Setting foot on land again was a relief!
In Sweden Again
A last minute course change meant we landed back in Sweden on the island of Arholma, one of the most northern islands of the Stockholm Archipelago. Very friendly boat neighbours, wandering the pretty island and an amazing sauna restored our nerves frayed from the crossing. Arholma is such a lovely, lid-back destination
We were ready for the next part of our adventure: adding another crew member, a sailing virgin to our team. We picked him up in Norrtälje. This picturesque town is a perfect start to a Swedish cruising adventure for a newbie, even if the moorings and marina leave somewhat to be desired. With winds not playing ball we spent the next 2 days motoring, changing sails, dodging bigger and smaller ferries, but ultimately sailing through some amazing places.
Sailing into Stockholm
A choppy mooring at Vaxholm is totally worth it in return for exploring this pretty town and the awesome fort. Sailing into Stockholm was a dream come true, despite the huge cruise ship scaring the heebie-jeebies out of me as we came in very close quarters, due to the narrowness of the channel. The awe of my kids seeing the themepark, Grönalund and old Stockholm bathed in the evening light was a sight to behold.
Lake sailing through viking history
Clearing into Lake Mälaren and sailing from the Viking capital, Birka to the Christian capital, Sigtuna and then on to the Lutheran capital, Uppsala was a totally different expereince from sailing in the archipelago. It’s hard to believe that this lake was once part of the Baltic Sea too. The coastline is tree-filled with cultivated fields interrupting the forests. Little rocks in the water are actually big islands with trees clinging on for dear life. Channels are narrow, wider sections are gusty and there are a lot more bridges and timetables to adjust to. Finding a mooring spot is not all that easy.
It didn’t quite seem real as we moored Mariposa in Uppsala; Zsolti, our sailing-virgin-no-more crew member dashed to the airport and we to get the kids ready for school the next day. The summer had come to an end and Mariposa will soon be heading back to rest up in the winter and get ready for another long adventure next summer.
Where will our next sailing adventures take us?
Do we head South to the quieter Santa Anna Archipelago, Gotland and the awesome Kalmar? Maybe even get to Germany?
Or do we head West through the Gote Kanal to explore the West coast of Sweden?
Or do we head back East and go further East, really starting the adventure from Ütö, Finland to perhaps St Petersburg?
Coming soon…
Small boat, BiG adventures,
the family sailing chronicles from the North Baltic
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**Dear Reader, were you imagining gale-strength winds and mountain high waves? It wasn’t really that bad. It was 12-15 knot winds, a fresh breeze with 25 knot gusts and the waves were about a 1-1.5 m high, boxy, short Baltic waves, which exaggerate the motion of the boat. They were coming from the stern quarter, so made our little boat roll. What made the wind feel strong and the waves big was our worry and our lack of confidence. Our inexperience with Mariposa, this lovely old lady and not having sailed in a while didn’t help either. I know that now, with hindsight. I understand that fear, while a mechanism of our self-defense, can kill dreams. I’m so glad I didn’t let it stop us!
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