Background to a TV show?

Today we did the Kalmar to Kristianopel stretch, about 28 miles in four and a half hours. About 10 to 12 knots of wind straight on the nose, so a bit of water over which makes the boat salty but nothing uncomfortable.

When we got here, there seemed to be preparations for 'something ' going on, and it transpired to be a TV show, with some people singing and a neighbouring (British) yacht being interviewed. For most of the time, we were the backdrop to the proceedings. And we had a fine view too!




Sorry, no pictures again. Useless Blogpress!

Location:Karlskrona,Sweden

Kalmar

The plan today was to go to Monsterås, halfway between Figeholm and Kalmar. In the beginning, the sea was quite 'lumpy' in spite of the light wind. But later it became very comfortable and when we got to the 'turnoff' to Monsterås we looked at the weather forecast and decided that we could carry on.
As per the forecast, the wind picked up a bit to around 15 knots but as it was straight on the nose, it was easy going. We had coffee, lunch and tea on the way and tied up in Kalmar after 7 hours motoring, in time to treat ourselves to 'dinner onshore' in celebration of Lyn's birthday!
Tomorrow it looks like quite a bit more wind, so we are going to stay put.
I'll upload a few pictures from the camera to the laptop and post them on the blog tomorrow.

Location:Landgången,Kalmar,Sweden

Going back South

As per an earlier post, we spent last weekend on the island of Texel, but without Onbekommerd!

But Onbekommerd was very much there in spirit as the occasion was the 150th anniversary of the birth of Jac. P. Thijsse, after whose motto our boat was named. He spent a few years of his early life on Texel and this plaque reminds us of that:

There should have been a picture here. Blog press issued an update promising that the 'photo upload bug' had been fixed, but unfortunately it still does not work. Sorry.

We very much enjoyed the weekend with all my cousins from the Thijsse side of the family, we had not been all together in 40 years!

Texel to Västervik is not all that far distance wise, but it takes 10 hours of bus, ferry, train, 'plane and bus again (should have been a train, but was replaced by a bus). Add to that quite a bit of walking and you can imagine we had a good night's sleep!

This morning we started the 'way back' in earnest. No hurry, but for the next two weeks we'll use any day with favourable weather to move back towards the Netherlands.
As it was a good day today, we put in about 5 hours and are now back in Figeholm, which is a very pleasant harbour at the northern end of the Kalmarsund. For the first time in weeks, we got a bit of spray over the deck when we left the protection of the islands of the Skärgård. It will be like that for the next few days, although the wind is predicted to be light.

We'll try to keep you up to date!

Location:Sjömansgatan,Oskarshamn,Sweden

Nice surprise!

Two years ago, on our way back from Sweden in Rendsburg in the Kiel Canal, we met Örjen and Kristina on their Albin25 called Albina. They were on their way to France at that time.
We have been following each other's progress on social media since then and we know that they were a few weeks ahead of us returning to Sweden and are now back in Gävle where they live.
This morning, there was a Facebook post as well as an email telling us that Örjen was near Västervik and could visit us. Such was arranged and we had a 'fika' (the Swedish term for coffee and a chat) with him on Onbekommerd and afterwards he took us on a drive to show us a bit of 'Sweden away from the water'. It was very nice to meet again, thank you Örjen for making contact and warm regards to Kristina back home!

Location:Notholmsvägen,Vastervik,Sweden

Västervik for a week

After 6 nights either anchored or tied to a small jetty on our stern anchor, we are now in a 'real' harbour, the 'Notviken' club harbour in Västervik.

First a few pictures of the last few days:

 

In "Flissfjärden, on Harstena, most people are tied to a rock with their stern anchor out. We had 'swing anchored': behind the main (front) anchor. 

A heron stalking a fish on Bökö 

This is sort of a famous place as it is mentioned in the pilot book. A model ship in the window of a house on Jungfuskär, an island that you pass very close to. There are two windows with models. 

With all these islands and buoys and lights, it is sometimes difficult to know where you are when you look away from the chart for a minute. Lyn made 'sticky arrows' to help us!

 We continue to be fascinated by the rock formations we pass.

Last night we returned to the jetty where we first 'stern anchored' a few weeks ago. Still beautiful and peaceful! 

After these few weeks, we really have come to appreciate the life the Swedish yachtsmen live: only go into a harbour for provisions and water and to get rid of the rubbish. But otherwise stay 'in the wild'. We need to get ourselves organised a bit better (a more robust stern anchor, a dinghy where the water does not leak in through the bottom) and then we can (next year) enjoy it to the full!

On Thursday we will leave Onbekommerd here in Västervik and fly to the Netherlands for three days for a family gathering to celebrate the 150th 'birthday' of my great grandfather after whose 'motto' Onbekommerd was named. There will be 6 cousins and three partners, we can't remember the last time the six of us were together but it certainly is more than 40 years! So until next week, there may be a post or two, but no regular updates!

Bokö

We spent the second night in Harstena not at the village but in "Flissfjärden", a big bay just to the North. There were at least 40 boats there, most tied to the rocks with a stern anchor out and some 'swing anchored". All Swedes apart from three Dutch boats!
As predicted the weather changed overnight, rain started and the wind swung to the South and picked up to about 25 knots. But in the bay you are well sheltered, although one of the yachts had its anchor slipping and had to get up during the night to re-lay it.
This morning we had a leisurely breakfast and after coffee the weather improved (again as predicted) and we lifted the anchor.
Two and a half hours to the South through the archipelago, we are now again anchored, this time in a nice bay called Bokö, which is at the entrance to the Valdemarsviken, the fjord that goes 10 miles inland to Valdemarsvik. It's quiet here though, the fourth boat has just come in.
We'll slowly continue the trip South tomorrow. The Internet is too slow to post pictures today, we'll do so when we get closer to 'civilisation' and the signal picks up.

Again, clicking on the 'location' below will get you to a map showing where we are!

Location:Valdemarsvik,Sweden

A quiet night. And Harstena again

We made our way out of the Storån again and spent the night tied to a swing mooring we found in the quiet bay we were planning to anchor. Swing mooring is much easier than anchoring!

A beautiful sunset and this morning we were woken by the local flock of geese!

As our timing wants us to be in Västervik on the 22nd and that is only three easy days away, we decided to go back to Harstena for one or two nights. We arrived here at 10.30 this morning and it was already quite busy, maybe only three places free. A few of the smaller boats with 'day trippers' will leave before dinner and a few others will then come in for the night. Always coming and going here!