User:Vtaylor/Sweden 2016

Sailing in Sweden. Lovely crisp mornings and warm sunny afternoons. Good breeze. Lovely harbors. Friendly people. Great food.

We are in Sweden to get away from the heat. We have succeeded beyond expectations. Summer here ends promptly at end of July. More like fall in northern Ontario or Maine. Even looks the same with rocks and pine trees mostly. Lots of wind. Tieing bow to a tree on a rock is a new experience. Fun trip. Nice to think about what we might want in next boat.

Fri Jul 29

Not bad start. Lynn provided ride to airport. Arrived in plenty of time. Eventually got issued all boarding passes for all 3 flights. Booking an international flight with a domestic segment through Expedia means you have to get boarding passes from an agent at the airport.

TSA Pre for both of us. Baggage conveyor working intermittently so that was slow.

JetBlue seems to be using the "Air France" boarding procedure – just get in line and get on. No waiting for your group to be called. No lining up in numerical order. No delays caused by people trying to board in the wrong group. No waiting for all the wheelchairs and strollers. Hey, this works.

JFK Roasted veggie pizza at Wolfgang Puck wood fired oven food court stand at Terminal 7. One of the best ever. Seriously.

Icelandair in-flight video tours of 10 regions in Iceland. Safety video. No coffee on flight from Reykjavik that arrived Stockholm 6am. Too bad we didn't use the free stopover - up to 7 days in Iceland between flights. Talked with people who had visited Iceland. Part look like Mars - flat, rocky. Beautiful coasts, small villages, waterfalls, hot pools, interesting wildlife - puffins, whales.

Sat Jul 30

We just arrived Stockholm. Staying at Scandic Hasselbacken - walking distance from Mama Mia venue. Able to check-in, have breakfast buffet - wonderful. Then have a nap and some sightseeing before heading out for evening.

Went to Grona Lund amusement park. Great little park. Lots of rides, Kids having a wonderful time. Entertainment seems great - people come just for performances. Several nice outdoor bars around. Roller coasters overhead - CalOSHA would never permit this.

Restaurant Tyrol for Mamma Mia - the Party dinner and ABBA musical. Seated with another couple, and mother/son. Big ABBA fans. All were Swedish but came to English performance because ABBA songs are all in English. Pleasant company. Meal was Greek fare served family style. Performance followed storyline throughout dinner. After dinner, some tables cleared away to make room for dance floor. Performances continued with lots more music and dancing. Great evening.

Sun Jul 31

Another breakfast at the hotel. Tried many of local items - sour milk (like yogurt but locals say not the same), lingenberry jam, breads, cereals, meat, fish.

Today met with owner of sail boat we are chartered here for 3 weeks. Check out was pretty straightforward. Nice boat in good condition. We opted for the aft cabin - bigger bed but minimal headroom and limited access to berth.

Saltsjobaden Palnasviken. Va d'Eau at yacht harbor where the Boat Club is located. The boat is usually on a mooring, but at the guest dock for our arrival.

Va d'Eau is a Jeanneau Sun Fast 35 Looks nice. Well fitted out. Good safety briefing of boat overall. Went over the suggested route. Nice tour of the area. Suggests we moved to the next harbor where there is a restaurant. Too windy to do that today. Still pretty tired.

Grocery shopping at local ICA supermarket. Then took a taxi back to the boat. Secured the boat better as it is still gusty. Early supper with .9% pear cider - only beer and cider available at grocery store. Wine and liquor store closed Sunday.

Mon Aug 1

Coffee from press clogs drain. Plunger in head. Fixed.

Nice sail in morning. Light variable. Everything works ok. Return to next harbor per Rieder suggestion. Bay with Grand Hotel. Saltsjobaden hotellviken. KSSS - Royal Swedish Yacht Club.

KSSS Saltsjobaden guest harbor (marina). Guest dock in front of restaurant

First docking cbb. Snag stern tie float from port rail. People on dock help with bow lines. Less speed to avoid meeting dock. Lunch at Holmen Kök & Bar restaurant. Casual outdoor eating on the water.

Walked to Grand Hotel. Not any shopping. Train to Stockholm out of service for summer maintenance. Buses available.

Tues Aug 2

Saltsjobaden to Stockholm. About 2 hours. Used the SeaPilot iPad app for charts. Great recommendation. Amazing detail on local charts really essential as lots of shallow spots throughout this area known as "rock garden". Keeps track of movements so we have a record of the entire trip. Hand held GPS was out of batteries again. Need to find a manual in English online to figure out why it is eating batteries.

Used DockSpot to book slips in advance for most marinas. Still pretty busy even though most Swedes are back to work at the beginning of Aug. Don't seem to be able to book same day. KSSS Sandhamn blocked DockSpot reservations during regatta even though we were able to stay on.

Spot at the Wasa marina was empty even though neighbor was attached to 2 stern mooring buoys, ok to attach us too. Nice folks on shore caught bow lines. They had been in this slip last night (and been required to move for our prior reservation. WasaHamnen

Codes for toilets, showers - change every day at pm. We got 3 - mon am, Mon pm - Tuesday am, Tuesday pm. Washer and dryer are free, need to signup to reserve a time, otherwise just use. ICA grocery not far. Some people walking with bags. Walked over to little supermarket to west and got a few things. Will do bigger shop when Ken and Lynn get here.

Ferry to Gamla Stan (Old Town). Actually we got off too soon but walked around along waterfront, passed tall ship / youth hostel AF Chapman. Museum of Art being renovated. Pic glass of wine at at the waterfront near ferry.. Trying to get SL Access cards to get 72 hour rider pricing- card not available. Walked around Old Town. Very touristy, somewhat more expensive. Found a nice small place for dinner. M - smoked salmon, dill potatoes. V- meatballs with mashed potatoes.

We're able to get the SL card. After finding 7 eleven - no cards but directed us down road 100 meters.

Email from Lynn and Ken. They are on their way. Checked in at MCO at least.

Have Stockholm map with trains including tram/bus to boat harbor

Found Wikipedia picture of and metro station on map. Not a high priority must see but kind of fun fact.

Wed Aug 3

Lynn and Ken arrived this morning. Fika - coffee and cinnamon buns. Lynn had a lovely salmon open face sandwich. Needed protein. Then off to shop at ICA nearby. Lunch on boat. Shrimp sandwiches. Lynn and ken napped while we to tram to end of line in Kungsträdgården shopping district. Found Systembolaget (state liquor store) sells anything more that 3.5% alcohol including wine. head office but no retail store at next two locations in kens gps. Finally asked 2 city workers who directed us. Wasa museum. Amazing story. Craftsmanship on carvings all over ship. Interesting depiction of life and times. Ferry to old town. Dinner. Meatballs. Salmon and spinach quiche. Petit pan. Pear cider.

Thu Aug 4

Overnight in Vaxholm. Pretty little town with great amenities and atmosphere. Lots of lovely houses apartments. Ferry to many other destinations. Buses and ferries to Stockholm. Castle fort accessible by cable ferry. Car ferry to next island runs several times per hour. Several fortifications as defense for Stockholm. Sailing with good breeze yesterday from Stockholm. 12-16 downwind. About 2 hours.

Fri Aug 5

Grinda Very family friendly. Weekend festival coming up. Walked to ferry dock past beach, farm animals. Nature trail. Wedding to be held later. Tent with dinner setting, menu ready.

Sat Aug 6

Ingmarso. Pleasant sail arrived about noon. Met neighbors Lars and Peter. Lovely anniversary dinner at nice restaurant. Cod. Mackerel Rhubarb pie with local rhubarb was great. Fun to be celebrating in a wonderful new place with good friends.

Sun August 7

Headed out for Paradiset. Looked around. Looks pleasant. Dock with toilets. Also lots of boats tied to trees with stern anchors. Off for a sail. Starting to return to Paradiset when boom came off the mast. Appears that the nut came off the bolt. Mike and Ken were able to get it back together temporarily. Returned to Ingmarso. There are marine parts at the gas dock and a marine yard.

Back at the dock Peter from the Hans Christian came by. He took the bolt to his boat and returned with a nut that fit pretty well. Big struggle to get bolt back in with washers to prevent further wear. Peter came for a glass of wine and a chat. Really interesting guy. Hydroelectric power stations around the world. Small ones.

Trouble with power to wifi router. Fuse.

Sandhamn

Mon Aug 8

We are off again. Heading for Sandhamn. We have reservation for 2 nights. This is the main town at the most eastern side of the Stockholm archipelago.

Fairly strong wind 20-25 in the wrong direction so we motored. Boats coming the other way had nice downwind sail. We went through the passage between Moja and Sodamoja. Fairly narrow and protected with lots of houses and docks on both sides.

Islands are smaller and more rocks than trees. Some submerged rocks within large open water. Lots of lighthouses around.

Big marina with more than 200 guest docks. Lots of shop and restaurants. Large residential area. Several ferries so variety of schedules. Quickest way to Stockholm is ferry and bus.

Tues Aug 9

Can stay longer than 2 nights. Dock spot reservations blocked for regatta. Yacht club discount too.

Nice chat with Peter Ruyer and tour of his Hsns Christian Christina. Older style double ender he refitted. His business is hydropower.se.

Refrigeration will be an issue. Battery only recharging from engine. Refrig doesn't run on shore power. Batteries replaced with lithium ion so pretty specialized set up

Dinner at Sandhamns Värdshus as recommended. Nice casual atmos[here. Order at the bar. Daily specials. Fish soup recommended.

Wed Aug 10

Lynn and Ken off on the 9:30 direct ferry - goes non-stop to Stavsnäs where they get a bus into the Stockholm central station. Travel time 1:30. Bus connection probalem so had to wait nearly an hour at ferry terminal.

Needed to launder bedding for F&M. Sandhamn Hotel took the laundry at 10:30 and said it would be ready about 3. Went over about 4 and desk lady went to collect it from housekeeping  Still warm. 250k.

Met Peter's daughter Clara who is staying with him on the boat for a few days. She has just returned from 2 years in Australia. She previously studied marine biology in Hawaii for several months and traveled with her sister from LA to New York in a van, camping along the way. She is applying to universities - will be a middle school teacher teaching Swedish and English. She currently has a pretty pronounced Aussie accent. A little weird for a Swede.

We tried the seglarbulle - sailor buns from the bakery as recommended, ok. similar to light fluffy hot cross buns with sugar crystals rather than icing crosses. Interesting bread - bigger, fatter longer loaves than French style baguettes. Lovely light texture with fairly thick crispy crust.

Turns out the regatta is for classic boats - dragons and meter boats including 5 meter boats. Not seen those before, several of them and they seem very friendly. Also 10 meters and a couple of 12s as well. As many don't have engines, they are being towed into the marina. The staff are great at getting everyone situated, challenging when many are drifting or paddling. Still expecting a lot of wind for the next couple of days so going out to watch might not be fun. Wind today would have been great for sailing from Stockholm - 15-20 most of the day.

Dinner at Sandhamns Värdshus pub again..Tonight. Had fish stew/soup /casserole as. Recommended. Really good. Nice chucks of salmon, other fish, shrimp, tomato, fennel in a light rich broth with. Bread and garlic spread to go with.

Lynn and Ken's hotel in Stockholm.

August 10 http://www.firsthotels.com/Our-hotels/Hotels-in-Sweden/Stockholm/First-Hotel-Norrtull/

Sandhamn
Thurs Aug 11

Cold overnight and still windy. Says it is about 50 deg at 10am. Starting to clear. Stuff hand washed and hung in the boat to dry still isn't dry. Too windy to put out. Get out the supply of warmer clothes including socks and scarf. Sandhamn beanie hat seems like a better purchase today than it did yesterday in the sunshine.

Fika at Ankaret cafe. Shared table with guys sailing dragon SWE 345 in Dragon Nationals. Daughter at school inn Santa Barbara. Works for IBM Sweden. Familiar with Bay Area. Other guy flew in from Miami yesterday. He had been to a StFYC Stag cruise. Small world.

Classic boats regatta include boats owned by some of the wealthiest folks in Sweden - Wallenberg, etc. Island across from Sandhamn is owned by KSSS - better harbor, accommodations for sailors and regattas.

Weather says winds 16kts. More here. Some clearing in the distance. Wind shifting. Skippers meeting at 11 first gun at 12

KSSS Royal Swedish Yacht Club

Fri August 12

Cold again this morning. 41 in Stockholm. A little warmer here. 50 in boat. Used both duvets last night so plenty warm enough.

Great sail. Lovely breeze. Back in Saltsjobaden about lunch time. Lots of spots when we got here. Filled completely by 4:30

Meet British couple Nicola and Jerry docked next to us. Hansa 37. Drinks and dinner at restaurant. Meals were really good.

Update from Lynn. Their flight is still delayed. At 6pm they have been on plane for more than three hours and still at gate.

Update - flight finally cancelled. Stayed overnight at airline expense in airport hotel and fly out next afternoon. Rest of trip home uneventful. Made connection to MCO ok.

Stockholm2
Sat August 13

Foggy. 59 degrees. Much warmer overnight than last 2. Mike ordered buns from dock blonde so will wait for them to be delivered at 9 and weather to clear as forecast.

Was able to add a new 24 hour pass to the transit cards. One trip for wine. One trip to go on a boat tour. Some problem with overbooking, so we got a refund and got a one free ticket for the shorter Royal Canal tour. Worked out ok. Shopped for dinner on the way home. iCA is open late.

Sun August 14.

Wasahamn. Shopping for groceries. F&M bringing wine. Tram back to Kungsträdgården to look for long sleeve shirt. XXL sports huge. H&M didn't really have anything. Did find Systembolaget on lower level of stores off entrance directly across from the tram stop. Looks like an entrance into NK but actually shopping center. Much like Toronto Eaton Center. Shops. Restaurants along ground level and under ground passages and metro stops.

24 hour pass worked out well. In addition to shopping and transit to boat tour yesterday, we took the ferry round trip to the old city and back. One fare, great views of the city from the front deck of the boat.

Can purchase then activate with first use in the future. Will fill up mom for use sat. Mike is concerned that we may need to take bus to airport from Saltsjobaden and no way to buy ticket there without chip and pin. '

Dinner at Bla Porten. Sort of a cafeteria. Lovely garden but too cool to sit out. Order, pay, then wait for your plate. Take it to your table on your tray. Weird. Food pretty good. Not cheap but most food is expensive no matter how good it is.

Guy on Moody 33 next to us is retired Royal Navy. Appears to be traveling alone. Pleasant brief chat.

Franz & Monique
Mon August 15

Wasahamn. Weather not looking great for week.

Great sail. Wind 20+ cold. Overcast bit of rain. Decided to stop at Orno rather than continue to Uto. Found nice anchorage on Orno at Kolnasviken. Stem anchor. Bow tied to tree on shore. One of Mike's objectives. Franz topk bow line ashore with dinghy. Not steep enough to get up to bank to step off. Guys next to us just used bow ladder to step off

Several other boats. 3 anchored. 3-4 tied to trees like us. Docks and stern mooring provided as well.

Tue August 16

Delightful morning having coffee and breakfast in the cockpit in the sunshine. Neighbor swam. Monique and Franz thought about swimming but decided it was not warm enough.

Set off with second reef and genoa. Winds mostly 20+. Sailed to Kalvholmarna for lunch stop. Tied to tree with stem anchor. Got stern anchor line around prop Mike cut tape with bread knife. Water cold but not dangerous.

Powered to Agno - Napoleonviken. Nice deep natural harbor. Lots of boats. Came in between two. Tied to tree. Nice sheer rocks at shore. Nice neighbors. Tour of very narrow classic. Daughter Anna took us to the top of the mountain on this island. She and her dad skate from Saltsjobaden in winter. Anna was an instructor at a KSSS camp. Kids sail international folk boats on overnights. She will be going to New Zealand for several months. This is typical. Kids travel for 1-2 years after high school before college.

Wed Aug 17

Back in Stockholm at Wasahamnen by about 1. Overcast. Drizzle. Windy. Mid 50s so being back in marina seemed best. We did follow the river into Gustavsberg harbor. Looks interesting but forecast for rain early afternoon.

Beer from the craft microbrewery bar on the quay. Sampled several. Monique had sort of shandy with beer and elderflower. Interesting. Food was mainly limited to flat bread cooked in a green egg. Bar guy was from Glasgow. Too cold to sit outside.

Lunch at restaurant in the Spirit museum. Says it is new and acclaimed. Interesting pretty small sandwiches. Milke had dry pan roasted beans with row. Edible flowers included. My anchovies and onion sandwich was on very thin grilled rye bread. F&M sandwich, Mike's and desserts equally interesting. Nice chat with the waiter. University degree in sommelier. Working waiter able to live and pay off small student loan for living expenses. Tuition was free. Very competitive to get into his course though.

Met back at boat at 4:30. Ferry to Gam;a Stan. Nobel museum. Good videos about 6-7 laureates. Rest was small and odd collection of artifacts. Dinner at one of the restaurants on square around museum. Salmon was good. Portion was tourist size much larger than it some other restaurants serving primarily Swedes. Mike and Franz had herring and salmon sampler.

Thursday. Aug 18

Beautiful blue sky at 7. Overcast by 9 museum day. Monique back to Museum of Modern Art. Mike and Valerie to Nordic museum then back to boat. V to Gamla Stan to wander and look at shops. Franz went to Wasa museum, Nordic museum. Dance museum. Old town to model boat shop. Met up with Monique in Museum of Modern Art. Back to boat to get their stuff and take tram and bus to central station to get train to airport. Good fun having them along for a few days.

Dinner at Oaxen Slip bistro. Interesting Swedish menu. Pleasant atmosphere. Tucked away behind houses and commercial buildings. Many older boats, some house boats.

Fri August 19

Exchanged contact info with Charles on the Moody 33 with the white ensign. Retired Royal Navy with Wikipedia page - commands included aircraft carrier.

Pleasant power from Stockholm. Followed the ferry through the twisty little passage. Must be a tight fit for him.

Back at guest dock at Saltzjobaden boat club.

Interesting boatload of Lithuanians next to us. They meet a local lady, bring another boat in from a mooring, go over it very thoroughly, make some adjustments. Next morning both boats leave together early in the morning. Assume this was the delivery crew.

Sat Aug 20

Nice bright morning. Clean up the boat. Check back in with the owner. Took the boat back to its mooring. Owner drove us to the airport going around the ring road so we saw a different view of Stockholm as we went over all the bridges. Traffic was pretty busy for a Sat morning, but nothing like weekdays. Most people take trains and public transit and only use their cars on weekends.

Flights back all ok. US Customs and Immigration was unpleasant as always, but that's the whole point apparently.

In conclusion...

Great experience. Everything worked out really well. We had a good time with friends and met a lot of interesting people. Visited new places. Sweden and Stockholm and the Archipelago are all delightful.

purchases
220 fish trivet and refrig magnet

260. Boat hat for Jeff. 2 coffee mugs from Ystad - retired missile launcher ship

79. Wasa tea towel

boat
Sail or power. Power might be more versatile for canals as well as coastal. Retractable keel useful in shallow water. Sail need more versatility. Small jib and/or constructed to sail partially furled. Reefs for main.

Jeanneau Sun Fast 35. Good size. Freeboard ok for most docks. Wide stern step and swim platform. Carpet at base of companionway, galley nice. Easy to clean. Non skid. Tape reel for stern anchore or mooring. Need length in some cases. Nice big storage locker. Although holding tank is located in this locker too. Overflow over side so shouldn't be a problem. Access through head. Good size separate shower toilet. layout

Dogger ok. Can't see instruments when down unless tie out of way. Hard to get stern bout with dogger up. Poor visibility. Nice hand rail on back of dodger.

Bow sprit and removable ladder pretty good. Saw ladder that just had extensions to top that fitted through sprit so no additional hardware required.

Remove able Cockpit table a nuisance. One head. Hard to get in out of aft double bunk. Jib cover separate. Justified on racing boat.

CBB. Need metal hook for grabbing stern mooring buoy. Better at bow without hook.

Dufour 38 YouTube. Light bright modern interior. Boom at waist height. 2 heads and shower. 2 cabins. Aft sleep across stern. Better access. Linear galley. Locker

Maybe center cockpit so aft cabin with good headroom like Barbarossa.