Here we are on our first morning on the west coast and it is time to decide just how we are going to proceed. There is just so much to see and explore that we are like little kids in a lolly shop - so many great choices that we want it all. In the end, we inject a little common sense into the proceedings and armed with charts and our "wish-list" of places we want to see, we study the possibilities.

The dominating winds in this part of Sweden are from the south west, which means (in theory, anyway) that we could make a lot of distance each day travelling northwards with the wind and waves behind us. The most sensible idea therefore, is to go as far north as we can as quickly as possible, then slowly come back down the coast, dropping in here and there along the way. On our return trip, the wind ought to be against us, so we will travel shorter distances, but have the luxury of stopping at any place that takes our fancy or when the winds are too contrary. Our route north will be along this part of Sweden (see map on left).

We are around Göteborg now and want to head up the coast via Marstrand to Åstol, then sail around the island of Tjörn (there is a large shopping centre at Stenungsund where I can stock up) and continue up the coast past Smögen and Strömstad on to Norway. Well, that's the vague plan, anyway. When sailing, all plans have to be vague, as you are at the mercy of the elements. There's a wonderful freedom in looking at a sea chart. You sit there poring over the squiggles that mark the places where one can go. Shall we go here, or perhaps here; Hmm... this way or that. Or will we simply turn left and just end up in Denmark? I love the endless possibilites.

So off we go! The scattering of rocky outcrops and tiny islands really tests your charting skills, though we are well used to this type of sailing from being in the east coast archipelagoes. Obviously, not everyone is as au fait with navigation as I saw a marker just as we were leaving our night harbour and set to cross over to the main route north. This marks a ground and what makes it unusual for us is that it was erected by an insurance company. I've not seen that before in Sweden. I wonder if the payouts for damage in this area were getting a little high?





Large parts of these waters were closed to foreigners by the military until a few years ago, so everything is a new experience for most people. The coastline is a scattering of hundreds of islands, some a couple of kilometres across, some no more than a few metres, with most of them empty, some with a handful of tiny fishermen’s cottages and a few with larger villages.

The early morning mist seems to be clearing and we are set for a sunny day, though the brisk south west winds are cold. Almost immediately we come across the first of those distinctive Swedish settlements, this one on the island of Björkö. I love these small wooden houses, painted in a confection of pretty colours.




I can't tell you how good it feels to be travelling under the power of sail again - it is so free and quiet. Surprisingly there are a reasonable number of boats out, considering that this is a working day. Maybe the season starts earlier over here.

Next port of call will be Marstrand, a small island around 45kms northwest from Göteborg. This is the sort of place that we normally avoid like the plague during the tourist season. Like Sandhamn on the east coast, Marstrand is considered the mecca for sailing and THE place to be, abounding with boutiques, restaurants, bakeries, souvenir stalls and other assorted frivolities. The harbour is often jammed with yachts, many of them large charter boats full of young (often drunk) Swedish males, who are there to Party! Party! Party! Today, it is still busy as we make our way in through the islands, but much calmer than it will be next week when summer holidays begin.




Marstrand was considered suitable for settlement from early times due to the deep, calm harbour with two entrances, a high ridge which provides protection from the prevailing southwest and west winds and the nearby islands with fertile farm and forest land. Archaeological excavations show that people have apparently lived on the island since the Stone Age.

Marstrand itself is a very old town. According to folklore, the Norwegian king Harald Gille is said to have built the church on Marstrand as early as 1139, but the actual town itself was first established in the 13th century by another Norwegian king. Later it fell under Danish rule and only became Swedish after the peace agreement between Sweden and Denmark in Roskilde 1658. All of this history was running through my mind as we sailed through the narrow channels and into the entrance of the town.




The most famous building on Marstrand and the trademark of the town itself, is the large stone fortification, Carlsten Fort, you can see situated on the highest point of the island. The fortress took two hundred years to build and today functions as a major tourist attraction.




Marstrand is also well known for its well preserved wooden houses and picturesque streets and alleys. Outside of the town there are wonderful views of the surrounding archipelago. The island is generally regarded as Sweden’s foremost sailing capital. Every year both national and international sailing competitions are arranged during the summer, attracting a great number of sailing enthusiasts from all over the world. In July and Agust, thousands of tourists arrive to the island from both land and sea.




We had no intention of stating the night here, only looking around and then moving on. The place I really wanted to go to was the tiny nearby island of Åstol. This place has fascinaed me since I first saw it from the shore five years ago when we came to Göteborg to buy our boat. You can see some fabulous pictures of Åstol here and you'll understand why I really wanted to go there. From the mainland it looks like a postcard - a tiny island, packed tightly with over 200 houses lying between the sky and the sea. The old wooden houses are crammed so tightly that the Swedes now call it the place with “no industry, no fishing and no soil”.





I had been so looking forward to looking at this small community. The island used to be an important fishing town as well as somewhat of a closed, conservative, fundamentalist christian community. That changed in the 1960's as fishing gradually lessened and these days the island is sustained by tourism. I know, I know, but I still wanted to go there!

However, it seems that such a christian place is not ready for someone as immoral as me. As we rounded the island, we were slammed by a sudden burst of very strong wind gusts and increasing waves. Caught with far too much sail up, we had to fight to reef in enough sail, but still had to start the motor to maintain a course that would take us free of the rocks around the entrance to the harbour.




It was far too strong a wind to attempt mooring, so we had to turn towards Marstrand again and hope that we can visit here on the way back, if the wind will co-operate. We look at the charts and see a couple of suitable anchorages on the island of Instön, just around the corner from Marstrand. As luck would have it, we are able to attach to a Swedish Cruising Club buoy in the bay and settle down in the calm, protected waters while the wind and waves play out on the open water. It's hard to believe we are in the same place.




It's been an interesting baptism by wind and waves today. It is amazing just how rapidly the conditions change here and how fast the water can whip up into a frenzy. That is something new for us and one thing we will have to watch out for. I have to keep reminding myself that this is not our beloved Baltic but the mean, nasty North Sea. Still we were lucky to find peace for the night and everyone onboard is happy and looking forward to what tomorrow will bring us.