This was my quip to Lars-Göran as we passed through a canal on Hamburgö (literally "Hamburger Island" and funnily enough pronounced Hamburg-err) Yeah, I know it's a pathetic pun, but I couldn't resist. Of course, fellow Aussies will know what Maccas refers to, but those of you from less enlightened lands can read what it means here. You know, I never realised that was a strictly Australian term until I used it here with a group of Americans who looked at me with a puzzled expression. Apparently they call the good old "Golden Arches" Mickey D's.

Today's sailing took us along a protected route, out into open water, through a beautiful archipelago (the most picturesque so far) and past several smaller communities. And in the brisk winds, it was a full day of sailing with almost no motoring, which made a nice change.

As we passed by Heestrand on our way out, I saw several small homes dotted on the cliffs. There is not a scrap of wood in the area, so one wonders how they acquired the materials for their homes.




Apparently some of this area was heavily wooded back in the mists of time. Most of the forests were mighty oak, elm, linden and hazel which were highly prized for ship building. Gradually all of the trees were stripped to provide ships for the powerful navies and by the late medieval times the forests had already disappeared. The undergrowth, robbed of the canopy cover quickly followed suit, leaving bare soil that was eroded away to the bedrock. So I guess the wood came in from elsewhere.

Not all of the homes are made of timber. There are also some lovely, quite substantial stone homes which sell these days for incredible prices. I read the other day of a house on Hamburgsund that sold for a massive 19,000,000kr ($AU3,800,000). Not bad for a holiday cottage.




Again there were a lot of boats out enjoying the winds and sunshine, though we noticed that many were heading along the main routes and into the marinas dotted along the coastline. We chose to take a more outer route through the rocky coves and it was worthwhile for the peace and the lovely scenery. This part of the coastline is less exploited and more scenic. The granite rocks on the shore were dotted with boatloads of families out enjoying a picnic, bbq or just sunning themselves.




But the scenery was not all just nature. There were towns in surprising places. This area had been settled in the Viking times, with even one of the early Norwegian kings being crowned here. As we approached the narrow sound separating Hamburgö from the mainland, we caught a glimpse of this pretty wooden church perched high on the hill.




The actual sound is very heavily trafficked even today, though probably not as intensively as it was in the seventeenth and eighteenth century when this was an important trade route. It was an ideal spot to set up a custom station and charge tax for goods passing through here. These days, the big ships pass well outside the coastline, so it is yachts and motor boats that use the canal.




There are guest harbours on both sides of the sound, which I think would be a nightmare as the lively, constant passing traffic stirs up a lot of wash, as does the ferry that traverses the middle section every few minutes both day and night. I saw that one guest harbour was situated in front of a striking replica of a viking village (Honbore) which looked really interesting with its longhouse, stables and chicken runs. Unfortunately, the picturesque and historic nature of the place had been marred by the decision to site the caravan park next door! It was a rather glaring and stupid contrast - hmm... local government decisions, eh?

There were signs forbidding sailing in the sound, but they were only in Swedish, so we saw several foreign boats with sails up making their way along. I hoped they timed it well with the car ferry crossing as there was no room to manoeuvre there. We had taken down our sails, which was just as well as the cliffs on either side are quite high and completely blocked the gusty west wind.




Once we were through the sound, we raised sails again and set off across the waters headed to the Fjällbacka archipelago, which was absolutely beautiful - stark, peaceful, open and magnificent, with smooth granite landscapes in the middle of the ocean. The sun came out as we passed Dannholmen, which is fondly remembered as the summer residence of the much loved Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman.




The two-time Academy Award-winning actress started visiting Dannholmen in 1958 and thereafter spent all of her summer holidays there, with her husband and her children. Is it any wonder, when you look at the beautiful location. The contrast between this and the hustle and stresses of Hollywood must have been amazing and I can see that this was a perfect way to relax. Surrounded by her family and with the sea and these beautiful red cliffs for company, a short boat ride away from the small community of Fjällbacka - it would have been heaven for her.




After around twenty nautical miles, with afternoon thunderstorms threatening, it appeared time to look for a night harbour. We haven't experienced this type of daily summer rain before and it takes a little getting used to. I find that we begin the day dressed lightly, with sun hat and sun glasses then gradually add layers as it clouds over, finishing the day wearing full oilskins and a sou'wester! The sheer amount and variety of clothing we accumulate over the day is amazing. It reminds me of living in Malaysia, where it rained every afternoon without fail - though of course it was much warmer there. And the food was better.....

We need a sheltered bay as the winds will pick up to near gale force tomorrow. We joked earlier in the day about having to moor at Testholmarna, (just east of Havstensund) which looks on the map exactly like a pair of testicles, but it was really too open. And anyway, after the awful puns about hamburgers today, can you imagine what fun I'd have with this name. Poor Lars-Göran must wonder what he has married at times! Anyway, a quick look at our literature leads us to Kalvö-Lindö where we are fortunate enough to grab a free SXK buoy before settling down to the serious business of gin and tonic.




Again, this is an old area and we saw many people walking around the islands. The old sailing route out into Skagerrak is filled with dangerous rocks and shallows. In earlier times, especially in heavy snow, fog or driving rain sailors sometimes lost their way among the islands here and ran aground on the reefs. The nameplates of the many wrecks are listed on the island.

During World War II, the Norwegian resistance used the bad weather for smuggling weapons into the country. There was less risk of being seen by the Germans and this island (Lindö) as a hiding place. Today, it is all peaceful and calm again and we are safe from the wind, so life feels great.

I think we will sit out the gale tomorrow and catch up on some reading and a bit of housework. But only a little of that - my current book (John Berendt's brilliant The City of Falling Angels) is just too good to put down!