If you want to know anything about celebrities, Swedish or otherwise, then my husband is the last person on earth you should ask. He is completely indifferent to gossip columns, trashy newspapers or commercial tv. I may see a headline on a newsboard about Carolina Gynning, but If I say to him "Who is Carolina Gynning?" he will honestly have no idea, nor quite frankly will he care. It's lucky that we have broadband at home so I can just search for the name and find out the answer to my question without having to endure the withering stare of disapproval for asking about such frivolous people.

However, here on the boat I am at somewhat of a disadvantage with no internet connection. This occurred to me as I was lying in bed one evening this week, reading through Mattias Boström's new book Du vet att du är svensk. (You know that you are Swedish). It's one of those books that outlines amusing things that would resonate with a Swede. Of course, a lot of them are stereotypes but they contain enough gems of truth to make you nod in agreement. A few of the lines caused me to really laugh as Lars-Göran cringed in recognition.

But one of his remarks really floored me and of course confirmed that he is indeed a bona fide Swede. As I said, he never knows who "famous" people are, so when I read a line then posed the question "Who is Elisabet Höglund?", I really didn't expect him to answer. So imagine my surprise when he said that he knew her and so should I as she is a reporter on the State channel. I thought about the women I have seen on the nightly news service and her name didn't ring a bell. He then said "Of course you know her. She's the one with the big hair". I nearly fell out of bed laughing and when he enquired what was so funny, I told him that one of the reasons you know that you are Swedish is if you have an opinion about Elisabet Höglund's hair.

Oops! No escaping from that one, is there? But I promised to keep his secret and not to mention it in my blog, but I had my fingers crossed under the quilt, so that promise doesn't count, does it?

We hauled out the boat and the hull was even worse than we had thought. Despite him cleaning it while we were at Halland's Väderö, there was literally a carpet of growth under the water line. The little buggers were even under the keel. Obviously Fiona is a tasty morsel for them. No wonder she was so sluggish as with that many hitchhikers on board it added both weight and stuffed up her aerodynamics.




Once she was scraped down and pressure cleaned, he couldn't wait to try her out, so we set sail for our club island of Lacka, just a few nautical miles north of Nynäshamn. She was a totally different boat and she ploughed through the water cleanly, smoothly and with speed. She was also so much lighter on the tiller. So much so that we both cursed the fact that we hadn't scraped her off over on the west coast. It would have made her sail so much better and saved us a small fortune in diesel. But then again, it would have cost us a large fortune to get a marina to lift the boat for us, whereas here in Nynäs, Lars-Göran drives the crane himself, so it's free. And you can't beat that price.

At Lacka we were the only boat there, enjoying the pretty golden shower of birch leaves and the peace and quiet of a cool, still autumn day.




People have reacted with surprise when I say that this is my favourite season. I've come to see that autumn leaves are a gift sent to us by nature to remind us that despite the lack of flowers at this time of year there is no shortage of beauty in the world. If you look at the rich colours of an autumn leaf, it is like a painting created by the most skillful of artists. In spring and summer you look to flowers for beauty, in the autumn you look to leaves, in the winter you look to frost. Beauty is all around in any season of the year, if only you choose to look.




It was so very peaceful here and we had a lovely wander along the beach in the autumn sunshine, with the sun on our backs, listening to the waves break gently on on the shore. A little later a light mist drifted over the islands. I really love the autumn in Sweden. It instills a lot of warm fuzzy feelings in me while I long for days when I can wear warm cosy pjs, enjoy crisp bright mornings and sip on fragrantly spiced warm cider that steams in the coolness of the evening air.




When autumn leaves begin to fall and flutter in the wind, I sometimes feel that I’m in a little wonderland of my own where life is a beautiful and colorful musical set to a life soundtrack of Nat King Cole. And the best sensation? When I crunch the leaves beneath my feet like the giant kid I am.

So did any of you understand that advice from Kate in the last post? Nope, me neither and I just feel so sorry for her that she has to deal with computers for a living. How do you stand it, Kate?

Anyway, I couldn't follow all that "ftp a small version of your image to the website hosting your blog" stuff, so I used her second bit of "Temporary Fix for Dummies" and will just upload the pictures in the size you see them for the time being. They are not clickable like the normal pictures in my blog, but you can't have everything and if it wasn't for Kate and the time she spent sweating over dodgy code, you wouldn't even get this much. Thankyou so much for taking the time to do that when the problem is not with your website but a Blogger issue.

Edited on November 21 to say that Blogger is working again, so I've edited the pictures in the last few entries so that they are normal again. Click away!

So, on with the show....

Now where was I? Oh yes, we were in Västra Stendörren and awoke to a cloudy day but there was some wind and we thought we could drift along for a while and see if we could come closer to home. We waved goodbye to the pretty farm and bay and set off in the early morning.




I had entertained vague hopes that we may make it as far as Nynäshamn today. After all, we did this distance easily in a day on the trip southwards. However, the barnacle growth on the hull has slowed the boat considerably, especially in light winds and the going was really snail-like. You know you are in serious trouble when a tiny Sunwind 20 day sailer catches up and passes you out in open water. I didn't dare say anything as I could see that Lars-Göran was more than a little irritated by this turn of events and when he muttered about having to scrape down the hull asap, then I knew we would be back in home port soon enough.

In the afternoon, we had only done a measly 16 nautical miles, even with the help of the engine and as we were both bored silly, we decided to stop for the night somewhere nearby. We passed the island community of Krokskär, which is a place that we'd love to live. Though we'd need the lottery to afford a house here. Still, we'd really thrive in this sort of location and we'd both relish the peace and the beauty of island living.




Just past Krokskär we listened to the weather report and as west winds were forecast, we decided not to stop at Landsort as that harbour is totally open to the west. Instead we headed to our favourite little bay in this part of the archipelago - Soviken, where we were able to snaffle a SXK buoy again. It is lovely here and I notice that signs of the approaching autumn are already visible on some of the trees.




We were totally alone in the bay. I don't think people outside of Sweden appreciate just how short the sailing season is in Scandinavia. While you can't find a spare bit of water to sail in peace during July because of the intensive boat traffic, come the second week of August when people return to work after their summer holidays, there is nobody out on the water. It is really quite abrupt and takes me by surprise every year. In late August there are the odd one or two Swedish boats out sailing and a few foreign boats generally heading home. By September, it's pretty much just us and perhaps a few out on a weekend. By October, we will have Stockholm archipelago to ourselves and it will remain our exclusive domain until late April next year.

So for now, we are in lovely Soviken, the sun is out again and the only living creatures to share it with us are a family of swans. Yes, I said "a family" - if you peer carefully at the rocks in the picture you will see four teenage swans, still in their juvenile camouflage colours, which are perfect for hiding out from would-be predators until they get as big as mum or dad.




In the morning we woke refreshed and raring to go the final ten nautical miles to the boat club, where we will haul out Fiona and inspect the hull and keel for barnacles. Lars-Göran's daughter rang last night and upon hearing that we were so close has invited us to visit her and her partner in their new apartment in Södermalm on the weekend. While we are still wanting to be out on the water while the good weather lasts, we decide to spare a day to go into Stockholm to see her.

One of the things that Nynäshamn advertises in its tourist brochures is that we are the sunniest municipality in Stockholm. We often joke around about "the sun always shining in Nynäshamn" and it is funny that it often seems to be the case. We have been out in cloudy or wet conditions and found that the sun shines just as we start the approach to the town. This can be via boat, car or train - it's quite uncanny. And today was no exception. We began the day in Soviken with clouds and a light sprinkling of rain and by the time the familiar water towers came into sight, the skies were blue and the sun shone down to welcome us home. Even the wind picked up enough to allow us to sail right up to the pier!

HOME!




We are still going to be onboard mostly as we want to sail a little in home waters and of course it will very soon be time for Lars-Göran to begin the task of raising boats for the winter. It's far more convenient for us to be on our boat round at the club house so that Lars-Göran has not so far to go on those busy days when he doesn't finish until after 10pm. Björn and Marianne have been watering our plants and collecting the mail, so we don't need or want to rush back to the apartment. It's just great to finally be back in our own town once again.

On Saturday, we set off to Stockholm to see the new apartment that the girls have rented. It is in the very trendy Söder part of Stockholm which I know I'd hate, but which is ideal for a young couple as they love being right in the thick of the action and this area is known for its nightlife and shopping.

It felt strange to be back on the commuter trains again after months away and we noticed that we are not used to the crush of people and the much faster pace of life that is a feature of life in Stockholm. I laughed when I saw the ground floor business of the apartment building next door to where their apartment is located. As this is right in the heart of the city, the ground floors tend to be shops, cafés, restaurants etc. Well, their neighbour is an "adult cinema" complete with live shows as well. I looked around to see if any strange men with combovers dressed in raincoats were loitering around the entrance but it was all quiet. The girls confirmed that they'd never seen anyone go in there in the few weeks they'd been living here and we had a laugh trying to describe what we thought the typical customer might look like.




Theirs is a tiny, studio apartment, that they have decorated it in funky colours. The location is superb for their lifestyle and they are so lucky to have it as a first-hand contract, something that is very hard to come by in Stockholm.

And shock of shocks.... Annelie cooked us lunch! Any of you who know her will no doubt recall the quiet girl who was totally allergic to the kitchen. When I came to Sweden, she was only capable of making toast with cheese on it (and leaving the bread, butter and cheese unwrapped out on the kitchen counter!) and perhaps a glass of chocolate milk (again leaving tons of chocolate powder spilled on the bench, sink, floor). But today, she produced a gourmet meal that would do anyone proud. It included wholemeal pasta, a fabulous salad full of an unusual blend leafy greens and the best guacamole I have ever tasted. When did this transformation into the Swedish version of Kylie Kwong take place?

To say that we were all gobsmacked is an understatement. Madde had also come up for the weekend from Öland, with news that she may try and move to Malmö to work for a while and spend time with her group of friends who are all studying at university there. I can see that she is pensive and restless without her support group of buddies around her and after discussing the idea for a while we all agreed that it was the best thing for her to try. And it will give us a reason to visit the city again, hopefully when the sun is shining. Does the sun ever shine in Malmö?




So it's back to the boat now and time to take a look at the autumn colours in our own home waters. I like the sound of that word "home". While the carefree nomadic existence we have been leading for the last few months does have a certain romance and I've mostly enjoyed moving around, exploring different places, sleeping in a gently rocking boat under the open skies I still say there is no place like home!

No, this is not Marie, but the webmistress of Australians Abroad
Blogger is having problems, ever since Google took over. There's a real problem with uploading images.

I looked at the code that blogger produces, and at the image files that it uploads. I see two problems and I MAY have a solution. Only way to tell, is to test it.



Ok. But now I'll try another.
I'll also try puting in some new lines here ....










Well that seemed to work. For Melbourne people, you may recognise Wilson Hall, University of Melbourne. As you can see this is a very old photo, of me and my first boyfriend. It was taken 100 year's ago.

So what's going on. How come I have it working?

It's not simple, but it's not too hard either. I DO expect blogger will work properly again, but in the meantime, here's a solution.

I'll demonstrate with a new photo.

I do the upload - no image shows in the preview. Look at the code blogger produced.

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.coolabah.com/ausblog/marie/uploaded_images/hoboken2-731958.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.coolabah.com/ausblog/marie/uploaded_images/hoboken2-727619.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>

Note there are to references to the image - hoboken2-731958.jpg and hoboken2-727619.jpg. One must be the full sized image - the one with the A HREF tag.

The other must be the smaller image.

I look on the server. I download the two images, and hoboken2-731958.jpg - the one in the A HREF tag is a valid graphics (jpg) file. But what of hoboken2-727619.jpg? Painshop Pro will not open it. "Not a supported file type"! And it's only 1K.

Looks like blogger is not producing the smaller image. It's making the file but not making the contents correctly.

So I make both images in the html produced by blogger refer to the non-thumbnail image.


This works, BUT I have no thumbnail.

Of course I can make my own, and upload it. Not convenient, but I'll do it anyway.

It is one of me and my little brother with our mum in Caulfield.

I get the following code produced.

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.coolabah.com/ausblog/marie/uploaded_images/children.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.coolabah.com/ausblog/marie/uploaded_images/children-796715.png" border="0" alt="" />

I check the server to validate what I'm thinking.

Sure enough children-700184.png is a valid png file, but the supposed smaller image - children-796715.png is only a few bytes in size.

Luckily I have ftp'ed my small version alreadty so I change children-796715.png to 'childrens.png'.



That worked. Click on the photo and you'll see a larger version.

It's all a bit of a nuisance. But it is do-able.

Just use blogger as normal. Then ftp a small version of your image to the website hosting your blog. Your site admin should be able to write a small webpage program for you to do this.

Rename the first image in the google code to the name of your own small image, and Bob' your uncle.

And if you don't NEED a thumbnail, just change the second file name to be the same as the first as I am doing HERE!


And now it's back to Marie and something completely different!

Do you remember that song by the Small Faces? Or am I showing my considerable age here yet again? *grin*

Well, that's what today feels like - a lazy Sunday afternoon ..."Close my eyes and drift away, Close my eyes and drift away, Close my eyes and drift away" ... hmm an oldie, but a goodie! Well, our evening with Björn turned into a very late affair, with a great deal of food and wine consumed and a wonderful night of conversation and laughter. He broke the news to me that he and Marianne are travelling to Australia for a six weeks, starting at the end of October. I was so jealous as I haven't been back in nearly six years and I was also smiling because he has found a cunning way to escape the dreary November weather we get in Sweden. I wonder if he can smuggle me aboard in his hand luggage?

In the morning we said a farewell to Björn and set out for a slow, lazy journey northwards. The first island we passed after leaving Oxelösund had the very best name - Marieskär (Marie's skerry). I wonder if I can claim it as mine? Though of course, Lars-Göran burst my bubble somewhat by reminding me that Marie is a very common name in Sweden. Hmm... I see it comes in at number 11 on the SCB list of women's names in Sweden. "But there's only one of me!" I proudly declared, which only made him laugh and mutter "Thank goodness!" Whatever does he mean?

I looked through my binoculars and saw a house on the island, hidden in the trees. I don't remember giving permission for that to be built. I think I'll confiscate it, too.




After he managed to tear me away from MY island (and we all know that he's only jealous because there is no Lars-Göranskär), we continued on through Sörmland's archipelago. It was beautifully green and fresh even though it was a warm, humid day. I managed to find another of those narrow, twisting, shallow routes that I'm so good at spotting and we drifted past groups of small islands bursting with life. Even the sight of the ubiquitous white swans were a very welcome sight after weeks of landscapes devoid of bird life.




One group of swans really cracked me up. There was an adult swan and five young, teenage swans in a small bay. As the adult swam along, the teenagers formed a circle around it and swam around and around. It was lovely and quite touching to see them all playing together and to see the gentle way they each greeted one another. The swans in this area must be particularly fertile because we saw numerous couples with six or seven cygnets, all looking healthy and happy.

This is a really island rich area. People may think that many of the archipelagoes look much the same, but they each have their own unique character. This archipelago is quite different to the Stockholm one to the north and the St Anna, Gryt, Tjust archipelagoes to the south. It is only a narrow band of islands and does not have a "middle archipelago" as you see in the others. The forest islands and the bare, bird rich skerries are found right next to each other. As well as the shady, thickly wooden, green and leafy islands, there are plenty of those bare, smooth rocks and islets that we associate with the outer reaches of island groups with only the open water beyond.




The wind is really weak today and it is very slow going. After ten nautical miles we decided to call it a day and went into the little lagoon alongside Västra Stendörren to moor for the night. It struck us as quite fitting as this was our first night harbour when we set off from home over four months ago. The little lagoon is marked as Aspöfladen on the map pictured. One has to squeeze between Stroa Krokholmen and the long finger of land (not named on this map, but it's called Runnudden). It is a very narrow opening, with a stone right in the middle, so great care is required. You can also see from the map that there are a lot of walking trails and we intend to go to land and have a good look around.




In the afternoon we spent some time wandering around through fields, forests and shorelines admiring the remarkable islets and stones around where we are anchored. The dinghy comes into its own yet again and we have a lot of fun "boldly going where no man has gone before..."

We found a small flat rock nearby, so we tied up the dinghy and went ashore there. Sounds easy? Well, not if you are an elephant like me. I'm glad there was nobody watching, as my method of getting onto the rock is a study in absurdity. I threatened Lars-Göran with INSTANT divorce (and that is possible in Sweden) if he dares to film my efforts. He refrained, but couldn't hide his amusement.




It is stunning here, with many pretty flowers in bloom and lots of interesting rocks and tiny lagoons to explore. Some silly dog spends her time rolling in moss and getting thoroughly dirty. But she looks so pleased with herself that I let her go. It's great to see her tearing about the place having so much fun. She also drinks water from the sea edge. YUK! I hope she doesn't get sick later.

I enjoyed seeing the farmland and looking at the way they construct hayricks here. I've never seen any quite like them before. The farm itself lies right on the sea and is part of the nature reserve and preserved as an example of archipelago cultural history.




It is really quite an idyll with so much variety of landscape and the ever present sea to frame it all. The paths wound around the little coves and points with small informative signs detailing some of the history of the area. I was just happy to soak up the scenery.




Across the water is the island of Krampö with it's lovely traditional wooden cottages that in earlier times were seasonal homes for those men fishing in the area. On previous visits, I've seen cows grazing on the island but there were none here today.




While we were on the shore we looked into the woods and saw a lookout tower, so we followed a pathway through the thick, leafy forest and climbed the wooden tower which gave us a fabulous view across the nearby islands. And look, you can see Fiona anchored out in the bay. It was late afternoon/early evening by this stage and the air was getting a little misty, so it's not a perfect shot, but you get the idea.




We then made our way back down to the shore and towards the spot where we had left the dinghy. It is lush and green here and the first of the autumn berries are already ripening on some of the bushes. I also noticed that the prevailing winds in this area are very obviously from the south west, which you can see when you check out the way the trees lean.




We found the dinghy and rowed back to Fiona for our evening gin and tonic. We saw that a few more boats have made use of the warm, sunny weekend weather to come out and have a barbeque on the rocks and enjoy one of the last of the summer evenings. It is beginning to get quite dark at night now and I even saw stars in the sky last night, so winter will again be on us very soon. We must make the most of these last weeks of lightness.



After the late drinking session and all of the fresh air and exercise today, I'm finding that I am quite tired, so I intend to have an early night. I was going to read for a while, but I'm completely bushed, so I think I'll nod off at the unheard of hour of 10pm. God, I'm getting OLD!

We went for a long walk over to the old part of Oxelösund last night, admiring the old homes and enjoying the peace and tranquility - well, until a big freight train screeched by and broke the spell. The water looks beautiful and the islands appeared as though they were floating on an air cushion.




We also prepared our voting papers for the morning. A few people have asked me why I bother to vote, especially in Sweden where it is not compulsory. But I treasure the freedom to be able to cast a vote, viewing it as a fundamental right and the most basic means by which I can have a voice in how my government works. By voting, I help determine who will represent me, my family, my neighbours in my community, my county and my country. And yes, I believe each vote can make a difference.

I take being a citizen of Sweden quite seriously. It means far more to me than simply ease of travel with an EU passport or not having to front up to immigration to get my Australian passport stamped every three years. It is a conscious and serious commitment to this country and I make a real effort to embrace Sweden's ideals, its values and its way of life. Citizenship enables me to take advantage of all of the rights of being Swedish as well as being aware that I also have responsibilities. This is now my home and I want to do all that I can to make it feel like my home.




It is bright and sunny today, so I decide to take advantage of it and do some washing. I actually wash our basic clothes by hand each day as it’s quite easy to leave them to dry in a line which we set up in the main cabin while we sail. But as it is breezy and sunny today, I want to wash the towels, sheets, quilt covers and pillow cases. I have a “Wonder Wash” that a good friend sent me from Australia. This is a small barrel that you partially fill with water, soap and the clothes to be washed. The lid is screwed on, providing a pressurised seal, then the barrel is placed on a frame, a handle attached to the side and you turn the handle for two minutes. Repeat with rinse water then wring out the clothes and peg them out. It is perfect for boating or camping and I use it all of the time. Lars-Göran strings up lines between the forestay and mast and I hang everything out to dry. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

I saw that Björn and his workmates have piloted another ship into port overnight and this one is a whopper. It sticks out way over the pier and dwarfs everything in sight. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it would be to manoeuvre such an enormous ship in a tight harbour. I salute the skills of the pilots who had to ease this monster into port in the dark.




First on our list of tasks for the day was to lodge our absentee votes. So, how does it all work? They are very organised over here and elections are held on the third Sunday in September every four years. What a welcome change from the crazy system we have in Australia where politicians consult the pollsters and call an election on the flimsiest pretext when they feel sure they might have a chance of winning. This way, the party elected and the voters know that they have a four year mandate.

The other thing I like is that we have all the elections on the same day. So we vote for a new federal government, a county government, local government and referendum question (if applicable). It's so neat, clean and sensible and I love it. In Sweden, you don't vote for an individual but rather for a party. You can read the article How Sweden's election works if you want a more detailed description. This meant that poor Björn had to collect the voting papers for every party in the election to bring to us. I had no idea that it would have been so complicated for him, but he said he didn't mind going into centrum in Nynäshamn and doing that. For me, it was my first opportunity to vote here, so it was all new.

In the local post office, they set out voting ballots for every party, each containing a list of the party's candidates. I couldn't use these papers because Oxelösund is in a different county and local government area, so it was lucky that Björn had thought to bring it all with him.




You vote by placing the ballot of the party of your choice in an envelope. The papers are colour coded: yellow for the federal parliament, blue for the county and white for the local government (in my case, Nynäshamn). In our case, there was a fourth pink coloured ballot to vote either yes or no in the Stockholm referendum about congestion tax.

Each ballot paper has a list of that particular party's candidates. You can just put the ballot straight into an envelope, or if you want you to you can place an X in the box next to the name of a candidate if you'd like them to be placed top of the list. If you don't place any cross, then the party's order applies and this order determines which candidates will get seats. The number of seats each party has to allocate to candidates depends on the percentage of votes the party receives, so the order of candidates is important to determining who will serve and who won't.




To vote, you grab the ballot for the party you want in each of the areas (national, county, local) go behind a screen and put the papers into little individual envelopes. We actually did that already the night before. Once the ballots are in their envelopes, their colour will show through a window in the bottom (click on the picture to enlarge it and you can clearly see the different colours) and this allows the envelopes to be identified and placed in the correct ballot box. If I was voting on the actual election day, I would do that myself, but as this was a postal vote, I handed the envelopes along with my voting card (the röstkort you see pictured) and my ID card to the person behind the counter, who checked that they were correct and bundled them together to be sent in for counting.

So how did I vote? Well, let's just say that I will not be sad if Göran Persson and his buddies have to look for a new job on Monday.

Next, we set off in Björn's car for Nyköping. He has a Jeep Wrangler that has a name - Brunte. I love the way he names the things he owns. He and his wife also have a campervan called Skalman, which is an excellent name for a home that you carry around with you. The jeep of course is a working car and again Brunte is a perfect name for a workhorse. I think the closest English explanation would be "good old Dobbin".

In Nyköping is a town of around 35,000 people but despite its size, there are many areas where you feel as though you are out in the country.




Nyköping has a lot to offer the visitor interested in history, with the 13th century St. Nicholai Church and the castle with the Royal Tower (now a museum), where the infamous feast of Nyköping took place at Christmas in 1317. King Birger invited his brothers Erik and Valdemar to a sumptious banquet here. After the feast, he ordered his two brothers to be seized and cast into the castle dungeon and then threw the key into the river, thus passing a death sentence on them. Another of those gruesome European family squabbles.




It is all peace and tranquility in Nyköping today and as you wander along the sleepy river it's hard to imagine that such a violent scene took place on this very spot all those years ago.




It was the river area that captured our attention the most and we walked along the leafy banks and down to the harbour area to look around, bought an overpriced ice-cream at one of the many restaurants that line the old harbour and looked at some of the handcraft shops in the old part of town. One thing we did notice was that there was absolutely no place where you could park free. Even on the street they charged a fee for parking and we had been warned in advance that the parking inspectors were really vigilant.




We had more of a walk around the centrum area, though Lambi was feeling the heat quite a bit today, so we had to curtail that a bit. We found the shopping area was fairly compact, with everything within walking distance and most of the big Swedish retail chains represented. I liked the eastern part of town where there were the small, exquisite and exclusive shops. In order for us to sail here involves taking quite a long detour along a marked channel, so we were glad of the opportunity to be able to visit the town by car instead.

After mooching about for the afternoon, we made our way back to Oxelösund, which with only 10,000 people is much more our size of town. The central square is large and well tended, with the shops arranged around it. Lars-Göran and Lambi waited outside while I dashed into ICA and bought some last minute things for dinner this evening. While we have plenty of food onboard, I wanted a few luxuries and special goodies to offer our guest, especially as he had been so kind to us.




Björn has asked if Lars-Göran wants to come out and drop off another pilot and he sped out the door, leaving me barefoot and in the kitchen as usual. I don't really mind as I know they'll have fun together and I can cook dinner in peace. I'm very much a lone cook who likes her kitchen to herself. I can also have some time to digest the last couple of days and to think about home. We are so close now that it is starting to feel real. I hadn't wanted to think about it before as it seemed so far away and that we were never going to get there. Ironically, now we are within striking distance, the burning desire to get there has abated and we are thinking of just drifting around the Stockholm archipelago until the weather turns. Are we mad or what?

Anyway, "the boys" will be back soon, so I had better set the table and pour the drinks, so we can celebrate the fact that now I can vote in Sweden. Thankyou, it makes me feel so welcome. I love this country!

The following map will give you an idea of just how close we are to home. Oxelösund is marked with a star and you can see that Nynäshamn is not too much further north of there. If we take the inner route, it is only 35 nautical miles away - a day's sailing if you want to really push it.




This realisation gives us a boost - we are certainly in home waters again. The morning is sunny and clear and from the early morning temperature I can tell that it will be a hot day. What a contrast to the ghastly grey and drizzle of Skåne and Blekinge last month. I can't believe that we have missed a whole summer of these dream conditions.

We are looking forward to seeing Björn, who has promised to show us around the pilot station as well as let us use his private buoy there. We look westwards to the mainland and I have to say that the sight of the steelworks is just as awful as I remembered it, even on a clear day.




As I said to Lars-Göran, if it wasn't for Björn, I would quite happily give the whole place a miss. We set off for a leisurely sail in the sunshine, weaving along the islands to the main harbour, checking out the commercial port, the boat club and the guest harbour before heading over to the area known as Gamla Oxelösund or the old part of town and it is quite a contrast to the nearby, modern steelworks.




Back in the days when this was simply a fishing port, there were a series of beacons that were kept lit on hills along the coastline when there was a sighting of warships heading in to shore. This was such a spot and later on a pilot station was established here as well as homes for those who manned the pilot boats.

As has happened all over Sweden in the 1960s, many of these beautiful old homes were torn down in favour of "practical" and exceedingly ugly concrete apartment blocks. Oxelösund has more than a fair share of those unfortunate architectural monstrosities, but this little bit of the old town has been preserved and thrives as a reminder of a past age. And right in the heart of the old town harbour, we moored our boat to Björn's buoy - quiet, private and really secure.




Björn greeted us warmly and showed us over the pilot station and explained a bit about the sort of work they do there. One thing that amazed me was the sheer volume of commercial traffic in the Baltic and around on the west coast. He showed us the computer tracking system used by the Swedish Maritime Administration to keep an eye on shipping. There are many areas along this rocky coastline where ships over a certain length and weight are required to have a pilot to negotiate through local waters. I looked at the little dots on the screen and asked if it was a chart of the last week or month, but he said that it was an actual picture of what was in the water right now.

We couldn't believe there was so much shipping - it was everywhere! He then took the mouse and hovered over a dot on the east side of Gotland and a message appeared, noting the ship's name, home port, call sign, course and speed. There is no hiding from these guys. He also said that we had been seen crossing Bråviken yesterday - a lone, tiny dot on their screen. He then laid the mouse over a dot far out at sea and said that this boat was heading in to Oxelösund and had ordered a pilot for later in the afternoon. Would we like to come out in the boat and see how it all works?




Wow. What could we say but a big "Yes!" So we went back and locked up the boat, fetched Lambi some water and made our way down to the pilot boat. Oh, look, my shirt matches the boat.

Björn's job is to drive the pilots out to the ship coming in to port or conversely collect them from an outgoing ship. On board were Björn to drive the boat, another man to help out with the transfer and of course the pilot. Björn is pictured here, driving out of the harbour and turning out to sea. He looks a bit grumpy in the picture, but in reality he is a teddy bear and the gruff expression is because he was concentrating on the job at hand.




Björn offered to let me sit in the other seat next to the driver, but I left that for Lars-Göran, so they could chat about engines, performance, speed and other boring men's business. Lambi and I sat behind Björn in our own little private space, with a perfect view of the passing scenery out of the window. Lambi is safe and secure in her backpack and having a ball.




We also chatted with the pilot, a lovely man who has been doing this job for over 25 years and still loves it. He travels all over Sweden, wherever he is needed but is mostly based right here in Oxelösund. It is his job to steer the ships in and out of the harbour. He directs the speed and course of the ship as he has specialised knowledge of the wind, tides, the shoals, current and weather that is typical in this location. I asked him if it was scary to hop on and off the ships, especially in bad weather, with all boats rocking, the ladder slippery and wind and snow or rain pelting down, but he seemed non-plussed and said it was all part of the job - one that he loves.

Outside of the islands, Björn floored it and the boat raced along at its top speed of 24 knots, leaving a huge, foamy wake behind it.




When we are sailing and one of these guys passes, we would normally curse as they throw up big waves which toss the boat around, so it was interesting to be on the other side today. I had always thought that it must be really noisy in one of these boats, but was astonished at how well insulated we were from engine noise. We could all chat normally without raising our voices.

Soon, the ship came into view and the pilot went outside and prepared to board. This was a Finnish boat coming in to collect steel from the mill. Björn said they were one of the regulars. Neither the pilot boat nor the ship stop for the handover. The ship slows its speed to around fourteen knots and Björn eases the pilot boat alongside to the point where the ladder is situated.




The crew of the ship stand by to help the pilot board and the extra man on board our boat is also there to ensure it all goes smoothly. Remember that all of this is taking place while both ships are still moving along. It takes quite a bit of careful driving to keep at the same pace as the ship. Today, the seas are calm, the sky is blue and it is sunny. The slick professionalism makes it all look so easy and the changeover only takes less than a minute. I couldn't help but wonder how difficult it all was in the middle of the night or during a storm when the seas were heaving.




We were then in for an extra treat. I had thought that we would be returning to the station, but while we were driving out, Björn had received a message that he was to stay out and wait to pick up a pilot who was about to leave port on a Russian ship. We had an hour and a half to wait, so Björn made a call and told us we would all be going to Hävringe, a charming settlement on an isolated island group, for afternoon tea.




We had wanted to visit this lighthouse community since we read about it being opened to the public. We saw an article about the island in a boating magazine and they said that it had been completely off limits to all but the householders, who used to chase visiting boats away. Last year, for the first time, the new managers of the island wanted to try having guest boats come in and moor. This sounded good, though when we read the line "and the cottage owners have been notified of the change" it made us feel a little uneasy. It was as though they were being forced to accept visitors against their will. Of course I had become melodramatic about it, imagining a creepy community not unlike those in the movie Deliverance, where we as outsiders would be hunted down and murdered. My more sensible husband dismissed my scenario as ludicrous and was more concerned that we may be intruding on their privacy. What can I say, he has no imagination and doesn't pay enough attention to Forensic Detectives? *grin*




Anyway, here we were with Björn to protect us, so I felt safe and happy as he eased the pilot boat through the narrow opening of the seawall and into the surprisingly tight, tiny harbour. I was glad to come here with someone else's boat first as it gave us a picture of the lie of the land without risk. As we looked to the north, we saw the Finnish boat coasting along towards the harbour, now being guided by the pilot we had dropped off.




Above the harbour, there were about 15 little cottages spread out in a higgeldy-piggeldy fashion, snaking up a hill towards the beacon. They were all painted in traditional falu red, giving it an air of a place where time has stood still for over a hundred years.




From the top of the hill, you could look back to the tiny harbour area, surrounded by cottages and framing the view across the glittering waters and rocks. In the very far distance, you can catch a momentary glimpse of the mainland approximately 10 kilometres away. What a wonderful location for a summer house!




Up by the beacon, we found a group of birdwatchers loaded down with some serious camera equipment, binoculars and an equally impressive and remarkably well stocked bar! I always wondered what orthinologists did to while away the long hours between bird sightings... It appears that this island is well known to local birding enthusiasts as a regular stopping place for birds migrating to the continent and they were hoping to see some rare species. We chatted with them briefly, wished them good luch, then followed Björn along the path to a pretty cottage on the eastern side of the island where we met up with his fellow worker and good friend, Ulf. He proved to be a genial, happy, talkative and outgoing character and he made us laugh by scolding Björn for not giving him a little more notice so that he could have baked a cake.




I took it as a joke and laughed heartily, recalling that this was the same phrase uttered by a male friend in Adelaide who couldn't even boil water and who invariably never had a morsel of food in his house. However, Ulf was quite serious. He loved to bake and if Björn had rung him while we were still at the station, he would have been ready with home baked goodies. He was charmed by Lambi and he bustled about making sure that there was a bowl of fresh water and some dog treats ready for "the young lady". Naturally, he has made a friend for life. While he was setting up afternoon tea in the garden we went up on the rocks and looked over at a lonely, isolated cottage out on the point.




Ulf then shepherded us to the table set out in the sunshine and offered us coffee and shop-bought biscuits, for which he apologised profusely and scolded Björn a second time. It was rather funny. We asked about the house out on the point and he told us that it was the old lighthousekeeper's home (built in 1891), which today is still used in the summer by the descendants of that family. The lighthouse that was attached to it has long gone. The house that Ulf leased was the old pilot's home and was used as such until the station was moved to Oxelösund in 1986. He had a wealth of knowledge about life out on the island and the history of the settlement, pointing out various points of interest, including the new lighthouse which was virtually in his back garden.




It was a delightful afternoon of chatting, warmth, laughter and hospitality that I found quite touching. We were strangers to him, but he talked to us as animatedy as if we were old and valued friends.

I asked questions about the beacon and the houses on the island and he told us that there had been a beacon here for hundreds of years, but the one we could see today, just across from his garden was built in 1753, making it over 250 years old. The 22 meter high, six sided beacon has a timber frame, covered by red and white painted wooden panels. Apparently inside there is a staircase that leads up to a room at the top with windows all around. It was from here that the pilots used to keep watch for boats that needed their help. It provided an easily recognisable seamarker for ships going to the ports of Nyköping, Norrköping and later even Oxelösund. In the early 1900s the pilot station next to the beacon was built, with a lookout in the roof.




Even before that time, there were people who lived out on the island in the summer months. These were mostly local fishermen and seal hunters who worked the waters and some of the small cottages close to the harbour would have originally been the summer homes for these men. Today the cottages on the island are owned by the Swedish Maritime Authority and are rented out to families of the old pilots and lighthouse keeping personnel.

All too soon, Björn was called back to duty and we said goodbye to Ulf, who pressed his mobile phone number on to us and insisted that we were always welcome to visit at any time we chose. Just give him a call and if he was on the island, he'd be down to greet us and if not, he'd make sure that one of his other friends there could take care of us. You couldn't get a warmer or more open invitation than that and we are now confident and happy to add Hävringe to our list of favoured stops on the east coast. Okay, okay, I may have been wrong about the Deliverance scenario.

We sped along the water to pick up the pilot from the Russian cargo boat. The crew on the boat looked so young that it was hard to resist the urge to ask them if their mum knew they were not at school! Such baby-faced boys they were.




After the pickup we return to the base at Oxelösund where we leave Björn to continue his shift and we return to the boat to pour over the voting papers. Björn has very kindly offered us the use of his car while he works tomorrow and has provided a map of the area so we can take a look at the town and of the nearby town of Nyköping. I think I'll do the laundry before we leave in the morning as it looks as though it will be a sunny day again. That way we can come back in the afternoon to fresh, clean sheets which I love. We have also asked Björn to join us for dinner tomorrow, so I must prepare for that as well.

It's been a busy day, but so rewarding. I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

On Sunday evening the rain began just as the forecasters promised. We anticipated the first drops and rushed out to erect the cockpit tent. And it was just in time. The heavens opened and it teemed steadily for several hours.

Monday was truly a god awful day weatherwise. The wind was really strong, peaking at around 40 knots and there was a heavy, driving rain. In fact the rain was actually coming in at us horizontally! Needless to say we spent a day inside, alternating between reading and solving the world's problems over a glass of wine. We have not been lucky with the weather either of the times we have stopped in this particular island group. Last time was also grey and dreary and we'd like to come and visit the area at some time in sunshine as there are so many intriguing little bays to investigate.

But we won't be dallying around in this area as we have decided to try and get home in order to vote in the upcoming elections. Voting is not compulsory, but after talking about the election on the phone to Lars-Göran's brother, we realise that we'd like to cast a vote - and for that we need our voting cards, which would have been posted home to us a couple of weeks ago. So that has given us a bit of a push to get us moving towards Nynäshamn.

The sun has struggled out from behind the clouds and while the wind has abated somewhat, it is still quite strong as we set out past the cottage and lighthouse at Jungfrusund and northwards into Gryt's archipelago.




I can see that the strong winds are irritating poor Lars-Göran. We have spent a lot of time this summer fighting gale force winds over on the west coast and frankly we are tired of having to always struggle against it. The constant pressure is quite draining and I can see that he is both exhausted and a little dispirited. I think in view of this that a shorter sail is better today, so I suggest that we stop at Stora Ålö, where SXK has a member's harbour where we could stay. This is about 12 nautical miles from our previous night harbour and means that we ought to be there in around three hours.

This was a good plan and I did a lot of the steering past the long, open stretches of water. This gave my dear man a little time to check the charts and just try and relax a little. Lars-Göran took over when we had two nautical miles left and I was relieved when our night harbour came into view as I could see that even this short trip had tired him out mentally. I got further confirmation of this as I looked on puzzled that we had passed the point where I thought we should turn into the bay's opening. I naturally assumed I had misread the chart as I trust Lars-Göran's navigation skills implicitly. I looked at the chart again and just as I was pointing back and saying "I really think that we have passed Norra Vik" we went crashing into ground with a mighty thump. Fortunately for his ego's sake there were no witnesses to this (except for myself, Lambi, Bruce and Sheila) and we have been sworn to silence, so please forget that you read the last sentence.

We came off the ground very easily, turned towards the correct island and easily moored at one of the vacant SXK buoys. It is very pretty here, with the glittering blue sea, the bright green trees and a lovely fresh pine smell after yesterday’s heavy rain. I saw some red deer on a larger island near our boat as we came in. We were so close to them it felt as though we could reach out and pat them. We also saw some cows come down for an afternoon snack.




The rest seems to have done some good and when we awoke the next day, the sun had returned and we could look forward to some great sailing in this beautiful archipelago. The early morning is spent preparing the boat to set off. We have to take down the tent and pack it away. Then uncover the sails, get out navigation instruments, auto pilot, life jackets and charts. We also have to stow away anything loose inside the boat, as well as the usual morning routines of washing ourselves, the clothes, eating breakfast, cleaning etc. By 11 am we have set off following the marked route through the archipelago. I was stunned to see the unmistakable signs of autumn in the trees already. I'm not ready for this!





We have several places in mind to head towards, but we'll keep our options open. Lars-Göran needs his ice-cream “fix”, so he naturally chooses a route that will take us past some potential kiosks. We'll be sailing today through the Gryt Archipelago. We are aiming for the area around Häradskär, or if the wind holds we may even make Harstena on the St Anna archipelago. The sailing is lovely, with just enough wind to keep us moving along at a reasonable speed without too much effort and warm and sunny conditions. After the burst of rain the day before yesterday, there is a lovely fresh, clean smell in the air.

We pass by several settlements and Lars-Göran scours the landscape for the gaudy “GB” umbrellas and signs indicating ice-cream. Funnily enough there appear to be no ice-cream shops. We spot plenty of places offering smoked fish, though "that's hardly the same thing" as Lars-Göran says. One of the smokeries also sells ice-cream, but Lars-Göran feels silly stopping for a 11kr icecream. As he says, it would look okay if he had kids aboard, but not really for “grown-ups”. *grin*




Lars-Göran thinks that this area looks a lot like the Finnish archipelago around Malax where he grew up. Certainly the cottages and larger buildings dotted around the islands have a less formal appearance than Swedish stugas I am used to seeing in the Stockholm Archipelago. There is something very rustic about them. A glance at the chart shows that we very close to Fyrudden and Lars-Göran suggests that stop there. He tries to convince me that we are only going there because there is a marina where he can buy diesel and battery water.

Hmm... now why don’t I believe him?




You see, we've been here before, using the same excuse about getting sensible marine supplies when in fact the REAL REASON we stopped was for glass (that’s ice-cream to you non-Swedes. See what sort of country this is - not only do you wear a rock, but you also eat glass). There is a little shop on the boardwalk and we had decided to go the whole hog and get the 30kr Fyrudden ubåtar. This was a sundae dish, containing three double scoops of ice-cream (I chose rum & raisin, pistachio and toffee). This was topped with two towers of mjuk glass (soft serve), sprinkled with your choice of topping (I chose crushed nuts), then two finger-shaped wafers were inserted, blue curacao was drizzled over it and they crowned it with two tiny foil windmills. Very kitsch I must say, but of course you just HAVE to do these things when you are on holidays. And best of all, my little windmills were even in the Aussie sporting colours of green and gold! I’ve kept them as souvenirs and they are sitting in the pouch of one of my little mascot kangaroos which sits inside the boat. And you can see the photographic evidence of Lars-Göran and Lambi about to indulge. Can you believe we ate the lot?

After we finished the ice-cream, I could barely move but Lars-Göran managed to eat a whole packet of “Tutti-Fruitti” lollies. Where does he put it?




We sail northwards again, and swiftly pass all of our chosen harbours. We have great winds and as we are following a marked course, I manage to steer and navigate most of this afternoon. The course takes us weaving around many islands and we are enjoying being out on a sunny afternoon all alone surrounded by this beauty. We deviate slightly from the route and drop anchor in a lovely bay next to the island of Lammskär (Lamb Skerry) in the outer islands of St Anna’a archipelago. Though I have no idea why it would be called Lamb Skerry, do you?




I’m sitting in the cockpit typing this surrounded by the sound of forest birds and the gentle splash of tiny fish around us. Lars-Göran is putting out the anchor marker on the fore deck, Bruce and Sheila are happily twittering to their new friends the swallows and Lambi is asleep in her basket (no surprise there). Life seems perfect. Can you imagine living in a beautiful home like this and having such a view every day of the year? I envy these lucky people.




In the morning, we start out early, heading for somewhere close to Oxelösund. We rang our friend Björn last night to see if he was on duty at the pilot station there. While he lives in Nynäshamn, he travels regularly to his job in Oxelösund, only we always forget which week he is on call. We discovered that he begins work on Wednesday, but will be there from tomorrow afternoon. We had initially hesitated about the extra day because we wanted to be home to vote on Sunday. When Björn heard that, he offered to pop up to our apartment (he has a key) and pick up our voting cards and bring them with him to Oxelösund. This way, we can fill in an absentee vote at the local post office and delay our trip home, which is a great solution.




We have a nice, warm day again and the closer we get home, the happier we feel. Today the boat is sailing well, though not really at her best speed. We know that we'll have to haul her out and scrape down the keel once we get her back home. I am really enjoying being back in the islands around Arkösund again and I'm keeping my eyes peeled in case I see more seals in the area. They seem to be scarce today, but I do see a couple of houses that I'd love to live in, situated right on the waterfront.




Just north of Aspöja, we pass our favourite sea marker, Kejsaren (The Emperor). It is an old custom around here to ta en sup (take a nip of spirits) and salute the marker. Today we noticed that several people have left an offering for kejsaren, which was rather cute. Apparently in winter people add a scarf and wooly beanie to the maker as well. Obviously he is a well loved local character.




We crossed over the boring stretch of Bråviken and have hooked on to the SXK buoy at Bergö, about three nautical miles north east of the pilot station at Oxelösund. I’m sitting here again typing this out in the cockpit, enjoying the last of the evening sun. We have the tent up, the cushions out and are enjoying the sounds of the forest birds on the large island to our left (though I can tell you that a rather annoying seagull is definitely living on borrowed time). We have a perfect view of the waterway all the way to the town, the wind has eased and the sun has reappeared. There is no sign of rain, but I know better than to take a chance as the weather around here can change in an instant.




Lambi has had a short run on one of the islands. I have to say that she looked adorable wading chest deep through the daisies. Hmmm... note to self: I must check her for ticks later! The islands are thick with a huge variety of wild flowers. It fascinates me that these beautiful, delicate plants can thrive in such a hostile environment. But thrive they do and the air is filled with their scent and vibrant colours. I have no idea what they all are but I am inspired and intend to get a book about European wild flowers so that I can read about them.

Sunshine continues today as we set off in brisk winds through the ground-filled archipelago north of Oskarshamn. The blue skies and clear, cool air make for pleasant sailing and we get more of a chance to look around here than we did last year, when we sped downwind, frantically reducing sail in a strong gale and overcast conditions. That time we just had to hang on for dear life as the sea markers raced towards us. Today we can glide by at a more leisurely pace, taking the time to look at the islands and simply enjoy being out on the water.




One tricky thing with this stretch of coast is that we have to change charts three times in the course of this tight route. Not only does the actual chart change, but also the scale of the chart which can be confusing at the best of times. One gets used to estimating distances based on chart measurements and it can take some time for this tired old brain to register the changeover. Still, I'm aware of all of that from last year's dog's breakfast, so I am prepared with our stick-on marker for the chart as well as all charts ready ion their correct order. I've told Lars-Göran that I'll change them over in good time and will also mark exactly where we are - he'll have to trust that I am right as there really is no time to stop and have a discussion in such a twisting, shallow waterway.

We make excellent progress, happily chatting while we sail along the islands and skerries and before long, we catch sight of the nuclear power station up ahead at Simpervarp.




Oskarshamnsverket, or OKG has three reactors. Reactor 1 began in 1972, reactor 2 two years later and the third reactor came into operation in 1985. When all three reactors are working together, they produce approximately 10% of Sweden's electricity needs. You can see this plant from far out in Kalmarsund, especially reactor three with its 100m high chimney. It is an important employer in the area, with around 1,000 directly employed at the plant and a further 2,000 benefitting indirectly.

Today, we saw that M/S Sigyn was in port, collecting radioactive waste for transport to Forsmark for storage. This distinctive ship was specially built for just this purpose and it is the first time that either of us have seen her.




Just past the power station, we say goodbye to the rocky inner route and head out into the open waters of Kalmarsund for the short hop up to the lighthouse at Kråkelund, where Misterhult's archipelago begins. It is calm out on the water and for once the prevailing winds are on our side, easing the boat effortlessly through the water and towards our chosen night harbour in a protected but shallow bay near Ålö.

It can be hard to convey the real boost we feel as we pass this point. So often we have been here when the waters are rough and unforgiving and we always feel a sense of relief and safety when we come in behind the protection of these islands and know that we are safe from the Baltic's fury. While today, it is calm and serene, we never forget that these waters can be dangerous and Kråkelund is one of our favourite "safety points" along the coast. The familiarity of the place is very reassuring.




The archipelago of Misterhult is situated between the archipelagos of Oskarshamn to the south and Västervik to the north. It begins in the small town of Figeholm and winds northwards to the little fishing village of Händelöp. It offers all kinds of sailing experiences, from coasting along in the open sea as well as many alternative routes which take you between forest-clad islands near the mainland or along more exposed small, rocky islets and skerries on the outskirts of the archipelago. The very best time to be in this area is August, when the water still is warm, most of the bird sanctuaries are accessible and there are lots of juicy, sweet blackberries to be picked on the islands. We are a little late for all of that - the birds are gone, the berries consumed and the water is cooling down, but still it is very beautiful.




This is another area that we have not fully explored. The archipelago spreads out over a wide area, but we find that when we are here it is often on the way to somewhere else, so we earmark it for another time. I think that one summer soon, we are going to have to spend some time really looking around from St Anna's archipelago down to Misterhult. There appears to be so much to discover.

The weather in this part of Sweden has been quite warm lately, so we are finding that the wildflowers are still out blooming on the islands. I said to Lars-Göran that looking at a circle of small skerries, each full of wildflowers was as though the east coast was welcoming us home with a giant lei. He thought he'd rather have the hula girls to welcome him home! There's just no pleasing some people *grin*




The weather forecast in the morning spoke of the dreaded kuling (gale force winds) again. We had planned to perhaps take the dinghy and visit the forests on the islets around here, but that sounds less appealing in a gale, so we thought we might head northwards instead. That is not as foolish as it sounds. The winds are coming from the west, i.e. from the land, so there won't be big waves to contend with and we are taking an inner route just to be safe. As an added precaution, we also reefed in the main sail. We have no fixed idea of where we'll stop, but hope to at least make it to somewhere in the Västervik archipelago.

Despite the reduced main and a small storm sail, we made excellent progress and in a mere four hours we had covered over 20 nautical miles, by passing Västervik and the lighthouse at Storkläppen. At times, the boat was coasting along at almost 7 knots, which feels good after her sluggish performance in lighter winds. In the afternoon, we find ourselves in Tjust's archipelago the pretty island community of Städsholmen came into view. This was a former pilot station, which closed in the 1960s after nearly 350 years, but the look-out tower and houses still remain.




We stayed here for a few days three years ago and really enjoyed it. We came upon it back then just as we were looking for a place to stay for the night. We had dismissed a few of the islands (see how spoiled for choice we suddenly are!) then we sailed up the little sound and round the corner to find that we were in a magical, pretty lagoon flanked by a tiny settlement of ten or so red fishermen’s cottages on a craggy wild island. I remember that it was so peaceful and calm. However, today, in these strong winds, it is simply too exposed a location. If the wind direction should alter a few degrees, we may find ourselves in trouble. As we have good winds, we will keep on going north at least until we have listened to the weather report.

The route winds around the islands again as we approach the idyllic fishing village of Stora Grindö.




They have a fabulous location, right on the main route and in summer there would be the sight of constantly passing boat traffic. Today it is eerily quiet, with hardly a boat in sight. Earlier in time, this was a very important fishing area. These days, there are only the cottages left, which are used as summer houses. They give an idea of what the place would have looked like in its hey day. There is a popular smokery, which sells both fresh and smoked fish with its own mooring pier and busy boat traffic, but it is closed today, so all is quiet as we pass by.




The afternoon weather report is not promising. They are predicting increasing winds in this area - hård kuling, which is classed as a "fresh gale" in English. It sounds like a good day to stay put somewhere safe.

Just a little further on we came to the outer island of Väderskär (Weather Skerry), which was another of those little, very old communities that I wanted to visit. We have passed by several times and often wondered about the pretty wooden cottages high on the rocks.




We approach the island and even see that the SXK buoy is available if we want to moor there. However, it is quite open to the sea and the winds are driving the waves into the bay. I can only imagine that this will increase as the wind speed picks up. In addition, it is going to rain tomorrow, so it is perhaps not the best day to choose to visit the island. We had been curious to see it because a movie based on one of Strindberg's books "I havsbandet" was filmed here in the seventies and I wanted to particularly see the tiny chapel dating from the eighteenth century which apparently has interesting painted motifs on the walls and ceilings.

I think that it will have to wait for another time. We need good shelter for tonight and possibly tomorrow and so we choose to turn more inland to a group of islands between Sundholmen and Långö-Häfsö, which prove to be beautiful, unspolied, ground free and with plenty of choice for safe mooring spots. We search around and dither here and then, finally hitting a quiet little bay that gives us shelter from the winds. It is so quiet here with not a soul around, just the occasional deer on the shore and the sound of the wind moaning in the trees.

It's ideal weather to curl up with a good book and I think that's what I'll do. I have so many books that I bought in Kalmar, Färjestaden and Mönsterås that it's hard to choose where to start. This is the kind of dilemma that I love. Now I'm off to check my on-board library.

There are strong westerly winds today, peaking at around 35 knots in the gusts. Our first thought was that we really did not want to be out in open water in such winds, but we are ready to move on and it would be so frustrating to sit in port for another day just because of the wind. The sun is shining and I have discovered an inner route on the charts, which should allow us to be in some island shelter for most of the day. Unfortunately, the wind direction will also mean that we are upwind from the paper mill, so that horrible, nausea producing stench will accompany us for at least half of the day. Oh joy! Where are the pegs?

We set off with only a tiny sail up and made really fast speed along the main route out of Mönsterås and turned more northwards to pass the islands around the paper mill.




It is still really beautiful in this area with the wildflowers blooming and the birds on the lookout for a feed. We have to keep a good look out because there are a lot of fixed fishing nets (probably eel nets) all over the place. They are well marked with reflective poles, so we can steer well clear of them. I love being in among the islands again. It feels like my natural environment - a feeling of being home.

We by-passed Påskallavik, where we stayed a day last year, opting to push on a bit further while we had good winds. At this point, we have normally headed out to sea to continue up the coastline to Oskarshamn. But upon studying the chart carefully, I found a faint dotted line representing an old route behind all of the islands. I'm sure Lars-Göran inwardly groans when I find something like this, as he knows that no doubt it will be tight, shallow and he will need his brown undies.




Just as he suspected, the route proves to be incredibly tight and quite hairy in places, with rocks clearly visible right next to the boat and the depth sounder regularly plummeting to heart-stopping levels. Talk about being at panic stations. I swear we were on the point of turning around in at least three or four places, but this area of around 80 small islands, islets, rocks and skerries is fantastically beautiful.

We dared not try and stop in this wind, but afterwards we marked out a couple of areas that were well worth visiting if we are back this way again. One of those was near the old stone works at Vånevik (the website is only in Swedish, but there are some nice pictures). Who needs to go to Bohuslän to see red granite cliffs? We have them here as well! And we also have the magical island of Blå Jungfrun to admire in the distance. I SO love the east coast.

In the late afternoon, we slipped into our favourite little bay off the island of Kiddeholmem, just south of the town of Oskarshamn.




In the evening, while I was preparing dinner, Lars-Göran was fiddling with the tv tuner to see if we could get a good signal so that we could see the evening news. Usually we only watch to the main headlines then switch it off