New home port for Belisama in Štinjan, Croatia?

Apologies for not communicating since I left Belisama in August in Cherbourg as I could not pass the Raz-Blanchard during the "spring tides" (as they call in English the "marées de vives eaux" in French). Since then, we have (re-)settled in Štinjan, Croatia. 

Therefore, next sailing season will see us going around Spain, in the Mediterranean, toward Croatia. Here is the view towards the West from the house in Pula, looking at the Brijuni island. 

Unexpected early end of 2020 season in Cherbourg, 24 August...

We had a nice stop over in Cherbourg, moored close to the "Cité de la mer", a fascinating museum where the visit of the Redoutable submarine is  really worth.

We stayed in Cherbourg until 22 August, and after careful planning using Windy and the maps of currents by hours in the area, we decided to leave at 1:00 at night, with WSW winds 14-16 m/s, to benefit from the currents pushing us out of the English Channel along the French coast where they are strongest, then tack towards SSW in order to make it to Brest. But it did not work this way...

Tribulations on the way to Cherbourg, 19-20 August

The segment Dunkirk to Cherbourg is 180 nautical miles long (334 km) initially along the coast until the Cap Gris-Nez, then along the cargo ship traffic corridor in the Dover Straight, the 30 km large passage between England and France, and finally straight to Cherbourg in a quite deserted area until you reach the "Le Havre" corridor. It should have taken us around 36 hours at an average speed around 6 knots. It took us more than 41...

On the map, you can see numerous marks indicating wrecked ships. At the end of the journey, we understood why...

Belisama back to France, Dunkirk, 17 August

The journey from Den Helder to Dunkirk was 152 miles long, when planned on the plotter, a 30+ hour ride with the expected back reach winds. This was without counting with a few encounters along the way...

First encounter, the cloud below:

Arcus cloud

Guess what happen when you encounter such things...

Learning the Limfjord the hard way...11 & 12 August

The day started fantastiskt in the Limfjord, and ended (late) fantastiskt as well at Thyberøn, the exit of the Limfjord in the North sea.

On the way to Nykøbing in there Limfjord

But along the way, we learned what the Limfjord may be the hard way …

Through the Limfjord, Vinga-Ålborg, 9 August

On 9 August 2020, we move from Vinga to Ålborg, an eighty nautical miles ride through the Kattegat. On the way, we meet lots of commercial ships on their way to Göteborg and then the Baltic, but at the same time, we meet a few harbour porpoises, a whale 1.4 to 2.5 metre long, called Marsouiàn in French, quite common on the Kattegat end the North Sea. A very impressive encounter in any case... 

But there is more to the Kattegat crossing...

Vinga, finally, 8 August 2020

We made it to Vinga on the third attempt. Not to the harbour, that was full as expected on a Saturday in August, but to the Vinga Gattulvenvik, on the North side of the island. On the last two attempts, the swell was such that it was not possible to stay overnight, as indicated in the pilot book. But this time, the weather is fine, and the swell (almost) inexistant.

On the rocks to Vinga

Start of the mushroom season in Mariefred, 2 August

Leaving Göteborg and Belisama for a week in Stockholm, I went to Croatia to buy a house and just came back for the weekend for mushroom picking in Mariefred.

Mariefred  Castle.

Knipplan-Vinga-Göteborg, 24-25 July

The plan for today was to go to Vinga, another of the coups de coeur of François and Valérie on Cybèle 17. However, "significant" North-East winds, the anchoring place is not so safe. Therefore, we decided to stop a bit before in the Knipplan marina on Källö, very well protected from all winds.

Källö

Belisama on Knipplan

Källö is a very small island, which we discovered on bike. From the top of the island, there is a very nice view in all direction, but very exposed to winds. The restaurant in the harbour is fantastiskt! In addition, there is a small footsore, a pizzeria and a Thaï food to go place.

But what made the magic of the place was the night...

Kyrkesund to Marstrand, 23 July 2020

The plan for the day was to stop at the Pater Noster lighthouse on the island of Hamneskär as there is a small pier that we could see on the areal picture of the island. However, as we went by, we realised that the swell would make it uncomfortable, if not dangerous to moor there. So we just passed by... 

A name as "Pater Noster" cannot have been made-up! It came from the prayers that seamen were making when passing these most dangerous waters...

Forgotten fata morgana, Djurö, 1st July

Witnessing a fata morgana is always a special event. I realised that I forgot to process the pictures I took of a fata morgana on first of July on our way from Sjötorp to Djurö...

The typical aspect of a fata morgana in our cold countries, is a reflection of the horizon on a cold layer of air which superimpose to the horizon line its inverted picture. On the picture above, you can see a line between the sea and the horizon, and the islands and vegetation on the horizon being replicated in an inverted way above the sea.

A day in Kyrkesund, 22 July

On 22 July, we decided to get a day of rest and visit the Pilane sculpture park situated a few kilometres from the guest pier. A quiet refreshing day indeed...

The guest pier at Kyrkesund

Fjällbacka-Väderöarna-Gluppö-Kyrkesund, 20/21 July 2020

From Fjällbacka, we went to Väderöarna, a place highly recommended by François and Valérie from Cybèle 17. On Väderöarna, there are two possibilities. Either to moor alongside in the sound on the North-East of the island, or in the harbour on the South-West. An attempt to enter the sound from the North-East failed as there were so many boats that we could not even get in between them. As for the harbour on the South-West, it looked as a forest of masts where no one could add-up. Therefore we anchored just outside the harbour, but had to leave a few hours later when the swell started to form and the wind reached 12 m/s. We went then to Gluppö, a few miles east, where we could anchor, well protected from winds from the North-West sector.

Reaching Gluppö by 22:00 after failing to stay anchored in Väderöarna.

Koster-Fjällbacka, 18 July 2020

Where preparedness would have made a difference... From Koster to Fjällbacka, we had a 23 nautical miles to go, with head winds. We therefore decided to head to the open sea towards the West to avoid having to tack in the narrow rocky passages along the coast. But we forgot to consider the current in this area of the Skagerrak.



As we were tacking our way, we soon realised that the 3.5 knots SOG (speed over ground) was very low compared to the 10 m/s wind we were experiencing. We realised too late that we should have had a look at the 1.5 knot current that we had right in the head. At there end of the day we had cruised 37 nm!

Hållö - Koster, 16 July

We are now in Skagerrak, meaning "the strait", the sea area between the South East coast of Norway, the Skagen Peninsula in Denmark and the west coast of Bohuslän in Sweden. Skagerrak is one of the busiest strait in the world for sea traffic nowadays. Its control has been of much strategic importance during the two World wars in Europe. 

Belisama riding north to Koster under spinnaker

Lysekil to Hållö, 15 July 2020

After picking a friend couple in Lysekil, our first stop is for Hållö, a nature reserve close by and highly recommended by our friends.  

Mid-July is the peak season and the natural harbour is packed with motor boats. All along the coast, in the marinas and natural harbours, we will be told that there are only very few boats compared to past years because of the closure of the border with Norway. More than half of the boats in any spot along the coast is Norwegian otherwise! 

First miles along the Swedish West Coast-12-14 July

Coming from the Baltic sea, sailing North along the West Coast of Sweden looks like sailing in a different country. The large deep green forests have given place to villages holding on bare rocks. Very few Falun red houses here, mainly white wooden houses with orange roof tiles. Super nice looking from the sea! 

Göteborg, 10-12 July

After 64 locks and probably the same number of opening bridges, we make it to Göteborg, a month after having entered the Göta Kanal in Mer on 15 June. It was an incredible experience!

Belisama at Lilla Bommens marina

Göteborg is the largest harbour in Scandinavia. With a long history of activity, Göteborg has a lot to offer...

Läckö-Vänersborg-Lilla Edet, 4-8 July

The forecasted gale is catching us up on the way from Läckö to Vänersborg. It will last three days where we remain stuck in our boat, waiting for better weather. When it cools down, we quit lake Vänern through huge descending locks that have nothing to compare with the small locks we passed through in the Göta Kanal.

The first lock on the Trollhättan kanal

Magnificent Läckö, 3-4 July

From Djurö, we continue south-west to Läckö, another magnificent baroque castle on the shore of Lake Vänern. It is located on an island very close to the shore, nowadays connected by a bridge. 

Belisama on the guest pier of Läckö castle

Alone in Djurö, 1st and 2nd July

Djurö is one of the "coups de coeur" indicated by François and Valérie (Cybèle 17), which we did not want to miss, despite forecast of SW winds in the 25 knots. But the Malbergshamn is protected from Southern winds. Djurö means the "Island of animals". It was first inhabited in the XVIIth century, under the reign of Gustav Wasa. In the late XIXth century, three families were living on the island, selling their fish catch to Mariestad or Linköping, 15 to 20 nautical miles aways that they had to row in order to sell their catch to the local markets!

Belisama alone in the Malbergshamn on Djurö

We moor on the little pontoon, by 1.4 metres of water, in the middle of water plants. I should not forget to clean the the water inlet strainer on the way out...

Sjötorp, to the end of the Kanal, 30 June

Sjötorp is the end of the Göta Kanal. Not that we are back to the Kattegat in Göteborg yet, but the Göta Kanal is just the portion between the lake Vänern and the Baltic sea. From Vänern towards the west to Göteborg, we will have to go through the Trollhättan Kanal.

Passing one of the many bridges

Lots of bridges and locks for this final section, going down from the 91.8 metres in Tåtorp to the 45 metres in Vänern lake...

Tåtorp-Norrqvarn, 29 June

The lock at Tåtorp is the first of the down locks. It is manually operated! We will have a few on our way to Norrqvarn, in one of the most scenic section of the canal that we have seen so far.

The manual lock at Tåtorp

Karlsborg-Forsvik-Tåtorp, 28 June

The ride by the stream, from Forvik to Tåtorp is the highest point in the Göta Kanal, 91.8 metres above the sea level, after having passed 38 locks going up.

This section of the canal was dug with explosives and results in narrow paths requiring lots of attention, as there is no way to meet another boat, except in specific spots.

Hästholmen to Karlsborg, 25-28 June

Sweden is in the middle of an anticyclone and therefore, there is absolutely no wind, and funnily, despite the heat, there is virtually no sea breeze either. But we are on a lake 15 km wide and the sea breeze probably has not enough leeway to be generated.

Stéphane preparing the BBQ on the Hästholmen guest pier

We wanted to go south to Gränna, Visingö island and Linköping, but we gave up given the absence of wind.

The very nice Motala, 19-22 June 2020

The ride between Borensberg and Motala was most pleasant, with a few bridges and locks, in a very picturesque landscape. We had planned to stay in Motala for Midsummer and enjoy the celebrations there. As for celebrations, there was nothing because of the Covid 19 and the social distancing "voluntary" measures enforced by people.

Kung Sverker at the Motala lock

But Motala has a lot to offer, in the area around it (see previous posts) but in the city itself as well...

Vadstena castle moats, 23 June 2020

Vadstena castle is one of the best preserved baroque castle in Northern Scandinavia. It was built by Gustav Vasa in 1545 to protect Stockholm from the Danish invasions. The castle is located on the east bank of the Vättern lake and surrounded by moats that are used now to accommodate visitors in the guest harbour.

Belisama in the moats of the Vadstena castle.

... and three megalith sites - 19 June

Many megalith sites are located around the lake Vättern. We visited three around Motala. Below is a rock carving found in Hästholmen. The exact location is very difficult to find as there is no indications. Should you wish to visit, enter 58.275723 and 14.638081 as coordinate, and cross the field from the road leading to the guest harbour...

Horses pulling the sun back on earth in the evening...

Four churches around Motala, 19 June

We stayed in Motala for the midsummer weekend. Due to Civid 19, there ware no celebrations or danses as one would expect for Midsummer. Strange feeling when you know how serious midsummer is for the Swedish people. 

Our exploration of the Saint Birgitta pilgrimage route made us visit four very nice churches... 

Väversunda church

Borensberg to Motala, 17 June

From Borensberg to Motala, we had a quiet day along the canal, rythmes by the locks and bridge openings. Peaceful day, yet demanding when we had to operate manually a lock!

Stéphane as the lock keeper on the way to Motala...

On the way to Berg, 16 June 2020

We arrive in Berg after going through the Roxen lake. The pedestrian on the rock at the entrance of the Berg guest harbour is the mark of Berg. 

Magic welcome by a shoal of swans as we enter the Berg guest pier

Söderköping, 15 June 2020

Having passed (successfully) the first two locks, we make a stop over in söderköping, a small city along the canal with a lot to offer...

Belisama in Söderköping, 15 June 2020. Picture by Stéphane Lucchini

Oxelösund-Mem, 11 June 2020

We decided to leave Oxelösund for Mem, the entrance of the Göta kanal given the very supportive back winds to be expected today on this 32 nautical mile journey. One of the first landmark on the way to Mem was the pilot station located at the Femöre fort location.

The Femöre pilot station

Ankarudden-Öja-Aspöfladen-Hävringe-Oxelösund, 7-10 June 2020

A 38 nautical mile ride through the Trosa archipelago, completely deserted at this time of the year.

Aspöfladen, a natural harbour in the Stendörren natural park

Trosa archipelago is much smaller than the Stockholm archipelago, but it has among the best natural harbours in Sweden...

Strängnäs - Södertälje - Ankarudden, 4-6 June 2020

Continuing our journey from the Mälaren to the Baltic sea through Södertälje, we pass the lock and arrive in Ankarudden right in time for getting shelter ahead of a gale warning.

Torö is a top spot for kite surfing in the Stockholm archipelago

Västerås - Strängnäs, 3/4 June 2020

Strängnäs is a city of around 13,000 inhabitants. The city had been an important political centre in the past. In 1523, King Gustav Vasa was elected there! 

Arriving in Strängnäs guest harbour, with the cathedral in the back. Picture by Stéphane Lucchini, June 2020.

Birka to Västerås, 2nd June 2020

Leaving Birka on 2nd June, for a tour of the lake Mälaren, on the way to the Göta kanal. The first segment brings us to Västerås, a city 100 kilometres west of Stockholm. Västerås is one of the oldest cities in Sweden and even in northern Europe.

Västerås does not sound like a touristic attraction. But the city is underrated and has a lot to offer...

A new shaft for Belisama - 29-31 May 2020

For the 2020 sailing season, we decided to sail only in Sweden to avoid being quarantined outside of Sweden. As a matter of fact, Sweden being the country with the world record of mortality by 100,000 population, no neighbouring countries are welcoming Swedish residents or sailors without going through a 14 day quarantine and raising the yellow flag on the mast. 

But in any case, following our propeller rock touching in Utö last summer and the resulting clicking in the transmission, we had to change the propeller shaft of our beloved Belisama. Quite a surgery for a sailor unable to find a mechanic to help in Sweden. The season is so short in the Baltic that you should forget trying finding one to do anything on a visiting boat. So, I decided to do it myself...

ᛒᛅᛚᛁᛋᛅᛘᛅ ᛁᚾ ᚱᚢᚾᛅᛚᛅᚾᛏ, 22 - 24 May 2020

Belisama in Runeland. On the way from Nynäshamn to Stockholm, through the Mälaren, we stopped for three days in Birka and Adelsö, once the centre of the Viking world.

And there, we discovered the Runstensparken...

Start of the season, 8 May 2020

Awakening from a long winter in Wasahamnen. Belisama was ready to sail since Easter, but the weather was particularly cold, with night freezing and besides, the Covid had been keeping us quite busy. The small community of sailors wintering in Wasahamnen have been spared from Covid.

View from the cockpit, Was a museum on the right.

Tomorrow, we go...

Passing the wave? Not yet in Sweden... 19 April 2020

The wave has arrived, and we are passing over it in the European Union as you can see on the coloured lines representing some of the EU country trend for COVID-19 cases, over the Hukosai famous representation of the Great Wave of Kawanaga used by Debussy for the original publication of "La mer". 

By From The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai Katsushika - Public Domain

Well, most of us...

Sailing stone ships, 20-22 March

Stone ships are common around the Baltic see. Just in Gotland, you can find three-hundred-and-fifty of them. They were used as graves in the late bronze age. Deceased were cremated and the urn with bones and ashes were deposited around or in the stone ships. 

We took the opportunity of the weekend to sail some of them...

A few churches on Gotland, 20-22 March 2020

During our stopovers along the years on Gotland, we had visited quite a few of the medieval churches in Gotland. We took an early spring weekend in Gotland, as at a time Sweden was not confined, and we went through the country side from wonders to wonders as all churches are covered with frescos from the Middle-Ages...

Ninety-three medieval churches are located on Gotland. As Gotland converted to Christianity during the XIth century, the inhabitants started constructing stave churches, wooden constructions inspired by the Norsemen. None of these stave churches have survived. They were replaced during the XII century by stone churches. During the prosperous Hansa trade times of the XIII century, churches were reconstructed and expanded with some adopting a more gothic style and incorporating stained glasses. No new churches were erected in Gotland after the 1400s'.

Dalhem church

Here is a sample of our discoveries during the weekend...

Epidemic rogue wave, 6 March 2020

As a sailor, I have always thought about rogue waves, those mythical monsters that can wreck your boat for good. As an epidemiologists, I spent my professional life preparing for the rogue pandemic that can wreck a country down for couple of weeks. To prevent being caught at sea in by a rogue wave, there is not much a sailor can do when far from the coast. Yet, for the rogue pandemic, there are two things a sailor can do: 1) anchor for a few weeks in one of your favorite natural harbour, or 2) protect yourself from getting infected...

Sars Cov2, source NIAID Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML), U.S. NIH / Public domain

While you can find lots of good ideas for the first option on this blog, in this post, I will provide you with instructions for the second option...

All Baltic 12 years sailing, 2008 - 2019

As we are now planning to move to the Adriatic sea, I have been loading all the 12,500 miles we have covered so far in the Baltic sea since 2008 when I got La MaLouine, a Brise de mer 31, which I bought in Sweden. In light blue are the miles covered with the Brise de Mer, and in pink are the miles with Belisama, the OVNI 445 which we bought in 2015.



As we plan to migrate from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic sea, we feel like documenting what we have achieved in the past 15 years in the Baltic sea.

Now, the plan for the 2020 season is about another 1500 nautical miles through the Baltic States. Time to move southward in any case...

Places beyond, Erik Johansson in Fotografiska - 19 January 2020

I discovered Erik Johansson in 2011 when he presented an installation in Kulturhuset showing a sinkhole in Sergeltorg, in front of Kulturhuset. Until 1 March 2020, Fotografiska organises a large exhibition of Erik Johansson work. Very refreshing, attracting a large crowd, and generating large smiles on the visitor faces. Such as the "Fishy island" realised in 2009, which is really talking to a Baltic sailor!

Fishy Island

See below a few pictures in the exhibition pertaining to the Baltic sea...

How far have we gone in exploring the Baltic? 19 January 2020

After 12 years sailing in the Baltic, the first seven with La MaLouine, un brise de mer 31, and then an OVNI 445 for the past five years, as we are considering moving to the Adriatic sea in the coming year(s), I used the long dull and dark evening of the Swedish winter for entering in Google earth all the routes that we have followed along the 7,OOO nautical miles that we have been sailing in the Baltic with Belisama, since 2015.



And this is how it looks like in the Baltic. The map above includes the intended routes for 2020, which will see us sailing through Latvia and Estonia...

Alexandre de Chaumont sailing to Siam - 1685-1686

While Belisama crew was charging solar panels in Thailand over new year, we ended-up in Lopburi castle, where Alexandre de Chaumont, the ambassador of Louis the XIV, met the King of Siam in 1685. this was the result of a round-the-world trip shown on a map displayed in the palace.


 And indeed, this was quite a trip...

Baltic sailor in Thailand - December 2019

As Belisama is quietly wintering in Wasahamnen, we decided to take some rest and some sun in Thailand for the end of the year break. An interesting experience where we discovered the longtail Thai boats that surprised us much.

With their truck engines mounted on the transom, the propeller shaft directly connected to the crankshaft, they look a bit crude in design. But don't get fooled, they are much smarter than they may look...