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...
In 2015, we departed mid-August from the Sables d'Olonne where we picked the (mostly unfinished) Belisama, fusing to get it back in the Baltic during our summer vacation. A 2,000 mile ride at the time of the equinox gales. Being stuck, initially for delays in getting the boat, and then by gales before going around the Raz de Sein, you can see the long segment that we sailed up north in order to make it before starting working again after the summer vacation.
The most difficult part was in Den Helder, in the Netherlands, where we were caught in a gale trying to get out between Texel and Norrderhaaks, in the middle of cresting enormous waves... The, the final segment racing against the clock between Ystad and Nynäshamn in a single segment by winds around 14 m/s on average.
In 2016, we had many weekends around Stockholm, and a four-week ride towards Umeå. It is in this segment that we met, out of the blue with Flocon de mer from Christophe and Florence. In 2017, we used our four week vacation to go around southern Baltic, though Utklippan, Christiansø, Rüegen, Demark and then back to Stockholm, through Visby on Gotland, with our friends Jean and Marianne. Lot of wind during this season, and a bit of stress in the small Danish marinas full of boat not daring to get pout because of the gales, complicating our ability to find places overnight in the marines.
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| 2016 |
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| 2017 |
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2018 was a very fine year, with a lot of good weather to explore the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland, and getting back to Sweden through Åland. Only very good memories!
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| 2018 |
In 2019, we went on the traces of Cybèle 17, all around the Gulf of Bothnia, in a three month ride, thanks to the new retired status! Memories of challenging sailing in extremely shallow waters requiring full attention all day long.
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| 2019 |
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| 2020 |
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2020 will see Belisama heading south to Grandkullavik, north of Åland, and the East to Latvia through Stora Karlsjö in southern Gotland, and then around visibly and Fårö. On the way back from Helsinki, we are still undecided whether we will go though Mariehamn on Åland, or through Hiumeaa in Estonia and Gotska Sandön. Weather forecast will decide...
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