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...