Encounters on the way to Lidön - 2 July 2016

Lidön is a small island at the far east part of the Stockholm Archipelago. It marks the end of the archipelago, and the start of the open sea. It is the main way out of Stockholm for most cruises.

The first passing us is the S/S Frithiof. She was built in 1897, for the Stockholm exhibition. 

A midsummer weekend, 21 - 25 June

A midsummer eve in little Huvudskär. Almost alone, most probably due to the Euro cup taking place, with Zlatan and the Swedish team playing. I wish the Euro cup would take place every year! 

Huvudskär, again - 10-12 June 2016

Huvudskär again, for the second weekend in a row. Few hours from Stockholm, and already 'out there'. Just one boat again his weekend to share the archipelago with. The season will start in two weeks from now, but until then, the archipelago is ours!

Morning channel, Huvudskär

Check lists for taking sea and preparing for landing

Experience has taught me that a good checklist is a real security tool for ensuring safety of the manoeuvres associated with taking sea and landing. Find below the first draft of the first two I am currently developing:

Area	Check list before taking sea
Kitchen	Lock all drawers Put dishes in cupboards Close the dish dryer Cover the cooker with board
Carré	Check and close all roof windows Secure the oil lamp
Bedrooms	Lock all doors and drawers Close the roof window
Chart desk	Switch on “Dérive” and “Propulseur” on the central electrical board Switch on “Centrale navigation”, “VHF” and “HIFI” Close all 220v switches
Bathrooms	Lock doors and drawers Close roof window Drain the shower Close toilet lid
Deck	Check that no lines are falling in water Remove electricity line Remove all covers, including roof console Get the winch cranks
Instruments	Switch on the pilot on the stair console Switch on the chart plotter on the helm console Switch on the bow thruster on the helm by pressing the two ‘on’ buttons Check the position of the centre board on the chart plotter, and test the centre board commands
Start engine	Press the ‘on’ button on the Volvo panel on the helm. Wait until the sound signal Start the engine, thrust on low Listen for the water getting out through the exhaust
Prepare sails	Open the lazy bag Remove the main sails straps Free the jibs sheets

Area	Check list for preparing landing
Sails	Furl the jib Secure jib sheets Strap main sail and close lazy bag
Deck	Remove the bowsprit Install fenders Prepare mooring lines, front, middle and back
Instruments	Switch on the bow thruster on the helm by pressing the two ‘on’ buttons Check the position of the centre board on the chart plotter, and test the centre board commands
Engine	Press the ‘on’ button on the Volvo panel on the helm. Wait until the sound signal Start the engine, thrust on low Listen for the water getting out through the exhaust

Cruising the outer archipelago, 6 June

On Monday 6, we get back to Stockholm through the outer archipelago. 2 nautic miles north-east of Huvudskär, you can find a typical 'skier' of the archipelago. A skär, or skerry in English, is a small rocky island without trees, and this one has a small stuga on it, the traditional Swedish summer house, which may have been a fisherman summer outpost in previous centuries.

The Island of Skären, 2 nm North-East of Huvudskärn

Huvudskär, 5 & 6 June 2016

Huvudskär is one of our preferred destination in the archipelago. It is therefore quite often the case that we start the season by a weekend in Huvudskär. Huvud skär means the 'head' 'rock', of the Skärgården, the 'garden' of 'rocks'. This is because it is the first you come along when sailing from the South. Early June, it is desert.

Belisama in Huvudskär on sunset, 5 June 2016

La Malouine on her way back home - 1 June 2016

This morning, 4:30, at the sun rise, La Malouine departed from Nynäshamn to La Rochelle, her new home port. She goes back there, at the age of 42, nicer than ever.

 How she made it to Stockholm at the first place was not that easy to get as the previous owner from whom I bought her in 2008 had no clue! But I found out...