S/Y Belisama: Rödkallen, 27 June 2019

Thursday, 27 June 2019

Rödkallen, 27 June 2019

Rödkallen (65.311784, 22.371747) is another of these outer islands where fishermen were coming since the middle-ages to fish herrings.

Rödkallen and its lighthouse

But it is not easy to get there...

The harbour, like in most of the places we have visited so far is located in the 0 to 3 metre zone of the nautical charts and in the 0 to 0.5 metre of the Navionics sonar charts. The Svenska Kryssar Klubb pilot book indicates that boat with a draft of 2.2 metre can make it to the harbour following the two alignments indicated in the charts. What it does not say though is that when you finally make it to the harbour, you discover too late that the harbour is closed because of a fallen pier which partially obstruct the entrance. A real gymkhana in a Lilliput shallow harbour.

Rödkallen harbour on Navionics

The pier is damaged and very high, like in most of these islands where land uplift is important. There is a sign at the entrance of the harbour, coming from the village, indicating that the use of the harbour is forbidden. But they is not such indication when coming from the sea...

The pier art the entrance of the harbour (Picture by Stéphane Lucchini)

Fishermen houses are centred around a small internal bay that has been drying-up over the years. Very small boats can still make it here. Fishermen houses are now summer cottages.

A seal fat cooking pot used as a plant pot.

The island is flat, with rocks and sand. Just a few trees are providing some shelter from the winds. Look carefully for the Lilliputians as you wander around as they have developed small harbours in several places throughout the island.

A Lilliput harbour having dried-up

A Lilliput tugboat caught by land uplift

The chapel was built in 1860. The roof of the chapel was used as the pilot lookout before the lighthouse was erected. Every summer a service is held in the chapel.