You must believe in spring - 22 April 2017

21 March is long gone, but you still must believe in spring. This is the toughest time of the year in Sweden. Days are getting longer, but spring does not show-up. Finally, flowers have blossomed in Stockholm in the past week, a bit in advance compared with previous years. Belisama is ready to sail, but temperatures are still fluctuating around 0°C, and we are waiting for better conditions for the first cruise of the year.


The cherry trees on Kungsträdgården are at their best. But snow remains around. Weird!

"Sous vide" for the boat - 8 March 2017

The long and cold 2017 winter is prone to long and dark evenings preparing for the coming sailing season. The ongoing Stockholm boat show this week is the signal here of the end of the hibernation. Still a long way to go when looking at the car this morning though...

Let me tel you about "sous vide " cooking technique to ensure good fresh food available on Belisama all season long.

Last sailing before the winter - 13 November 2016

Last of the last for 2016. Temperature today was 1°C. Belisama had to get out in order to fill the tank for the winter, as it is advised to reduce as much as possible the air in the tank in the winter to avoid condensation. Therefore, a short 30 minutes ride to one of the fuel pump open at this time of the year!

Autumn gale, 7-9 October

This weekend, a gale was announced over the Stockholm archipelago. A good opportunity to stay home and rest a bit. But not with two visiting friends from Austria and Croatia!

8.5 knots with back winds...

A bridge further - 3 October 2016

After a night along the way, we enter Stockholm and its bridges opening once every hour. Still many boats with masts over 14 metres in this sunny Sunday afternoon. On the menu, the three bridges of Liljeholmsbron, Skansbron and Dansvikbron and a lock. By now, you have understood that "born" means bridge in Swedish.

Liljeholmsbron

Arholma - Landsort, old edition, 4 October 2016

A good friend of mine offered me recently the book Arholma - Landsort, in its version from 1971. This is the book all archipelago sailors have onboard as it gives the tips and tricks to get in all natural harbors of the archipelago. This was a good reminder of what was sailing before the GPS era...

By curiosity, I looked at the current representation in the various electronic charts...

Mariefred - Stockholm, 30 September - 2 Octobre

Back to Mariefred after a working week in Stockholm and a memorable storm over Sweden (See Cybèle posting). The west coast was devastated with trees down and train traffic interrupted. Belisama did not suffer in Mariefred though I could see some tearing on the mooring lines.