IOR dan buoy and Silzig - 8 February 2018

I spent this winter thinking about increasing security onboard Belisama for the coming season.While I was equipped with the standard horseshoe buoy and its light, along with a 25 metre rescue line, several discussions with Fañch and evenings spent exploring Internet made me consider adding an IOR pole to the horse shoe buoy and attaching a Silzig-like floating device at the end of the rescue line...

Ice sailing - 4 February 2018

Days are getting much longer and with -6°C today in Stockholm, we go to Täby for a walk along the frozen lake. Nordic skis are in the car, but the snow is not good enough...

And we came across a small ice kart marina along the bank...!

Stockholm choucroute - 28 January 2018

After few days in Cairo for work, I made it back to Stockholm just in time to check the result of my first attempt at fermenting choucroute in Stockholm!

After three weeks of nice bubbling, we opened the kysla kapusta jar this morning...

A fermenting winter - 10 January 2018

Already four days since I prepared the first batch of sauerkraut in the kapusta pot brought back from Slovakia. The preparation is continuing to bubble regularly, but at a lower pace, with one bubble every five minutes on average. Since it was covered with juice from the preparation, I followed the instructions, resisted the temptation, and did not open the lid to look inside...

In the mean time, yesterday, I got couple of preserve jars with a clip top at Ikea, for a very low cost (amazing in fact!). Then, I followed the instructions from the amazing blog "Ni cru ni cuit" of Marie-Claire Fréderic...

Kysla kapusta - 6 January 2018

Kysla kapusta is the translation in Slovak of sauerkraut, choucroute in French. While in Bratislava over the new year period, I was struck by the importance of kysla kapusta in the local markets. You can find long lines of people waiting to get a refill of sauerkraut in a glass jar or a plastic bag, along with the juice produced during fermentation.

A few Internet searches later, I got convinced that fermentation remains one of the best way for sailors, even nowadays, to get healthy food full of vitamin onboard that do not require energy for preparation, conservation or even cooking before eating.

This post describe our first attempt at preparing sauerkraut for Belisama...

Last cruise for 2017 - 22 October 2017

Last cruise of the year to refill the tank before the hibernation in Wasahamnen. It is 7°C, but there is a nice low sun to accompany us. It takes forever to add the adjuvant for diesel in each of the tanks and to fill the tanks 50 litres by 50 litres, as the automat only delivers 50 litres at a time on a credit card. And the tanks are totalling 540 litres... Well, the tanks were not empty and it took only five runs to fill them up.

On the way back, we parked Belisama in the corner where she will be for the winter, same place as last year.

Hunting for submarines along Muskö - 2 & 3 September 2017

Muskö is an island that we love for its mushrooms. But Muskö used to be hosting one of the largest military base in Sweden, since the 1950s' when it was constructed, until 2004 when the base was closed. It still hosts a large military camp, and Muskö is across the mainland where the Swedish admiralty is located. With heavy face winds, cold weather, 55 miles to go (to Stockholm) and a late departure because of morning mushroom picking, we decided to go on engine through the narrow passage along the inner shore of the Muskö former submarine base, still being a restricted access sensitive area.

A bit scary...