The Söderarm lighthouse island was a cool touchdown in Sweden. We were all eager to continue toward Stockholm, though, so early next morning, we unhooked ourselves from the pier, set the engine to about 2200 rpm (since no wind), and sailed onwards.
It was a Sunday morning, the last day of our first week of sailing, and we were all ready and set to sail from Mariehamn to Sweden. Ahead of us, our second offshore passage, crossing the Sea of Åland.
Jellyfish! Lots and lots of small jellyfish next to our boat. I didn’t even know we had those in Finland but we were all very excited to see them. A good sign and a good send off for our next leg to the capital of Åland, Mariehamn.
Our sailing vacation finally started! It was a cold and cloudy Monday. We left quite late and had only one objective: to get just a bit away from Turku so that it wouldn’t feel like being home anymore. The next day, though, was to be both exciting and— for a few— quite terrible.
Half a year ago, I was trying to figure out (among other things) what gas bottle would fit on a Hanse 388. It was a bit challenging since I couldn’t find any measurements for where it’s supposed to be stored. Now I know better, so starting with the gas bottle, and slowly progressing through the... Continue reading Hanse 388 — Every Nook and Cranny
It was Sunday and time to turn back home. We were thirty-five miles from our home harbor and after having done ten-fifteen miles a day the previous days, this was to be our longest sail yet. All in gentle to non-existing downwind.
Last week we found out that 20+ knots of upwind with one reef in the main and a fully rolled out jib equaled too much sail for our newbie family sailing. Previous experience suggested that reducing sail area by partly furling away the jib wasn’t a good option. But what would have been? I asked... Continue reading Don't Reef the FCL Jib
Charlotte and I woke up at about four in the morning to the sunrise and the wind changing. We both looked out the window and gasped. Out on the sky, there was this beautiful rainbow painted onto an equally beautiful archipelago background, all colored with redish morning sunrise.