Sat 17th August onwards - An 'Indian Summer' in Sweden

What an amazing ‘Indian Summer’ we’ve had during the last couple of weeks of August – it’s been such a lovely and unexpected finale to our trip!  We’ve spent the final 2 weeks cruising around the Stockholm Archipelago, an amazing sailing area of 30,000 islands, islets and rocks!

Sat 17^th– Mon 19^th – Nynäshamn to Gålön and Kymmendö

We sailed from Nynäshamn on a greyish afternoon, goose-winging through the islands …

The cloud as the sun went down was quite beautiful, and gave the impression of snow-covered mountains in the distance …

After some hunting around and with darkness approaching rather too quickly, we found an anchorage in a bay off Gålön, tucked behind the Appelviksud headland, and watched another spectacular sunset – this time the clouds look quite smoky, like a distant forest fire …

Pulling the anchor up the next morning was hard work – and this is why!  You can just see the point of the anchor peeping through the weed.  It needed some effort to get rid of that lot, using a boat hook and hands, and took ages to hose down the decks with clean sea water.

Eventually we were off!  We motored close to Dalarö Skans, an island with a fortress, where Charles spent a fortnight when he was a 16-year-old sea cadet …

… past a typical small settlement of red and white houses …

… and into a little bay on Kymmendö, an island off the larger island of Ornö, where we tied up to a rock, Swedish style …

The next morning was even brighter and sunnier, perfect for a long swim round the bay, and warm enough to put the bimini up …

Then we walked across to the other side of the island, through trees …

… and over rocks, lichen and moss …

… following signs to Strindberg’s writing cabin …

It certainly is a fairly basic cabin, more correctly an 8’ x 6’ shed!

… but it has got an inspiring view …

It’s so quiet here, only rocks, water and trees – the sea is incredibly calm, like a millpond …

Everyone seems to have gone back to work and we’re the only boat here …