We had a
pleasant sail through the islands to the famous resort of Sandhamn on the
island of Sandön (Sand Island). It has
been a sailing centre since the 19th century and is the Swedish equivalent
of Cowes. The approach is through the
narrow channel on the left between the sheer rock and the red stick buoy …
We
arrived in the late afternoon and easily found a berth in the marina as it’s
now the low season here …
We then had a chance meeting on the pontoon with Anne, Brian,
Adrian and Maeve and discovered a mutual acquaintance (PB from the Royal St
George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire).
This led to a few bottles being consumed and great fun swapping Irish
stories!
This was
the sunset over The Royal Swedish Yacht Club …
The next
day was absolutely perfect weather – this is the Royal Swedish Yacht Club by
day …
I went
for a lovely early morning swim, then sunbathed on these rocks …
The
heather seems to grow quite profusely, apparently rooted in nothing but rock …
Here are
our Irish friends leaving port on board Oisin Ban …
I went
for a cycle ride to the other side of the island, past this quaint little cabin
with a grass roof …
… and some rather
grander houses with fabulous sea views …
… to a
proper beach – with sand rather than rocks. I swam from this quite sheltered
beach …
In the
next bay there were also a few hardy souls in the water, but there was quite a
fresh wind – it was one of those days when it was warmer in than out!
I cycled
back via the town, meandering through the narrow streets with their typical
Swedish wooden houses, both large and small.
This one looked as if it only had one room …
The next
day we stocked up on delicious bread and cakes from the (very expensive) local
bakery – £17
for one loaf of bread and 4 small cakes!
… and had
a walk to another lovely beach before setting sail.
Just to throw in another transport observation, I see that the Royal Swedish Yacht Club is handily located at the end of the Saltsjöbanan, one of the odd little commuter lines in Sweden which takes you from waterside right back to Slussen, where you took your photo of Gamla Stan.
ReplyDeleteIt all looks remarkably civilised, although some of the houses need a haircut.