Wed 7th August - A Day in the Archipelago

What a wonderful day for the last day of our holiday with all the family here!  It dawned a bit grey and drizzly, but we set off from Nynäshamn anyway …

… for one of the islands in the archipelago – Ängsholmen, off Rånö.  By the time we got there, the skies were clearing and the sun beginning to peep through.  As my Granny would have said – there was enough blue sky ‘to make a pair of sailor’s trousers’!  A good sign.

We identified a rock which looked like it went steeply into the water so we could get our bow close.  Gar made a death-defying leap ashore!  Caroline followed and hammered pietons into crevices in the rock for us to tie the bow ropes to …

Meanwhile, Charles let out the stern anchor (which we never use in UK – we only have one at the bow) to hold the back of the boat steady …

Once we were safely tied up, we attached the bow ladder so we could all go ashore (without making a death-defying leap!)

Somehow we had found a perfect spot …

Perfect for walks round the island with all its lovely trees, mosses and lichens …

Perfect to sit and chat and look at the view …

Here’s another nice view …

… and another one – it’s all so empty and unspoilt …

Here you can see the ropes at the bow attached to the rock with pietons, and the anchor line going out at the stern.  This is the normal way to moor in the archipelago where there are many rocks and islands going steeply into the sea …

The weather got better and better – and it was a perfect place for jumping in from the boat …

… and swimming to some nearby rocks …

… a perfect day for lunch in the cockpit …

… and reading and sunbathing on the rocks …

Finally, we had a perfect wind to sail back to Nynäshamn …

Tuesday 6th August - To Nynäshamn

Now we’ve reached the outer edges of the archipelago around Stockholm.  We left our anchorage near Oxelösund early in the morning while all the crew were still asleep …

… and made a longish passage, initially through the islands, heading North.  We passed some lovely little bays where some boats were anchored, others tied up – bows to the rocks – Swedish-style …

The navigation was quite tricky at times - there were loads of islands and submerged rocks.  Sometimes it looked like there was just a vast expanse of sea ahead, but the chart was very ‘busy’ with dangers just beneath the surface.  Here we have to do a zig-zag through a narrow channel, marked by red and green buoys and a black and white beacon, avoiding the oncoming boats at the same time …

We found a nice little spot to stop for lunch …

… and some of us swam to the nearby island – the water temperature was 21°C, really warm! …

Later in the afternoon our passage took us outside the shelter of the islands, and the sea became surprisingly lumpy with an odd rolling motion, as you can see in this picture of an unusual junk-rigged schooner going by …

We were pleased to reach the calmer waters of Nynäshamn, where we spent the night …

Monday 5th August - Surviving the 'divorce ditch'!!

A perfect day dawned in Söderköping …

… and Becca and I went for an early morning walk (well, 8.00 am anyway!) up the Ramunderberget Hill to a viewpoint with an excellent vista …

… passing this rather curious sculpture on the way down …

Then it was time to go through the final two locks at Söderköping.  This is looking back at the very last lock actually on the Göta Canal …

So, we had survived the so-called ‘divorce ditch’, the nickname for the Göta Canal!  It earned this nickname from the troubles and arguments that couples apparently have while trying to navigate the many locks by themselves.  Perhaps it was just as well that we had Jo, Caroline, Becca and Gar on board!  It certainly helped to have plenty of hands when negotiating the locks and made the whole experience a lot of fun.  Apart from the first day, the weather also helped as it was mostly warm and sunny the rest of the time.

We just had one last stretch of canal to go – quite narrow and overgrown in places …

… till we arrived at Mem …

… and the final ‘sea lock’ …

This is just before we are released into the sea …

… along with a large clump of weed …

… and we’re out!!

The Trollhätte and Göta Canals together link Gothenburg on the West coast of Sweden with the Baltic Sea just South of Stockholm in the East.  We’ve travelled right across the middle of Sweden via canals and lakes, negotiating 65 locks in total – 6 on the Trollhätte Canal, 58 on the Gota Canal, plus the sea lock at Mem.  We’ve also been under numerous road and rail bridges, many of them opening for us, and plenty of power lines.  It took us 2 weeks in total and we visited many interesting and pretty Swedish towns and villages on the way.  It is quite an experience to traverse the middle of Sweden by canal, and feels like quite an achievement when you get out at the other end!

At first it didn’t feel like being at sea at all – it was flat calm, and just like being in one of the lakes …

However, gradually the wind did increase and we sailed part of the way …

… stopping at Oxelösund for stores.  We didn’t stay long as it was quite industrial and noisy with ships unloading, and the marina was very choppy with the moderate South-East wind plus the wake of passing ships – though it looks quite nice in this picture …

We motored a short way into the islands off Oxelösund, found a comfortable anchorage and enjoyed quite a nice sunset, though you could still see the industrial smoke from Oxelösund in the distance.

Sunday 4th August - Still going down!

Another day of canals, lakes, locks and bridges through lovely green countryside – very lush, sometimes reminiscent of Canada with all the pine trees and water.  This is where we anchored overnight in Lake Roxen, but a bit choppy for swimming this morning …

Here’s a lifting rail bridge, where all the overhead cables have to lift up as well as the track …

We’ve got our team work going quite well in the locks by now …

We stopped here at Norsholm for fuel and were tempted by this friendly café’s home-made apple strudel straight out of the oven!

We went under a 22m clearance power cable, which was a bit scary, and another 22m bridge – this time under the main E4 motorway …

… both of which we just got under with our 21m high mast.

We carried on through more pleasant, relaxing countryside, past this angling competition …

… through a sliding road bridge – this is quite an interesting view looking down the road from the canal …

… more locks …

… and into Söderköping, the last port of call in the Göta Canal, a busy little harbour with outdoor cafés along the waterfront.  The block of flats with a sort-of house on top is a converted grain silo …

Söderköping is quite an attractive small town …

… and the Church has an interesting separate wooden belltower …

We enjoyed a nice glass of something at one of the harbourside bars …

… and watched the sun go down.