A 256 nm tour of the Stockholm Archipelago and the Åland Islands.
We all arrived at one of the largest marinas in the Baltic, Bullandö, late on Sunday afternoon. We quickly stowed the vast quantities of food and got underway, sailing downwind for about an hour to a quiet anchorage (Munko) for the evening. The next day set the pattern for the rest of the trip – morning swims, sailing through islands, finding a spot for lunch, and more sailing to an evening mooring. After anchoring on the first night, we learnt the Baltic way of dropping the stern anchor and nosing the bow just to the rocks and tying up to a tree or ring. A combination of Swedish and German pilots books, plus recommendations from one of Jo’s colleagues allowed us to pick our lunch and dinner spots. After the first night at Munko, we sailed past Sandhamn to Bjorkskar for lunch, then on to Rödlöga for the evening. The following day, still sailing downwind, we crossed to the Åland Islands, landing at Stegskär. We treated ourselves to a marina (and fish and chips) the next night, at the natural harbour of Käringsund, before learning to tack in slowly increasing winds the following day crossing back to Sweden, stopping opposite a military base on Styrjans Hamn. The weather turned from constant sun to occasional rain, but this didn’t stop us swimming and sailing via Granhamn for lunch, and then through some interesting inter-island passages to Paradisvik/Finnhamn for a sunset mooring. Our final day started with swimming in the rain, then we headed to Säck for lunch and losing each other in the forest, before finally heading to the Bullandö Marina.
Yellow Van Mountaineering 