Baltic | Carra Tidings

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Nearly Abandonned on a rock

Posted on July 21, 2015 by samandmags97 Leave a comment

21^st July – After a bit of scrapping I was able to remove the black which was actually melted plastic not burnt fiberglass. But you could still see the ring of the BBQ in darkened fiberglass. But without the black it wasn’t so noticeable. Still very frustrating through. We had used the BBQ in exactly the same way many times – so not sure what caused it. So Cobb BBQ owners be warned!

Although we had moored there before, we had never explored the main Island of Rodloga. The main harbour was further round the island, so we jumped in the dinghy to explore and found a gem of a hamlet. Traditional red houses surrounding a rocky bay with one small pier for dinghies. Once ashore we followed a narrow path round the wooden houses that appeared to be nestled amongst outcrops of rock to a very well stocked shop – the basics and a delicatessen. It even had Duchies Originals, plus Digestive biscuits….. it is amazing what you value when living abroad!

By now we were virtually the last boat to leave. So with just the 2 of us it would be interesting as the wind was blowing her off. The challenge was to remove all the lines whilst holding the boat and get back onboard. I held the boat on a short rope whilst Mags clambered around the rock and removed the stone hooks and warps. She then held the short rope and I got back on board. Just as I did, there was a big gust of wind. I rushed back to the engine controls as Mags thought she was about to start water skiing from the bow. Thankfully I was able to bring boat close enough (after some helpful encouragement from Mags) for her to get on board. So I just avoided leaving her stranded on the rock!

The wind was bang on the nose so we decided to motor sail down the channel to our next harbour. The anchorage at Lokoa was hidden behind an intricate rock strewn entrance. The rocks of the bay were already lined with boats so we decided to anchor in the centre of the bay.

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Finally Proof that she is Mad

Posted on July 20, 2015 by samandmags97 Leave a comment

: Mags is the red spot between the 2 buoys

20th July – We awoke to the steady drumming of rain on the hatch, and I was just contemplating turning over when Mags was up and about with swim suit in hand. The water temperature wasn’t exactly hot…a chilly 16.6C. Anything below 22C isn’t even an option for me. It clearly was cold judging by the expletives that were uttered on entering the water. I assumed it would be a quick dip then out again, next thing I saw was her doing laps of some distant buoys….. quite bonkers.

The rain passed and the sun came out – there was a gentle breeze and we wound our way through the rocks. There was a marked difference in the scenery, the islands became smaller and less inhabited. With only 14nm to Rodloga it didn’t matter that we were pootling along.

In the distance there was a very dark ominous cloud, we were still enjoying the sunshine but it was getting closer – then the wind died it was clearly being sucked into the weather system. It wasn’t long before we heard the rumble of thunder. We took down the sails as there are always severe down drafts under thunder clouds. We also put the handheld gps and mobile phones in the oven – this should hopefully protect them if we were stuck by lightening. With the engine on we would reach our destination faster and I would rather play lightening roulette with other boats around rather than being out on our own – is that uncharitable of me? The storm was 20 miles away, then it was 8 miles away it was getting closer, then the rain started, but thankfully the storm just past behind us and we emerged into the sunshine and we entered the fairly straight forward Rodloga natural harbour.

We had been here the year before with the Baltic Charter and we ended up in exactly the same spot. There was quite strong cross wind so we were quite pleased to have someone ashore take the lines. Mags set off like a mountain goat round the rock banging stone hooks into various crevices and with a rope from our stern to the shore we could brace her against the cross wind.

The evening skies cleared and the harbour was bathed in glorious sun, which really brought the red colour alive of the traditional houses on the main island.

It was soon time to fire up the Cobb BBQ which is designed not to get hot so you can put it on the deck. After dinner in the cockpit it was time to clean it. To my horror it was stuck the deck. The bottom plastic had melted to the deck. After quite a force I was able to remove it, which revealed a great big black circle and burnt fiberglass. There were only 2 reasons to be thankful. Firstly it was on the locker lid, so worst case we could replace the locker lid and we were able to remove the BBQ – I suppose it could have been a lot worse – we weren’t happy though. We have used our BBQ many times before on the deck and never once had this problem. We banished the offending item ashore to cool down.

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Summer Cottage Spotting

Posted on July 19, 2015 by samandmags97 One comment

19^th July

It wasn’t quite the sun kissed weather we were hoping for this holiday as we left marina kitted up in our oilies. The weather forecast was 14-20 knots with the risk of gust over 20 knots being 73%! Amazing the level of accuracy 73% … if only it was correct….as it was gusting over 30 knots regularly, though technically they were correct. The Swedish weather forecaster clearly don’t feel the need for any more detail above 20 knots.

We sailed along the main ferry route into Stockholm though in the opposite direction making our way out to the outer archipelago. You might be imagining a massive boring wide channel, but no, the contrary was true, a pretty route with islands and very narrow passages. Quite impressive that the ferries weave their way through undaunted.

With the wind behind us and just the yankee set, we had a lovely sail through the islands. Along the route you get the ideal opportunity to look at all the drop dead gorgeous waterside properties. Initially main homes but as you get further away from Stockholm they are summer cottages – though some are mansions but some are no more than a hut on a rock…. Or in this case a very attractive hut.

We dropped our anchor in the tranquil deep bay on the island of Sjalbottna – with high rocks overlooked by some lovely summer cottages. The one in the banner picture had a buoy for a large boat, a sauna by the waters edge, a beach and the house on the cliff over looking the bay… that would suit us perfectly. The clouds parted and the sun came out, so we finished the day with dinner in the cockpit wearing shorts

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The Floating Ocado Delivery

Posted on July 19, 2015 by samandmags97 Leave a comment

18th July

The car was full to the gunnels with all sorts of boat stuff which we had been gathering in the house. I am a regular shopper at West Marine in Seattle – so amongst our boat goodies was a second anchor which I am sure must have raised a few eyebrows in American Security. We were taking the overnight ferry from Turku to Stockholm – which is a beautiful crossing through the Turku and Stockholm Archipelagos and the Aland Islands.

We had planned to sail that day – but both of us were shattered after numerous drunks decided to argue/ yodel outside our cabin on the ferry – plus it was raining and there was thunder. Neither of which made the idea of a sail very appealing. So we decided to stay put and chill- after all it was a holiday. We provisioned the boat and found the local chandlery ( as clearly we didn’t have enough boat stuff), and I spent the rest of the afternoon making up some permanent mooring lines.

We emptied the car – only to fill it up again – as Carra had acted as a big waterborne Ocado Van from the UK and every spare space had been crammed with everything from bottles of wine through to washing liquid – all at a fraction of the price of Finland.

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Baltic Bits

Posted on July 12, 2015 by samandmags97 Leave a comment

The lack of tides mean that the Baltic opens up many new types of mooring which are made easier with having the right set up. Whilst it will take a while before we pass as natives – having the right kit at least makes it easier. We bought our is Sweden as the kit is readily available and possible the one thing that is actually cheaper than the UK.

Bow Ladders – given that most moorings either in marinas or tying up to a rock mean that you come in bows to – the only way to get off safely is by using bow ladders. This prevents sprained ankles and makes it a very easy process. But it doesn’t stop the heart failure as you bring your boat within a meter of solid granite. Ours are made by Batsystem.

Mooring Hook – in many locations your stern is tied to a buoy. There are 2 types of hook. One which is just an open hook – which works as long as the hook is under tension – which is more difficult to handle if you are short handed. The other has a safety catch to lock it onto the buoy.

Stone Hooks and Hammer – If you are tying up to a rock then these get hammered into the cracks to give you a point to tie up to, as trees aren’t always in the right place.

Self Locking Safety Hook – this is used around trees and allows you quickly tie up to a tree. The hook is on the end of the rope and you hook it back on the rope. The hook doesn’t open when under pressure and needs to be bent 120 degrees to open it up.

Stern Anchor – All the locals use a bruce anchor, but the next question is what size should you get? We have a 20kg anchor with 2 m of 10mm chain for 42ft boat. The size is also determined by what you can handle without giving yourself a hernia.

Anchoring Davit – whilst this isn’t essential – it certainly saves our backs and the gel coat. Ours is made by NOA. It folds down when in harbour.

Anchor chain holder – a convenience tube to store the chain

Ankarolina – very useful for stern anchoring or when mooring to a buoy when short handed. When it is running out Mags hands it to me and I don’t have to worry about it tangling up. Likewise when bringing it up the reel makes it easy to store. Ours is 56m and 35mm width.

Rubbing strake ropes – Box moorings are very common in Denmark and Germany and boats designed for the Baltic have rubbing strakes. An alternative is to use wide rope suspended along the length of the boat. You can either buy them ready made or make them yourself.

Useful chandleries:

Sweden: SeaSea, Watski,

Denmark:

Kit and Kaboodle

No words needed….

Posted on June 22, 2015 by samandmags97 One comment

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Tied to a Rock

Posted on June 21, 2015 by samandmags97 Leave a comment

21^st June

The procession of boats that had left on Friday were clearly all returning back to their marinas and we seemed to be the only ones going against the flow. Hopefully this would mean that our next stop would be fairly empty. We motored into a gentle breeze and about 2 hours after leaving Sandon we arrived at Trasko Stora. It had several places to moor against the rock and if we chickened out we could always anchor in the middle.

First we needed to decide where to go, there was one spot which looked perfect which had recently been vacated by a motor boat. Our first attempt was less successful and we had to pull away just about 2m from the rock as I hadn’t quite judged that the wind would blow our bow off – so we reversed, up came the anchor and we started the process again – at least it kept the locals entertained. The second time around we were successful and Mags stepped onto the steep rocky shore with a line which she tied to a tree and she then hammered a stone hook into a crevice to secure the second line. We feel like we have now passed the Swedish initiation test – mooring onto a rock.

It was a tranquil spot and the sun came out and was actually hot enough for shorts. After lunch we tried to explore the Island but without crampons we weren’t going to get very far. So we retreated to the boat, just as a single hander sailed into the anchorage and moored on the rock next to us effortlessly… it was very impressive. It will be a while before we are that proficient – if ever!

Mags had her usual afternoon zizz and I cleaned the boat. I went ashore to take some photos and ended up talking to the single hander – who shared his top recommendations for places to visit in the Archipelago.

Dinner in the cockpit – without the cockpit tent ( a first this year) rounded off by a beautiful evening sky.

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A Floating Bastu

Posted on June 20, 2015 by samandmags97 Leave a comment

20^th June

We awoke to the steady drumming of rain on the deck, which wasn’t conducive to going sailing. Plus there was next to no wind so it was a rather lazy start to the day, breakfast in the cockpit – 3 cheers for the cockpit tent. We watched the optimist ‘match racing’- well drifting to be precise. It is fantastic to see how the island is set up – it has a 4 little Oppies for kids of the club to sail. By lunch time the rain had stopped and finally the sun came out.

We explored the other half of the island – which was covered in blueberry bushes which will be ready for picking in about a month or so. We were just watching the world go by when the Club Captain came by to talk to us – so we now have a good understanding of how the Island functions. He also gave us some good advice –stay out of anything marked blue on the chart unless you are mooring. We have certainly landed on out feet when we picked the marina – particularly as when we put our names down on the waiting list we had no idea about the club’s island.

The Bastu or Sauna like in Finland is a great tradition. There is private one on the island but the common one is floating, which is a clever way of avoiding the building regulations which prevents any new building within 300m of the shore. Our British visitors (and Mags) will be pleased to note swimming costumes are worn in this one as it is open to all.

The mid summer pole should have gone up yesterday – but the weather was miserable so they had the ceremony today – with children singing and dancing round the pole. Where as yesterday most had stayed on their boats prior to the party – today with the better weather the club element became much more apparent as the island came to life. It was lovely just to relax on the boat after our hectic travels earlier to get to Sweden.

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Home Sweet Home

Posted on June 12, 2015 by samandmags97 One comment

7^th June

With an evening flight to Finland we had an early start on what was our last leg of the journey from Kiel to Stockholm. The wind direction had changed overnight and was now coming in directly through the entrance – so there was a fine chop on the water just to add to the fun.

Our route out was a little more complicated than coming in as it had 2 dog leg in it which thankfully were marked with leading lines. Sorry it was too scary to even think about taking photos!

My “mastery” of Swedish extends to understanding the Swedish weather forecast – which is more than I can say for the Finnish equivalent. I have to give their forecasters the prize for the understatement. The weather forecast was SW to W 18 -24knots with risk of gusts over 20 knots 80%….. given that is was regularly gusting 40 knots meant their forecast was true but not very helpful. But Carra takes these kinds of conditions on with relish – and with 3 reefs in and the staysail we were very comfortable. Mags with her cattle prodder on full belt ( see the post of XX) was able to go down below to produce Bacon butties which were most welcome.

On passing one rock and I mean a rock I thought I saw a chair – Mags got out the binoculars and it was infact a toilet…

Most sailors will recognize the phenomenon that means the wind is always coming from where you need to go. Well on this cruise we have been very lucky is has always been behind us but today the wind was on the bow – but again our luck has held and we have been able to be on one tack all the way up a fjord ( not sure Sweden has fjords).

Exactly a year ago to the day, we had done the reverse of the route with a group of friends from the UK. The narrow canal cut though felt even narrower when a large motor boat decided to overtake us in the middle of it…. I had indicated to him to stay behind us, but as he passed us at the narrowest point I gave a thumbs down sign to the driver – his wife look embarrassed – he just didn’t look at me!

We wound our way through the islands, narrow passages and with the scenery changing from the remote archipelago to banks lined with houses as opposed to summer cottages and then by about 2pm we had the first glimpse of our marina, which is to be our sailing home for the next few years. We had been allocated L62 – but when we arrived it was clear that it was not going to work as the access to the berth was way too narrow for our size of boat and with winds gusting 40 knots it wasn’t wise to try. So we found an alongside berth that was free. It is a club rather than a commercial marina so it doesn’t have visitors places, also the harbour master is only there during the weekdays. So we left them a note explaining why we had had to abandon her there. We checked with near by owners that it was free and we just hoped that we would have left before an irate owner turned up. So after 700 nm we have made it from Kiel to Stockholm.

8th June

A phone call to the office and thankfully they managed to find us a new berth 2 away from the spot were we had abandoned Carra. A great relief!

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Short Cut or Long Way Round

Posted on June 12, 2015 by samandmags97 One comment

6th June

We hadn’t really appreciated the beauty of Ringson when we had arrived late last night. Judging by the movement of the top of the trees it was clearly windy outside but it wasn’t apparent in this sheltered haven. About half the banks were bounded by reeds and exposed rock in the rest, some of which had a few boats hanging off them and a couple of boats at anchor it – clearly we weren’t alone in thinking it was an ideal spot! If we weren’t on a timetable we would have happily have spent a few days here chilling out but……

We had been warned about the mud that would be on the anchor so we had the deck wash set up and it was all cleaned before stowing. By 9am we were out of the harbour, the sails were up and we were speeding along at 7.5 knots. There was a rain shower and out came the Sowester (fleece lined Mags would add)

Going anywhere in Sweden there are 2 ways: the long way around and then the short cut – the latter always involves very intricate routes, and this was no exception. Doing this at speed wasn’t an option – so we stowed the yankee and put a second reef in and it made it less of a white knuckle ride. It is amazing that it can go from 54m to 3m in a very short distance. Once the other side of the islands we then were exposed to an uncomfortable swell which meant sailing downwind wasn’t an option… on went the motor, down came the sails. After an hour or so we fell under the shelter of the island of Uto and so lost the swell and we were soon cruising along at 6 knots with just the yankee up.

: A narrow entrance – and you can see only the rocks that are above the water in this picture

: Looking out towards the entrance at Gronskarfladen

We had a lovely sail through the outer edges of the Stockholm Archipelago. The entry into Gronskarfladen was narrow, shallow and a dog leg thrown in for good measure. When visible rocks above the water are only 3 metres either side of you, it concentrates the mind! We dropped the anchor about 8pm and soon had a beer in hand, relaxing in the cockpit.

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