We are having a wonderful 11 day vacation with our daughters on the west coast of Sweden. How lucky we are with the weather 😃. Lots of sunshine, regular fine wind for sailing short stretches, almost no rain and no strong winds. This is very different with our friends in the Channel in France and Belgium and also in the Netherlands. Much more unstable with regular strong showers and lots of wind 😥.
Every day around noon we sail about 15 nm to the next beautiful place. Very relaxed 😊. We also know that we will stay in this area until Aug 11 because that is when the girls fly back home from Gothenburg. So we don't have to think about sailing back earlier because of a good weather hole. However, because of this we miss a very good weather hole for the German Bight except for 2 days, but more about that in the next post about the return trip.
We alternate 6 nights anchored in the beautiful nature of the Swedish skerries and 5 nights in a harbor of a nice town with fantastic restaurants 😊. How delicious you can eat here!!!!
It had been a while since we had seen each other for longer than a weekend. For the girls themselves it had also been a while. So the main emphasis in this vacation was to spend a nice time together with short sailing trips. That worked out very well 😊👌.
On Saturday, July 31, we pick them up from the airport in Gothenburg. We are in Långendrag Marina just outside the city center. Yesterday, with a strong wind, we went to the Lilla Bommen Marina in the city center itself, but it was completely full and there was certainly no room for our size boat. We take the streetcar to the center and a bus from the central station to the airport. We walk around the station for a bit. What a crowd, we are not used to that anymore. Also we are not so charmed by this part of Gothenburg with many roadblocks. Back from the airport we take a cab. That is cheaper and faster with the four of us. We are just in time for a bite to eat in the marina restaurant. The wind is still strong and we are rocking in the box. Nice to have both daughters with us again 😊.
The next day we motored against the wind out of the entrance to Gothenburg and then we sailed to the north in a lovely sheltered position using only the genoa. To a nice anchorage east of Björko. Eline and I take a nice walk around the island. In the evening we have a delicious meal from the Kamado Joe and we chat until late in the evening.
The second day we continue north. There is little wind, so all on the engine. It is very beautiful between many small islands and through Marstand. We would like to go to the small island of Åstol just north of Marstrand, but is there room for us there? Yes, fortunately there is. We have a very nice mooring and enjoy the sunny weather. In the evening, we have dinner at the Rökeri, a lovely little fish restaurant.
The third day we are able to sail well again further north outside with even a large stretch on the gennaker. We drop anchor next to the island on which Gullholmen lies and in the afternoon we go for a challenging walk on the island. Nice clambering and climbing with beautiful views. In the evening we use the Kamado Joe again of course 😋. A top day!!!
The fourth day we continue north with a light headwind and drop anchor in a quiet bay east of Smögen. For me, a somewhat too quiet and safe bay (a 'senior citizens' bay 😉 ) for this type of weather. So in the afternoon we look for a more challenging deserted anchorage between small islands closer to the coast. A very nice spot!
The fifth day we sail through the skerries the last part north to the marina of the small town of Fjällbacka. I know that friend Monique may be in the area with her family and they turn out to be here today as well. They drop by on the boat and we chat briefly. In the evening we eat in a fancy restaurant selected by Toine. A bit expensive, but also very tasty 😊☺️. After dinner we climb the mountain with a beautiful view of the town and the harbor with the setting sun.
What are we going to do? A little further north or a short distance to the sheltered anchor bay at Fälkon where we were 14 years ago with the Brandaan? The latter, because then we can also watch the final of the women's field hockey Olympic Games. Every evening we watch the one-hour summary and occasionally an episode of 'More than Gold'. In the afternoon we look for the spot where I also took a picture of the girls 14 years ago. How time flies 😊. This evening the Kamado Joe is once again serving us well, this time with the Candian beef.
The seventh day we sail back south after first passing through the narrow Hamburgsund on the engine. It is a nice sailing trip with half to high wind. To the sheltered anchor bay at Angholmen. Recommended to us earlier by the Royal Virgon, a Swedish HR39 that I know through instagram. A quiet evening in an empty Swedish rock landscape and a single seal coming to say hello to us.
The next day we continue to Fiskebäckskil. During the short trip it rains a little but then the sun breaks through again. I'm glad that I can get everyone enthusiastic for a brisk walk. Along the coast to Grundsund and back through the forest. We are all tired. In the evening we go out for dinner in a restaurant that is familiar to us. Again very nice and very cozy with good conversations.
The wind gets a little stronger and we decide to disembark the girls in Stenungsund so we don't have to go all the way back to Gothenburg. This gives us the opportunity to pass above Orust once more. We anchor at Vindön; the last time for now in an environment that has started to feel a bit like home now that we have spent 18 weeks here in the last 12 months 😃☺️. Again, Eline goes for a swim, as she has in most bays. And Eline and I climb the hill of the islet next to the boat with a nice view of the bay.
The last day we first hiked to a a Swedish Sommer Café by following the red and blue ribbons through the forest. I also took that walk the last day from Adams Boat Care. A nice cafe in a beautiful flower garden where we have a delicious lunch (and can immediately take shelter from a heavy rainfall). Then we sailed the last bit to Stenungsund and moored in the Gastenhamn. Here the girls disembark the next day. Marinthe in the morning by bus to Gothenburg and the train to Stockholm. There she is for a few days with Sam at the sister of Sam. Above in the picture the daily pose when she is catching up with Sam 😉 . Eline in the afternoon with the train to Gothenburg and the bus to the airport to fly back to the Netherlands. We look back on a short but very successful vacation together with our daughters. They have their own commitments and we will start the journey back to the Netherlands.