We left Mariehamn in glorious sunshine. Boats ahead of us on the radio were talking
of poor visibility and exchanging very clear references on radar readings. Sure enough around lunchtime we found
ourselves in the same dense sea fog and understood the radar conversations of
earlier. Not a good day for sightseeing
or photos. Visibility was down to about
40 metres and in fact a passenger ferry we spotted on AIS was completely
invisible through the fog. Other yachts
did however eerily appear out of the mist – some, given the conditions, a
little irresponsibly under full sail. The fog cleared in the afternoon and we shared an anchorage for the
night with Blonde Moment, Oojah and Shamwari; spending a very hospitable and
enjoyable evening with everyone on board the rather lovely yacht Shamwari.
A fairly relaxed start the next morning
arriving at the coolest berth ever at the Royal Swedish Sailing Club, Saltsjobaden. We virtually berthed in the bar, great music
(our era!) was playing and food from the restaurant was served on board if
required. A super atmosphere here, we
chilled with a bottle of wine listening to the music all afternoon and into the
evening (I think there may have been another bottle!).
A World Cruising organised trip to the Vasa
Museum on Sunday. Vasa is a ship that
sunk just off Stockholm on her maiden voyage in 1628. She was salvaged 333 years later. Due to the brackish Baltic Sea she is
perfectly preserved and is still 98% original displaying some stunning
craftsmanship. A great ‘moussey’ lunch
in the old town; mousse meatloaf, mousse meatballs for the boys and a bottle of
Mousserat sparkling wine – delicious!
Back into the archipelago en route to Kalmar.