After a few weeks of intensive social life with parents and a few old friends, we all agreed on it as we’ll done. So, rebooked my return flight to Paris and then Papeete. However, there weren’t any seats available in a good week, which left me with the nice possibility of a week off, just by myself!
Considering different possibilities, I came to think of the SXK (Swedish cruising association)-SXK.se- who has 4 IF-boats(Int’l Folkboat, i e the GRP build, still the most numerous kellboat class on the planet I would think.
These boat set are for rent, and one of them, ‘Tant Storm’ is at Fliskär Marina in my home town. Phoned the guy in charge and to my surprise the boat was free, at prime vacation time! That’ very sad for sailing, but a great boon to me. For a whopping 150€ Or SEK 1400 she was mine for week!
My first ever sail was in-77 or -78, in these waters. A weeken sail with my girlfriend, her little sister and the Mother skippering. After that weekend I was lost for life, with the sailing bug and bought my first own boat a the following spring.
Anyway, after an extremely cold June, the forecast was now very favorable with high pressure system stationary over Finland and NE winds veering to SE after a few days. Light winds, so decided to go to windward heading north the first couple days and then tacking back. A Folkboat without spinnaker isn’t much fun to sail downwind on light air. That plan worked out well, and I visited some beautiful spots… Storjunfrun, Eggegrund, Björn (all old lighthouse islands with plenty of history) and Kuso kalv, Limön and then finally Granskär, the home for the sailing club and SXK regionally.
simply wonderful to sail a Folkboat again, being close to the water, quick response and a nice heel going to windward. I owned a sistership for some 5 years until 2006.
Enjoyed a good wood burning Sauna at Storjungfrun, grace to STF(Swedish tourist association) and all in all had a great little holiday.
The archipelago in Sweden and Finland is a truly unique sailing area, have yet to find something to challenge it’s status, in fact the whole area could, and arguably should be declared a world heritage sight. At 59-66 degrees North, the season is a wee bit short though I have sailed more or less full time from early May till the end of September a couple years before heading out for true blue water in 2009.
s/v Nanna Voyaging under sail 