Christmas & New Years aboard Positive Waves

A few nights ago we stood at the highest point on an island on the west coast, about as far west in Sweden as you can get, and greeted 2021 with fireworks, cheers, sparklers, champagne, and, most importantly, friends. In reality, we were about ten minutes early, but after a year that made us question so many fundamentals of life that we take for granted, jumping the gun by ten minutes didn't seem like a big deal.

Goodbye 2020

I have mixed emotions about 2020. My life changed, certainly, but it was manageable (at its worst) and wonderful (at its best). There was, however, a constant undercurrent of what ifs and a much higher than normal level of uncertainty. Although the news didn't acutely affect me on a personal level, a daily read of the newspaper was distressing to say the least; it's hard to stay positive and hunky dory when a large percentage of the population is grieving and hurting. However, compared to the majority of the world, 2020 was a good year for us. Hans stayed employed, albeit super stressful at times, especially in the early days of the pandemic when I was wiping down each grocery item with a bleach-y towel and he was disinfecting his keys and phone and the doorknob when he came home from work. Those were strange (and very clean!) times. We started the year off with my mom living with us and getting some quality time together that feels even more special now; Freja flew to Florida to spend two weeks with her Florida friends; we were able to do a test-run of homeschooling with full support and assistance from the teachers at the kids' school; we sold all our stuff including both cars and the fishing boat (very bittersweet for Hans); and we flew to France and moved aboard our dream sailboat!

We closed out 2020 with a week spent with family for Christmas and another five days sailing with friends among the islands on the west coast. Covid didn't derail our plans to move aboard our dream boat, but it did isolate us. I am a very social and extroverted person and covid brought that to a screeching halt. It was so wonderful to be with family for over a week--to share laughs, have adult conversation, and commiserate. We made new memories and laughed at old ones. It felt so good to be connected with other people again, and not on Zoom or Facetime. 

Christmas traditions, now aboard our new boat. 

 

 

Things got a little wild and cabin fever-y before Christmas. Matilda! Get out of the fridge!

Making a Christmas present for Freja with help from an older cousin.

lunch!

Christmas Eve walk, lots of cousin love.

Classic Swedish Christmas food.

Matilda loving her first snowball fight. Unfortunately we haven't had any snow yet; this is just what they clean off the ice rink.

We try to go ice skating at least once a year, but usually it's at a small indoor rink. It was fun to try skating on a proper rink.

The end of 2020 also brought two new Covid vaccines, one of which Hans will receive when he goes back to the States to work at the end of January. There is palpable hope in the air and my Facebook feed is filled with photos of friends getting their vaccine jab. I saw photos of Christmas trees being torched, kind of like a big F you to 2020. How satisfying. 

Yes, 2020 was different, but overall it was very good. 

Hello 2021

We all made resolutions for 2021, a practice which can seem trite, but to me is a perfect little reset button and concrete way to bring optimism into the new year. I enter 2021 knowing that I am supremely lucky and privileged. 

Midday sailing in Sweden in December. Cold, and a perpetual sunrise/sunset.

The kids are on Christmas vacation from school, so we took advantage of their break to leave our winter dock in Smögen and sail north along the coast. It's so easy to get stuck in a rut, and the same is true for living on a boat. We were very comfortable at the dock and didn't really consider going out sailing until our friends Malin and Joel on s/v Grandiosa invited us on a New Years cruise. We met them at the small island group, Väderöarna, about 20 miles north of Smögen and enjoyed some classic cruising experiences: shared meals, hikes, coffee, good conversation, and lots and lots of laughs. The weather is cold, to be sure, but our boat is built for cold weather sailing so it's just a matter of wearing the right clothes outside and to keep moving. Hot drinks also help! We've been solo sailing since we launched Positive Waves in July, so it was really special and fun to spend a few days buddy boating with friends. A cold, but fun preview of what the future holds for Positive Waves and her crew.  

Ringing in 2021 with Freja. 

Oysters, harvested earlier in the day, grilled for NYE dinner. With a near full moon in the background. Not too shabby.

Happy New Year! Welcome 2021!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caption this!

Happy New Year from the crews of s/v Positive Waves and s/v Grandiosa! Cruising friends are so special. Friendships are made quickly and they are strong. Dinner together many nights in a row, adventures during the day, and the kids are all part of the fun and games. We learn from each other, help each other, rely on each other, and, most importantly, we have so much fun together.

The tiny village on Storö, one of the islands in the Väderöarna island group.

Hans and Joel harvesting oysters for our New Years eve dinner.

Typical afternoon aboard: reading, legos, with the radio in reach to listen for a call from Mr. Gorilla on s/v Grandiosa.

A rock labyrinth on Gluppö.

Hello seal!

A little coffee shop on Storö

NYE anchorage

The kids found a message in a bottle! Written by a girl about their age in Kent, England in October. She included a photograph and her address so Freja and Matilda can write her back.

Matilda's preferred method of transportation.

We can see for miles from the peaks of the islands.