Hej då Sverige! Onward to Denmark!

Fully embracing the warm, long evenings. Swedish summer is incomparable.

 Hans returned to the boat on July 15 and the whirlwind began. With a little luck and some coordination, we were able to share one last Swedish anchorage with Malin and Joel on s/v Grandiosa. Of course we had champagne and snacks, and, as always, lots of laughs and fun. Our engine had an appointment with the mechanic the next morning, bright and early at 07:00.

Matilda's new best furry friend, Stella.

green hair dye, the best going away present from Malin & Mr. Gorilla!

We weighed anchor a little after 6:00 and motored around the corner to the summer sailing mecca that is Marstrand. We had been there in the fall a couple times and the harbor was always nearly empty. Not so in the middle of July. Every slip was taken in the guest harbor and boats were rafted two to three deep. I went to the grocery store while the mechanic was working and was met with empty shelves!

The check-up was routine maintenance, necessary to keep the warranty valid. He did an oil change and various other checks. He also spent some time trying to figure out a computer glitch we seem to be having. Our engine is connected to our chart plotter/GPS/depth sounder so we can see RPMs, engine temperature, etc. on the multi-function display. That all works, but it also continues to flash alarming red messages at the top: engine oil low, engine overheating, etc. etc. No one can figure it out and Volvo blames Furuno and Furuno blames Volvo. Fingers crossed that the mechanic or the electrical guru at Boreal will figure it out when we're there in a few weeks. 

Our last hurrah in Sweden

We spent our last few day in Sweden with a visit from Hans's sister Åsa and her kids (unfortunately Henrik had to work so he missed out on the constant chaos and fun).  One night we moored next to the rocks and the kids camped ashore, another night at our favorite cow anchorage south of Marstrand, and the third night off a very cutesy, picturesque west coast island. The weather was gorgeous and the days were spent swimming off the boat, laying claim to small islands, playing Spot It, and generally relaxing and laughing. The boat was full with five extra people aboard, but the chaos and noise was worth it.

shucking oysters and hair braiding

spot-it and legos

Max flying upside down off a diving platform with PW in the background.

cousin love

New mattress, lots of food, let's go!

After dropping the Jynnesjö crew off  in Marstrand, we continued to a marina just south of Gothenburg. We needed to pick up our new mattress and get ready to sail south! The standard v-berth mattress on the boat was two individual mattresses that fit together to form a big mattress. Also, "mattress" is a generous term--they were really just two custom-cut pieces of foam. Ok for weekend sailing, but not a great solution for every night. Hans worked with a boat mattress company in Gothenburg to construct a multi-layer single mattress that fits exactly in the space. The original mattress is split into two to access the storage underneath, but we were willing to sacrifice ease of access for comfort. I have a very detailed and clear inventory of what we have stored under the bed and a comfortable sleep every night is well worth the struggle it might be to access the storage maybe once every two months. We've been sleeping on our new mattress for almost one month now and almost every morning when I wake up and comment on how wonderful our new mattress is!

New mattress in place, fridge and food locker full, it was time to sail south. Like always when cruising, it was bittersweet to leave Sweden and family, and the unique cruising ground of the west coast: the rocky, harsh, remote, secluded, uninhabited islands, but we were also really excited to start cruising--to point our bow to new places and start exploring.

Southbound!

Our first sail was about 23 hours, from Gothenburg to Korsor in Denmark. We had hoped to stop in Anhult, a little island between Sweden and Denmark, but the wind was good to keep sailing, so we kept sailing! We had hoped to land a little further west in Denmark, but unless we wanted to tack back and forth for hours, the wind had other plans for us. We sailed under the massive Storabaelt Bridge and found a spot in the big Korsor marina. 

The sail was rather intense. The wind was forward of the beam and was consistently blowing 20 knots. Both Freja and I felt a little seasick and when the boat is always tilted about 15-20 degrees, it's hard to find a comfortable spot that is also not sick-inducing. Hans did a great job reefing as needed and plotting the course. Thanks to our radar and AIS, night watches were easy even though we had to sail alongside and pass across a busy shipping lane. Even though the sail was physically challenging for me, it was also invigorating and fun. We continue to love Positive Waves and feel very secure, safe, and confident in her. So even though I felt less than great physically, it was an awesome feeling to really be sailing--passage making--knowing that the boat was taking care of us.

Our standard dinner for the first few days of a passage: cup of noodle soup.

There was a rather loud, continuous creaking sound when we were flying the code zero. When we were docked in Korsor Hans went up the mast to investigate and didn't find the source but found a new problem: the sheave at the top of the mast for the main halyard has worn. Need to replace asap! We saw obvious chafing on the spinnaker halyard, perhaps where the halyard exits the mast at the top. More investigation needed, but Hans has been in touch with Sparcraft (mast manufacturer) and they responded within minutes and will send someone to look at it when we're in Treguier. The loads are immense so the materials have to be strong and precise. It's imperative to always inspect and investigate the rig on a sailboat. Don't be lazy, don't write off any little sound. Investigate, investigate, fix!

Denmark!

And then we were in Denmark! New country, new language, and...LegoLand! Of course we had to take the kids to LegoLand when we were in the birthplace of Lego! The day was "epic" and the "best day ever." Kids, pay attention! Just another perk of the cruising life!

A lego replica of the Göta Canal!

Of course we went on the lego boats!

Watch out!

This was my favorite lego sculpture.

On the road to Legoland, a wildlife bridge. I've never seen or heard of them but Freja told me that they are getting more and more common and there are lots in England. (fact check anyone?!) Also, a very clear illustration as to why a border wall between Mexico and the US will not work from a wildlife perspective.