Sailing Positive Waves

Squeezing through a very narrow cut. As the days get shorter and colder, we're moving the boat less and getting more settled into daily routines.  The idea of being full-time water-based nomads imparts the idea of freedom and an open-ended lifestyle that can be changed at will, depending on weather and mood. For us though, the kids play a large role in how we plan our days and our cruising routes. Our kids, and I think this translates to most kids, love routines and rhythms. When they know what to expect when they wake up in the morning, they feel secure and in control, which in turn gives them some freedom in their days to be creative and learn and grow. If it were just me and Hans, we'd island hop till the water freezes over and make decisions each morning based on the weather. Cruising with kids changes that and we've definitely slowed down. So instead of continuing to cruise around the west coast, we've found a harbor that will be our winter harbor (we think) for at...

It's three days after the election and we're still waiting for results. I dropped my phone overboard. We've experienced a few days in a row of 30+ knot winds, twice. Covid cases are skyrocketing worldwide. It's a crazy start to the month of November.  I have this anxious feeling, one that I'm sure many Americans have, and I've been trying to stay busy to distract myself but that unsettled, sort of hyper feeling is still there in the background. At least last night I slept through the night without waking up multiple times to check for results. But, right. My cellphone is one meter under water, beneath our boat, settling into the sand and mud. Probably for the best. Here's hoping that by the time you read this blog, we'll know who our next President is and Hans and I will be sipping our bubbly. (It's in the fridge, waiting!)  We spent about a week in Gothenburg, sightseeing, shopping, and waiting for our ballots. The minute we received our ballots in ...

Sailing south down the lake. From the middle of Lake Vänern, we had about 90 nautical miles and one more canal before we were back in coastal waters. The Trollhätte Canal is a commercial canal that is open year round and generally uses as much of the Göta Älv river as possible to link the lake to the sea. From the lake we stopped in Vänersborg and then continued south to Trollhätten. The city marina is on an island with a beautiful park that has barbecue areas, a sculpture garden, walking trails, and a phenomenal playground. The kids played on the playground for hours every day.  Foggy sunrise in  Trollhätten. The playground in  Trollhätten. We're focusing on keeping this kid smiling and getting adjusted to the cruising life.    Trollhatten was a great place to tie up and spend a few days. Matilda was still upset about leaving Mariestad and so far she isn't convinced about the cruising life. She prefers to stay in one place, all the time. Pretty much the antith...

While the kids loved Mariestad and wanted to stay there for a year (or forever!), we were ready to move on. Hans and I have been looking forward to sailing around the islands on the west coast of Sweden, not to mention possible lobstering and Hans promises cod dinner every night! It has been fun to be tied up to the city dock in a small town, within walking distance to basically everything we need, but I much prefer to wild anchorages at uninhabited islands. Not to mention the fact that we need to get out of the middle of Sweden before it starts to get too cold. And icy. The first 2/3 of our trip across Sweden was through the Göta Canal; the second half will take us through the Trollhätten Canal. Much more commercial than the Göta Canal, and open year-round. After Hans had been back on the boat for a few days, we broke the news to the kids that we were leaving Mariestad. We promised them uninhabited islands, castles, and a big science museum in Gothenburg.  One last fika in Mariest...