I got to Vaxholm and finished my summer’s journey. It was a fantastic month going to Höga Kusten, to visit Eija and Peter in Finland and to do some longer-legs than I would in the archipelago.
I visited many new ports and anchorages and I can truly recommend the tour. I was lucky with the weather and had more or less ideal conditions. The southerly persisted throughout, which meant a fast and easy ride up north. The way down was a bit more complicated, but at least I could lay my daily destination without too many tacks. Yes, there was some rain on the way, but in general it was shorts-only on the way up and shorts and a fleece on the way back south.
Höga Kusten is lovely and I wish I had more time to spend there. I guess, you can spend a month in the area and not get bored, as it offers not only lovely bays and islands, but also great walking tours. The nature park I visited was only a one-day visit and I am sure you could spend a few more days to explore it even more. But I also loved Ulvön and Trysunda, the only 2 islands I stopped over. I am sure, there is more to explore and I guess, I will be going up there again in the future.
Crossing over to Finland and sailing down the Finnish coast was another experience. Long stretches without other sailors was the thing I noticed most. On most days, I did not see more than 2-3 sail-boats in the distance. Only when I got into the Aalands, things got more lively and the harbours were over-full.
Akka did her thing and she did it very well. There was not one moment where I felt uneasy or overwhelmed. OK, we did not encounter a storm or anything like that, but we did have good wind almost all the way and in some situations 25+ knots. She is an old lady and with that come some sailing disadvantages. Pretty soon she gets overwhelmed by strong-ish winds and we are always the first boat to put a reef into the main. Her pointing abilities are not the best, but we do get there in the end.
I could not have done the journey on my own without 2 things. The autopilot was a must to steer me around the 570 nm. But I also would have been out of my depth without BBC Radio 4. It was basically constantly on- I am now an expert in the fields reaching from “Farming Today” to “Women’s Hour”.
Which brings me to single-handed sailing. I don’t really like the solitude and it was a challenge to spend so much time on my own. Except for a week, I have spent now 2 months on Akka on my own. The single-handed sailing was not a problem though, although I did not encounter any hairy situations. Coming into a harbour is always a little bit stressful and doing this on your own can be tricky at times. But, I always managed it, sometimes with the help of a friendly sailor. Not being able to share the great moments is the main problem. A great sunset, a beautiful view, a good days sail are so much more enjoyable when you can share the experience. I am very much looking forward to the next visitors.
I am sure to go to Höga Kusten again!
