I find it always funny, how archipelago sailors talk about “The crossing” from Sweden to the Aalands. As if it were a major ocean crossing. In fact it is less than 40 miles, but for the seasoned Skargard sailor, this is a big distance of open water indeed.
Our efforts proved to be a beauty this time.
To start with, we motored out of the Mariehamn channel and at some point were under 2 kts boat speed, because the waves and wind were dead against us. A bit worried about our plan A, we pushed on though. After setting sails with the 2nd reef in, things got settled and we essentially covered the distance in 2 tacks, beating into 15 – 20 kts of wind – in beautiful weather. All in all, a really great sailing day