I made my way to Arholma, the northern end of the archipelago this morning, very nice!
It was not very far and since there was no wind at all in the morning, I decided to motor slowly up the 6 miles or so. I left at 7 am and it was beautiful. There was a totally calm sea that looked like glass or oil. Stunning. Not something to tell the grand children about, but a sense of calmness that I will remember for a long time (OK, OK, the diesel was banging in the background).
I will also remember the fact that the white smoke came back, only for 2 minutes or so but it was quite bad. I believe now that it is the head-gasket and not water in the diesel, but to be quite honest I don’t believe my diesel mechanic-knowledge that much. Mhm- we’ll see how it goes and I will consult “the book” again.
Arholma Österhamn is a very pretty small harbour, actually just a jetty for about 20-30 boats. It has 2 archipelago style toilets, a sauna and a place where you can leave your rubbish – that’s it. On the other hand it is only SEK 100,- per night which I believe it is good value for the mooring and the most pretty view into the bay. I am just waiting for the sun to set and the I will try to capture that Scandinavian light that is so wonderful.
Arholma has a few walks around and across the island and I believe I marched them all. The island has a yearly population although it is not very large. One thing that is striking, is the fact that it is actively used for agriculture. There are fences and fields (mostly for fodder though) all over, which is very unusual for the islands on the archipelago and I can hear sheep in the background.
Arholma was used as a defense outpost during the cold war and at it’s northern end you can still find some installations. Interestingly enough, the Swedes used Daleks in their efforts against the Soviet.
