Week 35 27 August – 2 September 2018 Arendal – Väderöarna-Kråkholmarna 143 nm

27 August Monday Arendal – over night to Väderöarna and then Grönemad just north of Grebbestad 71,7 + 8 nm
We left the Norwegian coast at Arendal just as the sun set to time the approach to the Swedish coast to sunrise. The forecast predicted gale force in the morning and wind turning from southwest to southeast during the night.
We set the wind vane to 120 degrees which gave us a very southerly course in spite our goal was almost due east. During the night the change of wind direction turned our course slowly to east with the wind vane still steering 120 degrees. Very comfortable and easy! At daybreak we had to adjust and sail closer to the wind as we now sailed almost north east.
Just as the sun came above the horizon we had Väderöbod just over our bow and an hour later we had managed to get in among the numerous skerries and tied up to a jetty in Strömsund, a narrow channel between two islands. This is a place we have visited many times before and we have many memories, starting already in the mid -70 with our first sailing boat.
We slept for some hours and then continued across open waters into the coastal archipelago in an open reach in the now increasing wind. A fast run the eight miles we had to go.
Tied up in a little marina where friends Britt and Kent lives and had a nice welcoming back to Sweden. We visited this place during our first month leaving Sweden May 2005, thirteen years ago. Had a very pleasant afternoon and evening with lots of Swedish delicacy and memories from long time ago.
We had an early evening as we were not really adapted to normal sleeping hours after our last nights offshore since leaving Scotland.

28 August Tuesday Grönemad – Dannemark 14 nm
Quiet night as the wind died before midnight. Woke up to a somewhat cloudy morning.
Very nice to read all nice emails we got from friends in Sweden and abroad whishing us and Moon welcome home. Thank you very much for your nice thoughts!
We had morning coffee up in the house and then borrowed Kent’s car and drove into Grebbestad for some stocking up. Came back with supplies and our friends came down to Moon for a farewell.
We then motored slowly south through a silent archipelago admiring all the reddish/pinkish islands around us. This is really the prettiest archipelago in the world! We are really happy to have the best sailing grounds around us, coming back after all these years.
In Dannemark we met our Australian friends in Blue-Heeler, waiting for us on a mooring ball. They have been in the Baltic and had just passed Göta Kanal from the Baltic Sea to the west coast of Sweden. We met them first time on Hobart Island in Tasmania and they later visited us in Malaysia when “rebuilding” Moon.
Had a salmon dinner in Moon while talking about everything that has passed by since we last met. It’s somewhat odd to meet far away friends with their boat first day back in Sweden!

29 August Wednesday Dannemark – Bohus Malmön 15 nm
Another cloudy morning with no wind. Four boats on mooring balls in the bay that was like a mirror. After lunch we left the bay and motored south, while Blue Heeler had to go across the border to Norway on a “Visa run”. Norway is not a member of EU, and by crossing the border they then are allowed to have the boat another fifteen month in the EU.
We very much appreciate to have this nice and protecting archipelago around us. No ocean swell and lots of narrow passages where we could enjoy the sceneries close by, giving us a feeling that our long trip has far from come to an end.
In the afternoon we arrived at Bohus-Malmön where our friends from s/v Balance, Kicki and Staffan welcomed us to their boat house. Two very pleasant days followed with lots of food, walks and fun times together with them and some new and old friends.

30 August Thursday Bohus – Malmön
The morning started a bit cloudy but soon the sun came through and raised the temperature from a clear sky.
Spent the day with our old and new friends, in total nine people, taking a long nice walk and later having dinner together.
Not being used to that many people close by we were almost exhausted when we in late evening went back to Moon for the night.

31 August Friday Bohus Malmön – Karlsvik, Näverkärr 3 nm
After breakfast we had the whole group in Moon for coffee and a close look at our home. Moon, being a Koopmans, is not common in Sweden so everybody was of course curious and very polite positive to what they saw.
Had lunch when everybody had left and then we motored around the neighboring island to meet our friends in s/v Chess.
We anchored and soon we saw them on AIS tacking their way up north from Gothenburg and rafted on Moon shortly after. We have been sailing with Chess every time we have visited Sweden during all these years and now it was very nice to have this get together. Had a pleasant evening together with Marie-Louise and Bill.

1 September Saturday Näverkärr – Härön 23 nm
Nice weather in the morning with some clouds. After breakfast we took a long walk ashore as the sun became bright and clear for the rest of the day. Back in the boats Chess untied and sailed south to our next bay, half way south to Gothenburg. We have to remember that they are still working and have to be back in town by Sunday evening.
We soon after weigh anchor and started south, following a more easterly route to be closer to the small and nice settlements on the islands. Very little wind but still we got a knot extra out of the head sails motoring south in between the islands. Arrived in our planned bay in time to get the anchor set before Chess came and rafted on our port side.
Had an anchor dram before s/v Lana with Jörgen came and rafted on Moons starboard side. Jörgen is another of our friends from Gothenburg, today alone as his partner was visiting grandchildren in Denmark.
Marie-Louise had prepared a delicious salmon and again we had a very delicious meal and a pleasant evening.

2 September Sunday Härön – Kråkholmarna 9 nm
Absolutely no wind when we woke up and again sunshine from a clear sky. The summer has not come to an end!
Had breakfast in the cockpit. Our raft had very convenient turned around Moon’s anchor to let the sun shine into our cockpits, very much summer temperature. After breakfast Annika used the dinghy to clean the hull sides from the yellowish layer that develops from time to time in brackish water.
Our friends left us for work tomorrow and we weigh anchor and motored some miles north east to anchor on our own for one night. Found a nice quiet place in Stigfjorden where we put the hook down and had a quiet afternoon in the sunshine and no wind.
We really enjoy revisiting all these well known places. Especially this time of year when most boat owners have gone back to school and work.

Annika & Björn