Today Lasse, Birthe and I sailed a creditable 122km (66nm) , with the help of the parasailor and a fair following wind. It took a while to sort out all the lines, sheets, and guys in the parasailor because it had been put away badly in the autumn, last time we used it, and also shifted around a few times in the “tidying up”. We also had a long day, leaving just after 7am and arriving just before sunset at 2050. Once again, the sun shone the whole day.
Unfortunately the parasailor caught on a securing wire on a shackle that had not yet been taped up, and in a fraction of a second, a tear appeared more than 1 meter long. Our resident sailmaker, Birthe, quickly got her needle and thread, and put in enough temporary stitching to stop the tear from running further. We carried on, the wind being too good to miss. Tomorrow we will get some sail repair tape in the excellent chandlery in Kalmar.
We all like Kalmar. It is a beautiful old city. Famous for it castle, among other things. In this castle, the treaty forming the Kalmar Union between Sweden (then including much of Finland), Norway and Denmark, was signed in 1397. This was a Union promoted by Margaret of Denmark to resist the spread of the German influence in the Baltic. it ended in 1523. At the signing of the Treaty, the Norwegian ecclesiastical authorities were represented by a Scot, who happened to be Bishop of Trondheim at the time. Trondheim discuss covered the Northern Isles at this time, and formerly also covered the Western Isles. It also has good shops, and as always, we need some stuff to keep us going to Bornholm, the danish island that is our next major stop!
The darkness falls in this anchorage, about 9nm north of Kalmar, and the birds here are chirping as if there was no tomorrow. Other than those sounds, there is a wonderful calm silence.
Sailing with Svalen 