Spent a day at the small island Malön , 30 nm south Gothenburg.
This island is a result from the last ice age with all sorts of stones,
neatly sorted by size in interesting formations. Coincidentally today
a sheep farmer shipped around 50 animals to the island.
Greetings. Finally – we spotted signs of summer. Nature is following its diary,
and we are enjoying every part of it.
12 C – still chilly but some folks actually endure these temps!
Fantastic moonshine – regret we didn’t continued sailing…
Common Ejder. As always, ducklings appear May 6th!
2h challenging walk – we made it
Every challenge is relative. Today we defeated “the summit” – Brattön. No fancy
climbing equipment, no oxygen bottles, no sherpas, only us and a desire to see
the beautiful scenery. This time of the year, government employed cows grace
the 130m high field of green grass. I guess they are hiding somewhere or maybe
finance policy means this year they stay at home. A couple of reptiles compensated
the lack of cows.
Slowworm
Hepatica
Anchored N Brattön
Tussilago (Tussilago Farfara)
Finally nature is back on track. Everywhere there are signs of spring -
migrating birds, leaves crackling, flowers, pale sailors firing a BBQ, t-shirts
rather than thermal wear etc. Enjoyed last “safe” weekend” at Vrångö
marina.
Rowan, just about to crack its leaves
Well, no clue, but rather nice?
Safe means you don’t have to worry about congestions, i.e. 4-6 boats moored
together. From now on, with settled weather forecasts, we head for anchorages.
Entrance to Vrångö marina
Probably the best deck planking on the planet?
Nice downwind sail!
Walpurgis can be everything from sunny spells to freezing, windy days.
This year, no surprise, meant the latter. This house at Björkö used fishing
floats to pimp their garden. At distance you might think there is a kid party
with balloons everywhere.
Arrived at Läsö – after a wonderful sail, and our favourite spot was free.
Just a few brave sailors around.
One of the wild cats greeted us upon arrival.
These cats are nostalgically called “Ship cats” with the six toes claimed to
be the proof. Sadly, the six toes is a very common sign of in breeding.
You might think this small island with ~ 1900 souls, hopelessly left behind urban
development and hope for a bright future. No worry – they actually now got a Läsö
University, most students look a bit old though.
.
Arrived safely in Skagen, northernmost tip of Denmark. 5 sailboats in the marina due
to to windy conditions. But as always, this a nice treat with lots of restaurants,historic
places and a feel of continental lifestyle.
THE place to visit is Slagter Munch (Butcher founded 1905). Here the ritual states,
one “Postej“ (Liver paté), a nice lamb steak and maybe a nice bottle of wine to go with it.
A day walk in Skagen requires some food. Vise Värdshuset, at the main shopping
road offers a Danish speciality, pan fried sole, herrings, both on rye bread smaller
than you can imagine, accompanied with Ålborg “Red” (Aquavit) and beer.
Really necessary after all exhaustive walking.
An annual ritual. Anemone hepatica is a rare flower in most of Europe, fortunately Björkö, N Gothenburg archipelago, has some blue spots. This years dry months of Feb-Mar means spots rather than blue seas. Anyway – a very nice view.
Some Friday evenings, sailing is all about distance, the further
you go the better. This weekend we opted to prioritise “time to harbour”.
Which meant we headed for Brännö, 5 nm from our home mooring,
an anchorage fulfilling our key needs – safety, excellent walking and
a very nice pub/restaurant, Brännö Värdshus.
We are still experiencing a very cold spring, night temps ~ -5C, day
temps around +7. But with some shelter during day you can actually
feel the sun heat. This weekend, we hoped to experience lamb births,
about 2 weeks delayed due to the cold weather. It seems the temperature
was still too cold so we have to wait for another opportunity.
Anchorage S Brännö
Complete retreat!
Maybe tomorrow?
Strange propeller tree!
Rhododendron about to blossom
Anchor chain breaking the ice
