5 August 2013, Corpach, and it feels
colder in Scotland than wherever....!! Well, it's actually quite warm
for Scotland but have had a few "scottish" = soaking days already
More than a month has passed since the last update; do I need to
apologise for those not present being a lower priority than those
present (including Siobhan and me)?
Leaving Nykoping, and nearly a week to go with Manfred and Ernest, we
started off with some sailing. With a route specifically planned to
include sailing, more than to get anywhere in particular, we set off
North for a big U-turn south. And sailing we did, far enough out to see
seals (only their noses), big ships, and rain squalls approaching, yet
close enough in for evenings anchoring in little peaceful corners of
paradise. Probably the best island sailing yet was had even if motoring
was a regularly recurring theme. Then on the last evening's spot I
decided that since our musicians didn't appear to be "musicianing" much
I'd get my guitar out anyway, and so it happened (contagion can be a
great thing) that the "song of Siobhan" was born, directed by Ernest,
loosely based on a wee lick I had been playing, and with instrumental
support of all! It is now up to me to come up with "voyage-bluesey"
lyrics, at which I've been slow to get started. So back in Valdemarsvik,
a farewell beer and pizza in the hamn-pub, and an early departure as the
lovely free berthing spot turned out to be the "rescue quay" and harbour
inspection commenced at 0900 at which point the harbour master
approached me in the supermarket and in an extremely friendly manner
apologised and requested I get on my way. Which I did. Alone as
planned and long due!
Starting off my "free week" between here and Copenhagen I realised I
needed some peace and spent a whole lovely sunny day at a secluded
anchorage (I'd been before) with no visitors, passing boats, or even
kayakers do disturb me. Glorious warm weather (sunshades only). Next day
a long stretch for Kalmar so I could be in wifi range for skyping Alex
on his 3rd birthday! So I "decorated the ship overall" so to speak,
hanging out all the flags of countries I've sailed to in Siobhan (two
masts full!) before making the call to show there was a party for his
birthday in Sweden too!
Picked up spares and shopping and on towards Copenhagen, one overnight
anchorage in the tiniest of windy rocky patches (this was definitely a
night-time entry I'd only do with the chart-plotter) and an overnight
sail/motor to be in Copenhagen by Friday to pick up Mariette and Bouke.
Forward plans to sail to Orkney had been jeopardised by
late-"cancellation" of other crew members, so an open plan with a strong
desire to end up in the UK somewhere... We started with a warm day in
Copenhagen, and due to the insistence of both crew that "sailign into
the (force 7) wind out of the Skagerak to Scotland was still the best
idea, we set off north with my intention to illustrate to them what
sailing into the wind is like in the much more sheltered waters of the
Kattegat. A message got through, and with one crew seriously seasick
most of the trip and the other at revealingly low activity levels (be it
with a brave stance), the anchorage was the turning point for a route
south to the Kiel canal again; this would give a better approach in
prevailing winds for the UK, leaving the Holland option open for crew
schedules. I witnessed an 0400 arrival of a UFO 31 as I used to have,
which reminded me of an altogether different sailing-to-maintenance
ratio!
Down to the canal lots of good sailing was had, including a day of
dinghy-only, pottering, and a rather large amount of beer consumed by
the crew... We ended up inadvertently alongside a large shiny plastic
powerboat at one point (sailors tend to go alongside sailors for some
strange reason), and the particularly friendly and civilised response
prompted us to try that again later with even better results! Though the
second time -in Germany- the initial response was luke-warm to put
it mildly, perhaps something to do with Siobhan being substantially
larger and heavier than theirs, the next biggest boat there, we left
with many more interesting conversations yet to be had.
An uneventful light-wind trip to Den Helder in Holland, my back damaged
and only partially restored (a bit too much sail-hoiking the last week),
a visit from good friend PM, Holland getting on my nerves at a
tremendous pace(*), and an opportune showing up of a crew (Rob) to share
watch-keeping with meant rapid departure for Inverness as my further
solo-pottering window rapidly shortened. (*: see as an example the story
of the Van Speijck mast outside the Navy college: proud hero worship for
a murderer and suicide bomber)
Once again it was often the engine which kept us moving north.
Especially the last stretch from Peterhead to Inverness was a bit of a
race to catch tidal windows and also stay on the good side of suddenly
forecast cyclonic then westerly gales all around us! Plans to make use
of the increasing winds for a blistering passage came to nothing as the
wind turned but failed to increase.
So now on the Caledonian Canal, where another bite was taken out of
solo-pottering time by a failure of the anchor windlass. A day lost
first dismantling the motor to investigate field repair, then hauling up
the anchor by hand from 35m of water (120m of chain), all in the sun and
drenching squalls of Urquhart bay in Loch Ness. From now on t-shirts to
be used only as thermal base layers... So I write this on the train from
Corpach to Glasgow, the spectacularly beautiful west-highland line,
where I hope to meet up tomorrow morning with the two remaining
Simpson-Lawrence windlass experts to see if the "modifications" done in
the Netherlands over the winter will allow for a repair or instigate
replacement. Travelling with a windlass in my bags, little change from
40kg I imagine. On return new crew will be there, so once installed (if
it all works) some short days in known waters are called for... so at
least I'm in the right place.
I think what I need for peace is a shack on a hill with a window, a wood
fire and little else. Is this boat-thing overrated? Should I just go
sail and tell no-one? Or perhaps the "Baltic" plan: sail direct to the
Baltic in June, drop anchor in a remote bay, and sit there for 1 or 2
months with just the dinghy for the occasional food-shop visit? Or
should I do this but in Scotland, i.e. without the 2 wee crossings? Food
for pondering, perhaps my 50th next year can be a trigger...
Riding into Glasgow, I will now switch my attention to how to get to
Paisley (where is Paisley?) to find a B&B, and enjoy a quiet evening
with only laptop and book. Solo-time after all!
Capt'n E remains at large.
28 June 2013, Nykoping, and it's still
colder in NL and Scotland than with us!!
We (Gilda, Siobhan, Roisin Bheag and I) stayed at Eko island for 2
nights, played around with the dinghy, explored uninhabited islands,
enjoyed the sun, and generally loitered. Wow. Two more beautiful
anchorages with sailing in between, gentle downwind, to an anchorage
near Valdemarsvik awaiting arrival of Ernest and Manfred of
www.2ofakind.nl, who arrived Sunday evening 23/6. After having spent an
inordinate part of the late evening looking at the near-full moon on one
side, and the fireworks of the set-but-roaming-under-the-horizon sun on
the other side we decided to stay another day for some gentle dinghy
amusement, persuaded by light winds from the wrong direction. (as we're
sailing along the intra-island-belt channel there's not much space for
tacking).
More beautiful stuff, till we stopped at a wee harbour hoping for
the possibility of a gig by our new crew. The gig was achieved, and
though the "reward" was only our harbour fees, they managed an audience
of some 30 people which must have been half the people within a radius
of 10 miles (and that includes camping-guests). Met a great couple and
(their daughter) from another boat (Saga), which made it all rather
special.
And then on, after a late start. Lovely further sail dodging islands and
rocks which ended up with fog progressively thickening until we sailed
into a late little anchorage, barely able to see the edges! Once the fog
lifted it turned out to be another mini-paradise... There's an
impressive range of little nooks and crannies to anchor in here, and the
weather is typically stable enough to do that. The wind direction does
occasionally change, but winds are gentle and the direction changes well
announced. Without tides finding the right depth to anchor in is
especially simple: if you drop the anchor in 3.5 metres of water,
there's still 3.5 metres in the morning!
Yesterday on to Nykoping where Gilda's friends agreed to pick her up,
which they did this afternoon, and now the remaining three of us appear
to be in mild remission (or is that recession?) lacking Gilda's good
caring and company. Quiet night, and off sailing tomorrow again. I'm
finding it rather strange to be not going anywhere even when there is
wind to go, but I'm slowly discovering that the continuous drive I tend
to have to go somewhere and do something does not leave much space for
peace and thought. Trying to adapt to a somewhat slower pace was one of
the big aims of this trip, in order to get my head around life current
and future in a somewhat more constructive manner; three weeks down and
the first signals are coming through. I do already realise that my
6+6week overall plan was way too short, but for now this will have to
suffice.
It is a struggle being without my son Alex, and I miss his smile,
attention, curiosity, and hugs (can't remember any negative points...)
Difficult to remind myself he's probably not a perfect mini-adult all
the time, so I don't. He is. I try to look at things through his eyes,
and though of course I don't have the foggiest clue whether I'm
succeeding it does make for an interesting point of view:-) Try it one
day: look at the world through the eyes of a 3-year-old! (well, on 9/7
he will be).
Unpacked the books-bag a few days back, having completed Paolo Coelho's
"warrior of the light" lent to me by Marjo, and have moved on to "Germs,
Guns and Steel" as advised some years back by Annemarie's Tim in New
Orleans: fascinating so far! But little time to concentrate between
dodging rocks, navigating, etc. so slow going. Another 22 books to go
(more titles another time).
Now getting (mentally) ready for a visit to the harbour's sauna..
updated// 17+19 June 2013, Kalmar and by Ekö island (Sweden), the
weather is beginning to match the season
A lot of things happened since last posting. Siobhan was launched on
May 31st, and after the small glitch of a prop pitch set incorrectly
requiring a lift out again, engine was checked, and as we prepared to
clear the basin for another boat a leak sprung in the hydraulic
steering. Good friends Edwin and Michael on board, and Marjo in
logistics support, and motored under emergency steering the 5 miles to
the outer harbour of Enkhuizen. Friday afternoon de-structing,
saturday morning search for a hydraulics hose company, and by saturday
afternoon the steering was fixed!! Well, clearing up de hydraulic oil
spilled would be another project, a few days later.. The next few days
spent tensioning rigging, sorting out "stuff" and general maintenance,
dinghy (which now has a lovely cover), putting on sails and having
some repairs done on genoa, all in excellent company and care (food
drink and entertainment-wise) of Marjo, Edwin and Michael of "Ocean
Conservation" fame. They joined, together with Mariette, for the trip
to Amsterdam, where Robin had meanwhile arrived and we tied up
alongside a grassy bank across from Central Station. Emotional
farewell, and onwards to IJmuiden. Han was dropped off by his family
(Martha, Chiel and Jamie) who soon left to allow us to have a meal and
a beer or two. And contemplate the "wind-on-the-nose" thing which
appeared to be waiting for us on the way to Germany/(Cuxhhaven).
The sail started with a quick return to the harbour wall's shelter to
stem a leak around a foredeck hatch. It appears the "climate
controlled" workshop over the winter was insufficiently humid, and the
teak appears to have suffered a lot of shrinkage. Let's hope a good
regular salty bath can restore this again. But then off, close hauled
as we tried to head north (i.e. NNE) to get a long tack around
Holland, to then sail in a single tack towards the mouth of the Elbe.
This went as intended, though a bit further out than hoped, and we
spent a good first night looking out for ships (global recession does
not appear to have hit consumer markets or shipping!), platforms, and
fishing boats. Interesting how as we deplete oil we need more
platforms, and as we deplete fish we think we need more boats. The
difference of course being that if we could stop fishing for say 5
years (now, not 10 years from now) quite some fish would recover, but
not so with the oil.
Approach to Germany's Elbe mouth was again a motorway of shipping,
though we still managed a rather pleasant sail for the 20 miles
upstream -with the tide, by sheer luck- to get to the entrance of the
canal and through the locks. Motored to a night spot where we tied up
in an idyllic village. Last free spot in a tight corner, with the keel
touching. In fact, each time a freighter passed through the main canal
the water level dropped about 15 centimeters and we'd end up listing
rather heavily until a few minutes later the water would return!
Made it out of the canal, bought some charts for Danish waters (I
know, leaving it a bit late perhaps, but the electronic ones were up
to date... and I don't trust electronics), and set off for a wee
"village" on an island called Fejø just north of Lolland. I presume
Lolland means lowland, and it definitely is.. Almost managed to
run aground and pick up a fish-farm mooring with the keel, but in
actual fact had a great and interesting day's sail. (Good we didn't
rush to get in before the pub closed, as there was none.) Next day saw
a late departure, and us realising we needed a non-stop to Karlskrona
in Sweden if Robin and Han (the crew) wanted to see anything of the
town before catching their respective flights. In the end arrived
after 1900, so early enough for a meal but too late for sightseeing.
Gilda (next stage crew) was waiting on the harbour wall, and joined
the ship.
It was a short and eventful week, and farewell's weren't easy.
I imagine perhaps a touch easier for me as Robin and Han were going
back to work on Monday again
Meanwhile the engine alternator would not charge the batteries, since
the refurbishment and rewiring had been done. Though the
generator worked fine, and the duogen also contributed its power, the
trusty aerogen wind generator was incapacitated as it had been
inadvertently head-butted by Han in the Canal... and yes: I tended to
his wounds before checking the Aerogen's damage! Luckily a last ditch
attempt prior to getting the electrician in was to check whether the
wires in the loom were correctly coded.. and they weren't! Fantastic,
so I swapped them and everything worked fine!!
Monday, after the good news of the alternator and the bad news that
rather noisy construction work was going on in the marina we decided
to head out of Karlskrona and on to Kalmar. Great day's sail, sunny,
reasonably warm, and apart from the first few hours all downwind. The
tempo of life already heading for a slower pace, at last. Entered
Kalmar just before dark, and looked around for a day including
shopping, coffee, and boaty stuff such as a pilot book for the
islands, and a GPS aerial for the laptop charting software, and more
for later projects ;-). Left this morning, fueled up (again) and had a
short (6 hour, downwind) sail to Ekö island where the anchorage -the
first of the trip!- is beautiful and peaceful, and perfect for
the first dinghy sail of the trip as well! This is what it was all
about!
happy now...
29 May 2013: IN Holland, and Siobhan
looks GREAT!
Managed to leave Aberdeen in
time, packed car, hooked up dinghy + trailer, drove down via
Edinburgh to Southampton for a sunny gardening weekend, then on to
Holland (well, a ferry to bridge the wet gap) and now staying with
friends on Orion, and preparing Siobhan for launching this Friday
(31st). All exciting, busy, just enough time to relax but not enough
to start reading yet. Name lettering was put on earlier today,
anchor chain spooled up, rig inspection tomorrow, and some dinghy
sanding and painting if there's spare time. Looking forward to being
on/in my home afloat!
12 May 2013: work reduced??? Promised to deliver a few "position
notes" before I go, silly me
Now busy wrapping my contribution
to another project, and tutoring Ionela for her course. And trying
to organise logistics so that my dinghy (now in Inverness) ends up
with a cover (not yet made) in Holland, my trailer (now here by the
house) ends up in Inverness, without the spinnaker and other sailing
bits, my car (now here) ends up in NL, but safely parked, the canoe
(now here) ends up where needed (still to decide) , I end up with
crew and time, my books and charts (mostly
here) end up on Siobhan and updated, my sailing gear and the double
berth and the
2 May 2013: work reduced so activity's picking up
The SKYE sailing weekend was a blistering success. Two good rented
boats, 12 excellent people. Not sun-blisters mind you, but merely a bit
of wind-burn and hail-rash here and there. Also quite a lot of food,
drink, and spectacular scenery along with excellent company. Sailed
under the Skye bridge and anchored for lunch off Eilean Donnan castle.
Just google that for pictures.
Meanwhile last day at Taqa past. Picking up the remaining bits of
another project tomorrow, for the coming few weeks alongside preparation
of pre-sailing stuff.
This includes: Ordering electronic charts for the Baltic, upgrading
software, setting up backup routine for laptop, select dinghy nav light,
new electronic flares (safer, better, but not yet IMO accepted so will
still need the usual continually expiring fireworks flares), logisitics
to get the "new" dinghy from Inverness to Oban, get a cover made, get it
from Oban via Aberdeen to Holland along with spinnaker, double (boat)
bed, sailing gear, a few boxes of wine and books, and generally a lot of
stuff. Polished canoe last week in the first "temperate" evenings,
awaiting decision whether it comes along too. Organise company paperwork
etc in preparation for being away. Get updates for paper charts (to do
on the way ;-) ) Think about all the stuff I still need to do on Siobhan
before the start such as hooking up holding tank, fixing battery charger
unit, servicing outboard, painting dinghy, seat and mattress covers, ...
Oh, and updating the website so it is worth reading again.
And then of course there's non-trip-related stuff like sorting out my
speeches, articles, and various philosophical analyses with a view to
publish, reading up on a few technical issues (pesticides, shale gas
risks, mass-marketing, NLP, hypnosis, conflict negotiating techniques)
and a lot more. And visiting a few friends in between if I can. Well,
never a want of something to do!
And as it is the intention that this trip will be more relaxed than all
those before, I better get some of this done because only the reading,
writing and philosophical stuff is to remain by next month!!
22 April 2013: kickoff micro-blog after 6 years silence...
Facebook announcements for coming Baltic and Scotland trip done; a few
potential crew already responded. More to go via email.
Website updates picking up where I left off in 2006, which does not seem
that long ago. That is worrying. I mean: several good sailing trips
since, a 2.8 year old son (!), major soul searching -but not yet
finding- regarding future career, built a sailing dinghy, and have not
ridden a motorbike in the last 4 years.
Busy at work, and a few weeks more but this coming weekend the start of
the sailing season: a long weekend sailing around SKYE! This should
confirm whether my Musto HPX is still watertight enough for another
season. It made the journey from Inverness to Amsterdam in October last
year, so good hopes. And merino-wool longjohns (icebreaker) just in
case.
Just a short note to kick off the blog, more to come.
Erik D.
