Hello!
Yesterday the winds were very strong and we were not able to start the long trip to Gotland. We were stuck in Dalarö with the new crew and just relaxed and got to know each other. We ate some delicious ice cream, fueled up the boat and did some other small errands.
Around 2000 the wind slowed down and we sailed to another island closer to Gotland called Utö. That’s where we are at this moment. It’s rainy and wet and we’ll see how this day develops.
Cheers!
I asked Laura if she wanted to write something for the blog, mainly for other couchsurfers I guess. I got the text a couple of days ago and thought I should upload it. Here it is, from Laura:
I spent five days on Sofia with Isak. I first contacted him through Couchsurfing, came to meet him in Kramfors, got along great. The experience was amazing, I was hoping to go sailing before I left Sweden and Sofia made my trip worthwhile. Some days with the wind we needed to go straight south, some days just fighting against it, trying to go around it zigzagging, some other day just lying on the boat for two to three hours waiting for the wind to blow… sleeping or reading under the sun, enjoying the noise of the water while it moved Sofia… “That’s sailing” said Isak, smiling. And that is sailing: ability to adjust, think and rethink logically what you can do with the boat to catch more wind, patience. And, finally, enjoying the view, the sunset every night you find a piece of land where you can take shelter, how the water slowly calms down when the boat is approaching towards it. And the colors, the combination of water, clouds, islands and a few houses around… Postcard beautiful. And of course, Isak’s company, you really have to click with someone to be able to spend days together without annoying each other, and I think Isak and me understood what it was that each of us wanted, and so could let the other enjoy Sofia the way he or she wanted to, and that was the most important thing for me, I wasn’t bothered by anything during the trip, except maybe for the amount of things I broke on the boat (have to be really careful moving around on a bumpy trip). And to be able to stir, get the sails up, take the ropes in and so on. I have a lot of bruises on my legs from trying to stand straight while the wind was blowing almost perfectly for sailing, and I also have lots of pictures of it and I just have to close my eyes to see them, remember the feeling of drinking tea while the cold wind blows on your face… Very “skönt”. Thank you Isak and Sofia.
Good morning!
The windvane worked great yesterday, and made the very long trip yesterday possible. We got away at 0730 am and went to bed 0200 am.
I don’t have time to write more at the moment. We’re going to use the dinghy for the first time.
See you!
I made it to Gävle by myself yesterday and Johan joined later during the night. We left a couple of hours ago and that means I am back on my schedule! Great news, huh?!
I got help with fixing some stuff as well yesterday night and the boat is in better condition now than earlier.
That’s all for now! I’m still tired from too many too long days earlier and I hope i can rest this lovely day!
See you!