Stockhom Skärgård (2010)

A collection of great pictures....

Taas — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 20:26:00 GMT

Three weeks of Stockholm Skärgård in a single gallery. For those who are too lazy to read all posts.... If you prefer your pictures on a Google map, click here.

That's it....

Taas — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:34:00 GMT

That's it, time to lower the colours and go home. Gåshaga marina is certainly worth another visit. If possible on 'own keel' and not on a Bavaria. Because you can say anything you like about Bavaria Yachts, but the handling doesn't even come close to a Catalina. Or an Etap, or a Jeanneau, or a Compromis or...

Volvo relics: Ericsson 3 & 4

Taas — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:14:00 GMT

Not far from our “home base” we have a special encounter. Moored at a conference center are the numbers 1 and 4 in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008/2009: Ericsson 4 and Ericsson 3. Being so low in the water, the 21 meter hulls look almost small. But with a total height of 31 meters, their masts are impressively high! I guess they're now used to entertain corporate parties... In the marina I heard one of them is for sale. Which of one is unclear - probably not the winner (#4) - and the price negotiable.

These are not boats to do what we've been doing....

Let's buy a Hallberg Rassy!

Stockholm

Taas — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:21:00 GMT

Stockholm is pretty neat. With 21% of Sweden's population (2 million), one of the few capitals in the world, where you can actually sail down-town. We took the boat right into the city center, even past the amusement park Gröna Lund - translated Green Grove - on the North shore. The city of Stockholm is built on 14 islands and we find a marina on Djurgården. Kungliga Djurgården (Royal Game - as in hunting - Park) wich is its official name , indeed is a large park. Not just the aforementioned Gröna Lund, but it also features a huge waterfront promenade and endless lawns. Some happy few have got their mansion at the waterfront surrounded by the park.

At the other side of the water - on the island of Södermalm - is the ferry & cruise terminal. The huge ship on the middle picture is just leaving...

Tight squeeze with a Swedish steamer

Taas — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:40:00 GMT

This channel is too small for both of us, really...

Saltsjöbaden

Taas — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 19:45:00 GMT

Late night picture of the Grand Hotel Saltsjöbaden from our place at the mooring buoy.

Saltsjöbaden - salt sea baths - was originally developed by one of Sweden's most well known family - The Wallenbergs - in 1891. The place is dominated by the Grand Hotel at the marina. The hotel - of course - is run by the Wallenberg family. The idea was to build a kind of - Monte Carlo inspired - Swedish Reviera. The French style hotel - inspired by the famous Hôtel de Paris in Monte Carlo - was even opened by the Swedish King Oskar II.

A better place to be is the KSSS club at Saltsjöbaden. The Royal Swedish Sailing Club runs the marina, as well as a club, here. Though the club is really good - gin and tonic! - it suffers from the same flaws that Sandhamn suffers from: “Too many snobbish nitwits, sailing for public exposure only“. Unfortunately I have to admit that one of my fellow Dutchmen was one of the worst. That he was barely able to speak English, must've been caused by the potato clogging his throat. He was complaining loudly to the wharfinger - a 21 year old and very busy chap - about 'halyards slamming against the masts of other yachts'. I think he expected the wharfinger to embark on a round of halyard purification.

Oooh how lucky we were to be on a mooring buoy this time! It's just a bit of a row to get back on board, every time you go on shore...

Rowing back to the boat on a mooring buoy after a visit to the KSSS club in Saltsjöbaden.

An attempt to put us on the map...

Taas — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 06:23:00 GMT

Stockhom Skärgård on a bigger map

Stora Nassa - solemn picture of the day...

Taas — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 17:18:00 GMT

While I'm enjoying a gin and tonic, perhaps a bit more about the 365 island that make up this mini archipelago on the outside of the Stokholm Skärgård. Stora Nassa largely is a nature reserve and not all areas are accessible freely. The entire group is owned by a single foundation, the “Elisabeth & Robert Nathanson Family Foundation”. Forester - or ranger - is a fisher Gösta Erikson, who occupies the largest house in the archipelago during the summer season. Interestingly, the group of islands is deserted during winter. The main reason for that is the fact that the - not so salty - Baltic Sea tends to freeze up during winter. We spoke two people who recalled ice skating from Stockholm to the outer islands.

More Stora Nassa

Taas — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:57:00 GMT

Stora Nassa

Taas — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:52:00 GMT

The astonishing beauty of Stora Nassa at the Eastern end of the archipellago.