Rock hopping in the Skärgård

The general advice given to sailors in the Finnish and Swedish archipelagos is to choose the next destination based upon where the wind blows.

As we left Mariehamn to return to Sweden, we took this advice, and set a course for one of the remote outer islands, further south than a direct route, but which gave us a great sail in light airs across the Gulf of Bothnia.

Sometimes, it is hard to visualise what an anchorage will be like just by looking at a chart. At least that’s the navigator’s excuse. What looked like a long inlet, full of places to swing, turned out to be a busy waterway, and a bit inhospitable. We dropped the hook in a corner, and heard it drag on granite.

At least there was a hasty plan B, and across the bay we found a lovely little cove, with boats tied to the rocks, leaving the bay in the middle for our anchor, and all enjoyed a late afternoon swim, followed by ‘safe arrival drinks’.

In the evening, the charts and harbour books were out. Now we had a choice of about a thousand islands for our next destination.