Yesterday, we sailed northwards from Dönsö, with the intention of finding a safe place to ride out the gale forecast for the next 3 days. After rounding the western tip of Marstand island, we caught 3 small mackerel in the open area before the rocky south western tip of Tjorn. A tasty supper!
We thought we could find shelter in the bay inside of Ingegärdsholmen and Sandhomen, but the buoys were taken and the bay was full of eelgrass so anchoring doubtful in the forecast gale. We looked at mooring to a rock, but the water was too shallow for us.
The navigation is interesting around here, not much room for error.
Some of the passages are rather narrow, and you certainly have to respect the buoys.
I have never sailed so close to rocks before! Having decided that the Sandholmen anchorage was not for us on this occasion, we continued to Skärhamn, where we have been before and where we had arranged to meet Dorthe and Brian on Wednesday. But as we approached, we saw a "harbour full" sign. We thought we'd look in to see if anyone had left, but the place was full of wooden boats! We'd hit a wooden boat festival, and not a free mooring in sight. We considered anchoring in Sunna holme, a little further north, but that is open to the south and south west! So we sailed through Kyrkesund (where we fouled our prop not so long ago), and found a little harbour called Ängevikens Marina. It's just a little place, and guests normally moor outside the breakwater. The harbourmaster was very friendly, and suggested a mooring inside the harbour in view of the impending gale. This we readily accepted.
We have really found a marvellous place here, well protected from the gale blowing outside. We are surrounded by cliffs all around us.
We went for a walk on the cliffs overlooking the marina today, and looked out to sea where the seas were breaking over the rocks. Surprisingly, some brave souls were still sailing!
We asked the harbourmaster where the nearest campsite was, for Dorthe and Brian to camp with the boys next week. He suggested they could pitch their tent just round the back of the harbour, on a meadow that goes down to the water's edge, and free! He also offered us the loan of his car tomorrow to do some shopping at the nearest "landhandel" some 7 km away.
The proposed camping pitch.
We have to decided to stay here a while - until the end of next week at least. Afterwards we will probably start the homeward journey. I'm sure we'll be back here one day though.
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