Saturday 12 January 2008

Green Onions

Sailsalsa is about two things... and salsa is one of them. Mostly, sailing is dinghy sailing - which for me is an annual chance to get out and have a blast -but this year we took a day trip to Lökholmen - 'Onion Island'.

Well.. it wasn't going to be Lökholmen. When we slipped the mooring and headed off to follow the other boats (3 cruisers + two hobies) we had a different plan. I was crewless till the last minute when Karin hopped on board and so we set off after the others in a really fresh breeze. Mata Hari sails like a dinghy.. in a blow you just haul everything in - kicker, outhaul, backstay (cunningham if you like) - until it's all as flat as you like and then point her where you want to go... upwind.

Closehauled, but not all that level we were soon abreast and heading in what we thought was the right direction as the others seemed to hesitate between the islands.. until eventually the tender caught us up to say 'Lökholmen'. And where is that... We hove to to check out the chart until my brain woke up and I realised that it's the island off Sandhamn where we stayed a couple of years ago. But that's quite close?! So let's go the long way...

And so we set off after Håkan and Johan to round Sandhamn and come in from the southeast instead. A beat to start with but once we dropped off a point or two a really nice reach.

Still, it wasn't too long before we were dropping sail off the Archipelago's premier sailing venue and pottering in to the (other) guest harbour. The Cats and the tender were already there - which meant the grill was lit and the beer was chilling on the waterline. Perfect!

Getting out again was more interesting after someone dropped anchor over my anchor line.. and we struggled to free it with half the harbour watching - but such is life. And the short route back was the first time I'd sailed through the NW gap to Sandhamn. Cosy, with oncoming traffic and a big cruiser itching to motor past.. :-)

But I did like that first stretch..

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1 August 2007
Vindalsö - Lökholmen
Paul, Karin