Sun. 07/21/19
Dep. 9.33am Arr. 4.44pm. 42.3nm 7 hr. 11mins
For a pdf of this route, click HERE
Blido is a compact and charming small gasthamn which I have mentioned in these pages before, but the real tale of this passage was the passage itself.
Crossing the Baltic can, in theory be quite daunting given the unpredictability of the conditions, but Sunday July 21 dawned bright and clear and the wind was forecast for 12 knots on the beam. It promised to be a gorgeous day’s sail and so it proved. We hoisted sail barely a quarter of a mile outside Rodhman harbor in Finland and didn’t put them away again until we were 400m from our destination in Sweden. Under cornflower blue skies, with temperatures in the high 60s and a moderate swell, we enjoyed a dream of a passage, averaging just over six knots all day long. The 42 mile passage was eaten up in just over seven hours with Mark mainly at the helm, grinning like a demented fellow at how good the conditions were.
There was not much other traffic out there, just a few cargo ships and the odd ferry on the horizon. It was not until we were well within Swedish waters that we saw any other leisure vessels, and we came into Blido without fuss, tying up on the stern buoy and securing our lines, ravenous for a good meal at the excellent restaurant, Blidohamnkrog https://blidohamnkrog.se/
just up the hill which doubles as a harbor control. After the more Spartan options in Finland it was clear we were back in a more luxurious part of the world from the exotic cocktails on offer. I don’t remember exactly what we started with but we soon moved on to some ice-cold rosé and pizza while Richard opted for his usual choice of minute steak with béarnaise sauce and fries. Finland is great. But so is Sweden!
Leave a Reply