The day dawned cold and grey. But we had to get to Dalaro because England were playing Wales in Euro 2016 and Richard really HAD to watch it. Plus I needed a reliable internet connection and power supply for work, so I donned my foulies and waterproof and we cast off around 8.30am for a cold and wet upwind motor to the tip of Orno – about 90 minutes of discomfort – and then a quick thirty-minute crossing to Dalaro, a charming but slightly larger town (this all being relative in the archipelago) just across the water. Looking very much like an old fishing town in Maine, Dalaro is rocky and steep with houses dotted across the island running down to several working docks and wharves. We turned past the southern tip, again negotiating a very tricky low-water channel with lighthouse perched right in the middle of the fairway by re-reading both the pilot AND Navionics before proceeding, finally turning to starboard to reach the Dalaro Marina, a tucked-away sweet spot with perhaps 40 guest places. Our lines taken without fuss with a four-person team of Swedish teens, two of whom we later learned were Afghani refugees, part of a government program to give work experience to immigrants. Again this gasthamn (marina) provided us with all we needed – internet, laundry, showers, toilets and even a sauna, which was a very welcome antidote to the damp weather. With similar showers and clouds forecast for the next two to three days, it was time to hunker down and catch up on the blog….
