After Moja we headed west to begin the bittersweet last leg of our journey. There are plenty of quiet little spots to enjoy before reaching the important island of Vaxholm, which marks the final entrance to the Stockholm area. Given our experiences on the east coast of Moja the night before, I was determined to find a deep, quiet, peaceful spot with no small harbor entrances, no swells and no ferries. I quickly decided on Loknasviken on the north east coast of Varmdo because on the map it looked like a deep, sheltered fjord cutting far into the island. No crosswinds or hairy 360 turns here, I thought.
Our pilot guide describes Loknasviken as a ‘deep bay sheltered from all but north-easterly winds’ but added that anchoring choices were either bows-to on the rocks or swinging from the hook. However, when we poked our nose into the bay we were happy to see another option. At the bay’s far end were a dozen masts and what looked like a jetty with stern mooring buoys. Clearly this was a new development since the Arholma-Landsort guide was published and very welcome it was too. After effortlessly docking we cracked open a bottle of wine and toasted a trouble-fee mooring for the night. The dock has no facilities and the gate to the neighboring property is locked and razor-wired, so don’t expect to do your business anywhere but on board. A large SKK flag flew proudly at the end of the dock (Svenska Kryssarklubben, or Swedish Cruising Association), which meant it was one of their properties, which was also good news for us, since I had taken a membership for both the boat and myself before I left California.
The dock has a handy swim ladder at one end – an invitation for a swim that did not need repeating. I dove in, cooled off, and surveyed a peaceful, bucolic scene around me. Time for a gin and tonic….
This bay seems something of a secret – nobody else pulled in after us – and it’s a great stop either on the way in or on the way out of the archipelago.
