Sat. 6/29.
Dept 10.19am arrive 4.53pm. 25.4nm. 4 hours 34mins
For a higher-resolution map of this route, click HERE:
The day dawned clear and sunny in Björkör and thus far we had seen no sign of Kaj, the diminutive park warden who lives in nearby Degerby and who makes the journey by boat to Björkör most days, weather permitting, to keep an eye on the livestock, mend the fences, trim the grasses and show visitors around the remarkable museum house which captures 19th century Äland life in amazing detail. But just as we were prepping to cast off there he was, with a twinkle in his eye and a lilt in his voice, like Tom Bombadil in The Hobbit. He wished us well and urged us to visit later in the summer, but didn’t seem eager to engage in protracted conversation.
So we cast off at 10.19am in clear and sunny skies with a not a breath of wind for perhaps an hour. But approaching noon it built to 8-10 but it was forecast to rise further, so we hoisted a reefed main and genoa. By 2pm it was clear the winds were going to stay light so we shook out the reef and averaged an easy 5.5kts until we reached Kökar. I’ve mentioned this island in previous posts so I don’t need to go into too much detail other than to say Kevin and I enjoyed an absolutely sublime sauna right on the water before a dinner of meatballs with boiled new potatoes and a arugola salad and for me, a bottle of white wine.
The only slight fly in the ointment was that I earned the ire of one of my neighbors by flying my drone over the harbor in the gathering twilight. I’m still learning how to operate this clever little gizmo but I guess having what sounds like an electronic wasp buzzing through the anchorage for 5 minutes is just too much for some folk. What can I say? Live and let live!
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