Sun 6/30
Dep. 11.47. Arr. 6.0225. 3 nm. 6h 15mins.
For a higher-resolution map of this route, click HERE:
The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.
I often use that old chestnut to provide solace when the day’s sailing was not great or the destination is suboptimal, and that was certainly the case today. When we rose a little after 6.30am the water was like glass. With a 24nm passage ahead of us there was no need to start early, so Kevin and I walked to the Seafarer’s Chapel a couple of miles away to enjoy the peace and reflection of a house of worship and marvel at the well-tended graveyard, with almost every headstone brightened by a posy of local wildflowers. This being Sunday I stuck my head inside the chapel to see if there was a service, but we may have been too late – or too early. But I stayed there in quiet contemplation for a moment or two and was rewarded by the organist playing a couple of lovely ecclesiastical works that I remembered from my childhood but could not name. I sought him out a little later than thanked him for making my day.
We departed Kökar a little before noon and motored for just over six hours across a glassy sea to reach Jurmo. The wind was right on the nose so we averaged less than 4kts, and when it did arrive, we discovered the island is just a speck of land of no great appeal unless you are a birder, because it is an avian sanctuary. The compact harbor can fit perhaps 30 boats and there were perhaps 15 there, mostly Finnish flagged. The only event that livened up the boring landscape was encountering a herd of alpaca which supply wool for the island’s cottage industry of making soft but warm scarves, mufflers etc. One in particular took a liking to me and tried to hump me. I guess it was my lucky day.
With the wind rising we hunkered down on Arcturus for the evening. I made lemon risotto for dinner and caught up with some work with the wind beginning to howl through the rigging.
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