{"id":1545,"date":"2022-09-01T03:30:50","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T03:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?p=1545"},"modified":"2022-11-09T04:05:12","modified_gmt":"2022-11-09T04:05:12","slug":"first-half-bad-second-half-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?p=1545","title":{"rendered":"First half bad, second half good."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>June 21st, 2022. It was about 9pm as I approached Grepen Marin in Oregrund in&nbsp; my rented Volvo SUV.<\/strong> And I was feeling good. The ambience was classic Swedish summer: empty roads, a long, sunny twilight, the faintest breath of wind in the air. Winding, leafy lanes and clean, crisp air. The prospect of a long, adventurous summer on the water ahead of me.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"354\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/oregrund-sign.gif?resize=500%2C354\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1563\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The start of something&#8230;disappointing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp; Thanks to the epidemic the last time I was in these parts was August 2019. That\u2019s three years apart from my beloved Arcturus and I couldn\u2019t wait to go sailing on her again. 90 minutes earlier I had picked up the Volvo from the Hertz office at Arlanda Airport and now here I was, barely able to contain my anticipation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1108\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zW369Avjh98?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp; Until I reached the parking lot of the boatyard and saw my boat was still on the hard. It was Tuesday evening and I had guests arriving from LA on Saturday, and I needed to get a lot of work done in the interim, plus Thursday was an office work day for me.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/oregrund-on-the-hard.gif?resize=600%2C450\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1561\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">On the hard&#8230;where it shouldn&#8217;t be<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp; I had emailed Grepen Marin half a dozen times since January telling them exact date of my arrival and requesting the boat be launched by then. No answer. But there was nothing unusual in that. I had kept the boat there since 2018 and they were poor communicators, but the work I requested was always done and the boat was always in the water when I arrived. I brushed aside my disappointment, climbed up the ladder and stowed my gear. There was a box of red wine on the cabin sole that I had left there three years previously. After making an inventory of work to be done and unpacking, I downed a glass. It was still very palatable. So I had another, before slipping on my eye mask and turning in for the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How VERY un-Swedish<\/h4>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/on-the-hard-2.gif?resize=600%2C450\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1560\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">I&#8217;d rather not see her bottom right now, thank you.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp; About 8am the next morning I found an employee of the yard, Daniel, who looked very sheepish and was quite evasive when I asked him, very gently, why my boat was not in the water and when I could expect her to be launched. He told me, in the round-about way Swedes sometimes do when they are uncomfortable, that the boatyard had changed hands since my last visit, and that he knew nothing of my launch schedule, but that with the Midsummer festival just two days hence (the biggest party day in the Swedish calendar) the earliest they could launch would be \u2018next week \u2013 maybe\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp; This upped my blood pressure considerably. Turns out the new owner was a man named Robin, and he \u2018should be in later today\u2019, but Daniel couldn\u2019t say when. To make matters worse, when I had woken up that morning and put my right foot on the cabin floor I got a searing pain shooting from my heel that made walking \u2013 and doing boat work &#8211; very challenging. &nbsp;To make matters worse I thought I had left a pair of hard-soled topsiders onboard but they were nowhere to be seen, only some very flimsy flip flops and water shoes or the hiking boots I had arrived in. To add to my discomfort, the boatyard surface was mainly cinders. It was excruciating simply to fetch water or walk to the bathroom. But &nbsp;more of that later\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/oregrund-robin.gif?resize=500%2C375\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1562\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This is Robin, the unapologetic homunculus\/troll who &#8216;runs&#8217; Grepen Marin. Avoid him at all costs&#8230;. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp; Robin did show up later that day and studiously avoided talking to me as he did his rounds of the yard, forcing me to corner him in his office and ask firmly but politely, if he had not received my messages and, more importantly, when the boat could be launched. He denied receiving any emails, a claim I know to be untrue because someone had responded to one just a few days before when I told them my arrival date and time and requested the key code for the showers and kitchen. Worse, he took zero responsibility for his lack of communication and when I asked him for the key to my storage unit behind his office, he claimed he had no idea where it was. Later he came up to me and told me the storage unit was unlocked. I looked inside and saw a bunch of stuff that was NOT mine \u2013 sails, lines, shackles, assorted hardware, etc, ON TOP of my belongings. Turns out Robin had sublet my space. Without any discussion with me, and no discount on what I had paid!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp; In America of course many of us would start shouting, threaten legal action, promise bad reviews, etc but in rural Sweden that approach simply doesn\u2019t work. I realized that Robin would never cooperate in any way, and that if I were to get my boat into the water and out of that yard, I had to try to appeal to Daniel, who did at least seem embarrassed by the shocking treatment I had received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1108\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sG8xsolOhFs?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Thank you, Daniel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp; After a few conversations with Daniel I gleaned the news that when the previous owner, Lennart, had decied to retire there was a power struggle between the two senior workmen, Robin and Daniel, for ownership of the yard, and Robin had won. But they were both power boaters and knew very little of the needs of sailors, who comprised perhaps 25 of their clientele. Worse, they had not had a rigger on the staff for more than six months. So even if I could get the boat in the water and the stick in, I could not get the rig tuned. Every time I saw Daniel in the yard over the next two days I approached him and asked him if he could find the time to launch the boat himself. He finally relented and agreed to come in early Saturday morning, after the previous evening\u2019s midsummer celebrations, on his day off, and launch the boat for me. But he was adamant that he could not put the mast in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So by Saturday 10am the boat was in the water. Fortunately she floated and the engine started first time. I hastily did some last minute chores before heading off to Arlanda to pick up my guests, Mike and Murielle, local Los Angeles sailors. On the train ride back I told them my tale of woe and they were wonderfully understanding and flexible. You gotta love sailors! So we used Sunday to show them round the charming town of Oregrund and provision. Late Sunday evening I moved the boat to a prime position under the boatyard crane, and when the crew arrived, with a long list of boats they needed to rig, I simply told them I was not moving my boat until they put the mast in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/oregrund-stick-1.gif?resize=600%2C800\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1575\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Getting the stick in at last<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp; This simple bit of leverage worked, and thankfully while Robin was complaining about my attitude two or three other boaters arrived looking to get their boats in the water. This made him work a little harder and a little faster and by 11am the stick was in. They refused to put in the mizzen, but no biggie, I could do that myself. I tightened the stays as best I could. Took one last look at my storage unit to see if there was anything I needed and left the rest for Robin to deal with. I fired up the engine and left that boatyard, never to return. They still haven\u2019t sent me a bill. And I doubt they ever will. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>June 21st, 2022. It was about 9pm as I approached Grepen Marin in Oregrund in&nbsp; my rented Volvo SUV. And I was feeling good. The ambience was classic Swedish summer: empty roads, a long, sunny twilight, the faintest breath of wind in the air. Winding, leafy lanes and clean, crisp air. The prospect of a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1560,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7wHME-oV","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1178,"url":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?p=1178","url_meta":{"origin":1545,"position":0},"title":"A Day at the Opera&#8230;","author":"Becoming Salty","date":"August 23, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Sat. July 20, 2019: When I visited these waters in 2018 I was lucky enough to strike up a conversation with Christian Juslin, a leading Finnish operatic tenor, through a chance meeting at the harbormaster's office in Rodhamn, a charming little island just a few hours sail from Mariehamn. Christian\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Rodhamn-sauna.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Rodhamn-sauna.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Rodhamn-sauna.gif?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":382,"url":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?p=382","url_meta":{"origin":1545,"position":1},"title":"Home for the winter&#8230;.","author":"Becoming Salty","date":"August 20, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Winter storage. The Swedes have a word for it and that word is Vinterf\u00f6rvaring. In this part of the world boats have to be lifted out of the water, the engine and water systems must be winterized and the vessel should be covered or, depending on your concern about the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"on the hard","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/on-the-hard.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/on-the-hard.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/on-the-hard.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/on-the-hard.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":968,"url":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?p=968","url_meta":{"origin":1545,"position":2},"title":"\u00d6regund to Grisslehamn","author":"Becoming Salty","date":"July 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Tuesday 6\/25\/19. Dep: 4pm. Arr: 7.30pm. 19.5nm. 3h 30 mins For a higher-resolution map of this route, click HERE: Kevin getting to grips with the helm The long summer days at this latitude allow sailors to really pack in a full day. It\u2019s quite routine to put in a 14-hour\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/grisslehman-kevin.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1583,"url":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?p=1583","url_meta":{"origin":1545,"position":3},"title":"Paradise(t) found","author":"Becoming Salty","date":"September 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"bows to at Paradiset\/Idholmen Wednesday, June 29th: To many local sailors, the large and beautifully sheltered bay of Djupfladen is known simply as Paradiset. I\u2019m sure you can guess the Swedish translation of this word. This bay is about 450 meters wide and long and served by narrow entrances to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/paradiset-arcturus-1.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/paradiset-arcturus-1.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/paradiset-arcturus-1.gif?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1617,"url":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?p=1617","url_meta":{"origin":1545,"position":4},"title":"Why The Gota Canal?","author":"Becoming Salty","date":"October 12, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"ON YOUR OWN: overnighting by Hulta Slusss Since I started sailing in Sweden in 2016 I have been told many times by Swedes and foreigners alike that although the East Coast and Stockholm archipelago are amazing, the West Coast is really the place to go. Or as the saying goes,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/kaptn-bille-boat.gif?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/kaptn-bille-boat.gif?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/kaptn-bille-boat.gif?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":275,"url":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?p=275","url_meta":{"origin":1545,"position":5},"title":"Huvudskar: out on the edge","author":"Becoming Salty","date":"July 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Huvudskar. I was first told about this place by Bjorn Millang whom I met with his wife Ann at the Bistro Solsidan in Dalaro. He described the place \u2013 which is a group of half a dozen small, windswept islands at the eastern edge of the southern archipelago as a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"Orno to Huvudskar","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Orno-to-Huvudskar.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Orno-to-Huvudskar.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Orno-to-Huvudskar.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Orno-to-Huvudskar.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/on-the-hard-2.gif?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1545"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1597,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1545\/revisions\/1597"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}