{"id":820,"date":"2018-07-24T20:29:47","date_gmt":"2018-07-24T20:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?p=820"},"modified":"2019-05-26T22:31:10","modified_gmt":"2019-05-26T22:31:10","slug":"creepy-to-the-max","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?p=820","title":{"rendered":"Creepy to the Max&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Gothic horror &#8211; almost &#8211; on Bj\u00f6rk\u00f6r<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the boat sitting serenely at\nthe dock I spent a couple of hours catnapping before cleaning and tidying the\nboat and grabbing some breakfast (my usual staple of yogurt and granola with\nhoney). James had gone exploring and returned to tell me about a little\n\u2018leprechaun\u2019 he had met named Kaj (pronounced \u201cKai\u201d). Turned out Kaj was the\ncustodian of the island and lived here alone, five days a week from February to\nNovember. Kaj invited us to tour the small museum\/house he maintained &nbsp;which I had spied earlier, just five minutes\nfrom the harbor. Turns out it is a perfectly preserved \u00c5land island house from\nthe late 19th century. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 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\/2Wv9zuJFUio?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;&nbsp;&nbsp; Let\nme immediately say that this turned out to be a fascinating and macabre\nexperience. Kaj was a small man in his mid-50s clad in thick waterproof work\npants and a tank top. He sported the requisite fisherman\u2019s cap and a hearing\naid and his personal hygiene left much to be desired. But given the few\nvisitors to his island perhaps he had no need of smelling good. Kaj spoke broken\nEnglish in a sing-song Scandinavian accent which was almost a parody of itself.\nHis own cabin consisted of a cozy kitchen with wood fire stove, a kitchen table\nwith a logbook on which he recorded every boat which visited the island and\npair of amazing sealskin clogs he used in wintertime. He took us over to the\nperfectly preserved island house just a few steps away and that is where the\nhorror movie vibes began to come thick and fast. The place was faded and\nspotlessly clean, but looked as though it had just been vacated by a Victorian\nera Finnish family. The ground floor was dominated by a large living\nroom\/kitchen with a woodfire stove complete with pots, pans, grinders and\nsupplies from the era. In the corner were two small bunk beds, clearly for\nchildren, while from the ceiling hung a dozen polished antique rifles,\nostensibly for shooting seals. But Kaj got a gleam in his eye as he explained\nthat the former patriarch of the house, whose stern portrait hunger over the\nfireplace, was an angry and irrational man who had been known to hunt \u2018strangers\nand friends\u2019, and who would often take his spyglass (also displayed on a\nsidetable) to the top of the nearby lookout to see any approaching boats.\nUnwary visitors were often shot at. This news caused the beginning of some\nanxiety in me. But there was much more to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-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\/X6j85ZSk6Vg?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>One of the creepier moments of my life&#8230;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In\nthe parlour next to the main living space was a curiosity room containing some\nstuffed ducks, preserved eggs and a spinning wheel. In another corner was an\nantique phonograph and a stack of 78s. Kaj got an odd look in his eye as he began\nto turn the turntable by hand \u2013 and a strange disembodied sound of a 1930s\nSwedish singer, intoning mournfully at half speed, began to issue from the\nspeaker. I looked at James nervously\u2026.this was straight out of modern horror\nmovie. Kaj invited us upstairs where more macabre artifacts awaited. One room\nhad a collection of old jackets and dresses, plus shoes and more sealskin boots\nfrom the 19th century. He pointed out a faded dress and encouraged me, (only\nhalf jokingly?), to put it on. My eyes flashed to the shoes and wondered if a\nvisitor in years to come might find the LLBean hiking boots I was currently\nwearing among them, the only remaining artifact of an American sailor who was\nlong forgotten after disappearing on a sailing trip in 2018. Next door to this\nwas a claustrophic room for a small child, containing just an old crib and some\nstrangely stained wallpaper. Was the stain blood? This was getting creepier by\nthe second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/very-strange-shoes.jpg?resize=768%2C1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-921\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/very-strange-shoes.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/very-strange-shoes.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/very-strange-shoes.jpg?w=2216 2216w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption>a serial killer&#8217;s trophies, perhaps?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Finally\nKaj, with more than hint of mischief in his eyes, encouraged us to take a peek\nat \u2018the secret room\u2019, which opened via a hidden door onto a tiny, narrow\npassage full of dusty and rusty farm implements. Before I crossed the threshold\nI made sure there was a window in the room, just so we could escape in the\nevent of the hidden door being slammed behind us. I eyeballed James. He was\nclearly thinking the same thing. We left hurriedly but we sure to be polite. As\nI hurried down the mowed grass path back to my boat I already had half a horror\nmovie written in my head. This was not an experience I will soon forget. But I\nwill bring back future guests, so they can experience this Finnish gothic\nmoment and give me their take. For me, the warmth of the sun and my boat\u2019s cozy\ncabin have rarely been as welcome.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gothic horror &#8211; almost &#8211; on Bj\u00f6rk\u00f6r With the boat sitting serenely at the dock I spent a couple of hours catnapping before cleaning and tidying the boat and grabbing some breakfast (my usual staple of yogurt and granola with honey). James had gone exploring and returned to tell me about a little \u2018leprechaun\u2019 he [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"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-820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7wHME-de","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":974,"url":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?p=974","url_meta":{"origin":820,"position":0},"title":"Bj\u00f6rk\u00f6r to K\u00f6kar Sandvik","author":"Becoming Salty","date":"July 12, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Sat. 6\/29.\u00a0 Dept \u00a010.19am arrive 4.53pm. 25.4nm. 4 hours 34mins For a higher-resolution map of this route, click HERE: K\u00f6kar Sandvik: a sheltered harbor with excellent facilities The day dawned clear and sunny in Bj\u00f6rk\u00f6r and thus far we had seen no sign of Kaj, the diminutive park warden who\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\/kokar-two.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/kokar-two.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/kokar-two.gif?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":275,"url":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?p=275","url_meta":{"origin":820,"position":1},"title":"Huvudskar: out on the edge","author":"Becoming Salty","date":"July 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Huvudskar. 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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":[]},{"id":336,"url":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?p=336","url_meta":{"origin":820,"position":2},"title":"Morviken on Fj\u00e4rdl\u00e5ng: heaven on earth","author":"Becoming Salty","date":"July 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"My good friend serendipity came through again during the final weekend I was able to enjoy the boat with my family. 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After a quick motor down the canal back into Lake Malaren we soon determined that the light airs would\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\/2016\/06\/Stockholm-evening.jpg?fit=500%2C375&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":818,"url":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?p=818","url_meta":{"origin":820,"position":4},"title":"K\u00f6kar Sandvik to Bj\u00f6rk\u00f6r","author":"Becoming Salty","date":"July 22, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Bj\u00f6rk\u00f6r. 6am. Peace upon earth... Saturday June 30th: The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Nowhere are those words of scripture more keenly felt than on a sailboat. After an idyllic first few days we had been confronted by a very nasty front and decided to cast off our\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\/2018\/08\/Bjorkar-early-morning.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Bjorkar-early-morning.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Bjorkar-early-morning.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Bjorkar-early-morning.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Bjorkar-early-morning.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Bjorkar-early-morning.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":382,"url":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?p=382","url_meta":{"origin":820,"position":5},"title":"Home for the winter&#8230;.","author":"Becoming Salty","date":"August 20, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Winter storage. 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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":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/820","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=820"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":935,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/820\/revisions\/935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}