Thursday
We were woken on our anchorage in Kallskar by an impressive thunderstorm at first light, and the rain turned on like a tap- from a few drops to stair rods in a matter of seconds! However, we soon returned to sleep and when we eventually woke, it was a bright, warm morning. After a breakfast of coffee and boat bread, it was time to set off. We noted an uncharted rock just awash in the harbour entrance (the waterstand, though rising, is still very low).
A brisk Westerly was blowing, which carried us at some speed back towards Svartlöga. It was then that Jan suggested the idea of circumnavigating Svartlöga. This seemed quite a good use of the lovely sailing breeze and also quite good practice, as it would involved beating through some quite narrow passages.
To the East side of Svartlöga is a narrow channel through the multitudinous rocks and, with the stiff breeze in the West, it would involve some nifty tacking. Expertly helmed by Jan, we entered the narrow passage, but once established, he said “here comes the ferry”.
“It’ll slow down for us, won’t it?”, I suggested.
“Oh, no it won’t!”, he replied. We had the engine running, and we were (naturally) in the narrowest part of the channel, so we sailed to the edge of the channel and put Aurora head to wind. Not before time, as the ferry surged past less than two boat lengths away at about 20 knots, leaving us bobbing in its wake.
After this excitement, we moored on the pontoon for a swim and a bit of lunch. Aimee took the chance to stay ashore and I also volunteered my seat, so Niki and Trevor joined Jan and Millie for the rest of the lap.
They began under reefed main, but soon shook out the reef as the breeze dropped. With some precision navigating from Trevor, Aurora sailed between two small islets on the West of Svartlöga (Big and Little Trösslan), much to the interest of a local fishing boat. 18nm at an average of 3.5kt.
Travelling Aurora - journeys of a Cape Cutter 19 