Brantevik. 55 30.8 / 014 20.9

Simrishamn looked to be very full, so we came a few miles further south. Nice little harbour, obviously mostly for fishing boats, but space for a vistor or three, one Danish, one Swedish, and one Norwegian. 

It has been a loooooong day’s motoring, elleven hours and sixtysix miles, in hardly a breath of wind except for a couple of hours when the genoa was able to help a bit. Rolypoly swell, good for the balance! Sunshine, but high veilclouds to prevent sunburn. This must be only the third or fourth day of shorts weather, and the forecast says that there is another front system coming. Ah! Summer, where art thou?

Went for a little stroll around the town, nay village rather, and the houses and gardens were very similar to Danish. Didn’t seem Swedish at all. The harbour-master, or rather -mistress, of adequate girth and authority, spoke skånsk dialect. (Sounds like a mixture of Danish and Sognefjord). Tricky for a foreigner. ‘Toilet’ was luckily international. Only asked for about half the usual harbour fee, which was a surprise, but then, it is a very small harbour. 

Tomorrow will probably be another motoring day. The intermediate, ca lunchtime, goal is Ystad, which has much-needed diesel, and also a supermarket, (the last carton of orange juice at breakfast time today turned out to be custard, ugh!), then onward westward, maybe as far as the canal at Falsterbo, if the wind blows a bit favourably, which is forecast, yes, well, we’ll see. 

From a weary SailorJohn. 

Sandhamn, 56 05.7 / 015 51.5

Lovely day today, sunshine all the way from Kalmar. Lovely wind, too, but in the wrong direction, except for the first two hours or so. A welcoming harbourmaster indicated winds of more favourable direction tomorrow, but very weak. Next boat after us to come in, a German one, had come from the west, near Simrishamn, and had sailed spinnaker almost all the 40 miles. He could hardly stop smiling! 

Tomorrow further west, destination depends on the wind direction. SW to Christiansø, or W to Hanø or further to Simrishamn. Tomorrow is another boating day, whatever!

From a sunny JosinJohn