Heinz Baked Beans. (??)
From Stråholmen, with rather less wind than forecast, we motorsailed to Risør, (58 43.2 / 009 14.4), a compact little town with a long maritime tradition. Every year they have a “Wooden Boat Festival”, which attracts every sort and size of wooden boat afloat. A most impressive display of shining varnish and hemp ropes. Pity I’d missed it, but according to reports, there wouldn’t have been space or a slot for an unacceptable plastic veteran intruder. Lots of sad evidence of stalls having sold things and informing of activities, and now an army of yellow-jacketed people with wheely bins collecting rubbish. Place and shops seemed empty, except for the coffee-and-buns shops doing a good trade, including the baker, with sourdough bread, yum.
Next day, wednesday, the wind was again less than forecast, but in a sailing direction, and we headed out several n miles offshore to catch the SW-going current. It delivered, and helped us along with over 2 knots. This current is part of a gyre, an enormous anti-clockwise circulation in the Skagerakk. Basically the Baltic Sea empties into the space going north between Sweden and Denmark, continues up the Swedish coast, meets Norway and turns left and continues down the SW coast, partially turning back left again before reaching the North Sea, to continue along the north Danish coast to meet the Baltic eflluent again. This current is very useful if you are going the same way, and a significant drag if you are going against it. It kicks up its own waves which can complete very uncomfortably with rollers coming in from the North Sea and other wind-blow waves in other directions. Never a dull moment.
We tied up at the Arendal Sailing Club’s facility on an island (58 26.0 / 008 47.6).
Woke next morning to bright sunshine and an increasing NE wind, which was just the thing. It blew us to Lillesand (58 14,9 / 008 22.8) in no time, helped again by the strong current, but over a very unruly sea. Plenty of exercise for the back muscles!
I had had increasing worries about the electronic compass which fed the autopilot. Wasn’t steering a reasonably straight course either. Re-calibrating it according to the process defined in the book-of-words produced less than satisfactory results with a screen message saying “excessive deviation”. Effect was to indicate that the boat was heading in a very different direction than that sailed. Mystery!
It was after I’d been food-shopping in Risør that the problem got worse. Then the penny dropped. I had stowed the tin of Heinz Baked Beans in the drawer where all the other dry foods live, and this was of course closest to the electronic compass. How stupid. Everyone knows that metal near to a compass is a no-no. So, remove the tin, along with the other tins, of Coop Baked Beans, sardines, tomato puree and the like, and everything with a metal lid.
A re-calibration resulted in everything back to normal.
You live and learn, especially over your own stupid mistakes.
Visit this evening and dinner with friend and earlier Ballad owner, Svein Tangen. Always good company.
Alls well.
CompassedJohn.
Josin's 2025 cruise 