Blog 4 Oxelösund to Norsholm (Gota canal) 5th - 10th June 2015

After such a lumpy sea passage getting to the fishing harbour at Oxelösund on the previous day, the "inside" passage to the start of the Gota Canal with much reduced wind was positively leisurely, winding between islands, rocks and along closely buoyed channels in open water where rocks lurk off piste for the unwary sailor. The smoothly polished rocky islands with birch and conifers are extremely beautiful and simply weaving a passage around them, turning this way then that, is an absolute pleasure - particularly in sunshine where the next navigation mark stands out clearly ahead.

Cybele had left half an hour earlier with Lars on board useful with his local knowledge so conveniently always in sight to give the added reassurance that we had not strayed from the correct route - not so likely but reassurance is always a nice to have. Up the gorgeous 10 mile long fjord to Mem where the first lock gives entry into the canal opened in 1832 and built by Swedish soldiers over several decades. This hamlet is a haven of peace after the open sea, its pastoral meadows slope down to the canal and sheep with young lambs, their faces giving a look of surprise, gambol freely in the tall grass along the canal. As for the whole canal, the lock keepers are young, intelligent, summer vacation university students chosen seemingly for their good looks and competence as was the delightful Hanna at Mem, her lovely smile, blonde hair and perfect English ready to teach us the special techniques for locking in an out.

At the guest harbour facilities which are outstanding, a wedding was planned for Saturday. Decorations and preparations had been made with groups gathering and singing traditional songs all day, it was decided that for the sake of sleep we would move on before the celebrations started on the next day. Lars charming wife Marianne came to join Cybele for a day or two and so provided another opportunity for evening drinks and talks of adventures since we had met in Stockholm.

If for an hour or so you could drift along the canal, in no hurry, absorbing the wonderful scenery and hear to the continuous and varied melody of birdsong from the trees, you would think yourself in heaven - as I did. Occasionally seeing a bird burst from the trees but more often than not, just trying to identify it from its song, it was a magical experience, one surely to be repeated in days to come. Swedish National day is June 6th when we came a short distance onwards through the second and third locks to reach Söderköping, much larger than Mem with a large old brick church and astonishingly vast separate wooden bell tower clad in wooden shingles standing beside a fast flowing river which runs through the town. An old trading centre now reduced to a good stop for the 100 year old tourists boats plying their trade along the canal.

Söderköping is dramatic - on one side, sheer cliffs soar high over the tree line, up where I saw a young White tailed eagle carving large lazy circles far above and wild yellow iris flower along the water edge. Restaurants line the water front and as I write a band with a not too talented singer is playing loudly into the night, directly opposite Cybele's berth but luckily not within our earshot.

Not so far from the marina, along the gravel tow path we made played our old game of plant naming, looking hard for the next unusual species when in the middle of nowhere stood a "traffic" sign reading "Rabbit crossing" under a silhouette of a rabbit and then a little further on a collection of bronze rabbits lined up at the waters edge, pulling one of their kind from the canal while on the other bank were three similar rabbits diving in or preparing to swim across - Swedish humour.