Blog 2 Stockholm harbour to Erikstorviken 24th - 27th May 2015

Vasahamn yacht marina lies as close to the centre of Stockholm city as you could wish to be. It takes its name from the Swedish Royal warship which sank minutes after being launched in 1628 and now, in a state of astonishing preservation,ies next door to the Vasahamn itself together with the skeletons and forensically reconstructed re-creations of some of the souls who perished on that day. It is known who was on board, what they wore and how their diet was - how lost for words they would have been to see themselves four hundred years on - among thousands of visitors from every part of the world.

It is May, and one might expect plenty of space in the marina but regaled in coloured signal flags and bustling with enthusiasts and bemused tourists, an annual Vintage Boat Rally had filled almost every berth. Fortunately word had passed down some grapevine, presumably a French one, to reserve a slot for Talisman and our arrival was greeted with shouts of welcome and directions from complete strangers who seemed to know we were coming - Valérie had contacted her network of friends who had also stayed the winter afloat in this harbour with them. You know how that saying is about "being in the same boat," there can be no better demonstration of the immediate friendships struck across nations than the common need to help each other.

Moored not far from the Abba Museum it seems almost inevitable that these words are being written with the sounds of the Swedish group blasting in my headphones - the structure of their music was extremely accomplished, had great musicality and was professionally put together whatever the carping critics tried to tell us at the time. Knowing now how their relationships were failing at the end, the emotional turmoil is woven through their later and best work - and tears me apart every time.

The Navtex marine broadcast notices warn of a "Submarine hunting" exercise of Estonia for the next few days - there is no intention of getting anywhere closer than several hundred miles from the area but I wonder - whose submarines are they - are they really there - what will they do if they find one? There is a rumour that the Swedish Navy has underwater detection devices which when triggered plays "Gay tendency" music to entice Russian submariners to come to Sweden..... hmmm.

In winter at home the Fieldfares and Redwings migrate from Sweden - on very frosty mornings they appear in flocks at the edge of the field under the bare trees foraging for goodness knows what. Now in early summer this morning a heart warming sight as they were feeding with their newly fledged young in parkland on Sodermalm which is one of seven or so islands which make up Stockholm. Big babies, members of thrush family in grey, brown and mottled cream, hopping around after a parent, calling "feed me - feed me" while the parents seemed to say feed yourself, this is how it's done.

A moment of panic while waiting for Graham and Jo our first crew to arrive in the late evening - a taxi people carrier slowed to a halt by the harbour master's office with every sign that they had arrived, the cabby got out, slid back the side door and there was a woman carefully attending a gentleman in a wheel chair - what could possibly have happened? For a while I held my breath until I could see it was not my promised crew at all. Panic over, in fact they had chosen a taxi with an Afghan driver who did not know where Vasahamn Yacht Marina was, nor indeed what a marina was - do they not have luxury yachts or marinas in Afghanistan for goodness sake?

You cannot but be impressed by the journey sailing away from Stockholm through such wonderful natural scenery particularly via the shallow and narrow Backenstagget passage which winds along steep rocky slopes with the most beautiful houses precipitously perch among trees and down to the water's edge - there is not tide - so literally the water's edge. There is little Springtime before Summer and this provides an intense period of brilliant young growth normally spread over many weeks yet here the clear sunlight vividly illuminates and colours the trees breathtaking tones of lemon yellow, emerald and lime - a perfect setting down to the smooth washed rocks along the edge where little children from the Forest Schools play without the apparent over cautious supervision we seems to need to adopt - what a simply natural life to lead.

Mid afternoon, it is 21°C. Talisman swings to anchor in Erikstorviken, a glassy natural harbour - about a mile long - completely protected from the wind, in total silence apart from the occasional bird call - we are absolutely alone, Such peace.