Because it usually takes a few hours for the sea breeze to completely fill in here, we left by 9:30 am to get in one last sail here. Mike wanted to head out to sea right away while I was a little hesitant thinking of those huge breaking waves yesterday. However, the idea of sea room to "stretch Freyja's legs" swayed me and I pointed towards the entry. All was fine as the breaking waves had disappeared and left wide rollers in their place and the boat and us easily handled the conditions. It was great actually as the winds built and the boat dug into large waves, kicking up some spray and feeling so powerful. Usually Mike lets me helm but even he was itching to have a turn at the wheel it was such a fun ride. We caught up to a classic schooner and passed them and it was really special to sail next to that boat in full sail charging off the tops of waves like we were doing.

After an hour or so we turned back around and then we had the pleasure of surfing off waves all the while the winds had built to over 21. Our boat speed indicator hit 9.6 but she was so under control that we didn't even think about the need for a reef of the main sail. It was only when we got back into the tighter channels that we finally reefed, actually double reef, because the boat was just charging down the channel and boat traffic was everywhere with such tight quarters to maneuver. Our next move was to sail under reefed main alone, past Gullhomen, the town we had visited yesterday then turn back towards the marina.

Winds were now higher than forecast and we were in a tight dock space between two other boats, with a pole to maneuver around on the other side of the boat. I have to brag about Mike's docking skills as he made it look easy and did it perfectly, all without the bow thruster. Jonas must have been watching us on AIS as he came out to help us with perfect timing to take a line from me.

As happens every day, Jonas helped move us to another dock as the daily boat shuffle begins depending on what is being launched into the water and what is coming into port. Turns out the biggest of the fleet, a 64, is coming in today. Jonas steered our boat into an even tighter space all the while Mike was observing and getting pointers from the pro at work.

Now we shall tidy the boat for her trip stateside, and take care of last minute business.

It's been a wonderful experience. Mike would stay here all summer if he could, peppering everyone with questions that they all seem happy to answer. The yard guys even have let us sneak peeks at boats they are working on.

We have no doubts we bought the right boat. Can't wait to have her Lake Superior.

Nothing new to report on the weather-blowing like stink again with sunny skies. So we decided to take the short ferry ride to Gullhomen, the beautiful town we sailed past with Jonas on the first trip with Freyja. We climbed to the top of the rock hills to view the very angry ocean with large breaking waves, and seeing no boat movement, we knew we were not being babies to just stay in port once again. Instead we went on a really nice hike across the island to find the lighthouse that safely led us back to port when our chart plotter went on the fritz.

Now we are back at Hallberg marina and the place is a beehive of activity with new owners coming to see their boats for the first time like we just did, and several older boats returning to find safe harbor from the huge waves.

We sadly realize we have only one day left before we return home. While it hasn't been quite the trip we thought we were setting out to experience, we have enjoyed every minute here and are grateful for everyone home and here that made it possible. THANK YOU.

We woke Saturday to calm winds and sunny skies finally but we had a planned trip to Gothenburg to finally meet Maria, her mother and Anton who would arrive in the evening after returning from a fishing trip up north. We arrived at the flat to a home cooked feast of delicious traditional Swedish foods; herring, special sauces, several breads, salads and baked salmon. We chatted and it was not long before I felt I'd known Maria for a long time. The meal was finished with really yummy cookies and my favorite Swedish coffee (somehow it just tastes better here).

We then took the bus on a very short ride into the city center, and Mike and I were excited to see that we recognized where we were. The city was so alive, especially when you consider that the last two times we were there in March.

We went on a boat tour that starts in the canal/moat around the city center but also heads out into the open river and learned about many fun facts about the secrets of the city. We then strolled through the city park where loud music floated overhead from some sort of dance party and we stepped into the glass Palm house. But the nicest surprise was the beautiful gardens which were in full bloom with the most prolific climbing roses I had ever seen winding their way up huge artistic iron tellises. We stopped and had some refreshments in the garden cafe just to soak in the sights a bit longer.

Afterwards we headed back for traditional cheesecake and the delicious homemade almond buns. Maria explained all the Swedish customs and what we were tasting in depth and we really appreciated that. She also explained many key letter combinations and sounds so we could better pronounce Swedish towns and words. You can tell she works as a tutor to recent immigrants from Syria and Iraq because she could break down the important and difficult sounds so easily for us. Now we need much more time for practice.

Anton finally arrived tired but happy after 10 and we caught up over the next hour.

The following day, after a filling breakfast, we headed to the boat ahead of them to prepare a nice "boat lunch" for when they arrived. Naturally the wind was howling again but a ride wasn't plannrd because of time constraints. Instead we gave them a boat tour and headed to Orust Bloomer because we had found that Maria is a gardener and plant lover. Happily they found something unusual to take home. After coffee back on the boat, we said our fond goodbyes. I'm really glad we have kept in touch with such a nice family!

Many thanks to all who have wished me happy birthday! We are thinking of you all! What a nearly perfect way to spend the day, on our beautiful boat, under sunny skies in Sweden. Pinch me! The only hiccup is we are not sailing because yet again fierce winds are blowing around us. We have the wind speed indicator on and speeds regularly hit in the 35 range. The boat is heeling tied to the dock and three heavy lines to one pole are trying to keep us from rubbing on the dock. Jonas had to turn on the bow thruster so we could get enough strength to tighten those lines as it was too much wind to manually pull them tighter. And the marina is partly blocked by a high ridge of rock that is protecting the harbor a bit. Winds beyond are supposedly to 50. Apparently this is pretty unusual string of weather patterns. Even on our drive today one fallen tree partially blocked the road and there were small branches littering the road everywhere.

So we went to a nice lunch at Orust Bloomer again and I blurted out that it was my birthday because I wanted the extremely charming, friendly owner to know how special her place is and that it was our chosen celebration spot. She was so excited for it was her business partner's birthday too. Then she brought me a yummy piece of chocolate cake, homemade cream and strawberries and a candle! We strolled around noting the really unusual plants they were selling in the store after lunch.

After some errands and an early morning spent doing laundry in these perfect drying conditions, we are spending the rest of the day reading in the cockpit, relaxing in the warmth. A feast of lox and mini shrimps, cheeses and pastries are planned for tonight.

Tomorrow we head to Gothenburg to visit Maria, her mother and Anton for an overnight Then we all return to the boat Sunday for Anton wants to see it:).

The weather closed in on us again today, with predicted high winds, but no rain so we decided to explore by land. Yesterday I mentioned that we had sailed to Smogen but docking was just not feasible so we left for a wonderful sail back to Hallberg Marina. Today we decided to explore more closely what we had missed. While Smogen was interesting, we were glad we didn't go out of our way to try and find a spot with the boat. Most people commented that the town was a party town, but the pictures we had viewed showed this picturesque village. The reality is it is a nice town but the docking area is like staying in the heart of Canal Park at home. Crowds of people stroll inches from your boat, peering in, and wining and dining the evening away outside your sleeping quarters. Wonderful place for some, but as you all know us, not our speed. We did have a nice lunch and strolled the dock with everyone else in the fierce wind then we drove a little further up the road to a quaint large village called Hunnebostrand that we hoped to visit.

There are more spaces here for visiting boats but again, most spaces seemed full. We did watch a family bring their large boat in to view their technique in the winds. They had the benefit of docking into the high winds (which slows your boat down as you approach the dock) and had four people on boat so one could grab the mooring bouy and one could jump off the boat to get the dock line while the boat nestled between two other boats. We are still a bit skittish about putting Freyja between two boats like that and I doubt my skills at jumping off the high bow of the boat to the dock with lines in hand. I'm no spring chicken anymore:) Instead, we may sail up there and back just to enjoy the experience of this very narrow canal we transit in order to get there.

Earlier today, the electronics genius here at Hallberg succeeded in getting our batteries all recalibrated. Part of our issue was not being able to plug our charging system into anything here because our boat is 110 and Europe is 220. There are two sockets here to use but are in the main working part of the yard and are filled with boats in various states of completion, so little room for us to "hang". Yesterday, I think I noted that we were rafted up to the large 62 so we could plug in. That made our boat systems happy. He also solved our radio issues by putting on a better anntanea and downloaded the "black box info" from our chart plotter to email to Furuno in Japan to solve our issues there. We should hear back from them shortly.

Tomorrow is forecast to be kind of dreary and windy so a special lunch somewhere is planned and just some relaxing on the boat. We have a planned visit to Gothenburg to visit Maria, Anton and Pelle over the weekend. Then hopefully more sailing for our final days here.

On Tuesday we finally had winds fair enough to leave the safety of the marina and we choose to sail south about 15 miles to the storybook charm of Käringön. The experience was rich, the learning curve steep. First of all, we loved how the boat sailed. Rather than take the scenic "highway" inside the islands, we went out to sea to test the boat in the large rollers left over from the many days of high winds. We both felt a bit of very mild sea sickness, partly from the conditions and partly from nerves in anticipation of finding a spot at the harbor, but the boat felt so solid under our feet.

After a great sail, we made the turn back into the shoal dotted waters between the islands and it felt like we were threading a needle sailing between markers with rocks all around. Here it is green right returning rather than red like at home, but it's pretty obvious where the channel is so that hasn't been an issue.

As we approached the small harbor, it was clear that sailing high season has already started for the docks were mostly full and boats were streaming to the harbor as quickly as possible, jockeying for a spot. We were so out of our comfort zone! We wanted to dock broadside like we normally do but we could see people begin to dock bow to, as they do in the Med, and we just didn't have any experience doing so. So being one of the larger boats, we muscled our way in and took a terrible position against an outer dock with the wind holding us against the dock. We knew it was only a temporary solution but at least we were holding a spot until we figured some other plan out. Right away a very friendly and helpful German couple came to give advice, knowing Freyja was brand new. As we chatted, others came to see the boat and soon we had a committee offering us their opinions on our best options. They told us about a boat hook specifically designed to easily grab the floating morning pins (look like tall blue punching bags), that we needed a very long line to go with it, and that it could be purchased in a handy ships store on the island. Off we ran to do so. When we returned another friendly couple lent us their dinghy so Mike could row a line out to the pin, and using our thruster and the muscle of the German couple to fend the back of the boat out, we properly positioned the boat for the night, bow pointed out, stern towards to the dock which made getting on and off the boat easy. Anyone viewing the boat after the tense positioning period would have thought we were so clever and skilled to dock stern to that way.

The outer dock wasn't ideal but we had made reservations at a well known restaurant, Pedersen's Krog and the island was so charming we wanted to finally explore a Swedish fishing village.

After we finally got squared away, we watched as a small boat came roaring in a few spots away, lost control, banged into the boat next to them and was headed for the dock at ramming speed. I ran to help fend off as the woman on the boat they just crashed into did the same. Three older Germans clearly were more clueless than us and several of us struggled to help them. Needless to say, we could have been the ones fending off wayward boats. Yikes, we have that filed in the backs of our minds now.

To settle our nerves, we strolled the island paths and round each corner was a picture postcard moment. We have lots of nice pictures, but what I also must add is that there was/is a heavenly smell in most places too like the blooming of hundreds of roses and apple blossoms.

At our appointed hour, we walked to the restaurant (now starving because we were too nervous to eat any real lunch) and enjoyed the best meal! We feasted on mussels nestled in the most delicious sauce of browned butter, garlic and dill. Then we had a classic dish with white cod-like fish, with fluffy piles of Parmesan and horseradish grated on top in a delicate mussel sauce, naturally accompanied by a dry French reisling. Yum.

With daylight for several more hours after dinner we explored the island to burn off such a grand feast. In Sweden you are allowed to walk anywhere, as long as you remain respectful.

After a quiet night, we were up and off early for a long sail to Smogen. The sail was awesome, with steady light winds and we had a chance to try our light air sail, a code zero, with its special roller furling system. We hummed along, doing 6 in about 8 knots of wind. Smogen is a much busier tourist town with a long narrow canal for docking. When we arrived we again ran into the same crowding issues. Boats were packed in like sardines, bow to, with the system of sunken anchor lines we have yet to try. We just were not brave enough to do so with so many people milling around watching and a strong cross wind would have made it extremely difficult with just the two of us to secure the boat. We had only planned to stay for a couple hours as the forecast once again was set to deteriorate to winds gusting towards 40 by the next day. We wanted the security of Hallberg marina and figured we'd drive to Smogen instead.

Thankfully we left when the winds were still light and shifting because suddenly our chartplotter had issues and turned itself off multiple times. The thought of heading back into port with so many shoals and no charts was alarming but luckily we had backups on our iPads that worked well. We continued on towards a familiar entry point from the sea, took a compass bearing on a lighthouse, and then we were in close to home waters. We notified Jonas about the issue and he was at the dock with his service expert as we pulled into the marina.

Today, with winds very high, we will take a drive and let the experts work on the boat. It is very interesting watching the yard work. There is always a new boat being put in the water and people are so professional here. At the moment we are rafted next to the enormous Hallberg 62. Our electronics expert is working hard and we are peppering him with questions while we can.