20 September

Autumn, really. It never even got to full daylight today. A kind of dark gray dusk all day. Low skies, threatening to offload all their containts in form of rain any minute. Had a walk with the crew dog after the usual morning routines. The night had been very windy, and the SW winds sort of blew right through this entire harbour, causing the boat's movements jerky and uncomfy. The small industrial harbour here, was a bit noisy, and smelled of timber and saw dust. Another, very familiar smell was that of pig urine, as the farmers fertilized their land with it. Autumn. The rural smell reminds me of 'home' ( I am living in a farming district) and how close I actually am now. Approximately 150 miles left. The fact that this wonderful trip is soon coming to an end really fills me with mixed emotions.
All this made me not want to stay in this port. Period. The forecast was near gale force winds from SW. The worst direction obviously, a direct headwind. In the morning hours the wind speed was more like 14-20 knots, and the meteorologists have been wrong before so I decided to take the short leap to Kristianopel further south. That is a nice place where I can comfortably wait for the winds to change to more favourable direction.
Hence I left at 11.30 for a few hours tacking along this shallow coastline with lots of reefs making it a necessity to stay at least a couple of miles to the east of shore.
All went well, as usual, the wind increased gradually though, and the tacking under reduced sail was a very wet business.Everyuthing from stem to stern, including myself was saoking wet from spray when I reached port at 3pm. Sven-Erik, the harbour captain here showed up shortly after my arrival, and kindly enough he offered me a cup of coffee and a chat in his cosy office. The first time I met him here was in 1982, so it's a kinda' 25 year Jubilee now. Sven-Erik is one of the few men still alive who has been working on the sailing ships of the 'old days'. It's alway interesting to hear him tell a tale or two from his experience.
Kristianopel is a very interesting little town in itself. Very picturesque with old wooden houses and a church built in 1624, it was once the fortification of the Danish here at the former borderline between Denmark and Sweden. City walls and towers are still visible dispite several battles held here in the 17th century. In 1657 however, Sweden finally beat Denmark, and at the peace treaty held here, Denmark lost all it's provinces at the mainland Sweden. I guess this was the starting point for Sweden's ambitionsto expand it's territories and power throughout Europe.
At this spot I will stay until I get following winds for the last leg round the southern coast of Sweden to the city of Malm�, where R�de Orm is planned to be berthed for the winter.