Hello all, first an apology! I didn't get around to posting photos sorry, and as we all know a picture paints a thousand words, so I better get a typing! we got away from Gotenborg a day later than we thought we would ,due to some strong winds in the forecast, which did show up as predicted. However we go away the next day with the wind on the nose, but as we were only going 15 miles up the coast we decided to just motor there, creating hot water for showers and arriving with the fridge cooled down and the batteries full, for a few days at anchor in a bay off the uninhabited island of Hogo. However as it was the Swedish midsummer weekend everybody in Sweden was on the water, so the anchorage was crowded when we arrived on Saturday afternoon. We anchored to the back of the crowd and had a relaxing night. Next day most people left, and we moved further in to the bay, got the hook well set and rowed ashore to explore the island, which has a bronze age stone fort at the top, and a few concrete bollards from old radio masts, otherwise no signs of human impact, not bad for only 15 miles from the second largest city in Sweden! Next day I decided it was time to do some work, as Emerald was looking decidedly 'tired' and unloved, with a brown 'tea' coloured hull from the miles we had covered, and a fringe of weed growing around the waterline. First it was around the hull in the dinghy with a stiff brush on a long pole to scrub the antifoul and get as much of the weed off as possible, which would also help our boat speed. Then it was around the hull again with a cloth and some Y10 (a mixture of oxcilic acid in gel) which is made from rhubarb, which cuts through the brown water staining and then round the hull again to wash it off with salt water. By this stage my arms are getting tired. However I now needed to reseal the hull paint (or it would just go brown again quickly). So around the boat again this time with marine polish, polish on- polish off, ha the karate kid only had to do a few cars the wimp! Meanwhile Nichola rustled up great delights from the galley, did a load of passage planning for our journey north then went on a pingu 1 adventure. The hull was finished at approx beer o'clock, though the lactic acid in my shoulders almost made me have to use a straw, a can of beer can be heavy you know! So now Emerald has a shiny white hull, with a few battle scars but at least doesn't look like a tramp steamer anymore. We still have to do a similar treatment to the deck and cabintop, at which point I'll be much happier with our home.

The following day with a southerly wind forecast we upped anchor and headed north

slainte skip