Wednesday afternoon June 14, 2017

Photo: view from the pilot station overlooking the harbor on the west side of Vrango, Sweden

After we came into the harbor and tied up on the dock, we went to the grocery store. It closes from 1200 to 1600 so we had 25 minutes. We found most everything that we wanted and could have left for more sailing but decided to stay and focus on boat projects. Glad we did because we accomplished a lot. At 1600 we went back to the store and spent more time making sure we bought what was on my list.

We took a walk to the former pilot station, a small building at the highest point on Vrango. You can see both the east and west coasts. The sign on the building says that it has functioned as a pilot lookout since the 1600’s. The present building was constructed in the 1800’s. Its use as a pilot station where the crew escorted and guided ships into the harbor as well as assisting ships in distress was discontinued in 1931. The Customs Administration continued to use it as a lookout point until December of 1961 and then discontinued that use. The building stands now as a memorial to those who served. Interesting that while we were tied to the rocks at Fjordholmen a police boat nosed in and today in the harbor at Vrango another military looking police boat came in looked around and left.

We ate dinner at a harborside fish restaurant. We ordered shrimp (little Maine-like ones that you have to peel), crayfish and hot fishcakes with sauce and potato salad. There was a group of about 20 having a party. They had ordered a buffet of the seafood offerings and when they were done, the restaurant owner asked us if we would like more and gave us the extra shrimp (some smoked) and more crayfish. We went back to the boat well fed!

We found everyone on this island to be wonderfully friendly. Lots of people stopped by the boat and asked if we really had sailed all the way from America.