Nomad Adventures

Vessel Name: Nomad
Vessel Make/Model: Malo 39
Hailing Port: Gosport but currently in The Baltic
Crew: Rich & Woody Jackman
08 June 2019 | Stockholm
26 May 2019 | Kristianopel
28 June 2018
24 June 2018
11 June 2018 | Nyborg
09 July 2017
12 June 2017 | Dragor, Denmark
07 June 2017 | Vejro Island, Denmark
30 May 2017 | Bagenkop, Langeland
23 May 2017 | Augustenborg, Denmark
29 June 2016 | Kerteminde
21 June 2016 | Ebeltoft, Denmark
Recent Blog Posts
25 June 2019

DIY Saunas, Wild Mooring Practice & A Baltic Bump

Written Sunday 15th June but due to technical faff only just been able to post:

08 June 2019 | Stockholm

Squalls, Swim, Stockholm & Scooters

As my intrepid grandmother would say we had a 'SIMPLY HORRID' sail from Navekvarn to Oxelsund. Luckily only a short hop - we set off with a brisk wind which rapidly rose to around 28 knots under a thunderstorm squall, so we didn't have much sail up, then it went eerily quiet and the wind dropped [...]

26 May 2019 | Kristianopel

Heading North to Stockholm

Our general plan for this year is to head from Germany to Stockholm and sail around the Stockholm archipelago. I am writing this in Kristianopel on the east coast of Sweden on a grey, windy day. Not conducive to going anywhere, so we have taken the chance to fix things & check out many lockers on [...]

28 June 2018

Into Poland

28th June

DIY Saunas, Wild Mooring Practice & A Baltic Bump

25 June 2019
Caroline Jackman
Written Sunday 15th June but due to technical faff only just been able to post:

Goon & Buff Whiteley joined us last Sunday, generously laden with goodies. After a leisurely lunch we motored out of Stockholm and down a narrow channel to the south, passing so many gorgeous houses, boathouses and huts lining the banks - every one a winner. We anchored in a deep inlet called Napoleonsvik in sunshine. The water temperature being 12.5C I had a swim and we were then all completely taken by surprise by Goon jumping in - for a man who dislikes cold weather and who has lived in Thailand & Singapore for the last few years - we were impressed. The next morning we dropped in for coffee with a relation of Charles Style’s, Diggen Gronstedt at Drattsvik, who Rich had met in 2015 when he helped Charles sail his boat out to the Baltic. He gave us such a warm welcome and it was a delight to see his and Lena’s charming house. With the sight of Diggen waving us off swinging a splendid orange buoy we sailed away to a small island called Storön where a Swedish sailing club maintain a jetty, buoys, excellent composting loos - with loo paper - and a DIY sauna. Finding an axe and a saw provided, we chopped our wood and got the sauna going and all swam in between sessions of heat. The following day we headed for Sandhamn, the Cowes of Sweden. A pretty place, however the season has not yet started and it felt like a ghost town with many shops and restaurants closed. I imagine a huge amount of fun is had when it is full of people and boats. After a drink in the pub, sheltering from the rain, we headed the short distance to Eknö, a very sheltered bay, where we battened down the hatches as the temperature plummeted and the wind blew while we had a cosy evening on board. The next day we stopped at the island of Grinda, a nature reserve with a large comfortable hotel. After a good walk and lunch we sailed to Vaxholm to tie up securely for a windy night to discover it was The Festival of the Archipelago Boats and about 7/8 steamers arrived with much blasting of ship’s whistles. Entertainment was provided by the town band and a merry group of octogenarian dancers. The next day we visited the most amazing cafe with a huge array of cakes - this is Trip Advisors top hit in Vaxholm - quite something when you consider it has a very impressive fort. Goon & Buff left us late morning and we headed south a couple of miles to a small island with a restaurant and a sauna. The fog rolled in and all we could hear were the almost continuous eerie sounds of fog horns from the cruise liners as they left Stockholm. We booked the sauna, but when we arrived there were a couple of naked Germans who said they thought there was room for all of us. There is something a little bizarre about carrying on a normal conversation about boats, harbours etc with strangers wearing nothing - a very English sentiment probably! The sun returned the next morning and I had my usual dip to discover the temp was 10.5C - that is beyond refreshing! We had a lovely sail to Paradiset - a gorgeous spot between two islands which can accommodate up to 400 boats in high summer - sounds more like hell. This was the second place we attempted wild mooring and again it was eventful. On our first approach we bumped a rock, on our second approach I leapt off the boat and slid gracefully underneath the bow, hanging onto the ladder I eventually managed to get my wellies onto solid rock. Once tied up we were pretty smug as it really is an idyllic spot and we had the whole place to ourselves. Sadly the wind changed direction just as I had supper ready and we had to move. At that point we decided to wimp out and anchor. More practice needed, which we got when we sailed out to Stora Nassa, a group of islands in the outer Archipelago. They have a fabulous wilderness feel to them. We had decided to anchor but realised when we got there that there was not enough room and we were going to have to do the wild mooring thing. Luckily this time we had the three crew from the boat next door helping us so it was a doddle! Today we sailed up through the Ängskär Islands which have their own micro climate which is almost a tropical enclave - or so the book tells us. Now tied up in Rödläga, wild moored with the help of another friendly Swede who keeps a couple of caged parrots on his boat - never seen that before. We had an epic walk round the island following the ‘red’ path, but I think we may have been the first people this year. It felt more like hashing, with many a dead end before finding the right path, but all good exercise. Weather has been glorious the last few days, so hoping this lasts while Charlotte is with us.

Squalls, Swim, Stockholm & Scooters

08 June 2019 | Stockholm
Caroline Jackman
As my intrepid grandmother would say we had a 'SIMPLY HORRID' sail from Navekvarn to Oxelsund. Luckily only a short hop - we set off with a brisk wind which rapidly rose to around 28 knots under a thunderstorm squall, so we didn't have much sail up, then it went eerily quiet and the wind dropped to nothing. For about 20 minutes we watched the storm clouds gathering force, the sky darkening and a wall of white horses on the horizon. At this point we only had a small amount of jib up, having taken the main down. When the storm arrived we were hit by 36 knot winds and a very confused sea. If we had been out at sea it would have been a lot less worrying, but we were on a lee shore with lots of rocks and islands around. Thank goodness we only had to endure it for an hour or so before we got into the shelter of Oxelösund at which point the lightening, thunder and then torrential rain arrived. For some inexplicably generous reason a guy wearing nothing more than a jersey ran all the way down the first jetty in the lashing rain to tell us to go as far into the marina as possible to find the best shelter. The kindness and generosity of most sailing folk is really quite awesome. We took his advice and and went so far in that we promptly ran aground - not his fault! From Oxelösund we had a lovely gentle sail through islands and narrow channels to Landsort, which is Sweden's equivalent to Lands End. A fascinating place that has only 20 permanent residents and a very charming village stuck in a wonderful time warp. It also plays hosts to vast populations of migrating birds so lots of twitchers come here. Having spent convivial evenings in both Navekvarn & Oxelösund with Clare & Douglas Neville-Jones (boat - Sage) we had a grand finale of a supper on the jetty - *Double Cobbing before going our separate ways the next day. We also got the boules out for the first time this trip - in fact the first time for years, so it's not surprising they've gone rusty!!

The following day we sailed up to Södertalje, stopping for lunch in another magical anchorage at Fifång island, to be poised to go through the lock and into Lake Malaren the next morning. Södertalje marina is very splendid with very splendid looking facilities, but it doesn't open until 15th June so it was free, but with all facilities firmly locked. There is only a metre difference in the height of the lake from the sea so lock time is minimal. Once into the Lake another huge playground for the Swedes opens up, stretching around 50 miles and full of islands. The closer we got to Stockholm the more houses lined the shores. We were passing through on Sweden's National Day so everyone was out enjoying themselves on a fabulously sunny hot day. The few stretches of beaches (manmade?) were absolutely packed with people. Inspired by seeing so many of them swimming I could no longer put off the first dip of the voyage. We anchored off the Palace at Drottingholm - a bit like parking your camper van outside Buck House's gates - and I had my first dip the next morning. It definitely cannot be classified as a swim as I didn't get more than a couple of feet away from the stern ladder.

We are now in Stockholm parked in the marina right next to the Vasa Museum which houses the most incredible warship built in 1628 which went down within 20 minutes of starting her maiden voyage. She had a incredible firepower having two gun decks, but that was her downfall as she was simply too top heavy. She lay at the bottom of Stockholm harbour until the 1960s when she was finally lifted and found to be in remarkably good condition. What we saw today is 98% original. The reason she survived so well is that the water here is only mildly brackish so the sea worm that eats away at most wrecks in salt water is unable to survive. We've had a lovely couple of days in glorious hot sunshine enjoying Stockholm - one of the best, and most enjoyable, ways of getting about is renting electric scooters which have a top speed of about 20mph. Goon & Buff Whiteley joins us tomorrow and sadly it looks like UK's recent wet weather is coming with them.

Free Sauna, first wild mooring & crocs

03 June 2019
Caroline Jackman
Sunday 2nd June
At the moment we are sitting in a tiny little bay tied to a rock ashore - our first wild mooring attempt. Actually it is our second as we had to move yesterday evening just as we had got supper on the table, when the wind shifted. Luckily this was achieved relatively easily with the help of a friendly Swede. Mooring like this, bows to with a stern anchor, is something that Swedes take in their stride whereas ending up with our bows a foot away from a rock seems completely counterintuitive to us. But then we think nothing of 4m tides in the UK, whereas the chap who helped us moor just couldn't imagine sailing in those conditions. Over the last week we have sailed roughly 30 miles a day up towards Stockholm visiting various places along the way, including Kalmar which has a spectacular castle, Borgholm on Öland, which was the best value so far - £18.00 for alongside mooring, electrics, water & free sauna and swimming pool - both of which we had entirely to ourselves. Whilst in Borgholm we biked up to the Royals' Summer Palace which has a beautiful garden. The next day we had a very windy sail up to Idö. By the time we arrived it was gusting F8 so I was delighted when we were safely tied up alongside. Idö has a lookout tower which is like a time warp from the 1960s with everything still in place as though the man on duty is due back any moment. From Idö we have taken the inshore route up through a myriad of rocks and islands - just magical. We have had following winds and sunshine which have made our introduction to sailing in this part of the world even better. It is very early season here - lots of places don't open til 15th June. The beauty of this is that everywhere is practically empty so there are hardly any people around to witness our early season ineptitude and we never have concerns about whether there will be room for us. On the downside it has been quite cold, particularly down below where the proximity of 9º water keeps beer in the bilge at a good drinking temperature. Happily the temperature is due to rise to mid 20s this week which will be lovely.
You may get the impression that all is sweetness and light on board, but there are at least two subjects which we don't mention any more. The first is that Rich has 4 pairs of Crocs on board - yes FOUR!! WHY? The second subject is the clacking baby stay which Rich swears only happens when the wind is in a certain direction. I am not convinced by this as it has never been a problem before so SOMETHING has changed.

Heading North to Stockholm

26 May 2019 | Kristianopel
Caroline Jackman
Our general plan for this year is to head from Germany to Stockholm and sail around the Stockholm archipelago. I am writing this in Kristianopel on the east coast of Sweden on a grey, windy day. Not conducive to going anywhere, so we have taken the chance to fix things & check out many lockers on the boat - and chuck lots we have never used - very satisfying. Rich arrived out to Fehmarn, Germany two weeks ago where the yard and he got Nomad swiftly back in the water, the bottom patch-painted with anti-fouling & the mast back up. During his stay he met Richard and Helen Blackmore who sail a 31' Sirius - an amazing tardis of a boat that had a washing machine AND a tumble dryer installed. He set sail two days after arriving and met me a week ago in Ystad, S. Sweden. Highlights of the last week have been:

The Ales Stones, Kåseberga - think Avebury - 60 odd stones laid out in the shape of a ship, beautifully orientated so the sun hits the two main stones on the summer and winter solstices.

Skillinge - a fishing village with a church in a small barn which has a model of HMS Bounty.

Hanö Island - a lovely little harbour on a rocky, windswept island where there is a cemetery for British sailors who died between 1810 and 1812. Apparently large numbers of British ships gathered in the sound here during the Napoleonic wars, according to the blurb as many as 1,000, which would have been an amazing sight. A bit different to the size of the UK Navy today.

Karlskrona - The Swedish Navy's only base nowadays with some stealthy looking ships which we were not allowed to photograph. Also a fabulous free Maritime Museum. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site so lots to see. A highlight for us was the spectacularly renovated & modernised Fredericks Church with a beautiful modern font, glassed in areas and all mod cons, including a massive movie screen! We left Karlskrona planning on heading for Utklippan a barren rocky couple of islands that have had a perfect rectangular harbour blown into one of them. However the wind increased significantly and we realised we had made our first navigation blunder and were sailing for a bridge that was only 3m high and has never lifted in its life. So we did an about turn and ended up in Aspö.

Aspö Island - a small harbour with very few berths big enough for us so we tied up in the entrance, encouraged by a friendly local. There is an impressive citadel here, built to keep the dastardly Danes out, or was it built by the Danes to keep the Swedes out?! Sadly not open during our stay. We had a cracking sail up to Kristianopel in sunshine averaging 7.5 knots - pretty good for us.

Kristianopel - a pretty little harbour with fabulous fortification walls which you can walk around. Inside the fortifications is now a campsite - which probably has 800 or so pitches. Can't imagine how grim that would be in the summer, lovely at this time of year though. There is an impressive fire beacon basket here. This place was fought over by the Danes and the Swedes a lot and seemed to have been raised to the ground at least a couple of times. Rich managed to fix the very annoying and worsening squeak the wheel had developed by climbing into the bowels of the boat and squirting WD40 liberally. It has done the trick, mercifully.


Islands, Castles and Stowaways

10 July 2018
10th July
From Poland, due to the wind, it was prudent to head back for a night in Sassnitz, Rugen where we biked up to the UNESCO world heritage site of Jasmund Park. Fabulous beech woods and chalk cliffs, with a terrific information centre and film. Did you know that mayflies are the only insects that can fly backwards - at 40mph no less and that spiders secrete two sorts of web - a sticky sort and a strong sort. We have spent most of the last week exploring Bornholm, a Danish island off the Swedish Coast. It is very much Denmark’s holiday island - long sandy beaches, castles, round white churches, craggy rocks, cycle paths, pretty fishing villages etc. The harbours have been mostly small and crowded so Rich’s boat handling skills have been well used. We met a Russian girl one evening who begged us for a lift to Christianso, a tiny fortified island 10 miles off the coast. Bright and early the next morning she appeared bearing Danish pastries and off we set. The trip turned out to be somewhat more ‘sporting’ than forecast and she didn’t budge from her seat in the corner, hanging on for dear life, repeating ‘OMG, this is beautiful, OMG this is beautiful’!! Luckily it was only a two hour sail and she was thrilled to have fulfilled a bucket list wish. Not sure she would come again though! On arrival in Bornholm we were boarded by three local children aged between 6 and 8 who were just delightful and spent ages going up and down the hatches - Roll on the day when our grandchildren are old enough. Christianso is owned by the military and has been beautifully kept in a time warp. It has a thriving permanent community of 100 with 16 children at the local school, a good supermarket and a pub. Probably my favourite place this year. Last night we went round to the west side of Bornholm to a harbour underneath the ruins of a huge castle - Hammershus, claimed to be the largest ruined castle in N. Europe. The castle was stunning but the harbour a nightmare, with a westerly blowing much stronger than forecast, Nomad rolled, pitched and yanked her way through the night. I swear I didn’t sleep a wink but had the weirdest dozing dreams.

We are now in Simirshamn, Sweden where we will leave the boat to return to the UK for Charlotte & Jonny’s wedding. So the next 24 hours will be spent mending, sorting, list making, cleaning & packing.

Another fabulous couple of months in the Baltic. Next year we think we will head to Sweden and Finland.

Into Poland

28 June 2018
28th June
The wind had us in Kroslin for an extra day during which we took a ferry to Peenemunde where we visited The Technical Museum - it was fascinating. This is where the V1 & V2 bombs were developed. It was a huge site that had 15,000 people working there, many of them forced labour and concentration camp interns. The most sobering fact for me was that more people died working here than died from the bombs themselves. There is also a Russian Juliet Class Submarine, which was sadly closed. Rich was disappointed as these were the conventional submarines that were around during his time in HMS Minerva & Penelope. Leaving Kroslin we worked our way through a series of lakes and channels to cross the border to Poland in the Stettiner Haff. The recommended route was categorical in its advice to stick firmly to the buoys - we couldn’t really see why as there seemed to be plenty of depth for us to cut the corner. However when we reached the buoys we were completely surrounded by acres and acres of fishing stakes. We stuck firmly to the channel. If you got in amongst that lot it would be like trying to get out of the world’s biggest maze.

We are now sitting at anchor in a river just south of Swinousjcie, Poland. On one side of the boat our view is reeds and trees with wonderful birds, but if we look the other way it is all very industrial with chimneys and cranes & huge ships. We arrived here after a cracking sail from Stettin - an attractive Polish city north of Berlin. Whilst there we took the opportunity to get a Flix Bus and ‘did’ Berlin in a day, starting with a really delicious breakfast in Father Carpenters to set us up for the day - highly recommended. The hop on hop off bus allowed us to get round most of the major sites and back in time to catch the train to Stettin (having missed the planned bus - oops). Sadly the major avenues leading up to the Brandenburg Gate were lined with big screens for the duration of the World Cup - two miles of public viewing! They must be gutted to have gone out in the first round. The journey back to Nomad involved changing trains with 5 minutes to spare; we only made it because the kind guard saw us huffing and puffing our way down the platform and held it for an extra couple of minutes. I don’t really ‘do’ running!!
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