Ystad, although a forced stop due to weather was quite a nice town:
We found a nice café (Konditore), that had terrific coffee and filled sandwiches. Keren enjoyed the seafood sandwich which contained prawns and crab , crème fraiche, mayonnaise and cream cheese!
My filled Bagel was pretty good too
We left Ystad on May 30th (Thursday) and sailed against an easterly wind and swell to a small town with a large marina (and not a lot else) called Simrishamn, where we again waited two days for the wind to change, or at least ease!
By now we were getting thoroughly tired of this bit of Sweden and it's weather so we decided to leave early on June 1st and make the 55nm trip direct to Utklippan. Utklippan is a rock with a lighthouse situated off the south east corner of the Swedish mainland, which has had a tiny harbour of refuge blasted into the granite.
At first we were full of joy because the wind seemed settled in the NNE which meant we could just lay the island close hauled. We should have known better. After two hours the wind veered due east and we were back to hard on the wind motor sailing and crashing into the seas.
Utklippan is a lonely outpost in the Baltic mainly used now by yachts making passage. It is a lighthouse, now unmanned, with some buildings used as a hostel in the high summer and lots of sea birds. We like sea birds as much as the next person, but it's the guano that kills Utklippan as a resort. Step off the boat and it is everywhere, about an inch deep!
A lonely spot
The white on the tyres is not paint!
The next day (June 2) we planned another longish trip, some 53nm from Utklippan to Kalmar through the sound between the mainland and the island of Oland, but the misty rain and the head wind made us give up 12nm short and enter the tiny mainland port of Ekenas.
What a delightful little place. 15 or so boats, a rackety old boatyard and a collection of wooden homes. To cap it all the misty rain rolled away and we spent the evening in blazing sunshine.
Ekenas, note the stern buoys, another trick to learn!
By 11a.m. the next day June 3rd (Monday) we had sailed to Kalmar and tied up in the guest harbour which is right in the city. Welcome to the flesh spots, kebabs for supper, and the locals saying that the weather will get better from here on. Away with the woolly fleeces and break out the shorts!?!
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