26th August 2008
The morning was fantastically sunny and started with a short dinghy trip to the polished granite head wall of the loch. The summit of this gave a fine view down to the anchorage.
The anchor came up at 1000 and we motored out behind a small schooner before turning north and entering the Baggensstaket. As we turned the red buoy that marks the entrance the depth gauge read just 1.2 metres beneath the keel and there it stayed for some time. The passage narrowed into a delightful green channel lined by deluxe summer houses each with their own jetty, bathing house, speedboat or yacht. As we neared the northern exit and just where it became impossibly narrow a ferry suddenly shot around the corner causing us to breath in a little!
We finally exited into the wide fairway that forms the main east to west approach to Stockholm. Now we were surrounded by speed boats, ferries, tankers, police launches and jet skis all whizzing along leaving us wallowing in their wake. By now the sky had become grey and as we docked on the outer pontoon of the Wasserhamnen Marina the first spots of rain began to fall (1300). We were a bit exposed to the swells from passing launches and ferries but it proved a comfortable enough dock for the night. The marina sold us Camping Gaz which seems a rare commodity in these parts.
During the afternoon we took a walk into the old town visiting the Palace and the Alfred Nobel Museum. Seewolf arrived an hour or two after us and proved, as usual, excellent company.
