We had a great trip up from Auckland enjoying one night stopovers in Dubai and Athens. The flight to Dubai is nearly 17 hours, but the time seemed to pass OK with nice meals, plenty of movies to watch and a few hours sleep. The economy class seats have…
Bomarsund
The Russians began building Bomarsund Fortress in 1830 as a western outpost when Aland and mainland Finland were part of the Russian Empire. The overall plan was for a massive fortified circle almost 3/4 mile (1.1 km) in diameter and extending north-to-south nearly two miles (3km) and designed to house 4,000-5,000 men. The fortress was…
May 13-20 Lots of Visitors
“Family and friendships are two of the greatest facilitators of happiness.” – John C. Maxwell
We had a busy week…weather is starting to improve, here and there, so we can finally get out of the boat. The theme for this week was visitors. Our first visitors arrived on Wednesday. Barbara and David from Miss My Money are back in the area getting their boat ready for the season. We had a great visit and enjoyed lunch at a local place overlooking the lake. We’ve known them for a long time and it’s always nice to reconnect.
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Kastleholm
Smakbyn restaurant in Kastleholm, Aland is the creation of award-winning chef Michael Bjorklund and receives rave reviews. Kastleholm itself gets its name from Kastleholm Castle, built in stages from the 14th to 17th centuries and open to visitors after two major restorations. Other local attractions include Jan Karlsgarden, an open-air museum made up of about…
Mariehamn, Aland
Six weeks into our Baltic cruise, we departed Sweden at the end of April from Arholma to Aland, an autonomous region of Finland. We made landfall at the capital, Mariehamn, where we spent a great few days exploring the town and visiting their excellent maritime museum. But the highlight of our visit was a day…
Cape Caution
Will we cross Cape Caution today? This 40 mile open water passage around the Cape is one of two open ocean passages on our way to Alaska. This transit can be very challenging with steep confused seas that stack up due to a rapid shelving of the ocean bottom. The 4 am forecast calls for […]
Arholma
Coastal defense posts always have great ocean views and Battery Arholma is no exception. The Swedish Cold War coastal battery was built in 1968, decommissioned in 1990, and now is open to the public. Onsite you can see guns, bunkers, radar and artillery-range finding equipment, and those amazing views. The island of Arholma also has…
FPB 781 Cochise Solar Update Spring 2019
It is late spring in the Bahamas, water temperature is 83/85F and air that or more. Humidity often is in …Read More
Stora Nassa and Norrpada
Stora Nassa and Norrpada are exceptional island groups on the outer edge of the Stockholm Archipelago. We loved their wild “out-there” feel and the complex channels through their hundreds of islets, ideal for exploring in the tender. Each group also had several good lookout points for sweeping views of the area. Below are trip highlights…
Moja
The 5,000-acre (2,000 hectare) Moja nature reserve is a busy boating destination in the summer season, with complex channels ideal for exploration by tender or kayak and many sheltered anchorages. After departing Sandhamn, we spent two nights at Moja while a weather system passed through, catching up on some boat projects and taking a tour…
