Just when you think everything is perfect on a sailboat, a new “adventure” comes out of nowhere like an unexpected rogue wave. This story begins in Brevikstranda, a secluded bay so protected its surface sometimes flattens to dark glass. Tucked away inside an underwater mountain range of granite, Brevikstranda’s heritage includes tales of trolls and magic. Peering at the landscape and seeing no trolls, I did notice, however, that the anchor release switch on our windlass was s

Hellllooo, Norway! Or as they say here, Hejjjjj! Despite noticing that our mast looked like it was leaning to the aft somewhat, the rigging, engine, bow thrusters, and sails worked in tip-top shape. When a sailboat goes into storage, the mast and rigging are removed, the sails are folded and shelved, the batteries unplugged — everything goes into winter hibernation. Then, the mast, rigging, sails, lines — all have to be mounted again for the vessel to launch. Christopher, nic

Dear Friends, Welcome back aboard Star Mist after a llllllong winter! Our voyage last year took a lot of unexpected tacks and jibes. We got stuck “on the hard” (on land) waiting for engine repairs — so we barely crossed into Norwegian waters last September when heavy clouds covered the sky and shivery jabs of winter blew in the cold wind. So this year, we threw off our bowlines in late June in Strömstad Marina in Sweden (where Star Mist sat cozy inside over the winter) and sa

We have been bouncing around for six hours overnight in the Kattegat, exhausted, sailing with our genoa and no engine in choppy waters....

I was actually looking forward to our night sail from beloved Fyn, the island in central Denmark where we celebrated our wedding, to the...

The sun is blazing at 6:00 am when our alarm rings and we reluctantly prepare to leave Svendborg. Reluctantly — because we love this...

In Svendborg City Marina Svendborg had surprises waiting for us. As our Raymarine autopilot had burnt out just as we left Bagenkop, we...

July 3, 2025 — Two years ago, the last time we sailed from Fehmarn, Germany, to Bagenkop, Denmark, we got gobsmacked by weather that...

With almost no wind, we purred out of the slip in Ancora Marina, Neustadt in Holstein, easily. I had a few butterflies in my stomach the...

While we enjoyed the morning chants of laughing seagulls on the fringes of Ancora Marina in Neustadt, it was an honor to be invited to...

We have learned how hard it is to leave Denmark! We sailed south to Rødvig, about 35 miles south of Copenhagen, on the same island of...

Steaming Danish pastries, knockout architecture, and endless bike paths are hallmarks of this buzzing capital — Copenhagen, Denmark — our...

We could end this adventure with a sail into the sunset amid tender, lapping waves, a dulcet Burt Bachrach tune serenading in the...

We can hardly believe we sailed from Southampton, England, from Dover to Dunkirk, touching France and Belgium, spending delicious days in...

Thanks to Lucy Bromwich and Adrian Healy for this fab photo! “Go north!” all the Swedish sailors said. “Go north!” While we knew we would...

When the roaring surf calmed overnight to a purr, we emerged from our Vrångö cocoon pointed north to Marstrand, the “sailing Mecca” of...

We sailed to the tiny island of Vrångö in Sweden’s Gothenburg archipelago not only because of its unspoiled beauty but as a refuge from...

Strong westerly breezes puffed our sails full of air, blowing us easily over the North Atlantic’s Kattegat from Denmark to Varberg,...

A 20K hike from the marina to the lighthouse A remote desert island shaped like a bird midway between Sweden and Denmark, Anholt is a...

We were sad to leave dreamy Ballen Havn, Samsø , but anticipating a long passage to another remote island gets the adrenaline pumping. We...