Hamnkrogen Lotsen Vrångö, Gothenburg, Sweden

Strong westerly breezes puffed our sails full of air, blowing us easily over the North Atlantic’s Kattegat from Denmark to Varberg, Sweden. Ahoy! With the 18-24 knot tailwinds, the ride was bouncy, testing our tummies. We docked smoothly next to a kindly, white-bearded Swede who lives nearby and keeps his 50-year-old classic motorboat handy for weekend day trips, or just hanging out. He didn’t go anywhere the Saturday we arrived, but perched his grill and deck chairs on the jetty, playing Johnny Cash quietly as a gentle dusk blanketed the marina.

When the wind turned in our favor, we threw off the bowlines and backed Star Mist out of our berth, while neighbors Catharina and Jan, an American-Dutch couple based in Copenhagen, waved good-bye. Gero ably squeezed us through the dalbs, making it look easy, and I didn’t flub the line maneuvers up front. (Score!)

“You did that like pros!” Catharina called from their teak foredeck.

“From your lips to god’s ears!” I grinned.

“If it looks good, it IS good!” she declared.

Amen. Gero zipped us around the jetty into the open water.

Later, I took the helm, while Gero unfurled our genoa to three quarters full. The stiff southerly winds escalated to 19 knots with gusts of 25. Rocky islands poked out of the waves like whales, shifting our course off shore into deeper seas. There, the swell grew to at least six feet, tossing our stern from behind before shoving Star Mist’s bow skyward. I did my best to “surf” the waves to make the ride smoother while Gero released and furled in the genoa through the gusts and periodic jibes. Sailing with a reduced genoa alone, we sometimes reached 8 knots of speed down the waves, zig-zagging around stony outcrops and quaint but necessary lighthouses. (Don’t try this at night, folks!) Gero hauled in the jib for the last time as we entered a maze of rocks in the windy entrance to the island of Vrångö, the southernmost outcropping of the Gothenburg archipelago.

Another new docking system (lines lying on the marina seabed) greeted us. Ugh! Friendly young neighbors Jaika and Theo on Moskito, a cute trimaran, scampered over to make sure we didn’t bump the dock or our neighbors too hard. “I hate this system!” soothed Jaika kindly. “It’s not you! Every docking here is a drama!”

Once we were buckled down in the snug marina and the wind force accelerated, Vrångö greeted us with delicious Oceanbryggeriet IPAs, a friendly host scootering to check on us, and a fish stand with smoked dill mackerel. What’s not to like? Hello, Sweden!🇸🇪😎🎊🥂🍾❤️