Marstrands gästhamn

When the roaring surf calmed overnight to a purr, we emerged from our Vrångö cocoon pointed north to Marstrand, the “sailing Mecca” of Sweden. The harbor’s modern technology allowed us to book a berth in advance online, removing the pressure of arriving late during the partying of the annual powerboat show.

Despite my flubbing the entry dock line in busy Marstrand, Gero glided us into the berth gracefully, and we were greeted warmly by Niklas and his wife, our Swedish neighbors, raising glasses with a jovial group of friends. One must plan for partying in Sweden. Alcohol is strictly controlled in just a few, hard-to-find shops. You can order a bottle of wine at the grocery store, but it will take three days to show up. Perhaps this explains why border control officials repeatedly visited Star Mist in Vrangö, asking for us. We never saw them, and would have been happy to chat had we been on board. Did they know about the “wine cellar” feature of the Sirius Yachts 35DS? Anyway, prudence suggested we roll in our attention-getting Red Ensign flag in bustling Marstrand.

We almost dropped that flag flat into the sea when we noticed Celine Kongsli Heimberg dangling above us to repair a broken sail spreader. Did she really do that? “No big deal,” shrugged the rock climber. This is Sweden, folks. These people are steel-tough.

Meanwhile, an almost naked fellow barreled towards us in a dingy, chased by a scuba diver. “It’s a wedding tradition in Sweden!” called out the buzz-cut blond, rowing down every fairway of the huge marina. “This is my second marriage, so I have to complete the course!”

Sail on, cowboy! Surrounding us, sailboats and power yachts packed the marina like sardines, with many partying until dawn as — not kidding — another windstorm marched toward us!

Bad weather makes for the best parties, though, and before you know it, neighbor Niklas hopped onto our deck to recommend hidden gem islands to the north. We stood on the dock to help a Bavaria 42 into the berth next to us as the winds howled. Holger, its friendly captain, a German news editor, joined us in the deck salon for a chat as the sun struggled to emerge and the blow stayed above 20 with gusts of 35.

Like the heavenly taste of food while sailing, conversations with fellow seafarers are spiced by interesting and gutsy characters. As we waited for the hostile winds to relent, we traced the perimeter of this magnificent rocky isle and visited Carlstens Fästning fortress, enjoying Johannes Erdmann’s book “Two Together at Sea.” Then, when the bright white party tents of the boat show folded, Marstrand suddenly snapped shut for the season.

Suddenly, after the boat show, Marstrand was a ghost town

Overnight, we found ourselves in ghost town. Was the weather giving us a hint, bringing the curtain down on summer? We decided to follow the winds northward to find out.

The Sirius Yachts 35DS has plenty of storage space for “the essentials.” 😂

Star Mist almost alone after the boat show partiers moved on