A PERFECT MIDSUMMER WEEKEND
Imagine my surprise when my wife, Molly, asked if we should go sailing over the Midsummer holiday. When we first met, some 20 years ago, we spent a lot of time sailing together. But I may have been a little too adventurous in my approach, because after a couple of years, once our daughter was born and Molly became increasingly involved in dog competitions, her interest in sailing gradually faded. Since then, she has only joined me for a handful of trips over the years.
Our new, much more comfortable boat, however, seems to have made a real difference. I'm beginning to feel optimistic that we might actually get out for shorter sailing trips together from time to time.
Our daughter, Vera, was working as a leader at a confirmation camp on Husarö that weekend. A couple of weeks earlier, I had managed to persuade Molly to sail there with me so when we had the chance to visit her. Our dog, Storm, came along as well, and his first trip aboard went surprisingly well. He was a little nervous whenever the boat heeled over, but otherwise he handled it just fine.
This time, however, there was hardly any wind at all, so we motored south instead. Storm seemed much more relaxed on board than he had been on the previous trip, and I think he appreciated the fact that the boat stayed upright while we were under power.
After an hour or so, once we had made our way a little farther south, the wind finally picked up. Since we were looking for a nice natural harbor and checking out every promising anchorage along the way, though, it wasn't worth hoisting the sails.
One beautiful anchorage after another turned out to be full, but after quite a bit of searching, we finally found a fantastic spot in the southern Stockholm archipelago. Just as we were about to enter the bay, another sailboat turned in ahead of us and headed for the exact place where we had planned to moor. Fortunately, we found another rock just a few meters away that turned out to be every bit as good.
Our new neighbors were very friendly, and a little later some of their friends arrived in their boats as well. We simply had to accept that you can't expect to have an entire bay to yourself on Midsummer's Eve. And honestly, it didn't matter at all.
Storm was more than happy to have finally arrived and ran happily around the rocky shoreline, playing with sticks he found on the island.
A few hours later, it was finally time for the traditional Midsummer herring lunch with schnapps. It was almost ridiculously idyllic. Bright sunshine, warm light winds, and the Stockholm archipelago at its absolute best.
The only real downside to this spot was that quite a few passenger ferries passed along Ornö a bit further away. At one point, one of them came unusually close, throwing up a large wake that caused our boat to slam against the rock where we were moored.
I jumped ashore as quickly as I could and pushed the boat away from the rocks while Molly held tension on the anchor line. Unfortunately, the bow hit the rock a couple of times before we managed to get everything under control, but thankfully the damage was limited to a few minor surface scratches.
After that, we kept a much closer eye on every passing boat, ready to react if anyone came too close again.
After lunch, we set off to explore the island. It turned out to be surprisingly hilly, and from the highest point we were rewarded with a beautiful view of the surrounding archipelago.
After a peaceful and relaxing afternoon, it was time to fire up the grill. We boiled potatoes and grilled lamb racks. A classic meal we used to make when we sailed together many years ago. Just as delicious now as it was back then.
It turned into one of those perfect summer evenings. We stayed out on the sun-warmed rocks long after dinner, soaking in the magic of Midsummer's Eve as the sun slowly dipped toward the horizon over the archipelago. It's a night I'll never forget.
The night passed peacefully, and thankfully no more boats came by to send large wakes our way. The next morning, we enjoyed a long, relaxed breakfast in the cockpit before it was time to pack up and set sail for home. We had a lovely sail home with a gentle breeze behind us, rounding off a wonderful Midsummer weekend in the Stockholm archipelago.
I think both Molly and I felt it was the best Midsummer we've had in a long time, except, of course, that Vera wasn't there with us. It was so relaxed, the weather was fantastic, and Storm was in the best of moods. Now I’m keeping my fingers crossed for many more family sailing trips in the future.