FROM GROUNDING TO GLORY
After a long, grueling winter with endless of hours repairing the boat, the moment had finally come for the first sail of the year. A heatwave had settled over southern Sweden, and David, Petter, and I stocked the boat with plenty of good food before setting course for the archipelago.
The final sail of last season had ended dramatically. I missed a submerged rock on the chart and sailed straight into granite at 7.5 knots. The boat started taking on water and sea rescue was called, but we managed to limp back to harbor under our own power. The entire autumn and winter that followed were devoted to restoring Luffa to her former glory. A fiberglass company handled the structural repairs, while I took care of the interior, including replacing the flooring among other things. I got through most of my to-do list, and it felt incredible to finally be back out on the water for the first sail of the season.
We cast off early on Friday morning and motored up to Bullandö Marina, where I’d stored the mast after the grounding. It was my first time stepping the mast on the new boat, so it took a bit of time to get everything right. But by mid-afternoon, we were finally able to hoist the sails and set off.
Those first moments were a little tense. Had the mast been compromised in the accident? Were all the sheets and halyards correctly rigged? But everything held together beautifully, and with every mile that slipped by, the nerves began to fade.
With strong southerly winds forecast for the next day, we beat our way south to set ourselves up for a smoother run north on Saturday. A few hours later, we tied up at Söderö and were rewarded with a perfect evening, grilling burgers and eating out on the sun-warmed rocks. It was hard to imagine a better start to the season.
We passed only the occasional boat on our way to Söderö, and when we arrived, we had the place completely to ourselves. In the summer, though, it’s a fairly popular natural harbor, well sheltered from southerly winds.
The next morning, we lingered over a long breakfast in the cockpit before setting off to explore the island. We spotted a viper basking in the sun and a sea eagle overhead, and from the island’s highest point, the views stretched beautifully in every direction.
By the time we were ready to leave, it was already noon, so we made a quick pasta lunch, then cast off and headed north.
It was blowing strongly from the southwest, around 20–25 knots. We passed Biskopsön and Bullerön, originally planning to continue on to Finnhamn. But as we neared Sandhamn, we noticed the upper spreader had chafed a small hole in the mainsail. We first considered a quick stop in Sandhamn to fix it, but ultimately decided to spend the night at Lökholmen instead.
The wind was due to swing 180 degrees overnight, and here we were ideally sheltered from the northerly winds that would follow.
We patched up the sail temporarily and celebrated with some bubbly and cheese. Lökholmen was noticeably busier than the night before, with plenty of boats and people around, but it just added to the summer feeling.
Later in the evening, things suddenly came alive on the far side of the bay. The armed forces were conducting their large-scale exercise, Aurora, and for a while the crackle of gunfire echoed through the trees.
After some time, a couple of Stridsbåt 90s swept in to pick up the soldiers, and we could finally enjoy some peace and quiet again.
In the evening, I made a creamy risotto while Petter and David grilled out on the rocks. By the time we sat down to eat, the sun had already dipped below the horizon, so we enjoyed dinner inside the boat that night.
On the final day, the wind had indeed shifted to a colder northerly. It was lighter, though, so we hoisted the spinnaker and made our way south again. We took the outer route past Biskopsön and Tistronskären, then continued all the way home to our base at Ingarö.
It turned into a truly great season opener. I’d only sailed the boat out for a little over a month after buying her last year, but with every trip I get to know her better, and I feel increasingly confident that the Diva 35 is exactly right for me.
A big thank you to David and Petter for helping step the mast, and for an absolutely fantastic first trip of 2026.