KAYAKING AROUND STORA HUSARN
With a sprained ankle, biking, hiking, and running were off the table — so once again, my kayak came to the rescue. What you can’t do with your legs, you can do with your arms! So I loaded the kayak onto the car and headed for the water.
I launched from Björkvik/Ingarö, as I’ve done many times before, and paddled south. It was a beautiful day, and this time I decided to go for a longer trip — partly to see how my legs and backside would handle sitting in the kayak for an extended period. I’m planning some multi-day trips in the future, and in the past I’ve often experienced numbness in my feet.
I made my way across Ingaröfjärden and paddled into the islands north of Dalarö. After about an hour, I pulled ashore on a small rocky islet for a coffee break. A quick stretch really does wonders for stiff legs.
Before continuing, I tried removing the homemade padding from my seat — and to my surprise, it was actually much more comfortable without any padding at all.
I continued east and briefly considered heading down to Dalarö, but the islands in that direction didn’t seem as inviting — so I stuck to my course and kept going east.
Then I took a well-earned break on a sunlit rock, enjoying a simple but satisfying snack — a sausage and a couple of sandwiches. Delicious!
After that, I headed south again to round Stora Husarn before making my way back. Some dark clouds started rolling in, and the wind picked up almost immediately. The final stretch down to the southern tip got a bit rough, with waves bouncing off the rocky shoreline. But it all went fine. At the southernmost point, I was greeted by some beautiful golden cliffs — and from there, I had the wind at my back heading north again.
A new addition for the day was a waterproof chart case, and it was genuinely fun to navigate the old-fashioned way — with map and compass in hand.
Once I passed Lilla Husarn, it was smooth sailing with the wind at my back all the way to Ingarö. I even caught a few great surfs on the waves — such a thrill!
The trip covered just over 20 kilometers in total, and I was out on the water for 4.5 hours, including breaks. Paddling longer trips is getting easier. My body seems to be slowly adjusting to sitting still in a small boat, and I probably just need to spend more time on the water.
