Our position is 60:05.168N 21.58.585E

Distance covered 18.7 Nm

One of the stops recommended by our Saturday night neighbours was Brannskar, an island that had a story that was featured in a tourist publication we had picked up in the harbour office in Verkan. The island is owned by the Archipelago Foundation and occupied by a carpenter and boat builder Lennart, together with his partner Julia and their 2 year old son Axel who have a 6 year lease. Lennart, helped by his brother, father and a friend have opened up the guest harbour, together with a café and they also offer a venue for corporate team building events. They have also built the café, toilets, and holiday accommodation as well as restoring one of the original houses on the island. They live there all the year round and the harbour is one of the few that is open all year.

We awoke on Monday to very poor visibility and no wind. We waited until it had improved before leaving but it was still far from perfect, but good enough to find our way among the islands. We used the tourist guide article to help us identify the harbour (it wasn’t marked on our 12 year old charts) and were soon tied up to one of the stern buoys ranged all round a T shaped jetty. Unfortunately the delay setting off meant we were later arriving than we hoped and the café had closed until 5 so we couldn’t have the late lunch there we had hoped, but when it did open we were able to buy excellent cake and also order fresh bread for the morning.

  Leaving Verkan

  plenty of guidance in the poor visibility

Another fast ferry

Ididn’t think these birds had chosen a very cosy nesting spot

Not a great advert for this yard

Quite a bit of fish farming in these waters

This survey boat looked very purposeful

Safely tied up after navigation by tourist guide

Walking up to the café for tea and cake

presumably made with fresh eggs

  Ordering bread for the morning