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Jumbuck - ARC Baltic - Leg 10 Kalmar Sweden to Mon Denmark



I'm guessing it was the Nordic Gods either giving us a farewell display or warning us not to come back, but this time they all came out to show off. This last leg of the Baltic Rally was a leg that will be hard to forget.

We had all ummed and ahhed Tuesday on Kamlars jetties, everyone asking everyone else what their route plans might be, as it was pretty obvious from all forecasts that along the way, we were going to have to deal with some heavy weather. It was simply each skippers choice of when and where.

The rally team had allocated three days to make this 180 mile passage, but with even heavier weather due to arrive by the weekend, our decision was to complete the leg in one hop, as we wanted to be well tucked up in Mons before the really bad stuff arrived. So first question was, when to leave?

Some forecasts showed a storm coming through Wednesday morning, with it easing later. Other forecast sites showed the reverse! We believed the latter and so slid out of Kalmar Marina at 0800 Wednesday - and we soon realised we got it wrong. I didn't want to battle heavy weather so far up in the Kalmar Sound, as the sea lanes are quite narrow and the surrounding seas studded with rocks and overall, quite shallow. With winds coming mainly from the south, that invariably builds big seas so it's not a comforting place to be in during any storm.

But that's what we got less than half an hour after leaving. So fully togged up in wet weather gear, lifejackets on, a reef in the main, a few turns to reduce headsail size, our small engine whirring our egg whisk sized prop at maximum revs, Jumbuck manfully bashed and crashed our way south leaping from wave top to wave top as we thrashed past rocky boulders sticking out of the water on each side. The foamy wave tops and green water coming over the deck was nothing compared to the monsoon styled torrents pouring down from above. The rain was so heavy our visibility was down to 1000 metres or less, but the lightening flashing and crashing around us was the really awesome thing. It all lasted maybe an hour, before we came out the other side and dripping wet, and still thrashing across lumpy seas, we left the storm raging behind.

The wind eased pretty quick. With gear hung over the rails to dry under a newly appearing hot midday sun, our sails let out to make best use of the 15 knot headwind, Jumbuck beat her way south to eventually clear the Sound, have a final bash through the confused seas south of the Swedish mainland, and and then enjoy the somewhat flatter waters of the open seas heading SW towards Denmark. We had a few bigger boats for company, but the majority of the fleet that left the same time, chose a more sheltered but longer route, threading the Swedish southern islands.

Jumbuck flew that afternoon and evening. Over flat water, with still 15/18 knot SEly winds, slightly cracked sheets, we enjoyed around 7 knots boatspeed as the Gods then presented a stunning sunset through the clouds to our west, and then an equally impressive golden coloured moon rise to our east. Sue had heated up some creamy chicken dish, I'd had a couple of hours kip, and we had overtaken a few bigger boats, and even maintained our lead over a 54 foot sloop going our way. All was great in my little world.

Sue went down around 2300, and I'm guessing maybe 0100 Thursday, the Gods again presented a beautiful lightening storm across the sky in front of me.

It was impressive. Mainly sheet lightening through the clouds, right across the horizon but moving northward over the land, where lightening forks flashed down. No thunder at all but you could see for miles when the sky lit up. I headed up aiming slightly south for a break in the clouds on the horizon, hoping to avoid the worst. But the Gods must have smiled at my puny idea, and they slammed that break shut well before I got there. For the second time I prepared Jumbuck as we sailed on into a storm.

I'm not sure how Sue managed to stay asleep right through this, as I deliberately made a fair amount of noise tucking in reefs and cranking in headsails readying myself for the worst, but she says she did. Personally I think she raised an eyelid, thought about it, and snuggled down deeper under her duvet.

The rain began with a spatter on the sprayhood, and Jumbuck heeled over as the winds rose quite quickly from 20 right up to 50 knots (truly, 50 knots,) and the rain increased in volume and appeared to hit us almost horizontally. Jumbuck truly took off, creaming her way across a strange sea, beaten flat by the wind but with lines of white water marching towards us. Almost like the sea was a few inches deep. But we were still making an impressive 7 - 7.5 knots with our lee rail almost awash as I hand steered to feather her up to take the pressure from the sails. With the black clouds above, smashing through those low lines of white water, seas rushing past on either side, lightening flashing all around, and an almost ozone electrical taste in the air, I think it's the closest we've ever got to lightening bolts coming down (or up) near us. We later learned that 'Hanse Sailor' a 50 foot rally entrant behind us, saw a lightening strike close by and the resultant energy blew both her VHF and her electronic compass. How they didn't loose their handheld gear remains a mystery, but a obviously a pleasing one.

But apart from the rain getting down my neck so even my undies got soaked, we came through it all fine. After an hour the rain ceased, the storm moved on northward, our winds dropped back to 15 knots and began to back from the SW to the SE. That was super for us, allowing us to slowly turn SW and clear the last Swedish headland before crossing the Oresund towards Denmark on the one board. One bigger boat in front then came on the radio to mention she was sailing in new NW winds, so rather that continue SW I eased sheets and we streaked off wests to try and get into that wind shift. We were perhaps 5 miles south of Ysted when we got 30 minutes of dying SWlies where I used the engine, before it magically began building from the NW, allowing us to tack over and get back to sailing directly down the rhumb line to Mons.

Had maybe four hours good sailing into 15/18 knots, allowing us to dodge the commercial traffic in the shipping lanes close by Sweden, then the wind clocked SW and built to 20/30 knots.

We only had 50 miles to go, but those last miles seemed to take forever. took By this time I really needed sleep, and as it would be tough for Sue to tack the boat alone on deck, we decided to wind in the headsail, strap in the main, and use the engine to adopt a direct SWly course. The seas were awful, cross hatched swells caused by the original NW then current SW winds. Like trying to sail a boat across the top of a washing machine. Bit bashy and crashy but it didn't stop me hitting the land of nod. Only trouble was when I awoke 3 hours later, it felt like we had hardly moved forward down our course. The winds were at 25 knots, the seas huge and confused in the 19 metres deep sound, and Jumbuck despite max (for me 3000) revs, was at times down to 3 knots boatspeed. But, watching other boats behind equally bash and crash trying to sail to windward and falling further and further behind, we knew motoring was going to be the quickest way to get across. Have to say the impressive 200 metre tall cliffs of Mons got a bit boring as they remained tantalisingly on the horizon all the way, but it was late afternoon before we finally hobby horsed our way through the 10 metre deep seas off Mons marina, before turning and surfing our way through its narrow entry and into the relative calm within.

Only three rally boats got there before us,. The 54 foot 'Melnador', the 55 foot 'Whimbral' and 49 foot 'Alloro'. Ttey were all moored in the larger more open fishing boat harbour, and in the still strong winds we didn't fancy joining the many other local yachts streaming in to take one of the box moorings in the yacht harbour, so joined them on the harbour wall. Tomorrow, we will move,

Large brandy first. Then the shower floor still moved under my feet as I soaked in a hot hot shower. Then clean and dry clothes - including undies. Then a super crispy pizza and a bottle of Italian red ashore. Then typed this before the detail went. Then crashed. Can't say how good it feels to be in here.

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