Sunday, 14 July
Today it was definitely windier than the forecast- we set off out of Varberg harbour with the sea state very definitely lumpy. We had a pretty constant 18-21 knots true nearly all the way, South-Westerly. That’s a good force 5 so gone was our flat sea and the white horses were tossing their manes.
As soon as we took the halliard off the end of the boom (to put it on the mainsail) our huge boom went crazy, bucking all over the place, despite our best efforts. The waves were very steep and bouncy and as David went forward to get the sail ties off the main I was seriously worried!
However we managed to get our 2 reefs in, the jib out and set a tight reach down the coast heading for the pretty little town of Torekov. It was sunny and gorgeous sailing, the most wind we have had so far.
I have done a couple of videos for you as the photos don’t do it justice.
We all touched 10 knots on the helm, but mostly we stomped along at a solid 8-9 knots; we made the distance in about 6 hours including all the faffing around with the sails at either end.
It definitely wasn’t a day for hanging around down below! I managed to use the forward lee-side head and felt ok, but David felt a bit nauseous filling in the ship’s log and Alex soon learnt why I wasn’t keen to do anything about lunch when he valiantly found some buns and ham!
A bit of fresh air sorted us all out. We have our life harnesses and tethers on today as it’s very lumpy and we are off shore. Safety first!
As we reached Torekov the wind died and we were welcomed into the harbour by a very helpful lad who showed us where to moor and took our lines for us. We tidied the boat and I spotted a fab fish restaurant that satisfied our well earned appetites right on the dock!
There are lots of swimming spots around and every other person seems to be wearing a dressing gown!
We found a wreck museum that reminded us of Truro in the Isles of Scilly:
And a half a ship museum showing life aboard in the 1800s:
Torekov used to be a herring town and there are lovely sepia photos of women sorting nets and fish on shore from the 1880s
There is also a marvellous church that doubles as a fine landmark when approaching from the sea
We are going to stay here a day at least as the weather looks bad again tomorrow. We will enjoy the sunshine while it lasts and hopefully the game later. Come on England! 🏴
You guys look so happy in the wind with the speed! As you should be!! Wonderful trip!!