Wednesday, June 29th: To many local sailors, the large and beautifully sheltered bay of Djupfladen is known simply as Paradiset. I’m sure you can guess the Swedish translation of this word. This bay is about 450 meters wide and long and served by narrow entrances to both the north and south. It boasts superb bows-to locations throughout the eastern and northeastern shore, and an island in the middle with an integral wooden jetty. The water is clean and warm, heated up by the long Swedish summer days. There is also a seasonal ice cream hut where locals can enjoy the delicacy the seem to prize above all others (apart from pizza, perhaps). Latecomers can also find plenty of anchorage spots in the bay, where depths range from 15-30 feet, although very shallow water can surprise the unwary.
As a result this place is usually jammed, and when we visited it was no exception. However, just to the north almost serving as an anteroom for Paradiset proper, is Idholmen, a smaller bay, almost equally as sheltered, where Mike and Murielle were introduced to the delights of bows-to mooring. I put Murielle on the helm while I manned the bow, while we puttered around looking for a choice spot. We had one anxious moment when we ran aground on soft sand doing less than half a knot, but that’s all part of the adventure. Murielle had some misgivings about piloting someone else’s boat directly at a unforgiving piece of granite, but after I assured her of my experience we dropped the stern anchor, guided her in and safely tied up to a couple of trees. Moments later we were drinking chilled white wine amind astounding natural beauty, congratulating ourselves on our good luck. No matter which spot you find yourself in here, you won’t regret it.
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