Stockholm Archipelago is made up of something like 25,000 islands. Or maybe 100,000, it depends on whom you ask. Last Friday, I set out to visit 30 or 40 of them. My trip began with a drive to Bjorkvik, where I delivered six Point 65 kayaks to Pierre at Kayakriet. A cool guy with a rambling compound of farmhouse, barn, yurt, tipi, Pierre runs an outfitter shop and has big groups come in for courses during the summer. His beautiful spot sits on a spit at the edge of the archipelago, perfect for launching a trip. I borrowed a boat from him, as well as the very crucial chart and compass and set off for a day trip.
From a distance the hundreds of island blend together and seem to form one unbroken horizon of land, but by taking bearings and following them I soon was finding my way around. I always love trying to hit a very specific spot on a chart by following a given heading. With little wind and almost no tidal current, I was right on course, heading out to the beacon at Bjornoon and croosing the sound to the big islands of Uvon and Morto, and the big cliff knob called Mortoklobb.
From there, I wound my way through some more little islands, on a course for a tiny little channel Pierre had shown me on the map, cutting between the islands of Angskar and Jungfruskar. I was sure I had landed in the right cove, but there was no passage, just tall water grasses. I almost left but saw a little break in the grass and poked the nose of my kayak into it. Sure enough a little passage way opened up and lead me back out to the open water. It reminded of this special place in Glacier Bay where you can sneak through a slough at the highest tides( which in August come around the witching hour) and end up flushed into Skidmore Bay. I hope to do it again this summer with students on an IWLS course.
I kept paddling from island to island, enjoying the day and the lack of people, plus all the birds.
I saw lots of eiders, murres and other ducks and my first ever sea eagle(Haliaeetus Albicilla), a close cousin to our American Bald Eagle.
Finally reaching the end of the archipelago at Gaston, I stopped and cooked some lunch, the open Baltic sea spread out before me.
From there, it was south to Gillinge, and into a cove dotted with cute houses. Pierre was actually paddling here with two girls to check out a spot for a future Point 65 trip and take a sauna.
I was hoping to run into them, but there is only so much one can reasonably expect from life. So, it the beautiful evening light and a bit of wind chop I set course back to Bjorkvik, making a couple big open-water crossings on the way, and arriving back at the car exhausted, hungry, cold, and elated.
As I drove from the take-out I was treated to a great view of a cow Moose, munching grass on the roadside in the fading light of day. And then back to the city....