Sandhamn & Lökholmen day 2

Plans today were to further explore Sandhamn - the island of sand - regarded as one of the oldest Swedish seaside resorts since its first regular boat service arrived in 1865 along with the
steamboat enticing summer visitors.

So after a semi warm shower and a morning working in our office setup on Whisper - we were ready for a bit of Swedish 'fika' ( coffee and snack [cake] so a trip to the bakery was called for . We'd also been given a tip to try the Sandhamn Limpa bread . ( a lighter more bread like malty loaf - it is good). The trails around Lökholmen up to the observatory with the fluffy carpets of lichen are stunning.
I can see why it is a paradise for sailors. We fell in love with its rustic charm and natural beauty.
We enjoyed time at the cute museum & a picnic on the sandy beach ( a rare find in the Swedish archipelagos) .
After a stroll around, we headed back to Whisper on Lökholmen where the large Oceanis 48(Vilma) that had arrived behind us initially but moved over later as the reports of extremely strong winds due overnight had created a flurry of mild panic in the inlet . Even though we were extremely sheltered from the west, the northwesterlies forecast 45 -50 knots, which had everyone checking lines and fenders. It would seem more of 'everything' was the order of the day. Our new friends on Vilma were very entertaining. Lots of stories shared. Many people asking us about our travels and 'had we really come all the way from England on this boat?'. Just outside the inlet the white crests were getting bigger and to windward over the rocks there were 3 boats bouncing & clanking around up to 1.5metres, and it looked like they were going to have an uncomfortable if not scary night .
Already, our sheltered mooring was reading 33knots, but the night came and went uneventfully for us, but sadly reports from the Swedes were there'd been a sinking out to sea just off the island. Fortunately, the crew had been safely rescued.Read more