My goal for today was either the Island Hanö, 30 miles to the north across the Hanö Bay, or I could go 12 miles further to Matvik, where Kai, my Swedish friend from Morlaix has his homeport. He had promised me to help me set up my new gennaker, which I have just about no knowledge myself.

I woke up 4:30 and at five o'clock I was on my way. The forecasted northerly had a little west in it, so I could go closehauled on a course just a few degrees east of Hanö to start with. But that didn't last long, after less than half an hour the wind veered 25-30 degrees, so I had to start tacking. But the wind was good and I was in no hurry with such an early start. After four hours of zig zagging across the bay the wind died. A look at the chart told me I had gained only 12 miles from Simrishamn. Nothing to do but start the engine. Three hours later I passed Hanö, way too early to call it a day, so I decided to continue to Matvik.

Coming close there the wind piped up, which it does almost always when I am close to my destination. I was now inside the Hällavik archipelago, with lots of rocks and narrow passages between islands and the wind, now gusting 20 knots, just made it even more difficult to navigate. With one eye on Navionics and one ahead of me I managed to make it in to Matvik, just to find out there was no suitable place for visitors. A local boat owner passing by said this was no good place for a boat the size of Atlantis, especially since strong winds was forecasted for tomorrow. He adviced me to go in to Karlshamn instead, just a few miles away.

There I found a place in a small marina in the very center of the city. There was only one other boat there, a German couple in a Hanse, who came out to help me with the lines. This marina has no poles, but something called Y-booms, very thin metal booms with no catwalk, just a decimeter wide. If you don't want to jump down and balance on the flimsy booms you must have one of these gadgets that allows you to thread the lines from a distance. Luckily I have two of them, but I still think it is an idiotic system. And to get ashore you have to climb from the bow, not that easy with high topsides as Atlantis'. Getting the bike ashore and aboard again is another big enterprise.

But the marina fee was moderate and shore power included. Sanitairy facilities very good also, so I have been in worse places.