The sun shined at our return to Röde Orm and as the longing for the warm sun and blue crystal waters reminded strong, it was not too hard to thing about our next cruising ground.
Some provisioning done, 3 days after our return, July 9, we set sail across the Baltic Sea to Lithuania. First time for my captain, and for me... of course everything above the 50 parallel is a first time!!
From Cortez Sea to Adriatic, and Baltic, the seas are the same: they get very choppy, with crisscrossed swells, sharp treacherous waves that make a ride quite uncomfortable at times. We left for a broad reach and then downwind, so we welcomed the 18 to 20 knots predicted. But soon we had a steady 28 knots-30 with a confused sea. It was a good sea trial after a year of rest at harbor for Röde Orm and also for the skipper who got a little rusty during the long Nordic winter... For me, it gave me a good opportunity to adapt to the movement of the ''old lady in red''. I had spent some time ‘‘reorganizing’ the galley to make things more convenient at sea. It was not only to make this new home more comfy but also for very practical reasons. In that matter my long experience on boats is very useful. It is also a way to ''bond'' with the boat. It is not only a living place that moves on the water, or a tool that takes you somewhere, it is a place your life depends on at sea and it feels very alive when riding the waves. Every noise becomes a language on its own that you start to understand. The movements show its mood, you feel her happy or nervous. You feel every move in your body so it is important to ''connect'' to feel comfortable despite the harsh conditions sometimes.
How easy is to forget a rough ride where your body claims some rest, where you are bouncing from side to side and longing for some respite? Everything is forgotten when sailing a wonderful broad reach pushed by a warm (yes) breeze looking at a superb Nordic sunset, heading to new shores to discover together the 3 of us, Magnus and I and the Old red Lady....
Some provisioning done, 3 days after our return, July 9, we set sail across the Baltic Sea to Lithuania. First time for my captain, and for me... of course everything above the 50 parallel is a first time!!
From Cortez Sea to Adriatic, and Baltic, the seas are the same: they get very choppy, with crisscrossed swells, sharp treacherous waves that make a ride quite uncomfortable at times. We left for a broad reach and then downwind, so we welcomed the 18 to 20 knots predicted. But soon we had a steady 28 knots-30 with a confused sea. It was a good sea trial after a year of rest at harbor for Röde Orm and also for the skipper who got a little rusty during the long Nordic winter... For me, it gave me a good opportunity to adapt to the movement of the ''old lady in red''. I had spent some time ‘‘reorganizing’ the galley to make things more convenient at sea. It was not only to make this new home more comfy but also for very practical reasons. In that matter my long experience on boats is very useful. It is also a way to ''bond'' with the boat. It is not only a living place that moves on the water, or a tool that takes you somewhere, it is a place your life depends on at sea and it feels very alive when riding the waves. Every noise becomes a language on its own that you start to understand. The movements show its mood, you feel her happy or nervous. You feel every move in your body so it is important to ''connect'' to feel comfortable despite the harsh conditions sometimes.
How easy is to forget a rough ride where your body claims some rest, where you are bouncing from side to side and longing for some respite? Everything is forgotten when sailing a wonderful broad reach pushed by a warm (yes) breeze looking at a superb Nordic sunset, heading to new shores to discover together the 3 of us, Magnus and I and the Old red Lady....
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