Bottenhavet – across the Bothnian Sea

The Gulf of Bothnia, or “Bottenhavet” as it’s called in Sweden, could easily fit a country like Greece or Bulgaria, but its coastline is sparsely populated. We hardly encounter any other ships or boats, but we do see plenty of seals and seabirds. The Bothnian wind is mostly unkind to SY Blue Layla, so the stretch across the open sea becomes a bit of a bumpy ride at times. All the more beautiful when we find ourselves in idyllic harbors and anchorages in the evenings. 

Above: The “Spikarna” is a strait through which herring streams once swam. Fishermen built their houses on both banks, so they only had to spread their nets between their terraces to catch the occasional shoal. Below: Gas stations are also few and far between here, but we find one:

After several rain showers, the wind is becoming more favorable for us and the reading on the onboard barometer is rising – summer is coming back!

Above: Across the Åland Sea we now head back to the Stockholm archipelago (below) on a wonderful downwind course.

Now back to the Stockholm archipelago