I missed the first reunion in Norway, like Sofia wrote. I was actually in Finland that weekend, sailing a Bruce Roberts 39. Dad has been working on a long keel version of the same make for quite a few years and was beginning to question his own endurance. Were we to continue together, me designing and dad building, or should he sell the hull (no more is done yet) and buy an Orust-yacht. We took the ferry to Finland to find out what it's like to sail a 15 ton steel yacht. We feared that it would be slow and dull. It was raining when we stepped aboard the steady yacht Zephyr but when we left the harbour it stopped, still I was shocked when I felt the cold wind on my bare hands. After a while I couldn't feel my feet, that's how cold I was! Sailing in Scandinavia during autumn is not for me, at least not until I'm more acclimatised. Iceland will have to wait a while. Anyway, the yacht felt good, she heeled almost as much as Cantare when the wind picked up, and when sailing downwind she did good speed. She is a cruiser that's for sure, nothing for racing but that's not what we want. We were both excited and full of ideas as we started or journey back to Sweden. We will build the perfect yacht! At least in our eyes.



When it was time for the second reunion in Norway I couldn't resist. I took the buss from Malmö, where I now live and study, to Oslo where Patrick, Lina 4, would meet me. When I saw him it felt like no time had passed, was it really more than half a year ago that we waved him off when he left Grenada for the Pacific? It was, his hair was a little bit darker but except for that he was the same cheerful guy that we first met in Puerto de Mogan.

We had to hurry to the store to buy beer. When we stood in line to pay for them we started talking about the coming evening, Patrick said that he didn't know a lot of the other yachts. When I said that I thought that both Fortitudo and Havfrilla might turn up the guy in front of us turns around and asks whether we are going to the party tonight. It takes a second before I realize that it's Kyrre, one of the two guys on Havfrilla, and besides him stands Emil, Fortitudo, also with beers in his hands. What a small world!

They gave us a ride in Kyrre's car to El Mar's house. There we met the El Mar family who hoisted the whole get-together, Lina 4, Safari, Kaja, Fortia, Skamlös and Midnight Swan. Sadly Escape couldn't come due to illness. We had a lovely evening, food, beer, cigars and our own movies from the Atlantic made the hours pass by in no time. We all agreed that although it felt very strange in the beginning to be back home life was slowly beginning to feel a bit like it did before. Fortia and Skamlös are lucky, they will soon return to their yachts in the West Indies to continue around the world. The rest of us sees the future back out on the oceans, not right now, but in a "few" years.

The day after the party Patrick and I took a short walk in Oslo, we went to the castle so that I at least had done some sightseeing. When we stood there it was time to change the guards, I remembered that Escape's oldest son, Martin, used to do his military service as a guard. The last person in the group looked a bit like Martin. Could it be? Could it? Yes, it was! Again, what a small world. Patrick and I followed the guards around the castle until Martin was left to guard one of the gates. What a coincidence. It was his last day on duty. In the end I got to meet a little bit of Escape.



Memories of a fantastic weekend with the sailing family and a pink and red Norway beanie accompanied me on the bus back to Sweden. / The Captain