First Mate is now in Oslo enjoying the beutiful summer city and having a great time catching up with old sailing friends. Norway will always have a special place in our hearts. Maria and I have gotten to know so very many Norwegian friends and boats during the trip, they are all so much fun and we will miss "the sailing family" very much! Cantare is on her way to the Kiel canal and then Copenhagen where I will come home to Maria and Cantare again. Love/ First Mate Sofia

Helgoland 100623

After arriving in Brighton we decided to have a big breakfast to celebrate our arrival and prepare ourselves for a day out and about. I went to the gigantic supermarket located just of the marina, picked up my groceries and went to the cashier where I stood in line behind a Swedish couple. As I am travelling incognito I did not bother them with the somewhat boring fact that we were from the same country, but rather I enjoyed their difficulties in separating a pence from a pound, which I might say was not as easy as one might think. When they finally got it all right, had payed and left, the lady behind the desk leaned over and said in trust: "Am I allowed to say it?", "Yes, of course" I replied, "Bloody foreigners" she said with a smirk, I agreed and nodded my head. I am not sure if it was my very British tan, lobster style, or my British breakfast habits, consisting of sausages and bacon that made her believe that I was one of them.

Having finished our brunch in the sunshine aboard Cantare we went to watch the England vs. Slovenia game and down a few pints, luckily England won without playing very well. The late afternoon I spend cooking a nice spaghetti Bolognese while the ladies were of buying the supplies we needed to celebrate the midsummer in the proper way on our way to Helgoland. We all fell asleep early that night watching an episode of Dr House.

The second and last day of our stay in Brighton we spend at the Palace pier and in the city, shopping. We all managed to get ourselves a few bargains and returned to Cantare filled with the joy that only successful shopping brings, we filled her up with diesel and left the British shores behind.

Helgoland, here we come, approximately 380 nautical miles to go or four days of sailing. Early Friday morning we were coming up to the passage of Dover - Calais, here I had my first encounter with serious fog, I must acknowledge that being in a sailing yacht in a relatively heavy trafficked area with no visibility, just hearing the horns of substantially larger vessels is somewhat frightening to an inexperienced sailor like myself. I woke the captain up and she got up, horn in hand ready to signal. When the fog finally eased up we noticed that we had fish on the hook, we reeled it in and to our surprise we had not caught one but three mackerels, midsummer's lunch was saved. Fried mackerels with potatoes, finely chopped spring onions and lemon butter consumed in the sunshine was just as good as it sounds and the culinary peak of this trip so far.

We now live our lives in a very nice three hours on and six hours off routine that gives us plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful sunshine, and as I said before, I have gotten an extraordinary tan, some might say that when your face starts to come of , you have burned yourself. I say it is the normal way of getting a tan, it never comes easy and one has to earn one's tan. Besides working on my tan I have relistened to some of my favourite pod casts, read one sailing biography of a Swedish couple exploring the world in a 62 feet Hallberg Rassy and another about 3 young adventurous people that sail the world in a Vega, two totally different experiences but each with interesting episodes.

Now it is time for me to start my watch, Stay Black!

Boat Bunny 2 a.k.a The Bosun

Summer in the archipelago with the sun shining from a clear blue sky, what more can you ask for? It has been a very nice weekend in Norway together with Cecilie, Lars and their friends and family.

Last Thursday was spent in Skagen, Safari’s last destination before coming home. Cecilie and I sort of ran amok in a second hand shop where we found cool vintage clothes to reasonable prices. It is shocking seeing the prices in Denmark and here in Norway though. The now prevailing price level in our neighbor countries is deterrent and it especially struck me in Skagen when having lunch. We thought we found a very affordable restaurant to dine who offered a fresh lunch buffet for 69 DKK. The food was delicious but when we got the bill we learned where they earn their money, on beer. One beer was 74 DKK! Ridiculous, I mean a beer that cost more than the food itself and to point out the crazy prices even further, Cecilie’s orange juice was 36DKK! After a relaxing but expensive day in Skagen we sailed during the night towards Norway. Finally we got some good winds for pure sailing! Southwesterly winds up to 20-25 knots and with the heavy weather headsail and two reefs in the main we did about 8-9 knots, wonderful sailing! We sailed along the Swedish west coast and I could, from time to time spot Sweden in the horizon. A good friend of mine has a summer house on the little paradise island Nordkoster and when we passed some miles outside I called her and told her I was waving to her. Even though I couldn’t see her waving back to me it was wonderful talking to her and it recalled nice memories from time we have spent together on Nordkoster. Sailing in Swedish water, even if very shortly, felt really good, but also little sad since it reminded me of the fact that it remains less than two weeks of this adventure.

As I have mentioned briefly before I was very touched by the warm welcome we got when Safari arrived home last Friday. Cecilie’s mother is Swedish and she had made beautiful Midsummer wreaths which we saved for yesterday when it was time for Midsummer party and the celebration of one of their best friends who just turned 40. It was a thoroughly successful party which you can tell today, when we haven’t done much more than relaxing onboard listening to good music and watching movies. It was very wholesome though, can’t remember last time I chilled like this. It is since long time bed time, tomorrow we will sail back to Fredrikstad after the party here in the archipelago and I will wave goodbye to Cecilie and Lars. We have had a wonderful time together and I will miss them very much! Thanks for all the good times guys! However, Fredrikstad is not too far away from Sweden and I think there is a Caribbean reunion coming up pretty soon! Tomorrow I will go to Oslo and catch up with some old dear friends from among others s/y Johanna and s/y Fortia! So much looking forward seeing them again! Nighty Night! /First Mate Sofia

It has been some hectic days onboard Safari, especially for Lars and Cecilie who now have arrived home in Fredrikstad. And I have gotten a little preview of how is like to come home and see family and friends again. Even I have cried some tears of joy when we arrived here in Fredrikstad and got a wonderful welcoming of Cecilie’s and Lars’s family and friends. Seeing Cecilie embracing her father when he came onboard from one of the escorting boats when we sailed up the Glomma sound towards Fredrikstad was so emotional and made me cry! Even tough I will miss this life so much I am so much looking forward seeing home again....only two weeks left now!

LoveFirstMate Sofia