In reality I think the idea was probably conceived during my first kayak trip to the Stockholm Archipelago in 2006; however by 2019 it had certainly hatched. I was sitting on a sandy beach with David Walters, bathed in the warm evening sun of the Baltic. Our tents were pitched amongst the pines and rocks with thick forest behind us. We had finished leading a PDCC trip the week before and were now exploring more southerly areas of the archipelago together.
It had always occurred to me what a wonderful environment it would be to train scouts in backwoods and navigation skills. This thought was quickly dismissed considering the mountain of forms and approvals required to take minors overseas on adventurous activities but the idea morphed. But what about taking members of the club who were currently paddling A & B trips but aspired to develop their skills and undertake a wild camping expedition, (not a holiday as sometimes mistakenly labelled), that otherwise might not be a possibility until later in their kayaking career?
The Baltic offers this opportunity because it is non tidal (well strictly speaking it has a tidal range of 20mm) and therefore removes the moving water factor. Plus in mid-summer it gives long daylight hours enabling a regular daily routine to be established, uncomplicated as the on the water time is not dictated by the tide. That is not to say however it is any less an achievement to paddle these waters. When planning for tides it is usually to benefit for some tidal assistance, but on the contrary in the Baltic every kilometre paddled has to be earned at face value. Add to that the tendency of the wind to pick up the waves, it often but deceptively proves to be no push over.
And so late in 2019 a two week PDCC trip was planned for August 2020. Week one was for A&B paddlers with optional training opportunities (both in the UK and Sweden) whilst week two was a more regular C paddler itinerary.
It all seemed pretty straight forward, but then again at this stage Covid 19 had not entered anyone’s vocabulary and by the time it had the British Canoeing handbook did not offer any advice on the subject.
In total about 30 members had signed up split between the two trips, but because the emerging Covid epidemic was subject to continually varying guidance and regulations there were a number of participants who for very legitimate reasons had to withdraw. This was unfortunate but understandable.
With every governmental twist and turn the trip administration became ever more difficult. At one point there were no flights operating from the UK to Sweden. It was a waiting game. However it was clear that there remained a number of participants still committed to the trip if it could be done in compliance with the UK and Swedish governments, British Canoeing and the Club. And as it turned out, it was, but we only knew the trip was on a fortnight before departure.
So given the narrow window of opportunity and with fortune smiling, it was down to us – Making It Happen.
Wildlife identified on the trip
Greater spotted woodpecker, roe deer, blackbird, nuthatch, gulls, terns , fox, white tailed eagle, badger trace, mink, robin, grass snake , hooded crow, seal, ravens, wren, heron, shelduck, tree pipit, lichen, marsh tit, sparrow, swan, owl, swallows, cormorants, goldfinches, merganser, red squirrel, whopper sized wood ants, tick, flamingo
Week
1 - 54 nautical miles / 100kilometers
Tim
Gilby, David Walters, Chris McLeod, Richard Edwards, Cathy Jacobs,
Audrey Bazeley, Peter Stewart, Allan Thomson
Saturday 15 August - Engarn
The group met in the departure lounge at London Heathrow airport resplendent in surgical masks, looking more like a bunch of bank robbers than kayakers. Eventually we recognised each other.
The flight and public transport travel through Stockholm was uneventful, allowing us to arrive in the late afternoon at the Skargadens Kanotcenter , Engarn (archipelago canoe centre), take a rest, take a look at our kayak options and get ready to camp for the night.
Skargadens Kanotcenter
Sunday 16 August Tisteron
We had plenty of time to check out our kayaks and ensure we were comfortable in them before setting off mid morning. We took a leisurely paddle to the local town of Vaxholm to buy some goodies.
Our route took us through a very narrow, secret channel not even marked on the charts, which we nicknamed the Pirate’s Passage.
David led us on a scenic but circuitous route to the tiny uninhabited island of Tisteron for the night’s camp. The fact that we had far exceeded the 6 nautical miles intended on the first day was not lost on Audrey.
However the sun was shining and the air temperature was about 30 degrees Celsius, a weather pattern that would last for the whole week, so regular swims were the order of the day, every day,
morning, noon and night. This was much more to Audrey’s liking; she even did an impression of Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid.
Allan’s reminiscences of Tisteron - “Watching the sun go down at “Peter’s Point” with everyone and a good dram of whisky or rum” and “Searching for my lost beers and wondering about the laws of physics such that Chris’ beers floated while my beers sunk without trace!”
Monday 17 August Storra Sandon via Grinda
The following morning the wildlife started to make a show. A seal had been seen off Tisteron and en route to Grinda a deer passed ahead swimming between islands. The most unusual sighting however was a flamingo.
Flamingus inflatus
We took a long lunch on the island of Grinda before moving on to that night’s stop on Storra Sandon. As if to prove that Swedish is not that difficult a language to master, Storra Sandon means a place called Stora with sand on. Simples.
We had been warned about the dangers of the island. A few metres beyond the beach there were a number of badger sets. On a previous trip a badger had got into the cockpit of a kayak and clawed through the rear foam bulkhead to get at some food, so we took adequate precautions.
Tragedy was to strike in another way however, when Peter discovered that the cork had worked its way loose from his whisky bottle and flooded his rear hatch from the inside. We all lamented by drinking Allan’s whisky instead.
“It’s behind you!” – sometimes we had to share the water with other vessels.
Tuesday 18 August Gallno
Having shaken the sand off, we left Sandon and headed for Gallno. We called into the little harbour area of Gallno before heading to the camp site. With plenty of daylight left a few of us took the opportunity to explore the island.
Chris’ natural affinity for wildlife was evident as a red squirrel paid her quite a long period of attention on a wooded track.
A solo paddler arrived to share the camp. Ruth was an American lady who lived in Stockholm. We shared a few kayaking stories and tips.
Later Audrey was to be amazed by yet another stunning sunset and watching the shooting stars and satellites whizzing across the starry night sky.
Chris the wildlife magnet, sharing her lunch with some ducks.
Wednesday 19 August Gallno
The decision to spend a second night on Gallno gave the group the chance to travel “light” for a day’s excursion a few kilometres north to the post office at Alsvik on the island of Svartso, taking the opportunity for some navigation exercises and paddle stroke work en route.
This venue always proves to be a favourite with the opportunity to sit outside the coffee bar indulging in cinnamon buns and ice creams whilst watching the ferries come and go.
Allan at Alsvik. He became renowned for declaring “Another day in paradise.”
(It was someone else who coined the phrase “A thorn between two roses.”)
In a unanimous show of solidarity and joined by our new friend Ruth, the entire group hired bicycles to do a tour of the island. At this point Allan’s competitive streak became evident as he recalled “Having a Tour de France cycle race around the island with Cathy so determined to beat an invalid carriage, it became a point of honour.”
Tour De France style? Judge for yourself.
Thursday 20 August Tisteron
Having struck camp it was time to start heading west towards the canoe centre. Only a couple of hundred metres or so after leaving Gallno, Peter spotted a grass snake swimming across the sound, sprinting to catch a snap shot.
This day’s paddle was longer than most testing the stamina that had been building during the week. However never one to miss an opportunity David ran a towing training session to consolidate more on the water skills, but not until a very loud Swedish naval hovercraft had passed.
Friday 21 August Engarn
Our last day on the water gave us the opportunity to paddle along a section of the main shipping lane towards Stockholm to view some of the historic defensive forts along the shoreline and another retail therapy session in Vaxholm.
That evening on returning to the canoe centre, the furnace had been stoked up so that everyone could have a sauna before we all went to a local Sushi Thai Wok restaurant (that covers most bases) with the canoe centre owners Milena and Andrew.
And to finish a perfect week the gentle coaching had paid off; Chris, Richard, Audrey and Allan were congratulated that they had passed their British Canoeing Explore Award assessment during the trip.
Saturday 22 August Tisteron
Saturday was the day for a quick turnaround. Chris, Richard, Allan and Audrey were homeward bound; the canoe centre kindly offered them a transfer to the airport by minibus. I was able to accompany them but once they entered security, it gave me the chance for a sneaky beef burger and chips before I collected Sean who was arriving on the inbound flight.
Meanwhile those of the group that were staying on for the second week had a day of rest at the canoe centre or a stroll into Vaxholm.
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